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Standout CO Artists From SXSW 2014

 

Hillary Hand

 

Playing as a solo/duo act from Colorado Springs, Hillary Hand was featured in four unofficial showcases this year at SXSW, including shows at the 512, Shanga-Li, and the Chuggin’ Monkey. This year was the first time the group has had the opportunity to travel to Austin for the festival but they played with such ease and confidence that it seemed like Austin was a second home. Hillary’s soaring vocals are reminiscent of Adele’s 21 album, with traces of Fiona Apple. Coupled with her lyrics of love and loves’ lost and Hillary Hand is impossible to ignore. Two of her showcases featured a drummer/guitar player that brought an elegant edge to the sound; filling out shallow parts of each song and setting a rhythm to dance along to. Hillary Hand is a must-see so keep an eye out for shows around Denver this Spring.

 

Rose Quartz

 

Formally know as FLASH/LIGHTS, Rose Quartz made their way down to Austin with a few of their friends from Holy Underground. This was the first year that Holy Underground has had the pleasure of hosting an official SXSW showcase and they rocked the Speakeasy Kabaret. Ethan and Alex, the two members of Rose Quartz, lay down an electro-drum beat, get the crowd moving and wowed every audience they played for. The unforgettable combination of Alex’s electro-pop beats combined with Ethan’s luscious vocal melodies make it impossible to stand still. With a sound akin to the likes of Cut Copy and Holy Ghost!, it’s no wonder that every concert hall they played was packed to capacity. Catch them live here in Denver either at Snowball or at the Bluebird opening for !!!.

 

Welcome to the D.O.P.E. Game

 

Representing the ever growing Denver HipHop crew Welcome to the D.O.P.E. Game, Turner Jackson, Hustle Man and Tommy Brown performed together in a short but energetic set at the AllHipHop.com official showcase. The set opened with Turner Jackson and Hustle Man’s collaboration “Drink These Shots” off of Jackson’s Black Electric Love album. As the first track faded out Tommy Brown stormed the stage, winning the crowd over with his rapid delivery. The rest of the set consisted of alternating solo verses, ending with a rousing back-and-forth chant of “Welcome to the D.O.P.E. Game!” led by Turner Jackson. The three man set was one of the highlights in a long night of hip hop which wrapped up with an appearance from ASAP Rocky. Seeing the way these three interacted on stage, we can only hope they do another collaborative set in Denver soon.

 

 

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Holy Underground Is Proving Their Potential

 

The Denver based artist development agency, Holy Underground, is having no problem in keeping up with the demand for new music. In the past few months, they have thrown an official CMJ Music Marathon Showcase in New York with the likes of Hockey and Shy Girls, have added two new amazing artists to the roster: Brothertiger (out of New York) and Inner Oceans, and are about to announce 2 more new artist signings to their HUG Records imprint in the coming months.  Considering the agency is already home to locally renowned acts such as In The Whale, FLASH/LIGHTS, and RUMTUM as well as national acts out of California: Real Magic and StaG, it’s safe to  say that Holy Underground is absolutely killing it.

Holy Underground functions as a one-stop shop for many of their artists since they do artist management, booking, and have their own record label, HUG Records. What else could a band need? Well how about showcase spots at the 2014 SXSW? Four artists from the roster, Brothertiger, FLASH/LIGHTS, StaG and Inner Oceans will be playing for the masses this year, & showing the industry what Denver has to offer. I have no doubt that each group will uphold their reputation. Add on top of that – appearances at the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho and it’s clear that Holy Underground’s artists are making some big moves on the national scale.

Considering most of the artists on the Holy Underground roster are from the indie/electronic genre, the firm doesn’t have too much local competition. The Vinefield Agency is another Denver staple that has signed multiple artists in the past year but they tend to deal with clients from the Indie / Alternative Rock scene. Unless someone is crazy enough to take on Holy Underground and their remarkable reputation, I see this company as one that will keep growing to become home to some of the best indie/electronic artists from around the U.S..

 

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A Band In Pictures: Recess (Single Review)

 

Up-and-coming indie rockers, A Band In Pictures, released their first full-length LP, Who Killed the Dinosaurs, at their sold out New Years Eve show at the Larimer Lounge. Well over a year in the making, their album was funded by the bands very gracious fans through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The first song on the album and the official single “Recess” is one of my personal favorites from the band to date and one that I can see getting the band some serious exposure.

The song starts out with Connor Birch’s very recognizable synth-line, reminiscent of late Animal Collective, that, along with the bass, played by Emerson Murphy, is the driving force behind the entire tune. Jake Supple, lead singer, takes the song to beautiful places with his melodious vocals and self-identifiable shrieks. His voice, drenched in reverb, reminds me a lot of Bradford Cox from Deerhunter. Add on top of this delay-heavy electric guitar from Noah Pfaff and complex, for the genre, drums from Nick Berlin and in my opinion you get one of the best songs to come out of Denver in the past year.

To clear up any confusion you might have, as of this month, the band changed their name slightly from Abandin Pictures to A Band In Pictures. I assume they were tired of explaining how to spell it. To check out more from these talented young guns, you can buy their new album at Twist and Shout and online in due time.

 

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Adam Duncan – Ga’Damn (Single Review)

“Sex is incredible, body’s amazing still, there’s only one way that could describe the way that you make me feel…Ga’damn.”

 

One of Colorado’s hottest pop artists is following the trend of turning to R&B much like Justin Bieber has done so – to many plaudits – recently. Adam Duncan is planning on releasing an R&B album after the impressive “Don’t Wanna Go Home Vol. 1” project presented his phenomenal capabilities when it comes to pop – and we even seen a little Hip Hop in there too. The lead single from the as-yet untitled project is produced by Nite (Well known for his production for Trev Rich) and the drum-heavy beat provides a brilliant foundation for a fantastic track.

Shades of Drake circa “Take Care” shine through on “Ga’Damn” as Duncan verges on rapping in one part of the R&B song in similar style as the “Nothing Was The Same” rapper/singer. If “Ga’Damn” is a true representation of the upcoming project we can expect a blend of Drake and Justin Timberlake with a lot of focus on the female figure and of course the desire to regain an ex’s affections. Duncan’s giving Jimmie Murphy a run for his money here, but their styles of R&B differentiate in that “Ga’damn” is much more radio-ready than anything from “Descendre”.

I can’t help but feel this is an amazing opportunity that Adam Duncan has opened up and I for one am looking forward to hearing a full project of his take on the R&B genre – so long as he doesn’t completely stray away from his pop side either. What do you think? Do you like the record? Or would you prefer Adam Duncan to remain in his current lane? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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10 Creative Album Covers of 2013

 

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What would music be nowadays without the visual arts that accompany it? While everyone likes to recognize the music, we wanted to show some appreciation to some very talented Graphic Designers out there. This year in Colorado, some artists neglected their packaging while some went all out. Here are ten of the most notable album covers of 2013…

 

1. One Republic – “Native”

Designed by: Willo Perron 

You have to admit that this is one of the coolest album covers you’ve seen in a while. Taxidermy never made so much sense.

2. Princess Music – “Odobenidae”

Designed by: Levi Nelson

Whether you refer to them as Walruses or Odobenidae, I’m sure you can appreciate this water color design of one of nature’s biggest and laziest sea mammals. The broken tooth gives it that personal touch as if the designer had met this Walrus in person and wanted to capture it’s uniqueness. The blob/drip on the left  makes you wonder whether it was purposely placed or just one of those, “Oops!…Oh well” moments.

3. Myke Charles – “Flight Plan”

Designed by: Jordan Downey

The magnificence of the Rocky Mountains fused with the vastness of space, buffered by a glowing horizon, makes for great cover art. The designer really hit it on the head with this one.

4. Trev Rich – “Heights”

Designed by: @Qnowledge

This album cover amazes me every time I look at it. If you’re familiar with digital design then you know what goes in to creating a design like this. It’s hard not to acknowledge the crispness of all the elements.

5. Paul Basic – “Transient Horizons”

Photo by: Ivan Kashinsky

This cover art speaks volumes, especially if you have a mind insistent on contemplating what the future will look like. The photo kind of looks like it might be a digital design but it’s actually a real abandoned building in Ecuador. You can see the original on Ivan’s Instagram HERE

6. Turner Jackson – “ABC”

Designed by: Jeremy Pape

Jeremy really out did himself with this one. From the Teddy Bear with it’s head ripped off to the filter that adds an almost grainy or chalk like texture to the cover as a whole – this will always be a favorite.

7. Pries – “Honey Jack”

Designed by: Pries (himself)

In case you didn’t know, Pries designs all of his album covers as well as some album covers for a few of your favorite artists. It seems like every cover is better than the last. This one in particular, which is the cover of his latest project, made the list because no one else would have thought to fuse origami and a plastered wall texture to make a one of a kind Album Cover.

8. The Photo Atlas – “Stuck In A Honeytrap”

Designed by: Amanda Olsen

There’s so much going on in this design, that it keeps your eyes jumping from one place to another trying to piece the whole thing together. Tree on fire, bear chained to tree, bee hive, honey dripping. It all seems so damn symbolic, but I just can’t figure it out. Any ideas?

9. Pretty Lights – “A Color Map of the Sun”

Designed by: IS050

This cover reminds us so much of the old Pretty Lights  website (which was awesome!). IS050 aka Scott Hansen, managed to give this album cover the vintage look and feel  that Derek was shooting for with the album. After staring at this album countless times, I’m starting to understand PL’s fascination with lights!

10. BLKHRTS – “Death, Romance and The Color BLK”

Designed by: JIMBO

BLK HRTS actually held a design contest leading up to the release of their latest album. Many designers submitted their work via Facebook, and at the end of it all this one held strong. Some of you might be thinking, “What’s so creative about a picture of a plastic heart?”. Feel free to tell us why it’s not…

 

Do you feel like we missed an awesome album cover design that dropped in 2013? Or do you think there’s a design that doesn’t deserve to be in this list? Feel free to leave your comments below