ToKiMONSTA ft. Unexpected Guest!

Photo by Lina Skrzypczak

Photo by Lina Skrzypczak

I would like to start this off by saying if you haven’t heard of ToKiMONSTA, do yourself a favor and go listen. Grammy nominated producer Jennifer Lee seems to be always up to something, the latest being a collaborative project via her label Young Art Records, called Young Art Sound II. This follows up the first Young Art Sound compilation, which featured artists like Anderson .Paak, Gavin Turek, Two Fresh, etc. and continues to showcase the obvious musical journey all these wonderful artists are on.

You can listen to the project here.

In regard to her latest visit to Denver, ToKiMONSTA threw down at Vinyl on Thursday, and it was the best $25 dollars anyone in there ever spent. Not only was Lee’s signature style of mixing bass, hip hop, and electronica ever present, but surprise guest Anderson .Paak took the stage with ToKi to perform their hit, “Realla” to the crowd’s surprise. He was obviously in town for Friday’s Red Rocks performance, but as friends and collaborators it was really tight to have them both on the same stage, and in front of potential fans that may not have had the opportunity to see him otherwise.

In comparison to other times I’ve seen ToKi, she definitely added weirder elements to her set, while still keeping up her impeccable energy and adorable style. A live trumpeter and trippy visuals gave jazz and house elements that haven’t been as prominent in previous performances. Plenty of rap bangers like “Mo Bamba” and “Plain Jane” kept the crowd engaged, and lively world music with heavy bass lines kept the whole dance floor bumping. There was something for everyone at this show, and that’s extremely representative of Lee’s body of work.

Ultimately a great time, this show really reminded me to keep club shows on my radar as they’re typically underrated as hell!

Legendary Denver Club Night The Solution Has Found A New Home

HUUUUUUUUUGE NEWS!!! The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez is moving the party for the first time in half a decade! After a fantastic run at The Meadowlark (starting on 12/15/2011, check the timeline below), the party is off to greener pastures in Capitol Hill at the award-winning Black Box (314 E 13th Avenue, basically 13th Ave & Grant). It’s a bittersweet move after so many classic memories over the years, but we’re super excited about the possibilities of upgrading to The Black Box’s renowned sound system, adding a more flexible setup for more out of town and local guests, featuring drink specials again, having options to live stream the party online, teaming up with a weekly food truck (The Jerk Truck, of Goodness fame) & lots more.

We’d also be lying if we said we weren’t excited to get away from the ‘New Denver’ crowds of randoms that have take over the "RiNo" neighborhood and turned off a lot of our friends and party people that make up core of party. When we initially moved the party to The Meadowlark, we loved that it was such a special space hidden in plain sight, but the secret’s been out for years at this point and it’s cost us some of the magic. With that said, hopefully this can be a reset from the randoms and a chance to make the party better than ever before. We’ve got a bunch of other announcements coming up, so make sure to join our e-mail list, follow us on social media (@DenverSolution) & stay tuned for more great memories at The Black Box - starting with a music video shoot "Party", the new single from longtime friends of the party, The Reminders!

P.S. Thank you so much for rocking with us over the years Denver!!! It’s been well over a decade since we started the party with the goal of making “the kind of party we’d want to go to” and we’ve been humbled countless times by how many magic moments have followed. We realize that all of that starts with having a great crowd of friends and party people supporting the party – so thanks again, from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!

Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers Make Love to Denver

Photo courtesy of Hobo Johnson Facebook

Photo courtesy of Hobo Johnson Facebook

Stellar young lyricist, vocalist and frontman of Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers, Hobo Johnson, also known as Frank Lopes Jr. summoned people of all ages and backgrounds to the Summit Music Hall and sold out a Tuesday night show.

If you haven’t heard Hobo Johnson - think slam poetry, rap, and angsty garage punk had a baby and added cute curly hair and a super expressive face. This group of guys from California throw down cool beats and relatable, emotion packed lyrics that attracted an obviously large fan base. After a Tiny Desk Concert submission, the group gained quick popularity, for pretty obvious reason in my opinion. Quirky emotional guys smoking cigarettes in a backyard? Yup, I’m in. Add tight music, even better.

Now hearing the crowd at a sold out venue sing every lyric must be a crazy experience, and one Lopes experienced here in Denver. But as great as that aspect was, Denver crowds are becoming disrespectful in the arrogant level of chatter and disruptiveness happening during a set. To the point in this instance where Lopes was obviously getting flustered and frustrated, at which point obnoxious audience member was asked to “Fuck Off.”

Soooooooo, I will kindly remind you Denver to mind your manners and be courteous to not only the performer (who’s trying to perform, for one) that you, and the other people surrounding you paid cash money to see, but also your fellow concert goers. You don’t want to be the guy getting yelled at by an angry fan, and he doesn’t want to yell at you, so just avoid it and take your conversation somewhere that people aren’t trying to listen to music.

Playing almost their entire discography in addition to some new songs, in front of a beat up couch/living room setup the group did not disappoint. Hits like “Sex in the City” and “Creve Coeur 1” stood out to me, but everything was performed with vivacity and true emotion, and honestly felt like I was seeing my friends play music about stuff that was happening to all of us at the time. Ending with fan favorite and the “slapper” of their set, “Peach Scone”, the crowd was involved and pleased as ever. I would recommend checking out most recent album The Rise of Hobo Johnson (2017) and giving the lyricism a chance to blow your mind as it did mine the first time I watched their Tiny Desk submission earlier this year.

Link to watch the Tiny Desk Concert here.

STRFKR, FCK US UP!

STRFKR, an indie-electro pop band from Portland, Oregon came through Denver this last weekend and pumped up the crowd as always. Reminiscent of their performance at Project Pabst last year, the band was high energy, in fun costumes, and obviously ready to put on a show. The same was true for Saturday’s show.

My favorite thing about this band is their overall message, and it is everything  anti. Their lyrics are kind of morbid, with this whole end of the world feel, paired with upbeat, pop music that simply makes you want to dance.  The whole name started as a joke with past member Sam Norris, being shoretened over the years to represent the band best.  Front man Josh Hodges, said he heard someone say they were a “starfucker” and it made him question the people he was around and all the things he really didn’t want to be involved in. The name carried through to represent the bands “removal from the rat race” that is prevalent in the music industry. Including many snippets from philosopher Alan Watts, STRFKR uses many of his lectures as content for their songs, considering the ideology is very similar, which is super tight in my opinion. Kudos to any artist who makes that kind of effort to find supporting content on their beliefs, to be included in their music.

 Lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist Josh Hodges, kept things interesting and against the standard grain with women’s clothing, a pink wig, rainbow suspenders, and sunnies I was envious of. Backup dancers and entertainers dressed in spacesuits, kept the audience entertained in moments of “dullness”, although I would say that these were few and far between.  And would it be a STRFKR show without blow up pool toys travelling through the crowd with the occasional white girl on it? The visuals were electric and vibrant and showcased the vibe of STRFKR perfectly, and make us curious what their journey of artistry looks like from here. Hopefully weirder and more anti-establishment, eh?

Words: Lina Skrzypczak Photos: Michael Hecker

Count On Cut Copy For a Good Time!

Cut Copy at the Ogden (Photo Cred: Meesh Deyden)

Cut Copy this last Wednesday in Denver, may have been one of the most fun shows I’ve attended all year. The Australian band made up of miraculous multi instrumentalists, reminded me of Dads everywhere in their white and cream colored business casual ensembles, and they had Dad dance moves to match.

Songwriter, producer, and DJ Dan Whitford started Cut Copy in 2001 as a solo project and put out a single and an EP before adding more members to help execute his full, synthy sound. At this point in time, the band has 4 total members and a style that has evolved from daytime disco meets synth pop, to pretty straightforward dance pop. The group has 5 albums and a Grammy under their belt for Best Dance/Electronic album in 2012.

The crowd at Ogden Wednesday was made up of 20 somethings with an appreciation for synths and bustin’ a move, and everyone in the venue was doing exactly that. There wasn’t a still body in the venue, and wide eyes and equally wide grins were hard to ignore. Local yogi and music fan, Riley Chapman said, “I knew I had to see them once I listened to their new album after a 4 year hiatus. I was blown away by the production and their stage presence. The vibes and energy at the Ogden evoked a visceral reaction to let loose and move your body! I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of wild animals whose only given purpose was to dance down!”

DJ Dan Whitford (Photo Cred: Meesh Deyden)

“Lights & Music” the bands “banger” from 2008 album In Ghost Colours, has an 80’s pop meets LCD Sound System sound about it, and got the crowd dancing harder than the substances they had taken. (Hehe.) “Footsteps” from album Free Your Mind was also one of the tracks that sent the crowd into a sort of frenzy, so it was nice that songs like “Standing in the Middle of the Field” and “Airborne” from newest album Haiku From Zero were on the mellower side of the set. The set appealed to hipsters and club kids alike, and the versatility was pleasant to see.

Words: Lina Skrzypczak Images: Meesh Deyden

Tim Hoey (Photo Cred: Meesh Deyden)

Quite the crowd (Photo Cred: Meesh Deyden)

Thievery Corporation Hypnotizes Denver Post 4/20

Thievery Corporation took over the Mile High City a day after the 4/20 celebrations, and brought a heady, mesmerising showcase of their nearly endless music. The Washington D.C. artist and DJ collaborative, composed of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and many others including Natalia Clavier, Mr. Lif, and Loulou Ghelickhani showed off their lively, world influenced, reggae dub, especially of that present on the latest album, The Temple of I & I. The vibes were chill, the presentation simple.

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In comparison to other Thievery Corporation shows we've seen, this one was definitely less theatrical,  but in a pleasant way that definitely fit hand in hand with how Denver was feeling Friday night. A crowd of all ages swayed in what seemed like a synchronized hypnosis the entire time, which was a very pleasant experience to be surrounded by others who appreciate the worldly sounds. Being the crowd pleasers that they are, the collective teased and teased until they played fan favorites like "Amerimacka" and "Lebanese Blonde" and got the crowd feeling extra groovy towards the end.

Honorable mention to opener Thriftworks (Jake Atlas) a Pennsylvania native to keep an eye on if you're keen on progressive and explorative electronic artists. Atlas also played a reeeeeaaaaallllyyyy cool set at after-hours gallery, Knew Conscious, which you should have major FOMO about missing.

Thriftworks (Jake Atlas)

Thriftworks (Jake Atlas)