Because this year’s Denver Post Underground Music Showcase will be the biggest to date and have the most to offer, there is no one better to talk to than the person who helped organize it all. Lisa Gedgaudas is one half of the UMS booking team. Along with the Hi-Dive’s talent buyer and booker, Ben Desoto, the two have come up with a true extravaganza for the 10th anniversary of Denver’s very own locally driven showcase.

Ian Gassman: Initially, who came up with the concept for this showcase?

Lisa Gedaudas: [In 2000] John Moore was working on the [pop music section] for The Denver Post at the time. The first few years were not named “UMS” yet. And, the very first year was a loose gathering of bands at the Fox Theater in Boulder surrounding a 16 Horsepower show. The next few years went between the Gothic and the Bluebird.

Ricardo Baca was talking to Matt Labarge from the Hi-Dive, and they agreed it was time to move the festival to Broadway and open it up to numerous venues in the area. Since then it has grown from a one-day festival to now a four-day festival with more than 300 performers, mostly local with some national support.

IG: How many artists are there going to be this year? How do you create the lineup?

LG: Our goal this year was [to have] 300 performers. That includes bands, singer-songwriters and comedians, with a few extra surprises. We tend to look at the poll over the last few years, as well as the new “up-and-comers” to the music scene. Sonic Bids also opens a door to people we may not have heard before. We listen and watch these bands to get as close to the pulse as possible.

IG: Which acts are you really anticipating?

LG: A new addition to the UMS this year that is not music related but is a must see is the Lucha Libre Mexican Wrestling Event. There will be four performances over Saturday and Sunday in the Goodwill parking lot between the music.

We have also spread to new venues this year making it a five-block stretch. In doing this, we also [placed] our performers in some of the non-traditional venues people might be used to like The Brown Barrel, Club 404 and Fentress Architecture Garden.

We rely on our bands to create their [own] atmosphere and provide a performance to remember. There are also a couple of reunion shows that can’t be missed, including The Machine Gun Blues at 11:30 p.m., July 24 at the 3 Kings Tavern.

We have also added the The Mayan Theater as a venue for the first time this year. The only two performances there will be starting just after midnight and are sure to be our limelight events.

July 23 is the Nathan & Stephen reunion show, and July 24 is Ukulele Loki’s Gadabout Orchestra with a live projectionist, Jason Bosch, a hand balancer, Cate-Emily, and a sword swallower, Harvey Black.

The Centennial, with former members of Meese, will also be debuting at the UMS.

While taking a break from tour, Nathaniel Rateliff’s band will be swinging by Saturday for an outdoor performance.

As well, Paper Bird will be making their first appearance at the UMS this year.

Of course our 2010 poll winner, the “brooding rock six-piece” Snake Rattle Rattle Snake will be playing twice. Once at 7:30 p.m. on July 24 at the Goodwill parking lot right after Denver’s beloved Flobots, and also 10 p.m. July 25 at the 3 Kings Tavern to help wrap up the last night of the festival.

IG: Wristbands are only $20 at their earliest point of sale and $40 at their latest. For four days of music, how do you keep the prices so low?

LG: It’s true; it’s a great deal for four days of music and, in turn, more people can come. [We try] selling more to cover our costs for bands, sound and promotions. We also get some help from our sponsors to keep costs low and [to draw] our mass audiences. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

IG: What is your goal for next year’s UMS?

LG: Every year that goes by we learn new things we all want to adjust or fine-tune. Usually we don’t start having these conversations until at least one day after the festival [laughs]. We will constantly add more bands and venues, as well as other types of performances as it grows. The first thing on our list may simply be involving more people to help [organize]. Adding film though, would be a great new turn. Get back to us on it.

Dominic Graziano: This weekend, for the UMS, what bands will you be playing with?

Carl Sorensen: 200 Million Years, Ellison Park’s solo project entitled The Clouds, Eleanor, Andrea Ball, Ukulele Loki, Megan Burtt, that’s (counting on his fingers) one, two, three, four, five, six, oh and John Common.

DG: That’s seven. Wasn’t it supposed to be eight or nine?

CS: Yeah, I also might be playing with Katey Laurel on Sunday. And this other girl Ayo Awosika is at the same time as Eleanor.

DG: How did you get involved with this many bands at the same time?

CS: Each one has their own story, but I started, to make it short, I started to play with Eleanor and Andrea at first and then having moved out to Denver and trying to do music full time I realized that I could take other gigs. Especially if they paid. I started playing with a bunch of other people. John had me for a couple gigs and Eleanor shared a show with 200 Million Years, which is how I met Zale and Ellison.

DG: It’s just a web of local musicians.

CS: Yeah, you run into one person and everyone needs a drummer, and it just kind of worked out.

DG: A lot of people talk about how hard it is to find a good drummer. Has it ever been hard for you to find a band to play with?

CS: No. I think sometimes, me personally, I can get impatient with certain projects. Ideally I would like to be making music 24/7 with just one band. It’s fun to do a bunch of other things, too. But sometimes it can get in the way for sure, like getting to burnt out or just switching gears all the time stylistically.

DG: You play a couple different styles, especially when you look at the extreme sounds between 200 Million Years and Ukulele Loki. Is that difficult at all?

CS: I think it helps, especially playing with Ukulele Loki, it really helps when the rest of the band has their stuff together because then I can just fit in and keep a groove going. But for the most part I try to categorize similar things in my head. I’ll also use different setups with different bands. With 200 Million Years I use a computer and a sample pad, too, so sonically I can be doing different things. Rhythmically it’s all rhythms and counting and knowing where the groove is and where to accentuate that. Sometimes forms can get a little tricky to keep track of.

DG: Which show are you most looking forward to?

CS: It would be this double set with 200 Million Years and Ellison Park at the Skylark.

DG: Is that because that’s what you like to play the most or because it’s the most challenging?

CS: It’s just because we do spend the most time together out of any other project and not just playing but also hanging out, too. I think it really comes out in the music. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time working out a lot of interesting groove ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise in any other project. I feel like some stuff that we do showcases each other really well.

MP: How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

JA: I think I would call us live music in a way just because there’s a lot of energy there, and it’s sort of unhinged. We’re all friends, so it just sounds like a bunch of friends playing together.

MP: Who are some of your influences?

JA: In general, I really love Tom Waits and Tom Petty. I really like Tegan and Sarah a lot, The Mountain Goats — there’s so much, I’m trying to think. I really like any kind of odd eccentric guitar playing. I like how Jack White plays guitar, and Tom Waits sounds like that too.

MP: Can you tell me a little about the new album?

JA: The new album is completely like a step back to where we come from. We grew up when we were kids playing in punk bands in New Jersey where there was a really exciting scene happening. We sort of got away from that a little bit, but we realized how special where we came from was; a real moment in history in our little world. So we have this torch we want to carry.

This record is a real return to what we grew up playing, how we grew up sounding, why we played music, why it sounded like [it did]. All of those things. The record is also self-titled for that reason.

MP: Is the album cover meant to pay tribute to any band in particular?

JA: There are a lot of bands hidden that you can find in the cover art. There’s a Kid Dynamite record in there, and all the show posters on the wall. You can sort of pick out a million different bands if you look at it.

The biggest goal was to bring attention to where we come from.

MP: Whose idea was the companion album, and who’s going to be on it?

JA: It’s something I’ve been talking about in my head for two years. So about four months ago, when we started planning the release of this record, I started talking to the guys and the management and said I really want to try to do this. So we put together a wish list.

The point of the project wasn’t for a press opportunity of people covering our music, it was all for another vision of the record. I really like a lot of female artists; it’s some of my favorite music.

So we just got all these artists that really mean a lot to us and gave them a song and said ‘Do whatever you want; reinvent it.’ Tegan and Sarah [are] on it, Amanda Palmer, Scarlett Johansson, Nellie McKay, Angel Deradoorian’s on it; she’s from The Dirty Projectors. She did a crazy one. It’s really an amazing cast of characters.

MP: What’s your live show like?

JA: We focus just as much on the energy as we do the music. We really believe in a big show. Whenever you see rock concerts and punk bands play, they all have the same vibe — like every show is the most important. It’s really grand and really eccentric, and we try to create that every night.

MP: Is there any song you really enjoy playing live?

JA: The new song “Turnpike Ghost,” that we actually released before the record came out, is a song that’s really exciting to play every night.

MP: What’s next for the band?

JA: We put out the record [April 29], which is — intense. Then we have a headlining tour that starts [April 22].

MP: What kind of band is The Peculiar Pretzelmen?

MI: The version going around right now is voodoo death jazz. There are only so many musical descriptive words that are useful anymore.

MP: Where do you draw inspiration for your song writing?

MI: I was raised in a house of pretty serious storytellers. It started from there. It’s really coming off of stories, so I take a little bit more from writers like William S. Burroughs, Faulkner and stuff like that. And then musically it’s all old. We like the old folk sound best.

MP: Do you come up with a story and then try to make it rhyme, or how does it work?

MI: That’s a good question. It’s a little bit mystic to us still. We’re doing our best to pick low-hanging fruit.

MP: How is the new album different from the band’s previous work?

MI: This is the first time we went into an actual studio. The last album we did was really recorded in seven different homes and apartments. We were just moving around and we’re not very high tech so it’s not even like we have a miniature modular recording rig. We’d have to go in, set everything up and play until the neighbors complained.

We recorded the [new] album in about six days. Five of us just played start to finish all the stuff we’ve been playing on the road for a while and then a couple of new things.

It’s way more visceral, definitely capturing all the stuff that we’ve been cultivating over the years of touring.

MP: So how much of the album is stuff you’ve been playing, and how much is brand new?

MI: I think a little less than half of it is stuff we’ve been playing on the road for a couple of years. And then there are a couple of songs that are songs that we’ve played here and there, that we wouldn’t play all the time because we didn’t have means to find what we wanted out of them. So a little less than half is the standards, then a few songs that we’ve been chipping away at, and a couple of songs that we kind of made up when we went into the studio.

MP: What’s the story behind the band name?

MI: Pretzel is a definition that’s confused a lot of people. It comes from a German or Bavarian word. I think at one point we were pretty convinced it meant “knot” and we really liked the idea because we were trying to tie a bunch of different weird musical ideas together. Later we found out it means “fold,” but it stuck, and we got attached to it because people in Los Angeles thought they were coming to see contortionists. We figured that we’re musical contortionists, so we hung on to it.

MP: How would you describe your live show?

MI: We just did our CD release show, which I believe was described as a Biblical-scale disaster party. I feel like that’s kind of appropriate, especially now because touring now it’s just me and the drummer. And when we do that, we basically just have piles of junk on stage and we’re punishing ourselves and the audience at the same time. It’s catharsis.

MP: What’s the best part of playing live?

MI: There’s something kinda religious about it that I’ve always enjoyed, even as a kid going to shows. There’s a room full of people, and at best they’re all kind of tuned into the same frequency — a room full of people vibrating to the same tone. It’s very moving, like you’re sort of making a weird antenna.

MP: How would you describe your sound?

KG: It’s acoustic music with a lot of harmonies. It focuses mainly on the harmonies and the song writing. It’s definitely a little folk and it’s poppy.

MP: Does every member of the band contribute to the song writing?

KG: We all do. Dan [Schwartz] and I wrote most of the first record; we’ve been trying to write all together as much as possible.

MP: Can you tell me a little bit about the new album?

KG: Sure. A couple of months after we put out our first album we all took a couple of months off in January and February. The album came out in November, so instead of just sitting around we decided to go up to the mountains in Pennsylvania and record some new songs. We got 15 or 16 songs in a month.

We did it ourselves. Just the three of us, in a house and got most of it done. And then the rest of it like the overdubs and whatever changes we needed to make we just made in between tours all year long. Then we had a buddy who recorded “Coney Island” and a couple of songs from our first record, he mixed it. It was basically like Survivorman, you know? Going up just the three of us with some recording equipment and doing it. None of us are engineers or anything so we just kind of called people and asked them for advice. It turned out pretty well.

MP: You worked with Anthony Green on the last record. Did he have any impact on this one?

KG: No, he’s not on the new record. We did record some new songs with him for his solo stuff but not for this record. But he has been a big help for our band. He gets the word out through his band (Circa Survive) and just playing with him definitely helps.

MP: I read you’ve been doing some shows on the Internet. What’s that like?

KG: It’s funny, every day we get together and practice. We treat it like it’s our job, so we’re always together, we warm up and play songs with just acoustic guitar, without the drums and stuff like that, and I was just like, ‘How can we figure out a way to show people this?’ Because even when we’re not on tour we still get together and play and Ustream [.com] was like the perfect place to do it.

I never even knew about it before the last couple of weeks. My computer has one of those built-in cameras on it, and we just set it there and we sit on a couch. I have a bunch of video from my flip camera that I’ve taken from tours and recording, and I just play a bunch of video that I have, but we also just sit there and answer questions. People ask questions, and we can answer them live and then we play songs. It’s a good way to interact with our fans.

MP: That’s really cool.

KG: I was nervous the first time because I didn’t know what to expect so I got all these videos prepared, and then it ended up being kind of cool because people could see what’s going on behind the scenes and who we are as people. It’s actually really fun.

MP: What’s your live show like?

KG: Live shows are cool. People come out and they sing along, I think that’s the coolest part about it. There’s a big sense of community in the room. The three of us play, we’re trying to learn as many instruments as we can to kind of switch it up because there’s only three guys. Sometimes we do a full band, and sometimes we do acoustic with just one guitar around one microphone. It’s really relaxed though. It’s a good time.

MP: Can you explain how the band got its name?

KG: It’s a piece of each one of our last names. My last name is Goodwin, our drummer’s last name is Arnold, so that’s the ‘old’ and our guitarist’s last name is Schwartz, so that’s the ‘war.’

We couldn’t think of a name in the beginning, and then my wife called us and said ‘What do you think about Good Old War?’ and then she broke it down, and we were like that’s pretty cool. We thought about just using our names, but our full names Goodwin Arnold and Schwartz kind of sounds like a law firm.

MP: What’s next for the band?

KG: We write songs constantly, so we have another album’s worth of music already, so I guess next is just tour for this record, get in front of some people we haven’t been in front of yet, then get in the studio, record another record and do it all over again.

Say So Crazies are keeping the blues alive. Mixing blues with classic rock, and still managing to sound current, the six-piece band is just starting to have an impact. They in the process of recording an album and are booking shows quickly. Vocalist Tayler Doyle talked about his plans for the future of the young band and what the Say So Crazies will be doing over their summer vacation.

MP: How would you describe your music?

BD: It depends on who I’m describing it to I guess. If my grandma asked me I would just say, “It’s pop rock ‘n’ roll stuff.” But if I were explaining it to someone who’s like an indie music connoisseur I’d say we’re a two piece. Essentially it’s pop songs with electronic and orchestral backing things. I hate describing music.

MP: How do you use the reel-to-reel in your music?

BD: How do I actually make the tracks that are on the reel-to-reel? Actually I do that all at home. I arrange and record everything. Basically when I’m done making the tape, our live performance is most of the way done. I just do it all at home.

MP: Do you have multiple reel-to-reels?

BD: I have two right now. We’re getting ready to do an east coast tour and then a west coast tour so I got a second one to fill in so we could fly from one coast to the other. I don’t trust flying. I’ve had to fly ours before and it got banged up so I try not to fly it. I just keep it in the van.

MP: What is your live show like?

BD: There’s just two of us. We have more of a visual aesthetic than a lot of bands I think. We have a very unique stage set up. Someone in Cincinnati painted a [picture] of just our gear. Anyone who knows anything about us will be able to look at that and say “Oh that’s Bad Veins’ set up.”

We have a hybrid of kind of like a military theme and then a lot of floral paintings on a lot of our stuff.

Also, Sebastien [Schultz] is a very over-the-top drummer. He’s very bombastic and intense a lot of people say he’s one of the most fun drummers they’ve ever seen. I have an old military microphone I sing out of and an old telephone I’ve wired up as a mic and the reel-to-reel’s center stage … All those things combined present a pretty unique live show.

MP: What’s your favorite part of performing live?

BD: I don’t know. I think it’s fun to play when people are into what you’re doing. I think that’s across the board for any performer. We’ve been really lucky in that a few of our songs have really resonated with people and people respond to them.

I might be really tired of playing “Gold and Warm,” but when I’m on the road and people are excited about it, that makes me excited about it. That’s probably the biggest joy of performing live.

MP: I just saw your music video for “Gold and Warm” on MTV2. What was that process like?

BD: I just had this really simple idea of what I wanted to do. So I borrowed a friend’s video camera and set it up in my backyard. We did the video in one shot, in one take right in my back yard. We grabbed a couple of pieces of gear and we just did it. I threw it on the Internet and it’s been kind of viral and got picked up by MTV.

I don’t know how many one-shot, one-take videos get picked up by MTV by someone who doesn’t even know how to make a video.

MP: Is there a new album in the works yet?

BD: We’re finally starting to talk. The record came out about eight months ago. Eighteen to 24 months is the average release calendar — actually, that’s an aggressive one so I think we might try to do something about 10 months from now. I’m not sure yet.

MP: How did you come up with your name?

BD: That’s something that I’m not supposed to talk about too much because it’s a secret.

MP: Do you ever get tired of being confused with Bad Brains?

BD: I had actually never heard of Bad Brains when I started Bad Veins, but I was quickly corrected. Everyone immediately started telling me about [them], but it was too late at that point.

MP: What’s next for the band?

BD: We’ve got tours through April, May, June, July. I’m not sure how many more we have in the summer. I think we might stay home through August. We’re touring with Frightened Rabbit in a few weeks and that was something we really really wanted to do and we’re really excited about. If something like that comes up, we’ll keep taking those opportunities as long as they keep coming.

IG: Have you ever thought about having a full band? What instruments compliment the ukulele?

DA: I haven’t thought about having a full band. That’s one of my biggest fears, is to be “Danielle Ate the Sandwich and the Dorky Douche Bags” kind of a band. I feel like that’s a crime of a singer/songwriter that we commonly do, but that I never want to do. But, I’m actually starting to accept and enjoy playing music with other people. For instance my friend, Dennis Bigelow, plays stand-up double bass with me sometimes on stage. I think it’s a perfect compliment. Not only because it’s kind of cute, because [his bass] is really big and [my ukulele] is really small. But, it just seems to fit really wonderfully and nowadays, when I play without him, it feels like I’m missing half of my act. So, I definitely want to play with him more, in the future, if not every time. I’m also working on a new album right now and I’m having some violin on the tracks from my friend, Chris Jusell. Also, I actually just got out of practice with a couple of the guys from Boulder Acoustic Society, and they’re going to play all kinds of instruments.

So, as far as actually playing frequently, I think the double bass is the best match. And I like the idea of having one other instrument as kind of a complement, to add a bit of a color and a vibe.

IG: How did ukulele become your instrument of choice? How long have you been playing it?

DA: I have been playing [the ukulele] for about three years now and my friend Brandon had one and I just kind of picked it up and fiddled around on it and really liked it, then wrote a little song on it. He got me one as a gift and left it on the doorstep of the coffee shop I worked at and loved, it was like the “Cheers” of my college years. [The Coffee Shop] closed down, so I was such a bitchy-grump-pants that he kind of got it for me as a “here is a ukulele, don’t be such a bitch” kind of present. So [the ukulele] kind of happened by accident and then it was fun. I feel like probably a lot of musicians can pick up an instrument and fiddle around on it and say they wrote a song, that’s kind of what I did for a while. Eventually, I wrote enough songs to play at an open-mic night. Then I wrote enough songs to do a set at a concert of just ukulele songs. Now that it has been a few years, I think that the ukulele has definitely replaced my guitar as the primary instrument I write on and prefer to play on.

IG: What can listeners and fans expect from your new album? Did you record it in a studio, outside of your home?

DA: Yeah, I recorded in a studio in Denver, Macy Sound Studios, and the main guy I’m working with is John Macy. He’s the owner, I think. I’m a little nervous about it. Because, it is going to be a lot different than what I’ve done. Obviously it’s natural to grow as a musician and whatever, but I feel like [the album] is going to be so different that everybody is going to be like, “Oh! Why did she do that? Why did she make those choices? Why did she add this and that? It’s so gross!” And that is probably natural, I guess, for people to worry. But like I said, I’m adding more instruments, and it’s obviously going to be better quality. Which I don’t think will hurt at all. I think it will only help. But I think it’s going to feel a little less intimate that way. It’s going to be crystal clear and beautiful, but I still cling to those old recordings that I did myself, because they’re my first recordings and they’re kind of naïve and vulnerable and I think that kind of the crappy recording quality compliments the vulnerability of the songs, in general.

Basically, the biggest thing [listeners] can expect is a professional product, which I hope helps me more than hurts me, and I’m sure it will.

IG: Which specific songwriters affect your writing?

DA: It’s hard to answer that question nowadays. I would say my biggest influence is Simon and Garfunkel. As I got into college, I listened to Regina Spektor. I would consider her one of my main inspirations. Not only because my songs are lovely and bizarre, but also because I watched her, as a woman, doing something totally different and weird. I was like, “Whoa? Whoa! I could do that? I can be as weird as I want but still be really beautiful and enjoyable.”

DG: When The Knew plays live you have a very big sound, you fill the space really well. That seemed to be lacking sonically from your first releases. Was there an effort to mend that this time around?

Jacob Hansen: The room we recorded in was like a real sound studio. It had the drum riser and 25-foot ceilings. We worked on matching everything to the drums to give it a roomier sound.

Ty Breuer: I hope that translates well, I guess I hadn’t thought about that.

Jacob Hansen: Yeah, compared to our other releases I feel like it has a lot more depth than before. Thinking about the huge Springsteen albums where it does sound like they’re in an arena, we don’t have money to do that. But as far as what we have, it definitely came a lot closer, which is great.

DG: And this is a bigger production than your previous EPs?

Jacob Hansen: Yeah. Some of our other releases took a long time, but this one felt like we were paying attention to things we weren’t before.

DG: Was Nick Sullivan pushing for that?

Jacob Hansen: Yeah.

Tim Rynders: He had us do pre-production down here [in our practice space]. We recorded the whole thing three different times just to make sure when we got to the studio we were pleased with how the song structure was.

DG: What made you push for the full-length this time around?

Ty Breuer: We had talked about doing a full-length and when it was time to do it, Nick actually approached us. Nick was really proactive, he was kind of a fifth member for the last couple months.

DG: Besides production, did you have any other Denver musicians do guest spots on the album?

Patrick Bowden: Patrick Lee plays in five songs; he plays in a variety of ensembles around town. Really talented dude.

Ty Breuer: A hell of a dude, he plays with us like every fifth gig or so.

Jacob Hansen: Yeah, he’ll play organ or piano live.

Tim Rynders: “Star” is the right word to use for him, he’s a superstar.

DG: Any plans for a tour in support of the new album?

Patrick Bowden: Just shows in town for now.

Tim Rynders: We’re actually playing South by Southwest in a couple weeks. We don’t have a lot of time to get out of town.

DG: Maybe an early summer tour then?

Jacob Hansen: It’s tough to say. Two of us are getting married this year. We’ll see how it works with taking time off for that. We’re hoping for maybe a long weekend here and there.

DG: Are you guys just content playing Denver?

All: No.

Jacob Hansen: We would love to tour all the time. A lot of it is booking shows and making sure people go there. It would be great if we could sustain by playing live all the time.

Tim Rynders: It’s amazing how much hard work it is to tour too. We’ve played with a lot of bands that we got along with, but people don’t like package tours as much as you’d expect. You have to get a lot of it done yourself.

Patrick Bowden: We were successful in booking a 10-day tour last year, but once you look past the fact of who was there, it’s usually just our friends in every city. We took a step back — it’s like without someone behind you getting people in the door, I don’t know if that’s worth driving out to California for.

Tim Rynders: It’s hard to get momentum out of town.

Jacob Hansen: You basically have to do three tours every year and hit those same cities and by the fourth time you get there people are thinking, “Great, I like these guys.”

Ty Breuer: I think a few more things need to happen to us as a band to have a successful tour. We need to get a little bit more financial backing, and time and great venues need to become available as well. I think that can happen with attention from this new release.

DG: You guys are doing all this work without a label, right?

Jacob Hansen: Just doing it ourselves, yeah. We send out things to marketing companies that do splits, but no one that actually truly gives a shit about what we do. Most everything we deal with at this stage is pay back and forth. Someone that actually has a vested interest in us pushing forward, just that alone would be awesome.

DG: You have two CD-release parties planned: one for Denver and one in Fort Collins.

Patrick Bowden: We had to make sure we booked a Fort Collins CD release soon after our Denver one — we play up there every few months and the crowds are always awesome.

DG: Fort Collins does have a pretty good scene.

Jacob Hansen: We’ve played Boulder a couple times; three of us went to school there. But you realize no one’s really shopping for music like Fort Collins is, for a college town.

Ty Breuer: Yeah, great venues, great recording studios and great bands, too. Every time we go up there I’m always impressed with who we play with.

DG: You’ve played a big range of venues, from free shows at Larimer Lounge to Monolith at Red Rocks.

Tim Rynders: We played the Fillmore, too. Opened up for Stone Temple Pilots.

DG: Wow, how was that?

Jacob Hansen: It was weird. We’ve never had that many electronics in front of us. It was a lot to deal with.

Patrick Bowden: It sounded incredible.

Tim Rynders: People, for the most part, wanted nothing to do with us.

Jacob Hansen: Yeah, the pleasure was all on this side of the table.

Tim Rynders: They didn’t want to play for two hours that night, so they asked a local band to open up the show.

Patrick Bowden: Yeah, we found out 20 hours ahead of time.

DG: Which do you prefer: the dive bar or the huge auditorium?

Tim Rynders: I actually prefer playing a new place more than anything. Even if it turns out kind of shitty, I get so excited to play a new place.

Jacob Hansen: If we can ever coordinate that all four of us don’t have to drive to the venue, that would be my favorite venue to play.

DG: You guys are pretty eclectic musically. Was there a theme or concept you were shooting for with the new release?

Jacob Hansen: More like what you’re going to get if you come see us. We were a little more relaxed for this. We were really detailed and did things the right way, but we didn’t get too uptight about anything.

MP: What kind of band is The Whigs?

TD: [We are an] American rock ‘n’ roll band.

MP: Would you guys say you’re trying to resurrect rock ‘n’ roll or did it ever die?

TD: Rock ‘n’ roll will never die. You might not hear it on the radio, or see it on MTV ever again.  But when you turn off your TV set, you’ll hear the hum of real-life bands playing it down the street, in the basements and the bars of small towns all over the world.

MP: Can you tell me a little bit about the new album? What was the recording process like?

TD: We wrote the material while on tour and while at home last year. Most of the tunes grew out of [my] and Julian [Dorio]’s drum and bass riffs that Parker [Gispert] added vocal and guitar melodies to.  We recorded the majority of the album in Athens, Georgia with Ben Allen.  We also did some recording in Nashville with Jay Joyce and Angelo Petraglia.  Each song was tracked “live” and then additional colors and textures were drizzled over the drum/bass/guitar tracks like gravy.

MP: How is this album different from “Mission Control?”

TD: Mission Control was meat and potatoes.  In The Dark is meat and potatoes and gravy, served in an IMAX theater that is showing a rerun of “Jaws” 3-D. We almost called the record Shark Attack!!! But we didn’t.

MP: You’re supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on this tour, which seems like a pretty epic pairing. How did you hook up with them?

TD: They’re a killer band. We’ve been fans of their’s for a while.  We also share some mutual friends.  They offered us the tour, and we happily accepted.  It’s going to be a lot of fun.

MP: You will also be making your second appearance on Letterman later in April, what’s that like?

TD: It’s like a weird and chilly dream.  You’ve seen the show from the opposite side of the TV set so many times, and suddenly you find yourselves on the inside, and its really cold (40 degrees) and everything is smaller and less shiny.  Before you know it, you’re body has already played the song on autopilot, and Dave is shaking your hand.  Then you wake up and have a beer.

MP: How would you describe your live performance?

TD: Loud and sweaty.

MP: What’s your favorite part of performing live?

TD: Getting loud and sweaty.

MP: What does the future hold for The Whigs?

TD: We’re going to play as much as we can for as long as we can.

IG: Who were some of the specific artists that influenced the Trio’s eclectic catalog in the early stages?

GG: Well, you had to look at that time. There were groups called The Weavers, and The Gateway Singers. The Weavers were the group that Pete Seeger came out of, but they were also the group that sold a lot of records as a folk group. Then, the McCarthy Era came along and Seeger refused to speak in front of the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Then they got blackballed.

IG: The popular music of today seems to be lacking a convicting message. What is significant about the music of the past?

GG: Well, there were several things happening in the 1950s in the course of popular music, the other thing was there was no true center in popular music then. But there were throwaway songs, kind of novelty songs like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Besides Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and other singers of that ilk, there is what happened with the Kingston Trio: three good-looking guys, kind of hip, kind of irreverent with good songs and a lot of humor thrown in. When you look at today, there is a level of proliferation — [contemporary music] doesn’t seem to have the social awareness. The social center, there is a lot of rhythm there. There seems to be a lot of angst, but everyone tries to be the most popular.

I saw a lot of parallels in early rap music to folk music — problems. Problems that kids had, problems in the inner city. As the music moguls saw that there was a lot of money to be made, it changed into gangster rap. There was a negative message, not a positive message. And that sort of thing bothers me; there isn’t “art for art’s sake,” but people just going for the dollars.

IG: What are some of the messages that the Kingston Trio strives to convey within their songs?

GG: The Trio kind of came first. Although the group The Weavers had several hit songs, their career got cut short because of being blackballed. But the Kingston trio looked at what happened with Pete Seeger and The Weavers and said, “Look, we are all thinking individuals, we all have our own political ideas, but we have to be known for our own songs.”

A few years later, when political awareness was so acute, these groups made very socially relevant songs. They should be admired for taking a chance. But, they also didn’t stand the chance of being blackballed.

I hate to use the word “bully pulpit” but that is what [1960s artists] did for a while.

The doors of popularity were opened [for 1960s artists] by the Kingston Trio even if the Trio didn’t want to be political. With the appellation of “folk music” as “protest music” that isn’t where the Kingston Trio stood. They made the active choice to keep their political lives private and keep their public lives as entertainers.

IG: Is it better to have a tongue-in-cheek attitude when facing complex social issues and troublesome times?

GG: The quick answer is yes. You can only be serious for so long and entertain an audience. But getting on stage and preaching to people isn’t what they came out for, if you have something to say about politics, let it be tongue-in-cheek, but not just Democratic and Republican. I think it’s better as an entertainment to come about it all with humor.

IG: How does the current Trio approach touring?

GG: When we climb on stage and sing and the audience walks away, one word we hear is “Wow!” Everyone walks out knowing that they were given every song they wanted to hear, that they were entertained. When this group started out over 50 years ago, it was by the Generation, which were college students. Now, 50 years later, we can present it again.

MP: First of all, how would you describe your music?

HH: [It’s] dark rhythmic rock ‘n’ roll that tends toward the dancey and bombastic.

MP: This band could be called a local super group. How did you all come together?

HH: Essentially we all came to know each other through the Denver music world, playing with and in each other’s bands, going to each other’s shows. We really just came together out of friendships and a mutual interest in the good music.

MP: You guys are a relatively new band, what kind of reaction have you been getting from live shows so far?

HH: We’ve been getting great reactions at live shows. Lots of people moving around and responding in a way that is less stoic than normal. It’s exciting to see people forget themselves and allow themselves to enjoy the music. A couple shirts have come off, a couple people have been boosted up on shoulders.

MP: What’s your live show like?

HH: I very much think of Snake Rattle Rattle Snake as a live band so our shows are dynamic and loud and exciting. We all put it out there at every show and are becoming more and more comfortable with ourselves and the songs. It translates to an honest live show full of a sort of tension that winds people up so it’s also just a loud, sweaty dance party sometimes too.

MP: Can you tell me a little bit about the EP? What’s it called? What was the recording process like?

HH: The EP we just put out is self-titled and we recorded it at Briny Deep Studios with our friend Greg Kammerer. It was recorded at the end of last summer so more than anything it is a record of those four songs at that time. Since then, those songs have shifted and settled in with us a bit more so the EP is a slice in time. We tracked everything, which was a learning process in itself. We added percussion and weird noises here and there and tried to bring our urgency to it.

MP: Would you consider Snake Rattle Rattle Snake a side project between work with your other bands, or is it becoming a more serious gig?

HH: At this point, I don’t think any of us would consider Snake Rattle Rattle Snake a side project. It is where we devote the majority of our creative energy and time. What started out as an excuse to play music with some friends has turned into a great collaborative relationship that continues to grow and we’re all really excited about what songs we’ll write and what places we’ll go next.

MP: How did you come up with the band name?

HH: Doug [Spencer] came up with the band name. It was just a fun play on words more than anything but did reflect what we were trying to do musically at the time: fun, percussive and strange.

MP: Do you have any other big plans for 2010? Can we expect a full length album any time soon?

HH: Oh we’ve got big plans for 2010! We’re definitely planning on recording a full-length album, hopefully sooner than later. We are going down to SXSW in March to play the [Stranahan’s] Mile High Fidelity Showcase. We want to hit the west coast in spring and possibly put out a split 7’’ with our good friends Laserfang from Salt Lake City.

Saul Williams // 1 p.m., Feb. 11 //  Tivoli Turnhalle, FREE

MP: Why did you decide to do this college tour?

SW: It’s never a decision to do a college tour. When it comes to colleges, I usually go when I’m asked, and I tend to get asked a lot in February. It’s not the same as like, ‘I’m gonna do a tour!’ It’s more like I just show up.

It’s always pretty helpful for me as an artist whether it’s having my brain picked by students or just performing on a stage that doesn’t have barricades or spotlights. That’s much less guarded, much more open. It kind of keeps me in a certain mode of thought and a certain zone of remembrance as far as where the ideas come from. It’s great to have a way of sharing that is not as polished, that is not as formal and college campuses are perfect for that.

MP: What have you been working on lately?

SW: I’ve been living in Paris since June. The main thing I’ve been working on is my new album, which I start mixing when I get back in March. Aside from that, I’m always writing down book ideas and film ideas as well.

MP: Your last album was released as pay-what-you-want, would you consider doing that again?

SW: Not with this specific album that I’m working on. Niggy Tardust is an album that we created that defied the idea of genre. We wanted to make an album that would not fit into any label’s conception of music per se.

I get a lot of confusion when I’m at labels. They don’t know whether I should be in the hip-hop section or the indie rock section or the alternative/industrial section. So Niggy Tardust was me saying, ‘Oh yeah? Let me show you how far out I can go.’ And having the Internet as a means of reaching people directly, it wasn’t about so much the fact that people had an option of paying for it or not paying for it. What was most interesting about the release process for that album was being able to go directly to people. Not having to deal with any middle men who needed categories and boxes to put the ideas in, because I find that fans don’t need the same boxes that executives do.

However with the album that I’m working on now, without giving too much away, I wanted to be put into a category because it’s a dance album. I haven’t fully decided on how I’m releasing it, but I’ve always felt that the way that I’d release Niggy Tardust was time-sensitive.

It was literally three weeks after Radiohead did it and it made sense because of all the fears in the industry, it made sense to give it away that way. I’m not sure how I would release [the new album] but I’m not tied to releasing it that way.

MP: What does Black History Month mean to you?

SW: What does Black History Month mean to me? I’m trying to find the least cynical answer that I can give you.

The first thing that it actually means to me is, like I said, it’s the time when I’m asked to go and speak at schools. Do I speak about Black History? Not really. I’m more of a present-time futurist. I believe that even the topic and idea of race is passé. I play around with it because it serves as a living metaphor for a lot of the boundaries that we are born into, that we decide whether to perpetuate or not.

But at the end of the day, I don’t believe in race. Especially not as a sort of scientific ideology. I think that at the end of the day, we’re one. But I know that as far as remembering the role that people have played in society and allowing the space for the voices that have not been heard or the stories that have not been told and are not commonly known, it’s great to have some time set aside for that.

Particularly within America, where we take so much for granted and don’t realize what sort of values have been placed on things in the everyday world and how that translates into inferiority complexes and insecurity complexes. Black History Month was essentially set up to level the playing field. Because we couldn’t rest assured that professors and what have you would not approach life and history from a very specific American/Eurocentric perspective.

When I was a kid, there was still the fight for Black History Month even to be recognized. What it symbolizes most to me is how far we’ve come. I don’t think that this generation now has the same hang-ups as past generations. Nevertheless, I think it can’t hurt anyone to learn a bit more about the role that different people play in society. Especially in American society when you think of the things that we value. Whether it’s football and sports and athleticism or music, expression and creativity. It is interesting the role that descendents of slaves have played in America. You wouldn’t have rock ‘n’ roll without John Henry. Most people don’t know the connection between John Henry and rock ‘n’ roll. Most people don’t know that refrigerators and traffic lights were created by African Americans. I think it’s important, not only for white people to know, but for young black people to know in the same way that it’s important for black kids growing up today to say, ‘Wow! We have a black president. Okay, I can be anything.’ Perhaps at its pinnacle it can inspire a generation to realize that they are living in a boundless time.

MP: As a vocal supporter of Obama before the election, how do you think he’s doing so far?

SW: Obviously I’m anti-war and all of these things, but I think that a levelheaded response to that question acknowledges that when you’re president of a democratic nation, versus being a democratic dictator or a liberal dictator, that you have to bring sides together in order to bring about change.

So I don’t think about how Obama’s doing, I think about how we’re doing. I think about the number of people still fighting to hang on to things as they are. I think about the number of people in the government that are still afraid of change. How a more dictator-like liberal would say, ‘Fuck what you think about that, I’m gonna veto that. I’m gonna make it happen just like this ‘cause this is the way I see it,’ rather than someone who’s trying to sit down and talk with people and bring people to an actual consensus. At the end of the day I think he’s doing a pretty great job of trying to bring people on board as opposed to just making people follow his ideas.

I can’t imagine the sheer magnitude of that weight and pressure and of that work. Of having to sit down with people who have a different outlook on the world. Who have a different outlook on defense and on security and the role it’s supposed to play. Instead of saying, ‘Forget your views we’re gonna follow mine now, I’m the president,’ how do you bring people around? When I think of it like that, I think he’s doing a pretty good job.

Would I like to see the war ended sooner? Would I like to see health care reform happen in more immediate ways with a certified public option? Definitely. Can I say that I know a way that that could have happened sooner or if he were more hardcore it could have happened better? I don’t know. Obama is just a symbol. A representative of many. That’s what a president is. And unfortunately there’s a lot of mixed opinions. I think he’s doing a good job of trying to bring people to some sort of consensus, but I imagine it’s too soon to know. He’s a person and it’s not about him, it’s never been about him, it’s about us.

MP: How do your poetry readings differ from your musical performances? Or how are they similar?

SW: The main way that they differ is, like I said, there are no barricades or spotlights at a poetry reading so that I’m freer to interact at the podium.

They differ in that whenever I do a poetry reading I always open the floor from the start so that if there are any questions about my ideas or about any ideas or about words or language or usage or process it’s an open forum of discussion. When I’m doing a musical performance, I’m there to perform and primarily I’m there to dance and to get you to dance. Whereas at a poetry reading, the floor is open and I’m primarily there and interested in the ideas of the people in the room and how they relate or don’t relate to what’s being said. The fact of the matter is that at most of my poetry readings, I don’t end up reading a lot of poems. I end up fielding more questions than reading poems. You can find the poems on YouTube, but to be able to talk about where they come from or to talk about where we come from, that’s where it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Seattle’s Grieves has been making a name for himself since his debut album in 2007. With his follow-up 88 Keys and Counting, a collaborative effort with Budo, under his belt Grieves is now planning for a new year with a new record in the fall and a European tour with Brother Ali. Grieves discussed his style, influences and his upcoming show with members of the Doomtree collective.

P.O.S., Dessa and Grieves // 8 p.m. Feb. 5, Marquis Theater // $15

MP: How would you describe your sound?

G: I use a lot of melody-driven lines and try to feed off the emotion the music created. It’s definitely not your traditional hip-hop, but you can hear my roots shining through in all genres. If it sounds good to us chances are we are gonna incorporate it into our mix.

MP: Who are some of your influences?

G: Anything Motown, D’ Angelo, Rhymesayers, Otis Redding, Carole King, NOFX, Wu- Tang, J. Dilla, Ice Cube, W.C., Dr. Dre. I feel I get new influences everyday, but those are for sure some foundation pieces of my love for what I do.

MP: What are your thoughts about the current state of hip-hop?

G: I like it. I have fun with hip-hop. It’s always changing and evolving and, for me, that’s awesome ‘cause I love playing around with different sounds. Keeps me interested.

MP: Where do you draw inspiration for your songs?

G: Anywhere. Life, love, fun, pain, booze, grapefruit juice, Jenga games, water births… Anything.

MP: On your first album you made most of the beats yourself. Do you still do
that or do you rely more on your DJ, Budo?

G: I am still very involved with the production process of my records. Budo is just one of the only people I get on a musical level. When he plays I get inspired and that helps us make awesome music together. That’s why I always loved rocking my own beats, because I understood them. I made a lot of the music on 88 Keys and Counting too. It just doesn’t sound like it ‘cause Budo and I work so well together you think it’s just all one person, but read the liner notes.

MP: What’s your live show like?

G: You ever seen a bear and a bald eagle fight each other to the death on a cloud of fire?  It’s pretty much like that, but with a trumpet solo and two small Jewish dudes (Budo and me).

MP: What is your favorite part about performing live?

G: Peoples’ faces. Getting to see the things that you create emotionally effect another person is one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever got to experience.

MP: Is there a new album in the works yet?

G: Yes. I am actually writing to you now from the studio we work at in Colorado. Look out for it in the fall on Rhymesayers ENT.

MP: Any other big plans for the year?

G: I got this tour with P.O.S. coming up right now. That should be a blast because I’m a huge fan of that dude’s music. After that on Feb. 28th we go to Europe with Brother Ali. That’s gonna be huge for us. We’ve never played over seas before. After that, we will be flying from France to Austin, TX for SXSW. Then after that, we are gonna chill ‘til the fall when we release our new record. BOOSH!

IG: What is the new album tentatively titled?

FH: No title yet, I haven’t gotten that far. One day, I spent hours putting in the rough mix on all the tracks for Ninth House. There are around 36 tracks to deal with for each song, so there is a lot more to do.

Fred Hess

IG: How do you feel about the tracks on this new album? What sort of mood do they strike for you?

FH: Well, this album is different than the first one because I wanted to make two. And last year, when I made the first big-band album, I was afraid my more compositional music was too hard to play. But [Hold On] came out great. It is about my own arrangement and the last 50 to 60 years of big-band music. The two [albums] make a pair, the last one is reflection and this one deals with the future of big band music and experimentation.

IG: Being the Classical Compositional Director at Metro must play a part in your writing. Did you compose all of the pieces on this new album? Do you use the tenor saxophone as your primary compositional tool, or a different instrument?

FH: I compose with music notation software; the sax has nothing to do with it. I got a Finale program in 1991 and I have been using that ever since. We use that at the school. My doctorate is in musical composition; I can use all those techniques in jazz. One of the things I’ve been trying to do, which again, is back to my interest in being a part of the jazz world, is being a composer and a sax player. My mind is really where I get a lot of things to work from, it sets me apart because I’m not writing songs, I’m working with more compositional materials.

IG: How long have you been teaching composition at Metro and what do you enjoy about teaching?

FH: The composition degree is only about four or five years old. Before that, I was the jazz director. Everyone has to have a title. I watched the composition teachers and I knew I could do it better than them, so I switched over.

IG: Which composers help you to keep your focus and who are some of your favorites, in the realm of jazz music or beyond, classic or contemporary?

FH: That’s always a difficult question, because I’m going to give you the answer that anybody would. I like anybody who’s good! There are so many different ways to play music and so many people who can do it well that I can’t say one guy is better than another.

IG: The tenor saxophone is your main instrument. How long have you been playing it, and what has it brought into your life?

FH: Over fifty years, so it’s been a while. I started out on the trombone but I always wanted to play the sax. I played the flute for a while, but for the last 25 years I’ve been on the tenor. I played flute on my first few albums and have a degree in the flute and trombone.

IG: Denver seems to be a booming jazz town, can you expand on this after experiencing the scene first-hand for almost 30 years?

FH: Well, Denver isn’t as booming as it used to be. The opportunity for people to play jazz is less now, than 10 years ago. There were jazz clubs, but no Jazz programs in the universities. Now [the University of Colorado] has a jazz program and you can get a degree, [the University of Denver] has some. All the good jazz guys here are teaching in these programs, 20 years ago you didn’t have Al Hood teaching at [the University of Denver]. I thought that after I got my degree I would get a job immediately, but it took me five years. I was 50 years old and playing nightly jazz gigs, I wouldn’t recommend that for my closest friend or for my worst enemy. You have to think one week ahead. Now, I’m happy to have a job.

IG: Who are some of the best players in Denver?

FH: The people in my band. They’re the best big band players, at least: John Gunter, on the alto sax, Peter Summer on the tenor, Nelson Hines, on the trombone. He played with Woody Herman back in the ‘80s [and] Matt Wilson, my New York drummer. He won the Downbeat poll last year. As far as pedigree and resume, we have the best.

IG: Is preservation necessary to keep jazz alive or do you find that advancing in every aspect of the music is the key? Are you able to find a balance between the two in all of the work you do?

FH: People thought that big band died, but you know, a big band is still alive. All the schools have big band and people are still writing for a big band because they like the palate.

IG: Since 1998, it seems like you have released an album every year until now. Do you plan on keeping this momentum going and what would your next project entail?

FH: No, I don’t and I will tell you why: This big band one is going to take a while in the studio; around six months of production. So, maybe I’ll leave it at that or go back to a smaller band.

JF: Kerouac’s “Big Sur “ is ultimately is a cautionary tale. Jack starts questioning the ethos he helped create (where to find the next thrill and how to keep the party going). Jack’s original intent in going to Big Sur was to get away from being Jack Kerouac and to dry out/recalibrate — but that didn’t happen as planned. It’s remarkable that he is able to honestly chronicle his descent into alcoholism.

IG: How did you get involved with One Fast Move or I’m Gone?

JF: I was contacted by [producer] Jim Sampas about contributing to the project. Jim and I had crossed paths earlier when he

was putting together a tribute to Springsteens’s Nebraska. At that time I wasn’t aware that Jim had been involved with the Kerouac estate. It wasn’t until later when we started talking Kerouac that the project started to take shape. I met both Jim and Curt eventually when we met up at the Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur. In the book that’s where Jack tries to convince some military guys to adopt his “buddy system” fighting tactic. Beat Warfare.

IG: I watched a live video from the first round of your tour in late October. You and Mr. Gibbard seem to have a lot of fun on stage. Do you think you’ll both remain friends and musical partners after this venture?

JF: Both Ben and I were asked to contribute some songs to the project. Other folks were asked to contribute as well, but Ben and I wound up being the only two that showed up. I think both Ben and I are willing to take this project/experience as far as it will go. There is a degree of challenge and fulfillment for us both to be able to step aside from our “regular gigs” and create this different musical path.

IG: How long did it take to compose the soundtrack and then the album?

JF: We cobbled together three short recording sessions amounting to about 10 days. That’s probably less time than we would average spending on our other respective band projects, so in a way this recording experience was a sort of deconstructive, ad hoc approach.

There is a certain spontaneity in the recording as a result. Prior to recording– when I started putting songs together I set out to just do a few but got caught up in the spirit of the project and did about 10 in less than a week which is more songs than I’ve ever written in that span of time before or since. Perhaps there was extra inspiration because of my familiarity with Kerouac’s work and the opportunity to work with him (in a posthumous way).

IG: What is your connection with Kerouac specifically? What was the first book you read of his and how did it impact you? What book is your personal favorite?

JF: I came across Kerouac’s “On the Road” as a teenager. I was already playing music in bands at that point, but I think that book really solidified what I wanted to do from that point on.

IG: “Big Sur” is a hard story to swallow, as the main character tries to overcome his ailments, but cannot stay attached to the cure that Big Sur is providing him. How do you define freedom? Can the hope for something better come in the simplest of forms, like a meaningful song, a captivating read or a vast wilderness?

JF: Your observations on freedom are right on. All of those things with balance and sustainability.

IG: What will the future hold for your music, now that you’ve completed a soundtrack, formed three variations of a band and lay claim to an eclectic body of work?

JF: The latest project (in the works) has involved visiting the Woody Guthrie Archives and working with Nora Guthrie, as well as with three other guys on the project that we don’t have a name for yet.

MP: First, what kind of band is Hacienda?

DS: Hacienda is rock ‘n’ roll band.  It sounds simple, but at our core, that’s what we are.  We’re not trying to create a new genre.  We mix country, rhythm and blues, soul and blues music. We have a great rhythm section.

There are a lot of rock bands, but we are a rock ‘n’ roll band.  The roll is what makes you dance.  When we write or perform we wanna rock, but if it don’t roll, we don’t play it.

MP: Dan Auerbach produced your first album and you more recently toured with him as his backing band. Has working with him influenced your music at all? If so, how?

DS: Dan has had a big influence on us.  Not so much in sound, but in attitude.  We always took pride in ourselves for being professional, but he showed us how to do that on another level.

MP: Do you think working with Dan has helped Hacienda in terms of expanding your fan base?

DS: There’s no question that Dan has helped us broaden our fan base.  It’s so hard to come from nowhere and start fresh.

Having someone like Dan give you credit is immense.  People are more inclined to give you a listen.

MP: Your music has a decidedly old school feel to it, what are some of your influences?

DS: The influences are pretty broad, and they are always expanding.  When we started recording there were the influences of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson.  When we started playing live, we looked to one place:  Stax Records resident house band, Booker T and the MGs.

MP: Your new album is going to be released in April, how is this record different from your debut? Is Dan producing again?

DS: The record is a straight up rock ‘n’ roll record.  After making an intricate record first, and then touring for a year and a half, when it came time to record, we just wanted to rock ‘n’ roll in that studio, and its more of a live feel, not so many overdubs, or takes for that matter.

It was produced by Dan at his studio in Akron again.  It’s being mixed and will be out April 6.

MP: How has the tour gone so far?

DS: The tour has been great.  We are about two weeks in and the Alberta Cross guys are great.  We managed to mix in a couple of jams after the show.  I hope we can keep doing that.

MP: What can we expect from a Hacienda live show?

DS: A Hacienda live show is all about the groove.  We’re gonna be grooving for 45 minutes to an hour.  Hopefully the audience can’t help but join us.

MP: Besides the new album, are there any other plans for the 2010?

DS: Plans for the year is the record release and more and more touring.  We plan on cutting another record this year, just because we are backloaded with songs.

Hopefully we get into a situation where we can return to Europe and Australia.

MB: Do you think that underground hip-hop is dying as a genre?

GG: I think that it’s up to us, people that love it, people that love the art and the people that love the culture. I think that if we let it die it would die. I think it’s a very strong thing that’s being spread around right now, that statement. … I think there are a lot of younger people who didn’t grow up with the culture aspect of it. In order to be an MC you had to battle, you had to rock your high school, you had to rock a house party. It wasn’t about making money. I think that the problem is that, now-a-days the younger cats look at it strictly as a hustle, not as a pass time, not as a cultural thing. … It’s more about making money. But there are definitely folks out there that are bringing it right now. I think that major corporations are obviously going to push what’s mostly commercial. There are a lot of great commercial artists … I wouldn’t even say commercial, but artists that have broken into the mainstream. But as long as people keep bringing it, it comes from inside. I plan to continue to bring it on a musical level and lyrical level.

MB: Where did your influences come from? Who or what has inspired you?

GG: From all over. I mean, I grew up on everybody from Curtis Blow to Grand Master Flash to Run DMC, LL Cool J. I was hooked once I heard “Rapper’s Delight.” That was the first, honestly I was from the west coast so I didn’t get to experience the early days in the south Bronx, but you know, I was hooked the first time I heard “Rapper’s Delight” and from that point on, I was always going to be a fan of hip-hop.

MB: How do you think your style has changed from Melodica, your Blackalicious EP or Nia to The Craft?

GG: I think that it’s just evolved. I think that, for me, it’s all about exploration. I’m definitely into styles, bringing words together and trying to be instrumental in the music. It’s almost like an exploration of where can I go next, what does this beat bring out? Where can I go that I haven’t gone stylistically?

MB: Where do you see yourself as an inspiration to the hip-hop community?

GG: I think I’m just honest. I just tell my truth. I express my truths, my experiences and my visions and at the end of the day I’m just being myself. So, I think just being a human being, I connect with other human beings.

MB: What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on the road or on tour?

GG: Wow. One time we were in Sweden and we were rolling and it was snowing. We were rollin’ and the ground was really slippery. There were six or seven of us in the van and the van started hydroplaning on the ice, did about four 360s and banged against the rail. On the other side of the rail there was a deep drop. Everybody was okay. But it was just like, wow somebody was looking out for us. What if other cars were coming or we flipped over the rail?

MB: What’s your personal favorite song to perform or do you have a favorite album that you’ve done?

GG: Nah, I like everything. Everything is different because they are all different parts of who I am.

MB: What have been some of the toughest battles in your life or career?

GG: You know, I think it’s the universal battle of spirit versus ego. The battle of just trying to be the best person that I can be every day. I think everyone goes through that, just being the best person I can in terms of what I believe God’s will is for me. Every day, that’s the hardest battle.

MP: What is Doomtree?

D: Doomtree is a collective of musicians based in Minneapolis. We’re rappers and DJs and producers and friends who started a business together to release our music. Most of the guys have been friends since high school. Although everyone in Doomtree is a solo act, most of us have lived together at some point, and all of us occasionally pile into a tour van to perform as a crew.

MP: Why is your logo wings and teeth?

D: MK Larada, one of our producers, designed the logo. The teeth in the center are his — the image was created from an oral X-ray. He’s better at explaining the aesthetic than I am, but I know that there’s a certain menace implied by both components. Teeth? Scary? Flying teeth? Terrifying.

MP: What is the False Hopes series and how does it differ from the self-titled album?

D: Our False Hopes discs are unofficial releases.  If you’re familiar with Atmosphere’s Headshots series, you’ve got a good point of reference. We don’t push a False Hopes commercially in the same way that we try to push our official discs. Instead, the False Hopes primarily serve as offerings for fans who are already in the know — they’re an opportunity for us to provide previews of new work, to release some special content, and to make some music without drafting a business plan.

MP: This is the 15th False Hopes album, how do you think Doomtree has grown since the beginning?

D: Our growth as an organization had been slow and steady–and hopefully sustainable for that reason. In the beginning, we played at basement clubs and burned our own CDRs to sell at a dim little booth in the back of the room. Now, we still play some basement clubs, but we’re manufacturing our discs properly, we’re working with a distributor and we’ve learned to promote our work to really try to reach listeners with an appetite for music like ours. By reinvesting a large share of our earnings, we’ve been able to purchase the services of some great independent partners. We work with Spectre to promote our material on the radio and with Biz3 for publicity.

MP: Are there any plans to re-release the older False Hopes albums?

D: Not yet. Our primary focus now is on releasing our upcoming material. 2010 looks busy.

MP: Excluding other Doomtree releases, what are some of your favorite albums of the year?

D: Oh man. I’m horrible at questions like this. I always regret my response as soon as I hit ‘send.’

MP: What kinds of things influenced the album?

D: Not to get hopelessly philosophical, but I’m not sure that musicians — or artists in any field — are always aware of their influences. I certainly couldn’t speak for the rest of the guys in Doomtree, but False Hopes are usually quick and casual projects. I’d be surprised if anyone of us would cite Dante’s Inferno as a major influence just for this project.

MP: What’s your song writing process like? Does someone come in with a beat and say “I want you and you on this” or is a more organic process?

D: A collaborative album usually starts with the producers. Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger are responsible for most of the production on our latest disc. They burned CDs full of beats and passed them out to the rappers. Then the rappers chose the beats to write to. We all drafted our verses, occasionally meeting to touch base and trade notes.

MP: How do you decide who is on which track and which ones you record as a whole group?

D: Usually we write to the beats that we like the most. Sometimes, we’ll all really want to rap on a given beat. Sometimes a track will seem bested suited to a particular rapper’s style.  So far, we’re not terribly formulaic. We’ll be listening to beats in Paper Tiger’s living room and one of the emcees will shout out, “I like number four. Anybody want to rap on it with me?”

MP: Will there be a tour to support the new album?

D: Members of Doomtree will be touring throughout 2010, but so far we don’t have a tour on the books that would have the whole collective performing together.

MP: What are your thoughts on the current state of hip hop? Is there any autotune on the record?

D: No autotune. To my knowledge, Doomtree has never gone down that road.

MP: What’s next for Doomtree? Any new projects in the works?

D: Doomtree has quite a few projects lined up for the next year. On January 22, I’ll be having a release party for my new album, called A Badly Broken Code. Both Lazerbeak is now mixing a solo full-length and Paper Tiger is amassing material for one of his own.

JM: Is it true that you pretended to be a gay couple to promote your album?

JF: No, not at all. We got bored of using all the crappy photos that they were taking at the time. We wanted to do something different. A photographer from Vice Magazine wanted us to reenact a photo done by Gavin Watson of two skinheads kissing in the street and composition-wise, we thought that would be pretty cool. We did a few other homoerotic art photos as well, but we weren’t pretending to be gay to promote anything like people were saying.

JM: What made you decide to cut an album together?

JF: We’ve been friends since we were about 17 years old. We were always doing stuff together and we started a small label together that produced a lot of traditional and hardcore noise. One Christmas Milo just called me and said, “Let’s make some noise together.” So that’s what we did.

JM: You pretty much produced this album by yourselves, why did you go to the 4AD label for your album rather than using your own label?

JF: They approached us, actually. We really liked how laid back they were. Guys from other labels just seemed like pricks and these guys were cool from the start. They just wanted to make music with us. We loved the legacy of the label. I didn’t even know who was on there before we were signed. Bands like the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, we loved those guys. We are the first band from England that they have signed in 10 years, so that was an honor as well.

JM: 4AD tends to have some unique artists in their catalog and you seem to fit perfectly, who would you say are your influences?

JF: Early ‘90s English bands. Early American stuff like Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth. We love industrial guitars like Ministry. I would even say mid- ‘90s hip-hop like Beastie Boys.

JM: You do have a lot of different elements to your style, why do you think people try to define you with a genre?

JF: People like to pigeonhole everything to make themselves feel more comfortable about what they are listening to. I think it’s lazy and annoying. I think it’s a bit closed minded actually. We haven’t even really found our sound yet, at this point we are still trying to define it. If we can’t define it, how can they? The next record will probably be more focused. This one was just us getting together and making music.

JM: You recorded both in London and at Electric Lady Studio in New York City. What was the reasoning behind recording in both cities?

JF: We have a studio in London where we got the bulk of the album done. Then it was more like filling in the guitars and vocals. We wanted it to be mixed by Rich Costey and he works at Electric Lady. It just seems like a more fitting idea than having him come to London. We really love New York. It was going from one really cool city to another. We feel like it made it more of an urban record.

JM: For those who don’t know you, how did you come up with your name?

JF: I am a huge Band fan. Their album, Music from the Big Pink, was really important to me growing up and I just liked the name. Lots of penis connotations. It was very phallic and punk in that respect. Maybe our answer to the Sex Pistols.

JM: This is an album that should be listened to loud, what should people expect from your live show?

JF: We are much more aggressive live, the record is definitely more reserved. We are crazier and louder, there’s smoke–It’s out of control!

JM: You are playing an 8 P.M. DJ set for free at Twist and Shout before the show at Larimer Lounge, what made you choose to do that?

JF: We love to DJ. We play parties all over Europe and London. It’s a lot of fun for us so we took the opportunity.