Bandwagon Magazine -April 2016 - Luniz by BandWagon Magazine

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

802 9th St. Greeley, CO 80631 BANDWAGMAG.COM PUBLISHER

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album reviews tv girl PG 5 grace kuch pg 6 Montoneros pg 6

luniz PG 20 concert calendar PGS 26 bandwagon games PG 37 SHOT OF THE MONTH PG 24 bandwagon pix PG 39

ARTIST PROFILES The bastard suns PG 12 masta ace PG 14 UNC JAZZ FESTIVAL PG 17 songs you need to hear this month PG 9

Rabanes pg 12

en español

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

TV GIRL

Who Really Cares

Noel Billups

BandWagon Magazine

Who Really Cares is the second studio album from Los Angeles based band, TV Girl. Formerly comprised of Brad Petering and Trung Ngo, Petering finds himself alone on this album but still continues to deliver fresh beats. What makes TV Girl stick out instantly from their peers is their heavy use of samples, honed in on after several releases spanning six years on Bandcamp. Combining the aesthetic of ‘90s hip hop with modern psychedelic pop, Who Really Cares offers a glimpse into the psyche of a love scorned twenty-something.

Upon first listen, the lush layers, hushed vocals, and bedroom style production put you into a dreamlike haze that makes you want to dance your way down to the beach on a summer afternoon. Petering’s soft spoken vocals perfectly compliment his production, and can be compared to the likes of Toro y Moi, The Books, or Washed Out. The extensive use of vocal samples alongside the lyrics add a fun touch to the record and blurs the line between instruments and voice. While the album may be centered mostly around the music and production, the lyricism is just as good. According to their Bandcamp profile, Who Really Cares is: “An album about sex, or lack thereof, and the consequence, or lack thereof.” and Petering delivers. His lyrics are genuine and can be brutally honest at times. Recounting what are assumed to be real events and emotions pertaining to past loves and flings, Petering makes this an album that is easy to relate to. Who Really Cares effortlessly combines dreamy production with relatable lyrics into one cohesive album. If you’re a fan of everything from hip-hop to chillwave, you need to pick yourself up a copy.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

her youth shows on “Blues is my Business;” her pronunciation of “Blues” sounds like “Booze” at first, Self-Titled which gave me pause at first until I remembered the name of the song on the CD case. Blues Jam, making her the youngKuch is definitely a rising talent est performer at the annual event. She has also attended various music camps and blues festivals in places ranging from the Catskills to Las Vegas, and her time on the road, rubbing elbows with other artists, shows in her self titled debut. It’s a four-track EP consisting of covers of Etta James’ “Blues is my Business,” Elmore James’ ”It hurts me too,” Don Nix’s “Going Down” and Booker T and The MGs’ “Green Onions.” Those that have seen The Sandlot will remember that “Green Jay Wallace Onions” is an instrumental piece, so BandWagon Magazine Kuch’s cover of it shows off her skills as a guitarist. Backing her up on bass While BandWagon covers any and organ are Mer Sal and Jasco from and all music thrown our way, we The Symbols, respectively, with Ika have never heard any work from a Peleko on the drums. Kuch is incredibly talented for child artist up until now. So when Grace Kuch, a 12-year-old blues her age, and possesses her own dissinger from Fort Collins, approached tinctive style. Her cover of “Green me during a Symbols concert last Onions” is not the more minimalist Heat month with her debut album, I had organ-and-guitar style the original is known for – she employs Peleko, to give it a go. According to her website, Kuch Jasco, and Sal on the track in their has been playing original music at respective bits – but it is still recogvarious blues festivals across Colo- nizable as Booker T’s classic. The rado since 2015, including Greeley’s rest of her covers are good, though

GRACE KUCH

within Colorado’s local blues scene; I do hope she plays at this year’s Blues Jam. For those that want to track down her album or learn more about her, visit www.gracekuchmusic. com.

MONTONEROS

Zach Shepherd

BandWagon Magazine The latest offering from Montoneros, Heat Horse, is an exciting release which goes on a journey through many different and incredible musical elements. Recorded in Black and Bluhm Studios with Chris Fogel, the group was astonishingly able to record the entire EP in a single day. Don’t let this fast paced studio venture fool you; this EP is well thought out and the musicianship in these songs is undeniable. “We spent around 10 weeks last fall recording home demos of the songs before heading to the studio. It helped us get a better sense of dynamics, tone, tempo and structure of the songs,” says frontman Gaston Leone. “The contrast between the demo experience and studio experience was stark; the demos process dragged, took a lot of time, effort, and thought.

Horse

Yet the studio recording session flew by–we went in and knocked it out. Part of that was working with Chris. He kept us on task and helped us be more efficient.” The unique qualities displayed in Heat Horse make Leone’s words hard to dispute; each song is comprised of well calculated parts from each of the band members. The gentle yet concise guitar melodies at times seem to float atmospherically over the rhythm section, while maintaining a refined and clean tone. Balanced yet sporadic, they twist together and complement each other consistently through the EP. The bass leaves just the right amount of fullness while often times leaving intervals of hollowing space under the tracks. This accented the driving drums in Heat Horse well, displaying a groove throughout the EP which makes it almost impossible to listen through and not start head-bobbing. ”We are stoked to say that we have teamed up with a Boulder-based DIY label called First Base Tapes to release our new EP on cassette this April,” adds Leone. “This summer, we will be playing some festivals, both in Colorado and out-of-state. We are planning a tour for the late summer. And if all goes well, we will release more new music before the end of the year.” 2016 is shaping up to be quite the year for Montoneros. What this year holds for this indie-rock outfit is as invigorating as the recent release of Heat Horse, and leaves the band’s future wide open.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

Join the FUN! eeley UNC/Gr tival Jazz Fes â€˘ Hours Vary

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

New on 94.3 The x: Songs you need to hear this month... Mollie Kendrick | On Air Mon.-Fri. 6am-10am Moon Taxi – “All Day All Night” There’s a good reason this song gives you a hankering for an Egg McMuffin: McDonald’s chose the Nashville-based indie-progressive rock band’s musically delicious tune “All Day All Night” as their All Day Breakfast theme song. We chose to play it on 94.3 The X because, hell, we love Egg McMuffins. Oh, and the song is great, too.

The Lumineers – “Ophelia” With a pretty name like “Ophelia,” you’d assume this is a song about some chick a band member is hung up on – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lumineers co-founder Wesley Schultz explained the record is a “vague reference to people falling in love with fame.”

Joywave – “Destruction” Imagine if Nine Inch Nails and Justin Timberlake collaborated on a track – not only would that be oddly amazing, but they’d probably come up with a song like “Destruction,” Joywave’s grittier, angrier, but super-enjoyable follow-up single to upbeat “Tongues” and Big Data’s “Dangerous” (on which Joywave was featured).

TRANSVIOLET – “New Bohemia” They don’t yet have 10,000 Facebook “Likes” and TRANSVIOLET is taking the world by storm with their super catchy, bigtime dreamin’ Halseyesque tune, “New Bohemia.” And with lyrics like “tryna get love, not tryna get rich,” this song could totally pass as Bernie Sanders’ unofficial campaign theme song for millennials.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats – “I Need Never Get Old” After “S.O.B.” went viral across the U.S. and Canada and climbed 18 different Billboard charts including the Billboard 200, Cannadian Hot 100, and Next Big Sound, Rateliff returns to his non-commercial sound and song structure that Coloradans grew to know and love in his follow-up single, “I Need Never Get Old.”

New Beat Fund – Sikka Takin’ The Hard Way We really dig this super catchy tune – which essentially means this selfproclaimed G-punk (but really altpop) Los Angeles-based band is just the kind of flavor us ladies here at 94.3 The X deem worthy of dragging into the Pour Brothers photo booth to make fun mistakes with.

Moon Taxi

New Beat Fund

Joywave

The Lumineers

TRANSVIOLET

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats

Get more new music news at TheXFrontRange.com and find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr!

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

en español

Irma Sandoval | BandWagon Magazine

“Grabar este disco en vivo sin hacerlo desde un estudio ni efectos, es mostrar nuestra esencia y alegría que se mantiene intacta desde que comenzamos hasta hoy, una muestra al desnudo tal y como somos” dice Emilio Regueira. La banda famosa por su fusión de rock y ska, Los Rabanes viajará en su gira compartiendo su noveno álbum en más de 35 ciudades. Con reputación internacional, en su gran gira “EnDirecto” pararán en La Rumba en Denver este 4 de abril. En sus más de veinte años tocando juntos, el grupo de la ciudad de Chitré, Panamá comenzó en enero en Costa Rica y hasta finales de junio transcurrirán los Estados Unidos. Esta colaboración de músicos incluye a Emilio Regueira Pérez, vocalista y guitarrista, Christian “Pipón” Torres, vocalista y bajista, Javier Saavedra sonando la batería, y Randy “Salsa” Cuevas en los teclados. Entre sus ocho discos grabados han producido independientemente al igual que c o l a b o - raciones por Cen-

troamérica, y hasta con los estudios Crescent Moon de Emilio Estefan para Crescent Moon Records y Sony Music. No es sorprendente que han logrado ser elegidos como Mejor álbum de rock en 2000 y de Rock Alternativo en 2007 en los Latin Grammy’s. Aun con tanto reconocimiento y experiencia dicen: “Seguimos siendo los mismos jóvenes que disfrutamos como el primer día cada uno de nuestros conciertos y la cercanía con la gente”. Continúan a declarar sus perspectivas de los temas que ven importantes, problemas sociales y económicos que existen en todas partes del mundo. Hacen su música con fuerza y motivación para expresar a través de su trabajo, “la alegría de vivir, compartir, algunas veces usamos el humor, cosas cotidianas, historias que nos han ocurrido, historias que hemos vivido y qué mejor que convertirlas en canciones”. ¡No te pierdas la oportunidad de mirar Los Rabanes en vivo este 4 de abril en La Rumba en Denver!

“Recording this album live without effects or a studio, is showing our essence and happiness that remains intact since we started up until today, it displays our naked selves just as we are,” says Emilio Regueira. The band famous for its fusion of rock and ska, Los Rabanes will be touring and sharing their ninth album in over 35 cities. With a reputation known internationally they great tour “EnDirecto” tour will make a stop at La Rumba in Denver, April 4. Having played together for over twenty years, this group from Chitre, Panama began their tour in January in Costa Rica and by the ends of June they will have traveled across the United States. This collaboration of musicians includes Emilio Regueira Perez, singer and guitarist, Christian “Pipón” Torres, vocalist and bassist, Javier Saavedra playing drums, and Randy “Salsa” Cuevas on keyboards. Among the eight recorded discs they have independently pro- duced and collaborated

throughout Central America, and even with Crescent Moon Studios Emilio Estefan for Crescent Moon Records and Sony Music. Not surprisingly, they have managed to be chosen as Best Rock Album in 2000 and Alternative Rock in 2007 at the Latin Grammy’s. Even with their recognitions and experiences the band says: “We’re the same young guys enjoying each of our concerts and closeness to the people since day one.” They continue to declare their perspectives of the issues they deem important, similar social and economic problems that exist everywhere in the world. They create their music with strength and motivation to express through their work, “the joy of living, sharing, sometimes we use humor, ordinary things, stories that have happened to us, stories we’ve lived and what better way than to turn them into songs.” Don’t miss the chance to watch Los Rabanes live this April 4th at La Rumba in Denver!

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

and present

THURSDAY APRIL 14 th Featuring

WIRE FACES Join us at SpokesBUZZ for a local music meet-and-greet, and our monthly Magnolia Sessions music video series. This monthâ€™s session features Experimental Rock Group Wire Faces, who will be in the house for the video viewing, followed by a casual Q&A and complimentary New Belgium beverages.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

: By Kyle Eustice | BandWagon Magazine

The Bastard Suns’ vocalist Clay Hiers fell in love with early skateboard graphics at a young age. Like most kids growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he was passionate about skateboarding and music, particularly punk rock. Living in Atlanta, however, didn’t offer too many options in terms of rock music. After all, the “Dirty Dirty” is renowned for its hiphop/rap scene. That didn’t stop the ambitious art student. In 2006, he met the members of what would become Bastard Suns.

Currently, the lineup consists of Hiers, guitarist Wes Driscoll, bassist Manny Munoz, drummer Tonka Green and vocalist Whitney Carite, adding a female element to the previously all-boys club. As Hiers describes, “Our current sound is a product of years of refining and reproducing the things we all truly loved about music.” Bastard Suns are hitting the road partly in support of legendary ska band The English Beat and will make a solo stop in Greeley Tuesday, April

19th. Hiers took some time in between soundchecks to talk Powell Peralta, comparisons to Sublime and why he’s a “bastard sun.”

TIP: IN CONCERT @ Moxi Theater in greeley on april 19th 2016

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

Have you always had a female element to the band? How has that changed the dynamic of the group? BandWagon Magazine: Who came up with the name Bastard Suns?

We’ve always had special guest appearances by female vocalists, but it wasn’t until we lost our bassist/backup singer that I had to go looking for someone to sing my harmonies. We asked my fiancée Whitney Carite if she could fill in for a show or two and the reaction was so great, we decided to make her an official member. It’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made and it’s also fun for me to write for a second female vocal.

Clay Hiers: There are two answers to that question: the PC version is that we are the “Bastard Suns of rock and reggae.” But the actual phrase comes from my younger, wilder days. We lived in a beautiful place near the beach, but we were partying so hard that the sunlight and a beautiful day was no longer welcome, and the “Bastard Sun” became a euphemism for staying up all night. I named the band that to remind myself of what’s truly important in life, and also what isn’t.

Do you still do graphic design?

I understand Powell Peralta was a big influence on your graphic design style. What do you like about old skateboard graphics?

Most of us live on the East Coast of Florida now, but coming up in Atlanta was a great experience. There was very little interest in rock music at all, which drove us to work extra hard. We built up a pretty great following—something rare for a punk-ish band in the Dirty Dirty.

We do and I’m fine with it. Sublime showed me that it was ok to like most music and that it was ok to play a lot of different genres. I think most of today’s new age reggae bands are influenced heavily by Sublime. But they only got half of the message. The punk and hip-hop influences were what struck me and I owe that band a debt of gratitude for that.

I love The English Beat. How excited are you to be opening for them?

What do you look forward to most about being on the road?

I’m incredibly excited about this. They’ve been a favorite of the band since we opened for them and 311 back in 2007. Oddly enough, our booking manager and close friend was their guitarist for quite a while, and we probably have him to thank more than anyone. Really stoked though, we’ve never managed to play San Francisco either, so double-bonus.

Freedom. We don’t make much, but then again we don’t cost much. Who else gets to see the whole nation and party with everyone, and then gets paid for it? I also look forward to seeing all of our good friends across the country and rocking their collective socks off. And I look forward to making great music with our amazing band.

One of my first revelations was seeing the Powell Vallely elephant graphic at 12-yearsold and thinking, “That’s what I want to do. I want to make art for cool people and their equipment.” That led me to art school in Atlanta, which subsequently led to the formation of the band. I owe a lot to old school skateboard art. Plus, there’s the punk rock aspect. I heard Descendants for the first time on a Christian Hosoi video. The work ethic and attitude was great back then. Athletes, artists and bands were trying to do new things, not just trying to accumulate money and Facebook likes.

I do a lot of freelance work, as well as all of the design for the Bastards. It’s a hell of a lot of work, but it allows me to have a great deal of control over my band’s aesthetic and the quality of the product.

Atlanta is known for its rap scene. What was it like being a rock band down south?

Do you get comparisons to Sublime and other bands of that nature? How do you feel about those comparisons?

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

TIP: IN CONCERT @ HODIâ€™s HALF NOTE IN Fort Collins ON APRIL 15Th 2016

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

One Bar at a Time Rise To Veteran Rapper Status

Kyle Eustice | BandWagon Magazine In 1987, Masta Ace (real name Duval Clear) was back in his hometown of Brownsville, Brooklyn for Christmas break. He had been studying at the University of Rhode Island, where he was pursuing a degree in marketing. During that time, he got a phone call that would change the trajectory of his entire life. He didn’t know it at the time, but his decision to head down to the United Skate of America skating rink for a talent show was a pivotal one. “A friend of mine was going to be in the contest and he reached out to me, asking if I wanted to roll with him,” Ace explains. “I was with my family so I didn’t think it was cool to break out on Christmas to go hang out so I told him no. We hung up the phone and right after we hung up, my mother, who had overheard the conversa-

tion, she said I should go.” Ace called him back, but he had already left. He asked his sister to go track him down. Luckily, she agreed and could be heard shouting for her brother to get back on the phone. The two met up at the train and the rest is history. “I was practicing my lines on the train the whole way and I kept making mistakes,” he recalls. “I was just nervous. It was my first time on stage alone doing a rap performance. When my time came, it was almost like a light went on and I just became super focused. It was effortless the way I was able to get through the rhyme without making a mistake or even stumbling. Something about that moment was magical, I guess. I got up there and hit every punchline” Ace made it into the finals and was asked to perform again the following week. He won the grand prize, which was six hours of studio time with famed producer Marley Marl. He may have won, collecting but his prize proved to be another story. A whole would year before pass he could even make contact with the elusive Marley. “I had to go back to college,” he says. “That they summer, gave me his phone number and I called him relentlessly for the entire summer. I couldn’t reach him. His sister would answer and say

the same time every time: ‘He’s not here, he’s not here.’ It wasn’t until I graduated in May ’88, I called his sister and she was like, ‘Look he don’t live here. Here’s his real number.’ He didn’t give the rink the right number.” Finally, he got Marley on the phone and he agreed to meet Ace at his studio. He and his friend got there an hour early, waiting for nearly six hours for him to surface. At this point, Ace was tired of getting the runaround. “He was paid for the studio time a year earlier and I was trying to cash in on this victory,” he says. “Eventually, he comes rolling in and we lay down our first little demo. I was there three hours the first day and then we came back. He apparently liked what I did on that demo. He was more on point the second time. I laid down another song and he liked it. It was shortly after that he kept asking me to come back. We recorded two songs that ended up being on his compilation. That’s how my career got started.” Marley Marl ended up producing Ace’s first album, 1990’s Take A Look Around, a record that proved the ambitious emcee’s untouchable storytelling skills. SlaughtaHouse followed in 1993 and Sittin’ On Chrome surfaced two years later. Soon, however, Ace became fed up with the way mainstream rap was heading so he vowed to take a step back. “I had a 15-song album that just got shelved by Atlantic Records,” he explains. “They really just decided, ‘We understand you’ve been working on the album for over a year, but we’re just not going to put it out.’ It was that easy for them to make that decision. In their eyes, it wasn’t commercially viable. This was a time when P. Diddy and Bad Boy

were killing the game with very danceable, fun hip-hop. This record wasn’t any of that. They felt this record wasn’t going to stand up against what’s selling. At first, I got frustrated and angry, said I was quitting.” Ace didn’t even think about rapping for six months. A tour in Europe, however, changed everything and he quickly realized there were still people out there who cared about what he had to say. Upon return to the States, he got back to the studio, locked the door and created 2001’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, Disposable Arts. “I came back from the tour with a renewed energy to be an artist,” he says. “I was finally ready to do another record. I just wanted to go in and make a true and honest record that felt true to me and who I was. I felt like it was going to be my last record so I said what I wanted to say and could go out on my own terms.” Despite his success and veteran status, he says he still feels like he has to prove himself. He’s often referred to as “underrated” and left off Top 50 Emcees lists. With the release of his twelfth studio album, The Falling Season, right around the corner, Ace is still crafting powerful and vivid storylines, proof of his unrelenting staying power. “If they’re going to put out a top 50 and I’m not going be one that list, I want to feel like the 50 people up there I can say are honestly better than me,” he says. “They may have more record sales—and sometimes I feel that’s what these lists are based on, which kind of annoys me. I can’t sit back on my laurels. The way you make the best music is to continually feel like you have something to show people.”

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

By Natalie Allen | BandWagon Magazine The UNC Greeley Jazz Festival is shaking things up once again this April. The 46th annual will be held April 21st-23rd, 2016. This event, according to the UNC festival website, “brings together internationally recognized artists, jazz lovers, award-winning clinicians, and over 250 college, high school, and middle school big bands, combos, and jazz vocal groups from across the country.” Some of the featured artists include New York Voices, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Joey DeFrancesco. On Thursday, April 21st is the critically acclaimed vocal group New York Voices. This group made up of Kim Nazarian, Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan and Darmon Meader, have been together for over 25 years. They are known for close-knit voicings, inspired arrangements and unparalleled vocal blends. They are able to seamlessly move from different genres like jazz, Brazilian, R&B, classical, and pop. Ever since their first performance in 1988 and following the release of several albums, they have received high recognition in the jazz world. Over the years, there has been some changes in the lineup but they still never miss a beat. In 2012, Nazarian was

recognized as one of the top 50 most influential Armenian artists. Eldridge is the founding member of the group and has recorded eight albums. Kinhan has three solo albums that created genremerging music. Meader is a highly respected vocalist, arranger, and saxophonist. Don’t miss out on this phenomenal group. Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra can be found on Friday April 22nd. This Grammy Award-winning big band was formed in 1986 by John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton and Jeff Clayton. John and Jeff Hamilton both played with Monty Alexander before going their separate ways. They reunited in Los Angeles to found their current band with Jeff Clayton, the brother. Jeff had been living and working in Los Angeles and wanted to help put the band together. John explains on the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra website, “He knew all the best players in the city and how compatible they were musically and personality-wise.” Saturday April 23rd, legendary Jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco will be performing. When he became popular in the 1980s, some say that it was an onset of a musical renaissance. He brought back the sound of

vintage Hammond organ and Leslie tone cabinets, which were pushed to the sidelines before he hit the scene. Joey DeFrancesco was actually considered a child prodigy, playing tunes as early as the age of four with his father. Almost his whole life DeFrancesco has manifested extraordinary keyboard skills that border on organ wizardry. This will be a truly amazing show to see.

In addition to New York Voices, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Joey DeFrancesco, there is going to be UNC’s premier Vocal Jazz ensemble, Vocal Lab, the Ellis Marsalis Trio featuring NEA Jazz Master Ellis Marsalis, UNC’s Downbeat Award-winning Jazz Lab Band, and Houston Person. You can find more information and specific playing times at arts. unco.edu/music/

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

By Kyle Eustice | BandWagon Magazine There’s not a stoner alive who doesn’t know the song “I Got Five On It” by the Oakland-based duo, Luniz. Released in 1995 on their seminal album, Operation Stakola, it took Yukmouth and Numskull from every day street hustlers to platinum selling artists seemingly overnight. The duo met as junior high students at Westlake Junior High in Oakland. Numskull was already rapping in a group called Brothers With Potential (BWP) while Yukmouth was the hustler of the school. “I was a young teenager, just in the streets,” Yukmouth recalls. “I had a lot of money as a young dude. I would come to school fresh dressed with all the latest shit and I knew how to draw. BWP wanted to hang with me because I was fly and had money.” BWP asked Yukmouth to do their logo and shortly after, he was made an official member of the crew. By 8th grade, however, BWP had split up, but Num and Yuk were still tight. “We doin’ street shit and I’m in and out of juvenile hall,” he admits. “I finally go to jail for a year. That year, I realized I’m tired of selling drugs and going back and forth to jail. I wanted to do something different. I started focusing on lyrics. I came up with the Luniz name, drew the logo and came up with our first song “Ice Cream

Man.” When I got out, I needed to hook up with a dope rapper and the dopest rapper I knew was Numskull.” The two quickly got to work, but old habits died hard. They were still on the streets of Oakland selling drugs and living a lifestyle that would have eventually destroyed them. As fate would have it, Oakland was experiencing a cocaine drought in the early ‘90s, but they were still trying to buy drugs from a trap house. It just so happened legendary Bay Area emcee, Too Short, was in that house. “We were like, ‘Fuck this coke deal,’” he says. “I bust ‘Ice Cream Man’ and killed it. Next day, we were in the studio with Too Short. He threw us on Dru Down’s album and “Ice Cream Man” was a local hit. We made the video and we had an ice cream truck with the triple gold daytons. Long story short, video was classic. Basically, from there the hype led to the Luniz getting their own solo album. We did our own little EP. Our first song we ever worked on was ‘I Got Five On It.’ That was the first song we did.” That song became the unofficial weed anthem and took Yukmouth and Numskull to unchartered-territory. They were traveling around the world

while being thrust into the limelight, something the then 20-somethings weren’t used to, but they were just happy they were able to escape the street life. “We turned a negative into a positive,” he says. “You can even say that about jail—I took a negative situation and turned it into a positive situation by creating the whole Luniz in jail. Then when I got out, the drought and cocaine deal led us to our record deal—again, turned a negative into a positive. The arts saved my life; me knowing how to draw and being into music growing up. I was into music before hip-hop became popular. It saved my life. Shout out to my father because he was the first one that made me want to do music.” The road to glory wasn’t always paved with gold. Numskull admittedly struggled with alcoholism and there was a rift between the two for quite awhile. It wasn’t until Num went to jail—facing multiple felony charges—they were able to repair the damage done during those early years. “Right before he went to jail he put out a solo album,” he explains. “That’s when I was beefing with everybody. I was beefing with The Game, G-Unit— so beef was going on. I seen Num looking for a way to sell his albums. So he was like, ‘Let me diss this nigga

“We Turned a negative into a positive”

“i was a young teenager, just in the streets”

since I know him and that’s how I will make my album sell.’ In return, it didn’t do nothing. Nobody gave a fuck about the diss so I dissed him back. Right after that, he went to jail. “So it was like, ‘Ok, you in jail for ‘X’ amount of years,” he continues. “Am I supposed to be your homie when you were shitting on me right before you went to jail?’ We weren’t talking at all. I think a year before he got out, I was asking his buddies for his writing information because I wanted to be the bigger person, and I forgave him for it. I hoped when he got out he’d be on let’s get some money shit. He responded and called me back, saying I was absolutely right and it was bullshit, told me I was his brother.” Subsequently, Luniz is back in action. In 2015, they released the High Timez mixtape, which has been streamed over 200,000 times. They’re currently working on Operation Stackola 2 and celebrating the 20th anniversary of “I Got Five On It.” Needless to say, they’ve come a long way. “When we blew up, Num and I were the best of friends. Nobody could separate us. Then when the fame came, all kind of friends started popping up. Where were they when we were broke? You get dumb asses. I don’t do side dudes now. I’m my own boss. Num does his own thing, too. I think we’re good.”

“The arts saved my life”

*BANDWAGON TIP: Catch Luniz at the Moxi Theater in Downtown Greeley, CO on 4/20/16.

SHOT OF THE MONTH PHOTO BY BEN STIVERS

THE PANORAMIC | MOXI THEATER «2.26.16

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

CONCERT CALENDAR Friday April 1st Ben Stivers Senior Gallery @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 5pm Guilty Pleasures @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band @ Ogden, Denver — 8pm w/ Jonathan Tyler Dopapod @ Bluebird, Denver — 9pm W/ The Mallah The Band of Heathens @ Hodi’s, Half Note, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Chicago Farmer Album Release: Skydyed @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Yamn, Mikey Thunder, Two Scoops

Bane @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 7pm w/ TWITCHING TONGUES, Axis, Bankrobber Robots Among Humans @Gothic Theatre, Englewood – 8pm w/ LaRissa Vienna & the Strange, Dear Me

Saturday April 2nd Funkiphino @ Moxi Theater, Greeley– 8pm Colorado’s Funk Sensation Ivory Circle @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Morning Bear, Evinair Dopapod @ Bluebird, Denver — 9pm w/ The Juantee .

Fallujah Sunday April 3rd @ Moxi Theater in Greeley

Euforquestra featuring Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Analog Sun, the Beatserver Citizen & Turnover @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 7pm w/ Sorority Noise, Milk Teeth The Contortionist @ Gothic Theatre, Englewood – 8pm w/ Monuments, Entheos, sleepmakeswaves

Sunday April 3rd Fallujah @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm w/ The Panoramic, The Caveat, Skinned The 2nd Annual Staging Youth Showcase @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 4pm We the Kings @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 6pm w/AJR, She is We, Elana Coats, Brother James

Monday April 4th Stand-Up Comedy @ 7pm Funk Jam @ 10pm @ Hodi’s, Half Note, Fort Collins

Charlie Parr @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Reverend Deadeye’s Broken Spirits, Kiel Grove Rad Rad Riot @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ And The Kids, PWR BTTM Slaves @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 6pm w/ Capture the Crown, Myka Relocate, Outline in Color, Conquer Divide

Tuesday April 5th Jared & The Mill @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm w/ Silver and Smoke, Peoria, Elise Wunder Kyle @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 8pm w/ Splyt, Ronald Mac, songsbyh Carnifex @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 6:30pm w/ Phinehas, Enterprise Earth, Doomsday for the Destroyer Lissie @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ Skrizzly Adams Abbath @ Gothic Theatre, Englewood – 6:45 pm

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

Friday April 8th Racing on the Sun, Silver & Gold, EMPRA, Gabe Kubanda, P O P F I L T E R @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm Ubre Brown And The Dream Train, Native Station, and This Side of Paradise @ The Pit, Greeley – 7pm Residual Kid @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Bud Bronson + the Good Timers, Slow Caves

Racing on the sun Friday April 8th @ Moxi Theater in Greeley

Wednesday April 6th

Thursday April 7th

Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

Dynamo @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 8pm

Unearth @ Marquis Theatre, Denver — 6pm w/ Ringworm, REFLECTIONS, Culture Killer, Hollow Earth, Of Man & Machine

Slaine @The Pit, Greeley – 7pm

Atlas Genius @ Bluebird Theater, Denver – 7pm w/ Skylar Grey, Secret Weapons Rita Wilson @ Gothic Theatre, Englewood– 8pm

Dj Nodj (ft. members of This Must Be the Band) @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Tnertle, Kinetik Groove Vibe Street @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Congo Sanchez, Diamond Cuts, TKettle

Laura Stevenson @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Crying, Chris Farren Manic Focus @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Late Night Radio, Lucid Vision, ILL.Banks Jazz is Phish @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Special Guests Pegboard Nerds @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Grabbitz

Sunday April 10th Dabin @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 8pm w/ Decadon Freddie Gibbs @ Bluebird, Denver — 9pm w/ Chaz French

Irish Session @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

Random Rab @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Lapa (Ilya from Emancipator) & Moon Frog

The Shivas @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Haybaby, Dead Palms

Saturday April 9th

Stand-Up Comedy @ 7pm Funk Jam @ 10pm @ Hodi’s, Half Note, Fort Collins

The Burroughs @Moxi Theater, Greeley – 8pm w/ Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal

Deer Tick @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ Ryley Walker

Kitchen Dwellers @ Bluebird Theater, Denver— 8pm w/ Chain Station, Pickin’ On Ween

Monday April 11th

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

Tuesday April 12th ORGONE @Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm Lucinda Williams @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ Buick 6

Wednesday April 13th Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm Lucinda Williams @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ Buick 6

Thursday April 14th Free Rock show Featuring Hot Sisters @ The Pit, Greeley – 7pm Aaron Watson @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Kimberly Dunn

Ivory Circle Saturday April 16th @ Downtown Artery in Fort Collins

Friday April 15th Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Jocko Homo @Moxi Theater, Greeley – 8pm Absu @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Spectral Voice, Rotstrotter

Irish Session @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

The Burroughs @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 8pm w/ Guerilla Fanfare, Polaris Houseband

Wolf Alice @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — pm w/ Slaves

Bombino @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Last Good Tooth

Masta Ace @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Jerney, Vibes One, Marble Cake, Kind Dub

Saturday April 16th Huey Mack @Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ Special Guests Ivory Circle @ Downtown Artery, Ft. Collins – 7pm w/ Silver & Gold Album Release: High Plains Honky @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm w/ Ned Garthe Explosion, Casey James Prestwood and the Burning Angels, Colfax Speed Queen, DJ Cowboy Shane Cloud Cult @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm Collie Buddz @ Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins — 9pm w/ Mindstate, Rawtune

Sunday April 17th Raw Beef Sloan Live @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm

New Years Day @ Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins — 9pm

Monday April 18th Stand-Up Comedy @ 7pm Funk Jam @ 10pm @ Hodi’s, Half Note, Fort Collins

Tuesday April 19th The Bastard Suns @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm 420 Eve on the Rocks: Method Man & Redman ft. Ghostface Killah & Raekwon (Live Band) @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison — 4:15pm w/ Collie Buddz, Joey Bada$$, Dizzy Wright, Stick Figure, the Underachievers, Jarren Benton, Special Guests

Wednesday April 20th Luniz @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm w/ Michelob, THC, Kujo Tha God, Crhyme, ESP, Lil’ Young Afroman @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Eq, Soul Men, Diviine

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016 Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

Thursday April 21st UNC Jazz Festival After Hours @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 9pm The Awakening Tour @ The Pit, Greeley – 6pm Irish Session @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm Randy & Mr. Lahey Live (of the Trailer Park Boys) @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 6:30pm [Early Show] w/ Special Guests Irish Session @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm Highly Suspect @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm The Travelin’ Mccoury’s Bluegrass Ball feat. Billy Nershi of String Cheese Incident & Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9:15pm [Late Show] w/ Special Guests

Friday April 22nd UNC Jazz Festival After Hours @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 9pm Soulfax on Broadway @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9pm The Patti Fiasco & Kerry Pastine & the Crime Scene @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 5:30pm w/ DJ Matt Keys, Maxwell Mud, Pandas & People, Malai Llama, Rumors (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)

Saturday April 23rd UNC Jazz Festival After Hours @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 9pm

Burgos @ The Pit, Greeley – 8pm Mount Moriah @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9:30pm w/ Margaret Glaspy, Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir Dubskin & Musketeer Gripweed @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 5:30pm w/ DJ Wadada, Punch Drunk Munky Funk, Izcalli, Qbala, Wasteland Hop, Write Minded

Sunday April 24th Howie Day @ Moxi Theater, Greeley – 7pm w/ Ben Pu Thy Art is Murder @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 6:30pm w/ Rings of Saturn, Fit For an Autopsy, Dark Sermon, Genocide Method William Elliott Whitmore @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 8pm w/ Josiah

Monday April 25th Stand-Up Comedy @ 7pm Funk Jam @ 10pm @ Hodi’s, Half Note, Fort Collins

Wednesday April 27th Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

Thursday April 28th Phutureprimitive @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Pumpkin, Whitebear, Miss Jaedha, Techno Shaman Irish Session @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley — 10pm

Howie Day Sunday April 24th at Moxi Theater in Greeley

Kvelertak @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Torche, Wild Thorne The John Kadlecik Band feat. John Kadlecik of Furthur, Dark Star Ochestra, and Golden Gate Wingmen @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Special Guests

Friday April 29th See Through Dresses @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9:30pm w/ Male Blonding, Bleak Plaza Illenium @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Said the Sky

The Congress @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Megan Burtt

Saturday April 30th The Heavy Eyes @ Hi-Dive, Denver — 9:30pm w/ Cloud Catcher, Poison Rites Wild Nothing @ Bluebird Theater, Denver — 9pm w/ Inner Oceans, Flaural Sunsquabi @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins — 9pm w/ Maddy O’Neal, the Beatserver

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado arts & entertainment APRIL 2016

GAMES

CROSSWORDS Coachella 2016

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Sudoku

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#BANDWAGPIX

zama PHOTO BY BEN STIVERS, Talia Le