Hold-ups & fever dreams: Briffaut releases the long-awaited Helsinki

written & photographed by Meesh Deyden for the masses

For fans of Arcade Fire, Of Montreal, Camera Obscura, BadBadNotGood, Sufjan Stevens, DeVotchKa, Tame Impala and oh so many more ensembles, we present to you Colorado Springs based outfit, Briffaut. 

Daniel James Eaton (left) and Alex Koshak (right) of Briffaut 

Daniel James Eaton (left) and Alex Koshak (right) of Briffaut 

Briffaut (pronounced Bra-foe, roughly-- you can google it) spent the last two years loving and hating what it has taken to release their latest album, Helsinki. Between members quitting the band for other pursuits, not having access to recordings they did for the album, trying to be likeable in an industry fueled by likes, to struggling to self-mix and master the project, Daniel James Eaton and Alex Koshak seem to have finally pulled it off. 

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Helsinki is a tour de force, sometimes feverish sonic explosion marrying dreamscape vocals with heavily layered multi-instrumental crescendos. Listeners luxuriate in what feels like a quintessentially French cinematic siesta of Briffaut's "wild new future music" with tracks like "Domino" and "Pomegranate." It's a record you can listen to anytime for any reason. 

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The album release show, presented by Grouphug, is Friday March 2nd at Syntax Physic Opera featuring opening acts in/Planes and Down Time. Helsinki can be purcahsed at the show in cassette and CD. You can purchase the digital album, as well, on Briffaut's bandcamp. 

March 2018 | Denver's Most Highly Anticipated Shows

compiled by Meesh Deyden for the masses

Lorde photographed in 2014 by Ultra5280 Editor in Chief, Robert Castro 

Lorde photographed in 2014 by Ultra5280 Editor in Chief, Robert Castro 

Mon 3/5 Lorde at Pepsi Center with Run the Jewels

Following her Grammy snub and a string of heartfelt and righteous comebacks, Lorde's North American leg of her Melodrama tour finds an equally fierce (if not more so) ally in openers, Run the Jewels. You may recall Killer Mike's moving speech at a music venue in St Louis, Missouri just a half hour after the Ferguson grand jury decided to not indict officers involved in the killing of Mike Brown. Unsurprising to fans, both acts are heralded for making emotionally and politically astute music that makes you wanna dance h a r d. To sweeten the deal, the seemingly disparate pair just released a remix of Lorde's "Supercut" featuring verses by Killer Mike.

Tix: At the time of publication, tickets are still available! // Pro-Tip: The Pepsi Center powers that be have ordered bartenders to stop serving about 3/4 through the show, so plan ahead for optimal buzz. 

Sat 3/10 Lucius at Boulder Theater

When you move to Brooklyn to embark on your music career and move into a house that turns out to have been a music school and a recording studio, it seems destiny may be working an angle. Since the release of their 2012 EP, Lucius-- led by Berklee School alums Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig-- have toured with Jack White, had their song "Two of Us on the Run" streamed 30+ million times, garnered top nods from NPR & NY Times for their 2014 album, Wildewoman, and snagged a gig singing back up for the legendary Roger Waters. Instead of amping up the production after all this, Lucius is returning to the basics, releasing Nudes, an album of acoustic tracks coming this spring. 

Tix: SOLD OUT // Pro-Tip: Take the bus from Union Station aka don't be a drunk idiot. But if you are drunk and have a case of the drunchies, the Taco Bell next to the theatre will be your best friend.

Sun 3/11 George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at Ogden 

George Clinton and P. Funk recently released a track (see video above) that is the 1st song under the Parliament name since the 80s. That's decades w/o an official new P Funk groove! "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me" is part of Medicaid Fraud Dog, an album that Clinton says will feature "P-Funk horn players Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Greg Thomas, and Benny Cowan." So if you missed their private show for Outdoor Retailer at Broadway's Temple in February, you can still grab tickets to their Ogden show. 

Tix: $32 // Pro-Tip: Get funky before the show at the funkiest joint on the block-- Sancho's of course. 

Fri 3/16 Portugal the Man at MCA

Turns out that Portugal the Man is pretty tight with current MCA exhibited artist, Cleon Peterson. The recent Grammy winners will be playing a private show at the museum for some lucky fans, and all ya gotta do to get a ticket (really, the only way to get a ticket) is give 'em the ole razzle dazzle, social media style. For full entry rules click here. 

Tix: see rules for entry here // Pro-Tip: If you have time before or after the set, check out the exhibit in the basement-- it's a video collage matched up to Kanye's "Ultralight Beam" by renowned artist Arthur Jafa!

Tu 3/20 Kinky Fingers at Lion's Lair with Acid Tongue, Ancient Elk

Yo! Surf rock babes, Kinky Fingers, are ridin the wave these days with their latest release, Garbage Plate, hittin the streets and an upcoming Treefort Fest slot! They've been playing a bunch of shows around town, but we're particularly excited for their March gig at our beloved Lion's Lair! Doors are at 8:30 and we suggest getting there in time to check out some stellar opening acts! 

Tix: $8 // Pro-Tip: Lion's Lair is one of our fave classic Colfax dives, so treat it with respect, damnit! And by respect we mean: bring cash, tip your bartender, cheer on the bands, and if you wanna talk during a set, don't do it right by the stage, ya twerp. 

25 Acts You Must See At SXSW

With a mere 9 days away from the insanity known as SXSW, we wanted to share with you some of the amazing musical acts heading down to Austin to bless us with their amazing talent. Never a shortage of amazing music we have scoured over Soundcloud and YouTube links and curated playlist to give you the top 25 acts we are most excited to see.

U.S. Girls

The Buttertones

Deezie Brown

Men I Trust

HINDS

Helena Deland

Gang Of Youths

Snail Mail

Porches

Kelela

Amy Shark

Pixel Grip

La Luz

Son Little

Hazel English

Queen Of Jeans

The Nude Party

KOLARS

Slow Caves

Molly Burch

HOMESHAKE

Himalayas

Okey Dokey

Noah Cyrus

Warbly Jets

Soccer Mommy

Do303 Has Landed! Come Celebrate This Saturday!

We have been part of the DoStuff family for many years, stemming from our many adventures over the past years in Austin, Texas with the Do512 Crew (since 2006-2007). It has always been our go to guide for anything cool happening in that city when we visit, from SXSW to Austin City Limits Music Festival. After a couple years of planning and rumored plans of them arriving in The Mile High City, we finally get to experience one of the coolest and reliable (to-do) guides for our city and Boulder.

What are you going to do tonight?

Built on the foundation of local industry experts working together in the community, Do303's mission is to help people find fun, through curated event listings and guides to the best stuff going on. But we're much more than that, and we'd like for you to celebrate with us.

Do303's intention is to help you have the best night of your life. We’ll do that by connecting Denver and Boulder locals with the best music, food, drink, and nightlife events aggregated and curated on our platform, engaging locals through online, social, and daily emails serving up the best stuff to do each day of the week.

We invite you to celebrate the launch of Do303 on Mar. 3 at 730PM at Summit Music Hall. Do303 is proud to present an evening of music, food, drinks, giveaways and endless, epic entertainment. This event is free with RSVP here.

To stay in the know in Denver, download the DoStuff app, check out our website, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter - and sign up for our Daily Emails to find out about breaking show announcements, exclusive party invites, and of course - everything going on tonight.

About DoStuff:

DoStuff is the only multi-local network that answers “What am I going to do tonight?” Local teams in 21 cities - using our app, email, social handles, and websites to drive where local people go and what they do.

You might say we’re experts on how to have the best night of your life.

“Algorithms can’t tell you what to do tonight. You need a local who knows the scene.”       - TechCrunch
"The front range offers so many opportunities for people to get out and experience life at different angles.  I think Do303 is a chance to really showcase all of those things; to create moments for people. Our main priority is to help people discover something new, whether it’s music, art, the mountains, or a new chef in town....and Do303 will do just that. It connects people with the experiences that they love." – Peter Wallace, GM
“All too often I’m asked, "What are we doing tonight?” and all too often, I don’t have the answer. My partners and I found out about DoStuff Media and after using Do512 in Austin last year, we had to bring this technology to Denver and Boulder. We want to make it easy for people to find out about concerts, happy hours, comedy and other events with one easy click. We live in one of the best markets in the country and we look forward to Do303 becoming a big part of this incredible and progressive community.”  - Brian Schwartz, Partner

Visit www.do303.com for any questions about Do303, or feel free to email General Manager Peter Wallace at peter@do303.com. 

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The Time Is Now For Viretta: A Journey Into Rock's Unknown Future

What’s a Viretta? For the better part of the 2010’s, Viretta has been somewhat of a cipher. Known throughout the scene for their hard-hitting live shows, and constantly changing lineup, the alt-rock act has a surprising number of accomplishments under their belt. Having headlined or played sold-out shows in nearly every venue in Denver, including a modest Bluebird headliner back in 2014, the group still seems to be one of the most well-known low-key bands in Denver, despite being literally in two places at once. “I think most people hear Viretta and think, ‘aren’t they that twin band..?’” laughs frontman Mike Moroni. He hears this all the time. Paired with identical twin brother Rob Moroni, the two are hard to miss walking down Broadway, and turn many the confused head. So… what’s a Viretta? And why are they releasing a 12-track rock record on CD in the Pop-dominated city of Denver? Although it may not seem like it, the answer has been a long time coming.

Tracking their time on the Denver Music Scene, Viretta are kind of hard to nail down. A smattering of EP’s here and there, the odd single, a music video with Bear masks, a strong focus on their live show, rather than their recordings. When it all comes together, we see a picture of a band led more by their impulses than their rationale. Take 2016’s Ready For Rock Vol. 1 , a compilation record of local rock acts the band put together themselves to benefit local music non-profit Youth On Record. During a year which also saw guitarist Rob Moroni doing double duty as bassist for Denver pop-act P O P F I L T E R, it’s hard to tell where VIRETTA’s going to show up next. Bombing the stage at last year’s Hometown For The Holidays with Bad Noise Bears? Or headlining Larimer Lounge as Radiohead with P O P F I L T E R as Phoenix and Valienta as The Killers? Whatever the rationale, they’re back again with their brand new album: THE FEAR.

“We’ve been recording this album for a long time,” Rob starts. He’s not wrong. Slow boiling since early 2016, Mike, Rob, and drummer Jon Cales self-recorded the album (a first for the band) twice; spending much of 2017 in their basement studio scrapping the first cut of the record. “It wasn’t right,” Mike says quickly. “We didn’t have it yet.” For the second iteration, the band turned to their friends. Recording drums with fellow UCD alum Kyle Smith at Side 3 Studios, and seeking out Brandon Whalen of My Body Sings Electric to craft the perfect bass tone, the record entered production yet again. Embracing their own quixotic energy, the band felt liberated to create and destroy at a moment’s notice. “We asked ourselves, what if we literally said yes to every single crazy idea we have? In the end, everything was game,” says Jon excitedly. This makes The Fear like nothing the group has produced before. With the foundation laid, the band finished recording guitars and vocals in their project studio at home. It took the rest of 2017 for Mike to mix the record (another first), a process he described as: “Hell.”

Viretta enjoying some fine icy treats. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Viretta enjoying some fine icy treats. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Nevertheless it’s clear that there is love on this record. Take, “You Are My IV,” the band’s first new song in years.

The band channels its inner Radiohead with the "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi-esque" jam. A carefully layered track that starts off soft into a infectious transition only to subtly go into a well executed strumming gem midway through the song. -Castro

They’ve dubbed the album’s sound Basement Hi-Fi: “Half the record sounds amazing,” says Mike “the other half sounds like shit.” Sounds about right for a band defined by extremes. The Fear captures VIRETTA at their most honest and their most reticent; their most exciting and their most vulnerable. Slated for release on May 26th, the band intends to drop three new music videos ahead of the release. “People are going to be sick of us. It’s gonna be amazing,” says Rob. It’s anyone’s game what VIRETTA will do next. All we know, is it won’t be boring. 

THE FEAR is now available to pre-order for $10 on the link below.

Preorder Viretta’s new album “The Fear”

Stream You Are My IV: http://bit.ly/2C2u9Kq
Website: virettaband.com  

Tracklisting: 1. Fear at 17 2. Cordyceps 3. People Are Snakes 4. Lachrymal 5. Snap The Branches 6. Avidazen 7. This Garden's Over (A) 8. This Garden's Over (B) 9. You Are My IV 10. How To Wield The Knife 11. After Image 12. ---

Starset Lifts Off At Summit Music Hall

Photo Credit: Austin Voldseth