Westword Music Showcase: A Day Full Of Fun In The Sun

The crowd going wild during the Galantis set. (Photo: Aly McClaran)

This past Saturday we celebrated covering our tenth Westword Music Showcase and once again we had an amazing day celebrating some of the best national and local music right in the heart of The Golden Triangle. While the main stages were buzzing with some of the best national acts it was the neighborhood venues that provided for some of the best action of the day.

Demi Dimitro of The Velveteers (Photo: Robert Castro)

Roaming the streets of Broadway and Lincoln, we had a chance to take in amazing sets from The Hollow, Kayla Marque, The Velveteers, iZCALLI, Chella and The Charm, Lady Gang, The Corner Girls, Grayson County Burn Band, Florea, Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir, RL Cole & The Hell You Say and more. The main stages had us reeling with amazing sets from locals Wildermiss whose Hometown for The Holidays win gave them a chance to play main stage as has been the norm the past few years. Other notable sets came from Sunflower Bean, St. Lucia, Bonobo and Galantis who need the night.

The one day festival has continued to succeed by sticking to a simple formula and that is to provide some of the best Denver local acts along with some of the buzz bands on the national scene to provide a day full of musical bliss.

Photos: Robert Castro

Photos: Aly McClaran

New Headliners Announced For This Years Westword Music Showcase

The Westword Music Showcase has just added to its impressive lineup with the announcement of three new headliners including Treepeople, Phantoms, and St. Lucia. The three acts join an already impressive lineup that includes Galantis, Bonobo, Joywave and more. Tickets are currently on sale an as an added bonus if you use promo code ULTRA5280 you will score discounted tickets. 

Treepeople was an alternative rock band from Boise, Idaho, although it spent most of its time and was officially based in Seattle, Washington. The band was composed of Pat Brown, Wayne Rhino Flower, Doug Martsch, and Scott Schmaljohn.

A Los Angeles-based EDM duo featuring the talents of Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola, Phantoms deliver icy/hot electro-dance beats with a dash of techno and heavy dose of pop hooks. Friends since the age of 15, the pair dabbled in the Disney side of the television and film industry -- Kaplan was featured in Hannah Montana and 10 Things I Hate About You while Pergola appeared in That's So Raven and Miss Behave -- before shifting all of their focus onto music. After honing their chops as DJs, the duo began producing their own music under the Phantoms moniker, releasing their eponymous instrumental debut EP via OWSLA in 2013-

-All Music

Essentially the solo vehicle for singer/songwriter Jean-Philip Grobler, the Brooklyn-based St. Lucia make shimmery, '80s-influnced, synth-driven pop. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Grobler grew up singing in the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, which found him touring and performing around Europe, Japan, and Australia. After leaving the choir, Groblerattended music school in England before relocating to New York City. Once there, he began writing his own pop songs and recording under the name St. Lucia. The band's self-titled EP appeared on Neon Gold in 2012. In 2013, St. Luciareleased their full-length debut album, When the Night, featuring the single "Elevate." The album entered the Billboard 200 and hit number six on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums chart. Grobler and his band then spent the better part of the next few years touring, playing summer festivals and opening for other artists including Charli XCX and Ellie Goulding. In 2016, St. Lucia returned with their sophomore full-length album, Matter, which included the singles "Dancing on Glass," "Physical," and "Love Somebody."

-All Music

Bonobo and Nick Murphy (Chet Faker) Shined At Red Rocks Despite Some Spring Showers

Bonobo (Photo Credit: Austin Voldseth)

Bonobo (Photo Credit: Austin Voldseth)

Rain or shine, Red Rocks is an ideal venue for any performance. This was especially true on Friday when Nick Murphy and Bonobo co-lined with special guests Marcus Marr and Innov Gnawa, and audience members were surprised with a spring storm a 1/3rd of the way through the show. Warm summer breezes, a glowing full moon, dazzling laser exhibitions, and the music of course, made for a really wonderful beginning to my own Red Rocks season. 

While at Red Rocks for this particular event, I was highly discouraged when I met a handful of people that had a) never heard of Bonobo b) weren’t intending on staying past Nick Murphy’s set. I made my frustration apparent and hopefully convinced those humans otherwise, because man, would they miss out. A redeeming experience however was that this was truly an all-ages show, including the cutest five year old I had the pleasure of running into, who had wonderful things to say about her own fun dancing with mom and the lights!

Nick Murphy is the latest project of artist previously known as Chet Faker, who’s newest EP, Missing Link came out earlier this year. Maybe biased because I was fond of his music as Chet Faker, I was surprised at the energy level of Murphy’s set, which was simply slow for what I knew was to come from Bonobo. Dave Chappelle said it best when he said, “White people love electric guitar.”, but this was a little too much for my taste.  Despite being a more stand and sway set, Murphy played fan favorites such as “Your Time” ft. Kaytranada and “Forget About Me”, which threw a few more high energy numbers into the mix. Murphy also invited Marcus Marr on stage with him for multiple collaborative performances, which was a nice addition to the overall fluidity of the show. 

Incorporating the openers was a reoccurring theme apparently, as Bonobo followed suit by bringing traditional Moroccan gnawa band, Innov Gnawa on stage for Migration’s banger, “Bambro Koyo Ganda”. Their lively, wordly sounds were mixed with heavy drops of bass and sultry dance music. The crowd vibrated along while being immersed in a visual experience consisting of organic nature visuals on split panels behind the band and a psychedelic light show. Other special guests included angelic singer, Szjerdene and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Both were incredible additions to the live show that allow Simon Green’s (Bonobo) vision to come to life through magnificently talented people. 

Crowd pleaser that he is, Simon Green played favorites from previous albums, and danced them the hell up. “Cirrus” and “Kiara” were my favorites to come up, and fans would agree that this set was the perfect blend of old and new. “Break Apart”, “Kerala”, and “No Reason” ft. Nick Murphy were highlights from the newest album, Migration, and all contributed to the dancefloor dreamland Green creates every time he performs.

Dreamland created, Murphy and Green were a dynamic duo with a humble presence to their display. 9/10. 

Words: Lina Skrzypczak

Images: Austin Voldseth

 

Bonobo Delivers With His Latest Migration | Album Review

Photo Credit: Claudia Jaime

At this point in Simon Green’s career as our beloved Bonobo, I am convinced that this human can do no wrong. Migration, as an album, strays away from Bonobo’s servitude to the dance floor, and is a compilation of what seems to be more explorative and mature content.  Reminiscent of BADBADNOTGOOD, Four Tet, and even newer Gold Panda, aspects of unfamiliarity add a new twist to Bonobo’s otherwise soft piano and guitar sounds. Well layered, I noticed a growing texture of sound in nearly every track and it kept me interested where the bass lines may not have.

Different than previous albums, a heavier pop influence is apparent on this album with features such as Rhye, Nicole Miglis, and Nick Murphy, but Bonobo seems to find a natural balance with soft, ethereal sounding “Second Sun”, the worldly trance of “Bambro Koyo Ganda”, and the R & B groove of “Kerala”.

“Outlier”, holy heavens, takes a turn for the upbeat in the simplest way, and won my heart immediately.  Simple downtempo drums, layered over a mixture of ethereal and cosmic sounds, with a steady buildup that makes it hard to stop moving. “Outlier” feels like a familiar house anthem, neutralized by classic Bonobo’s soft instrumental strums, and it feels damn good.

Every album needs a banger, so to say, and “Bambro Koyo Ganda” is it. An upbeat drum progression reminiscent of earlier work “Flashlight”, worldly chants, and a trance hook that is hard to escape, have my body convulsing almost involuntarily. Layers of bells, claps, and bass allow for 5 minutes of non-stop pulsating. Tight.

Seventeen years after his debut album Animal Magic, Green’s signature downtempo sound is still vibrant and relevant, as well as ever evolving, which is all we talentless people can hope from our favorite artists.

 Bonobo’s upcoming tour with Nick Murphy aka Chet Faker will certainly be a beautiful crossover of electronica, downtempo, and pop. See it come to life at Red Rocks May 21st for what’s sure to be an unforgettable show!

-Lina Skrzypczak