| Casselman's News |
Churchill wins KTCL's Hometown for the Holidays promotion at Casselman's, 12/17/11KTCL HOMETOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS @ CASSELMAN'S | 12/17/11 Churchill's probably pretty stoked today. Last night at Casselman's Bar & Venue, KTCL held its annual Hometown for the Holidays concert, and the band was crowned winner of the station's annual promotion. As in past years, the place was packed to the rafters with local music fans as all three bands (My Body Sings Electric, the Heyday and Churchill) performed. Emily Driskill, was on hand to capture the event and brought us a bunch of photos. Page down to see some of the highlights.   
Review: Sean Paul at Casselmans 12/2/11 Categories: Last Night Dance hall music, when it's done right, makes you want to go all sorts of crazy, rockin' your body about while waving Rasta colored flags around. That's pretty much what happened when "Gimme the Light" came on. For a moment, it seemed like Sean Paul was overwhelmed with how packed the place was, but he quickly caught his rhythm and commenced to giving an energetic go of it. Sean Paul's set wasn't very intimate. There wasn't a lot of interplay between the reggae pop star and the crowd. Paul clearly came to rock, not to talk. And rock he did. By the time he got to "We Be Burning," the dance floor erupted into a full on mayhem. His voice sounded crystal clear as he went even deeper into his catalogue with cuts like "Deport Dem," "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" and "Baby Boy," his unflinchingly pop collaboration with Beyonce. The mood toned down for a bit with "I'm Still in Love" and a few other lovers rock tunes, but the energy peaked with "Got 2 Luv U," one of his newer joints. With a seamless transition to Denver's DJ Bushy Bush, who jammed behind the decks for the rest of the night, Sean Paul was out like a thief in the night. He left the audience happy, relatively drunk and ready to go all night. Earlier in the night, the dancing got underway with a lively performance from 2012, who, as always, brought enough choreography to employ an entire room full of dancers. Hypnautic, King Tef and company did a sort of hip-hop/house/techno music set that was energetic and entertaining if not technically supreme. Black Pegasus made a brief appearance, rocking one track that contained lyrics like, "it's not your beauty, it's your booty." Personal Bias: I was running around Flatbush, Brooklyn when "Like
Glue" was super popular. The nostalgia alone was worth the show.
Kat Deluna shakes up Denver's Little Black Dress Party Forget about Black Friday, it was Black Wednesday this week as Hot 107.1 hosted one of its most popular holiday events—The Little Black Dress Party at Casselman’s. It wasn’t difficult to get the ladies of the Mile High to drag out their dresses for the event (after all, don’t we all have at least five little black dresses in the closet?). DJ’s Krystal and Slim hosted the event as dancers and fashion showed kicked off the evening. The real treat, though, was a performance by pop sensation Kat DeLuna who performed her hit “Drop It Low” and many others that sent the crowd into an absolute fan frenzy (she even shook her bootie to Gloria Estefan’s classic “Conga”). She’s quickly becoming a favorite of the Metromix crew as she works extra hard to let her fans know how much she appreciates them. One thing is certain, as far as we’re concerned this was one of the best ways to kick off the long Thanksgiving weekend and we can’t wait to drag out our little black dresses again! —Laura Kelley, special to Metromix Denver Yelpers Rock Out At Yelpapalooza 3.0!Even the first serious snowfall of the year couldn't keep almost 1,000 Denver yelpers from descending on Casselman's Bar & Venue and The Matchbox to celebrate Yelpapalooza 3.0. Guests of the event were able to travel back and forth between the two venues to enjoy either live bands or a DJ lounge (set up by Greater Range DJ), a wide variety of food, and delicious drinks. The evening saw rawkin' performance from four local bands - B. Sue, Sweet Corn, In the Whale, and Places on the stage of Casselman's. Plus over at The Matchbox, DJs the Postman and Vonkemp spun music all night long keeping the dance floor packed. Local beers from Left Hand Brewing Company and Odell Brewing Company, spirits from 303 Vodka and Rob's Mountain Gin, and vitaminwater kept folks hydrated throughout the night. Meanwhile nibbles from Happy Cakes, Biker Jim's, Vinh Xuong Bakery, Rubio's, PopChips!, Jerry's Nut House, Cheesesteak Connection, Highland Tap & Burger, Japoix, and Eden Restaurant kept people fueled for fun. As if that wasn't enough fun Andye Murphy, David Waldas, and Simple Spirit were on hand to give yelpers a glimpse into their futures with psychic readings. Denver Craft Ninjas set up a booth area to create mustaches and bow ties for people to use in the photo booths. Frequent Flyers Production brought two dancers in for aerial fabric performances between band sets. Artsy Events created caricatures to commemorate the night. And Rebelle by Tootsies Salon created rock 'n roll hair stylings for ladies, Tootsies the Nail Shoppe gave mini manis, and Proper Barbershop performed clean-ups for the fellas. Make sure you check out the Shutterbooth photos, the Wi Cam photos, and the other photos taken by StudioSister Photography and fellow yelper Phil H that night. And read over the reviews to catch glimpses of the highlights. Thanks to all of those that made it out. We're looking forward to seeing you at the next one, but until then we'll SYOY (See You On Yelp)! Your Denver Yelp Community Director Hallow-Fest 2011
There is only one word to describe the show that Casselmans & Bands for Bands Entertainment hosted Friday October 15th 2011. That one word is ‘Epic’. When speaking of bands for bands, this is exactly what happened. Bands came together tonight to surf the waves of the Colorado local music scene. This line up of entertainers could go on tour together and keep the crowds rockin from here to New York. I am proud to have had the opportunity to help promote such a well organized presentation of raw talent. You have to hand it to Casselmans and the way that they work with entertainers in Colorado local music. They care about their venue and take pride in their stage, lights and sound equipment. They promote local events and provide a comfortable atmosphere for the bands as well as the crowd. Venues like Casslemans definitely help put Colorado music on the map. Bands for Bands Entertainment is a very well organized promoting tool for local musicians as well. The name ‘Bands for Bands’ speaks for itself. Something great comes out of every concert appearance when venues, bands and promoters work together like a well oiled machine. A couple of words come to mind when you mention Outlaw Clothing Ink, WOW !, Damn ! and Smoking Hot !. Their beautiful yet tasteful models and unique fashion presentation demands recognition. This is a great addition to any concert event and even the ladies were dropping their jaws. Mile High Underground was a sponsor of tonight festivities and is another company that deserves reflection. These guys work hard to get your music in front of people that matter, the fans. I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us in the future. Maximum Level Audio was present behind the F.O.H. mixing board at tonight’s event ensuring the crowd got a quality ear full. The venue, sponsors and bands of this event are really making an impact on Colorado music. Each company listed above work hard to bring the fans entertaining events and everyone should check out the links I have provided, if you haven’t already. The bands listed below are some of Denver’s top entertainers and work hard to support each other. Novus Folium
Denverites moonlight as Urban Cowboys (and girls)
If you’ve been looking for that cowboy (or cowgirl) to ride off into the sunset with you should have been at Casselman’s Bar and Venue in Denver Saturday night for the Ascent Foundation’s 7th Annual Urban Cowboy Event. From honky tonk music to barbeque, bull riding, arm wrestling, and spirits, this party left no beer bottle unopened. Even Metromix got involved by milking good ol’ Bessie during the cow milking competition (from the pictures you can tell she enjoyed every minute of it). Partygoers two-stepped the night away to music courtesy of Halden Wofford and the Hi Beams and The Ghost of Joseph Buck. The Ascent Foundation, a Denver non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for small charitable organizations, hosts the event on every year. Part of the proceeds from Saturday night will go to Sewall Child Development that helps young children with special needs and disadvantages reach their full potential. If nothing else, one thing was is certain. Bob the Bull launched a "buck load" of people on Saturday. So many in fact, that Metromix was afraid to saddle up and take a spin. Next time Bob, next time. —Laura Kelley, Special to Metromix Casselman's gets approved for Underage Patron License from the city to host 16+ plus shows Now in its second year, Casselman's Bar & Venue
has proven to be a strong venue addition to the Ballpark Neighborhood,
especially with its sound and light upgrades. Prompted by an
overwhelming demand from promoters, the spot applied for and just got
approved for an Underage Patron License by the city, which means the
club can now book shows catered to attendees aged sixteen and over.
Great news for underage music fans! DJ Vajra wins Denver DMC DJ battle at Casselman's, 4/30/11
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World DJ Championship 4.30.11 | Casselman's Bar & Venue The DMC's went down last night at Casselman's, and DJ Vajra won after enduring massive attacks from underling DJs with lesser talents and a gripping face-off with Cysko Rokwel. The two titans clashed with eloquence, but in the end, Vajra emerged victorious.
DJ Lazy Eyez, as he reiterated throughout the night, found the most importance in the event to be the foundation of hip-hop. Pop Master Fabel, Fiendz and others were on hand to help judge b-boy battles taking place throughout the evening. Dance to Live was handed the win amongst a flurry of a wind-milling bodies, whirling hands, arms and legs. The display was quite impressive and certainly more entertaining than the MC battle, which followed.
Many of these guys came with what appeared to be pre-written material and even at that delivered such clumsy rhymes that Life the MC -- one of three judges along side Mane Rok and Panama Soweto -- offered up a more compelling performance with his commentary than any of the guys rapping. In the end, though, Solid Theory took home the money.
The DJs were next, and Lazy Eyez ushered folks to and from the stage as the night's host, giving a glimpse into the multi-tasking skills necessary to be a DJ. The great thing about the DMCs is that it's a competition that allows for DJs of all skill sets to step up to the plate with whatever contribution they come up with.
What seemed to be the long-awaited match up between DJ Vajra and Cysko Rokwel didn't immediately heat up during the preliminaries. Vajra went early in the evening and came out swinging with an "All I Do Is Win" clip and quite easily dominated everyone who went before him and most of the folks who followed. Cysko got down pretty immediately with a confident set that was full of tricks and techniques. He moved the crowd and seemed to draw more than a few stares of wonder from the judges who were DJ Deus, DJ Chonz and the inimitable Rob Swift.
After a break and performances from the Boombox Saints and Mane Rok, the final rounds got under way. Again, Bmoney was entertaining, creative and energetic; it was his vocal clip that called out Vajra and Cysko specifically that got the crowd most energized. There were a few more overzealous efforts to incite beef from the two who were considered the ones to compete against, but it wasn't until the two titans took the stage -- Cysko on the left, Vajra on the right -- that it became clear this was about more than wax. The lights were lowered, and it was like the Rumble in the Jungle all over again. Cysko stepped to the decks and absolutely lost his mind with techniques that had those in the DJ contingent pumping their fists and exclaiming enthusiastically that his set was epic.
Cysko showed off, showed out, and came directly for Vajra's head, with some well place inflammatory words scratched and blended to perfection. Every mouth in the building was on the floor, especially after Cysko's six-minute set was over. There were more than a few technical difficulties throughout the evening, and as Vajra was setting up during Cysko's set, it was clear he wasn't happy with the provided equipment. Taking a moment to settle on the decks left smoking by Cysko's deejaying wrath, Vajra prepared to get it in. It was kind of like Muhammad Ali, but different: Not only did Vajra insult Cysko with clipped, profanity-infested drops and turn around to face him while doing so, he postured over the decks throughout his six minutes so hard, the crowd went crazy. The judges were nodding their heads to the beat, in time with each other, and with Vajra's beats. After an amazing set from DJ Rob Swift, who moved the crowd and kept the party rocking the entire night -- as well as showed pretty much, everyone in the building how it's done, Vajra was declared the winner and will now move on to compete in New York.
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK Personal Bias: I love DJs. I have no idea how they do what they do but it never ceases to amaze me. By the Way: There was a heavy DJ/producer presence in the room. I heard Kid Hum was somewhere around, and Qknox was definitely in attendance, among others. It was like the Joint Chiefs of Staff of hip-hop. The Mile High Makeout: DJ Lazy Eyez brings the DMC World DJ Championship to Denver
By Eryc Eyl |
April 29th, 2011 |
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 A poster for Denver's 2011 DMC World DJ Championship, courtesy of Sean Choi. Hip-hop heads who are looking for something a little different this weekend should thank Sean Choi for bringing the DMC World DJ Championship to Denver. An accomplished DJ in his own right, Choi — better known as DJ Lazy Eyez — is, first and foremost, a lover and booster of Mile High hip-hop music and culture, and he’s thrilled to give local DJs the chance to prove themselves on a national level. “I’ve spent the better part of 10 years just trying to cultivate and support the hip-hop scene in Colorado,” says Choi, who is currently finishing his MBA and acting as vice president of the CU-Denver Hip-Hop Congress, but has also DJed countless parties, backed up hip-hop acts and hosted Radio 1190′s Basementalism over the years. Though turntablism saw its heyday in the ’90s, when people like
Mixmaster Mike and A-Trak made their names through the DMC competition,
Colorado has maintained a surprisingly active, skilled and world class
platter-rocking community. Over the years, “Vajra was one of the frontrunners of turntablism and hip-hop DJ battling here in Colorado, and I think he was the first Colorado DJ to go to the nationals consistently,” Choi explains. “We’re fortunate to have him and Cysko. It makes people from Colorado realize what we have here. Both those guys are really close to competing at the global level.” While the DMC competition focuses largely on traditional hip-hop DJing, with solo routines, team competitions and head-to-head battles, the contest is introducing a controversial new element this year — DJs will be allowed to use software-based digital DJ tools like Traktor and Serato. This part of the competition will be separate from the traditional six-minute vinyl routines, but indicates a desire on the part of DMC to expand the field and repopularize the art form with a new generation. Though many old-school DJs frown on the use of digital tools, claiming they allow DJs with inferior to skills to cheat, Choi — a vinyl DJ himself — is excited about the possibilities that these new technologies create. “It opens up a lot more creativity and a lot more sounds that will make it accessible to the average music lover,” he explains. “I’m hoping that with the introduction of that, DJs will be even more creative because they have more sounds and tools at their disposal.” Choi has also roped in some celebrities of turntablism to judge the contest. Local favorite DJ Chonz will be joined by the Bay Area’s DJ Deus and DJ Rob Swift, of the groundbreaking New York DJ crew the X-Ecutioners. The winners chosen by these experts will advance to the national competition, which occurs in New York City in August.  Poster for Denver's 2011 DMC World DJ Championship, courtesy of Sean Choi “Rarely do you see more than one element of hip-hop under one roof,” he boasts. “But that’s how I’ve tried to do everything — to really respect the culture and try to do it justice.” Colorado’s 2011 DMC Battleground takes place on Saturday, Apr 30 at Casselman’s Bar and Venue. Tickets are $7 in advance, or $10 at the door, and are for those 21 and over only. Preliminary MC battles will begin at noon, and the event will stretch into the night. For more information, visit http://www.DJLazyEyez.com or Casselman’s website. Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years.Dubtribe casts a LOVE spell on Casselman's, 2/26/11
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LOVE
Dubtribe Sound System*Doc Martin Frederick Gentry*Sunshine Jones with Jasun Lovejoy Casselman's Bar and Venue|2.26.11 The aptly named LOVE party at Casselman's last night featured two epic sets by some of the very best names in house music, Doc Martin and Dubtribe Sound System. The headliners brought the energy up to a new level -- but first, the Tribe's own Jasun Lovejoy warmed up the crowd. Lovejoy was doing a fantastic job holding down the decks. He spun deep, soulful house, utilizing whistling sounds, deep and gurgling sounds (much like a bong hit) and new-wave like organ lines. He worked in tried-and-tested crowd-pleasing favorites like "Disco to Disco" with bouncing bass and sibilant beats. He played among sub-genres, moving from progressive to disco house and dark to light, using: - feel-good organ music well-suited to a happy sitcom song His sound was varied and exciting, and by the time Doc Martin took the decks at 10 p.m., the crowd was well-primed for his stylings. The San Francisco-based house legend was a big draw for the night; I know several people who were there specifically to see Doc. He's been active in the house-music scene since 1986, was instrumental in bringing notice to several now-famous house DJs, and you simply can't argue with the man's popularity. He started out deeper and dreamier, with synthed-out keys, low bluesy trumpets and muted saxophones. We were treated to Eddie Amador's "Not Everyone Understands House Music," led in with wild indigenous flutes, meandering beats and a growling bassline. Martin has eclectic tastes and can easily move from dark progressive house to uplifting tribal to jazzy disco sub-genres; he played with rock-style basslines, smooth R&B sounds (like Stevie Wonder's "For Your Love"), slightly dissonant tones, techno-style beats and barking, violin lines and inspirational speeches backed by snare drums. He moved from eerie, deep, moaning tracks to a more uplifting call-and-response track featuring Spanish-speaking children. His track selection and mixing are superb -- and Martin still uses vinyl when he plays, which is fun to watch, but probably contributed to the few glitches that marred the set. Vinyl is tricky, especially in a room full of bouncing, dancing people, and the couple of times Martin mis-matched a beat, the look of frustration on his face indicated it was an equipment issue. Martin eased out of his set with some tribal drums, so that Dubtribe could pick up the beat without interrupting the grooves on the dance floor at midnight. In fact, the group settled in on the stage floor in front of the decks, so it was difficult to see exactly what was going on unless you squeezed right in up front. For those who didn't want to brave the crowd: Sunshine Jones held down the fort on his laptop, Moonbeam played with a sampler, they both used microphones to croon their gorgeous lyrics. Surrounding them were five drummers pounding out the beat on hand drums; occasionally, Sunshine would poach a drum from the closest percussionist and wail out a beat himself.
They moved in, out and between several of Dubtribe's best tracks -- opening up, Sunshine growled spoken-word poetry (a combination of "Holler" and "So Much Love") over gorgeous, jazzy, tribal beats. It's easy to see why Dubtribe has made such a name for itself as a live act -- the recorded sessions are excellent, but you really have to see Sunshine and Moonbeam high-fiving each other (and the crowd), beaming at one another while urging the crowd to ever-higher heights with the music and the lyrics speaking of social justice, peace, love and unity. Candles burned around the equipment and the crowd went into a frenzy trying to keep up with the tribal rhythms and frenetic energy. "I think the drummers got stoned too early in the night," Sunshine roared into the microphone, grabbing a drum to show how it was done while the temporarily instrument-less drummer danced purposefully on the stage. One of the most impressive things about this set was the live mixing. Many livetronica acts fade in and out between tracks, which isn't easy, but this level of moving from place-to-place -- neither the drummers nor Sunshine and Moonbeam ever missed a beat, seamlessly mixing from one track to the next -- is rarely seen in the livetronica world. They moved into the crowd-pleasing "Wednesday Night," and right at a crescendo, dropped from this free-wheeling tribal number into true dub, Black Uhuru's "Leaving for Zion." The group effortlessly slipped into this dub track, and the crowd followed along, grooving to the slower tempo and eerie sounds, before Dubtribe slipped straight back into "Wednesday Night." They played other favorites from the bestselling Bryant Street, as well -- "No Puedo Estar Despierto" and "Samba Dub" after "Wednesday Night," Sunshine's signature voice bringing everyone in the building to sing along with his heartfelt, "Lord have mercy on my soul." "Samba Dub" faded into a drum solo, prompting Sunshine to exclaim, "This is some furious shit right here!" Not only is Dubtribe skilled at actual dub sounds, but they also broke out a couple of live breakbeat tracks toward the end of the set, from a quasi-ambient number with tribal drums and distorted chirps to a darker, dirtier breaks set, reminiscent of the Prodigy's earlier work. As Sunshine implored us through his spoken-word poetry to take the planet back, the lights started to come up. "It's going to take all your love and more if you want to make a difference in this world," he rumbled, while Casselman's staff attempted (futilely) to disperse the crowd and get us moving out the door. Dubtribe played until the lights came all the way up and the sound was turned off at 2 a.m., and Sunshine Jones reiterated his love for the crowd, the people and the scene, gesturing with hands and heart before the crew began to pack up the stage and the audience dispersed slowly, moving toward the after-party. CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK By The Way: A big shout-out to the person (he knows who he is) who got Casselman's to turn off the overhead/Christmas lights before Doc Martin hit the stage -- the party went from feeling like an overlit high-school dance to an actual party. Random Detail: The LED heart hanging above the stage was custom-built for this show.
Casselman’s – Ahead of the Curve If you can say one thing about Denver, it's that the ever-expanding nightlife, particularly in LoDo, makes for a constant guarantee of something to do. But with bars and venues popping up almost weekly, one can imagine that the already challenging task of starting a new restaurant and hospitality business is almost impossible in such a competitive local market. However, Denver’s “new kid on the block,” Casselman’s Bar and Venue, has quickly become a premiere nightlife destination for local events, concerts and much more. In Casselman’s only two-year tenure, they have been featured in dozens of local articles and on almost every major radio station in Denver. Not too shabby for Denver-born brothers and co-owners Andrew and Adam Ranes, who literally built Casselman’s with their bare hands. “We haven’t been around for long but our building and venue is one of the best places to see a concert in Denver- whether its sound, space, cleanliness or whatever- and I can say that to some of the biggest names in Denver venues,” says Adam. For a having built their business in a space that used to be nothing but a warehouse for jeans, the Ranes brothers have really built a unique and impressive site for their growing business. The 10,000-square-foot building, free parking, stone rock bar setting complete with a lounge and massive back room gives Casselman’s the edge when competing against some of the bars and clubs in Denver. But lets face it: It takes more than a pretty face to keep a business running. So how has this local titan been able to make such a name for itself and keep its head above water? Adam Ranes believes that its largely due to the fact that Casselman’s doesn’t consider itself a one-trick pony. “We’re not pigeonholed to doing one thing down here," he says. "While some of these bars and clubs downtown are open for one demographic and its the same thing every night, we like to accommodate a lot of different events and they all bring their own demographics.” A look at Casselman’s event schedule will only further confirm this statement; in one weekend they played host to events ranging from hip hop parties on Friday, jam band acoustic birthday parties on Saturday and live pro wrestling on sunday, with each event bringing in people by the hundreds. Some more of their more notable events include the halloween Exotic Ball which pulled in over 1,500 people, a three-day New Years Eve party that collectively pulled in 5,000 people over the new years weekend, and a myriad of fashion shows, after parties, stand up comedy events and, of course, concerts. But Casselman’s isn’t just about the party- they are also hosts to business conferences, charity balls and lectures. Of course, other factors contribute to the success that Casselman’s has enjoyed. The drink specials and menu are always reasonably priced and the upper management takes a great deal of pride in their staff. Adam states, “Our staff is the key. If you don’t have a good staff you should just close the doors. I don’t consider these guys my employees; I consider them my business partners. They’re all vested in this place, so they always give one hundred percent.” It's clear that Casselman’s growth only looks to increase. With events booking out close to one hundred and fifty days in advance, its apparent that Denver’s “new guys” will soon be writing the manual on how to be a success in Denver. Casselman’s has done great things for the reputation of not only their own business but also for the reputation of our city, only furthering the concept that there is something for everyone in our beloved D-Town.
93.3 KTCL packs Casselman's for Hometown for the Holiday's
In the past year or so Casselman’s has really grown into itself going from just another new venue to one of the major players in the Denver live music circuit. Perhaps that’s why KTCL decided to hold Hometown For The Holidays there this year. With the new stage set up, the much improved sound system, and the sheer cavernous size of the venue it was the perfect pick to hold the throng of fans coming out to see the three bands that won KTCL’s Hometown For The Holidays. At the beginning of the night Casselman’s was packed….as the night carried on an unbelievable amount of people kept arriving. Everybody was having a good time, drinking, chatting, smoking, and generally just partying it up. The bar area was crowded to overflowing as was the smoking patio, but as My Body Sings Electric took the stage the people gravitated towards the stage side of Casselman’s. My Body Sings Electric doled out a really decent performance. They are a talented band and did a bang up job of keeping the crowd interested and lively.
My Body Sings Electric has a new single called ‘Step Into The Light' that was receiving airplay on KTCL before the Hometown For The Holidays show. This was the song that people were listening to when they voted My Body Sings Electric for Hometown For The Holidays. This song was smartly written, very easy to listen to and had some great guitar work and it transferred well into their live show. These guys are very talented as are all the bands that performed that night. Although I wouldn’t necessarily call them original they showcased their live talents as a very radio friendly pop rock band. Now that bands have a hard time selling their recorded material, most have learned to rely on their live show…and the better you sound live the better off you are in the end. In between sets the crowd sauntered off to get more drinks at the bar, smoke on the patio or just to chat with their friends. Once again, as the next band took the stage people started filing in to see what was being thrown at them next. What Was being thrown at them was definitely more guitar driven than first band but just as poppy. The Heyday is familiar. At first I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but after listening to them again I now know why they sound familiar. Guitar driven though they may be, The Heyday is what Bon Jovi would have been had Jon Bon Jovi decided to go pop/country/rock instead of straight up rock. I’m not talking twang, bluegrass or down home country, I’m talking cross genre country. In the past decade or so the lines between pop rock and pop country have been blurred so much sometimes it’s hard to separate the different genres and The Heyday managed blur them even more. The music is radio friendly pop rock raised at the rodeo, apple pie, innocence, girlfriends, love and goodbyes but with a general sense that everything is A-OK. No matter how it gets polished or how guitar driven it gets the country sound is still unmistakably there. As prevalent as country is in their music I’m not convinced the band is trying to hide the country sound as much as they are embracing it. To be honest, I could see these guys going a long way because the chops are there for a rock show, or a country show, and to be honest with you, there’s no shortage of fans for either genre. I’m impressed that they got as far as they did in the Home Town for the Holidays contest and had there been more country fans in the audience the Heyday may have definitely taken the contest home.
Keith Urban take note: the next time you’re in Denver and you want a local opening band that will appeal to most of your audience this would be the band for you. In between the sets I noticed that other bands were in attendance that did not make the top three for Hometown for the Holidays. Vices I Admire were in attendance, as was Lola Black looking every bit the rock star as they pulled up in a stretch Hummer limousine with flashing colored lights going on inside. Either one of these two bands would have also done well and brought a completely different flavor to the show and it's admirable that they attended to show their support. Like the two bands before them Air Dubai brought the crowd back to the stage but in more numbers than either of the two previous bands brought. From the moment Air Dubai launched into their hip-hop fueled set it was clear who would be the winner this night. Air Dubai hit the stage with more energy than either of the other two bands that night but with seven people on stage, it was almost possible not to have the energy. Originally billed as a hip-hop act Air Dubai now has a more organic sound, allowing them to branch off into other musical genres. While their sound does transcend multiple genres, their stage show definitely gives off more of a hip-hop, R&B feel although the music, at times, seems to have an underlying jazz feel to it. It takes a talented group of individuals to turn something that would undoubtedly be hip-hop into something so much more organic, allowing them to break away from the stereo typical hip-hop sound.
The rapping of Julian Thomas and the vocals of Jon Shockness go very well together as both have a smooth flowing style that is very easy to listen to. The song 'Weekends' is one such song that pairs them together perfectly. The perfect summer day set to music would be the best way to describe this song. The way the song is performed brings to mind sun shining in a clear blue sky, palm trees gently swaying in the breeze and the feeling that something good is coming your way. In fact, most of their songs were in general feel-good songs with upbeat rhythms and positive messages. While the hip-hop, R&B pool is crowded to overflowing with like sounding artists the future of R&B and hip-hop rests on the shoulders of bands like Air Dubai who aren’t afraid to take these genres in a fresh new direction.
This End Up at Casselman's, 12/4/10
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THIS END UP
J. Phlip • Three • DJ Laura 12.4.10 | Casselman's Casselman's spacious back room was just starting to come alive when I arrived at the venue last night for "This End Up," an ambitious, multi-headliner event showcasing resident DJ's from San Francisco's infamous after-hours club, the Endup. Veteran local DJ Jamie Kent laid down some commercial-sounding techno that didn't do much for me, but she had the crowd moving as I made my way onto the steadily growing dance floor around 10:30 p.m. Kent's record selection was a little too generic for my taste, and she played too hard for her relatively early opening time slot. To her credit, she moved quickly and decisively from one track to the next, keeping her set from going stale, but I felt she should have left the three headlining acts playing after her with more room to maneuver. Bay Area hip-hop DJ Laura took over the decks from Kent around midnight. Reading the crowd well, she changed direction from hip-hop to dubby bass music before settling on a more-appropriate tech-house vibe. Her set was a good example of a DJ being well prepared and able to make the necessary adjustments to meet the needs and wants of their audience. The crowd was responding well when Three appeared in the booth around 1 a.m. Also known as Chris Milo, Three rose out of Florida in the mid '90s to become one of America's most important and influential DJs. His residency at the small Gainesville, Florida club Simon's is the stuff of legend, and Three's reputation as a versatile, uncompromising, DJ's DJ has continued to grow. Tackling difficult track combinations seemingly with ease, Three put together a masterful set of glossy tech-house that highlighted the genre's melodic house roots instead of its mechanical, techy side. My only complaint with Three's set is that I didn't get to hear more of him. The New York-based DJ's set clocked in at only about an hour and a half, but was thoroughly enjoyable. J. Phlip relieved Three around 2 a.m. As she took the volume and tempo up a notch, the Dirtybird recording artist's girlish features contrasted with the not-fucking-around-at-all techno booming over the loudspeakers. Her first few bass-heavy tracks rattled the subwoofers, sounding slightly monotonous just for a minute before the DJ injected the sound system with sweet hints of melody. Mostly eschewing the funky, ass-shaking sound that both she and the Dirtybird label usually call to mind, Phlip kept the techno coming until after 4 a.m., the set reminiscent of her Colorado debut last Forth of July that won her a strong Denver-area fan base. Rumors of an after-party abounded, but I returned home shortly before the house lights came on. All in all, "This End Up" was an excellent night out. CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK DAS RACIST
With Pictureplane • Hollagramz • DJ Synergy • Kentdub • DJ Nikka T
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It really seemed like the whole thing might fall apart. It was well past midnight. Travis Egedy as Pictureplane, who followed two hours worth of dubstep, started his set by saying, "Do you guys like dubstep?" (half-hearted cheering from a crowd that was generally unresponsive, verbally at least, the entire night) "That's cool. I'm not going to be playing any." Das Racist, meanwhile, hadn't made it to the venue yet.
But the whole thing did not fall apart. Pictureplane lost a bunch of people who probably hang out a lot in LoDo, but the substantial crowd that remained packed closer to the stage than they'd been all night. Das Racist, meanwhile, did finally wander in at around 12:45 a.m. And what a scene they wandered into. This was an unconventionally constructed show, sponsored by a medical marijuana dispensary and assembled by a friend of the owner of the medical marijuana dispensary, whose taste is certainly unusual: Half the bill came from places like Vinyl, the other half from places like Rhinoceropolis. At the start of Pictureplane's set (12:15 a.m.), the crowd was maybe split 50/50 between enthusiasts of the two. There were extra-circulars, as well. Live art, a weird PVC hut set up by a tobacco company where could exchange your contact info for a free beer, and, most incredibly, barely-dressed stage dancers -- incredible because they dutifully danced through every set of the night, including Pictureplane's, who likes to do things like dedicate songs to the color turquoise and talk about the future. Not that he's opposed to dancing, but it's safe to assume that there has never been hired eye candy present during one of his sets before. Further comedy derived from the dancers' attempts at keeping up with Pictureplane's fractured beats and blurry samples. Their bail-out move, in moments when you could not begrudge their inability to figure out where the downbeats where, was to simply turn around and show off their asses thusly:
Pictureplane played until he ran out of material sometime shortly after 1:00 a.m. At this point, the headliners were in various states of disarray. Heems had taken one of his own band's T-shirts from the merch table and put it on. Dap was wandering silently through the venue. And Kool A.D. was sitting by himself in the green room messing around on his phone. it seemed like there was no way Das Racist's set would be anything other than a hilarious shitshow. They took the stage at 1:15 a.m. and dispelled that notion in about thirty seconds. Holy shit are these guys good.
In a recent interview with Spin, Dap described the song "Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut" as "a Trojan horse that allowed DR to enter American pop culture." They didn't play it. Instead, they played a number of the songs that are densely layered with encyclopedic references and effortless rhetorical gymnastics. Which is pretty much every song except "Taco Bell and Pizza Hut." After Kool A.D. had dumped half a bottle of champagne on the first couple rows of the crowd, they started into "Who's That? Brooown!" Other than that, the Billy Joel-sampling "You Oughta Know," and the particularly incredible "Hugo Chavez," most of the material came from their most recent mixtape, Sit Down, Man. Noticeably absent was the boi-1da-produced "hahahaha jk?" which probably qualifies as the hit from that mixtape. Maybe they just stay away from songs everyone's heard as part of their generally antagonistic agenda. Or maybe they had to play an abbreviated set and that one just didn't make the cut. With Das Racist, the line between intent and accident is incredibly blurry. They are all magnetic on stage. Heems played the relative straight man, relying mostly on his considerable rapping prowess to do the work for him. Kool A.D. spent most of his time wandering around the stage, drinking sloppily from his champagne bottle, putting his arms around his bandmates and anyone else who happened to be on stage (a Casselman's employee mopping up the spilled booze, the dancers, etc.). Still, when he had a verse, there was nothing sloppy about it. All three of these guys seem to be able to flip that switch whenever they want. Dap is ostensibly the group's hype man, but he is exactly as crucial
to the live show as either of the two MCs. His most important job is to
be ridiculous, to spend at least as much time doubled over/on the ground
as upright, to perform willfully awkward dance moves, to air hump. The
girl standing in front of me said she found the whole thing sexy, and
Dap the sexiest. He echoed lines, yelled random things into the
microphone, and at one point, was handed all three mikes in order to do
what can only be described as a hype-man solo. Pictureplane, who was
"DJ" for Das Racist, was even happier than usual about that: CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Vinefield Agency showcase at Casselman's, 10/15/10
Westword,
It's an ambitious task fitting close to a dozen diverse acts into a five and a half-hour show, but the folks at the Vinefield Agency pulled it off as part of new company's launch party and showcase. Local standouts like the Knew, Achille Lauro, John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light and others all delivered strong, compact five-song 25-minute sets. The show went rather smoothly with not a lot of downtime between the sets. With each act being quite different than the next, it showed that the focus at Vinefield -- an entertainment agency founded by James Irvine and Evan Mellinchampe* -- is keeping a diverse pool of talent, and Friday's night showcase featured about half of the bands on its roster. Early on, singer and pianist Rachel James and her trio delved into a decent set of pop rock tunes before Carbon Choir turned out a sturdy set of material, some of which recalled Coldplay. The band 200 Million Years, on the other hand, settled into subdued atmospheric electronica with some fine vocal work by Zale Hassler and Ellison Park. Gangcharger, fronted by Ethan Ward and Paige Peterson, blasted through a gritty and noisy set, which was a bit jarring in the wake of 200 Million Years' set. About two-and-half hours into the show, Monroe Monroe offered up an energetic set of songs that recalled early '80s U2 albums like Boy and October.
While the crowd began to thin somewhat by the time Achille Lauro took the stage, it didn't seem to bother the band at all, as the four-piece delivered one of the best sets of the night. There were even fewer people left by the time the Knew came on, but the trio likewise still busted out an energetic set.
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Tatts & TunesDaily from Fri., August 13 until Sun., August 15, 7:00pm   MAKING ITS MARKTravis Newton is the kind of guy who likes to kill two birds with one stone. “What we try to do,” says Newton, owner of Denvernightout.com, “is we try to take a venue and some artists and create an event where we can market several different things.” Thus, his latest brainchild: Tatts & Tunes, a three-day tattoo convention showcasing twenty Colorado tattoo artists (many of whom will be tattooing on-site at reduced hourly rates), performances from local bands, contests, stilt-walkers, random entertainment and — why not? — a car show. And it’s all free.Tatts & Tunes starts at noon today at Casselman’s Bar & Venue, 2620 Walnut Street and continues from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.denvernightout.com or call 720-242-8923
Hobos and Hillbillies theme at the weekly Denver Cruiser bike rideOn Wednesday, Denver Cruisers were back on the streets in full force, dressed for this week's theme as hobos and hillbillies. Due to the ride's growing success and an ever-increasing number of participants, the gathering location for the 2010 summer season has moved from the Ginn Mill (cruisers' homebase since the beginning) to a more spacious Casselman's Bar and Venue. In addition, a second weekly ride was added this year, which will kick off on May 30th and take place on Sunday afternoons. Brad Evans, the founder of Denver Cruiser ride and publisher of Kickstand Magazine, says that Sunday Funday ride will be costume-free and presumably more family-friendly than the Wednesday ride, which makes stops at various local bars and nightclubs throughout the night. Sunday Funday ride will take off from Great Divide Brewing at 1:30pm and will end at City Park, just in time for the free City Park Jazz outdoor concerts. So, what exactly is the Denver Cruiser ride? Hundreds of people, most of them cruiser bike enthusiasts, get together every week for a costumed group bike ride, socializing and celebrating hump day. Different themes are chosen every week, and to the outside observers it may seem like Halloween on wheels -- people in outrageous costumes riding bikes through the streets of Denver at night. To Denver Cruisers, however, it is simply Wednesday. Join the
ride! Visit Denver
Cruisers for more information.
Casselman’s : Denver’s Premier Bar & Venue in NoDo Denver
Reprinted with Permission MainGig 
by Thomas Walsh In what is
fast becoming trendy NODO, a sleeping giant is waiting patiently and
gaining momentum to become one of the best all around venues in the city
of Denver. What originally started out as a sleepy pool hall called
Shakespeare’s Pub has now turned into Casselman’s, a certified contender
in the mid sized venue world.
Since
the grand opening in October of last year, Casselman’s has been taking
baby steps and growing into itself. The club as a whole is constantly
going through small changes and updating their look and style. Where
there used to be a pool table and a couple small tables there is now a
fairly plush wall to wall seating area with large coffee tables and
candles and plenty of throw pillows, making for an upscale but inviting
area to lounge in.
http://www.ColoradoMusicBuzz.com/Index.asp?LinkTo=C296 
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