Bitchflower Aghast, Aroused, Appalled
Jed Murphy BandWagon Magazine
Northern Colorado’s psych punk power house Bitchflower came out of the gate swinging with their latest album, Aghast, Aroused, Appalled. A staggering work of rock and roll, Bitchflower waltzes through these ten tracks pulling together a sound with the energy and power of punk yet the contemplation of psych rock.
Bitchflower is made up of veterans of the Colorado hardcore scene and it shows. Guitarists Zack Hill of Copper Teeth and
Steven Davis of Harkener bring a certain provenance from their time in the metal community, while bassist Nick Perich and drummer Miles Mercer (both of King Crawdad) maintain the rhythm that allows this rock band to go back and forth from psych to punk. And at the front is Brooke Van Buiten who leads with a devastating, yet surprisingly subtle vocal performance across the album.
Aghast, Aroused, Appalled moves like a freight train; steady, powerful, and if you get in the way you will be crushed. And like that freight train, this album can’t seem to sit still, moving between moods and genres almost on a whim. Opener “Hunger” tells the listener a lot of what to expect, starting as a witchy desert stroll then culminating in anthemic punk.
This is the energy they capture throughout the album, weaving between high and low intensity with a hypnotizing effect. While some of the lower moments
stand as nice palate cleansers, this album is at its best when the band is having fun. Songs like “Big Time Mental” and “Cardio Lasso” have Bitchflower bringing the heat and showcasing their heavy metal roots, while “Quickersand” feels like an ode to ‘70s rock legends like Black Sabbath, which vocalist Buiten clearly relishes in.
When boiled down, Bitchflower might be too good at being a heavy rock band. Their execu-
tion in that space is so locked in that when it comes to reigning it in, something is lost. That being said, the attempt is refreshing and seeing a band try something different is always better than being served up the same ten songs.
While the sentiment is correct, Aghast, Aroused, Appalled the music is too on point to completely evoke these emotions. But the recipe is correct.
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YEAR. LONG.
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ELECTRIC SCYTHE UNLEASHES
BY NATE WILDE
If you’ve been around the Colorado music scene for a while, chances are you’ve felt the strange, electrifying pull of Flahoola. The delightfully weird, high-octane power trio has been grinding for nearly a decade, and now their long-awaited debut full-length album, Electric Scythe, is set to carve its way into the world—bringing your speakers a rock and roll experience you didn’t know you were missing.
Formed almost ten years ago, Flahoola began when bassist and vocalist John Napier and drummer Jaydon Kershner discovered undeniable chemistry within minutes of jamming together at an audition Napier had attended for an entirely different band.
The band’s name, which to American ears sounds like playful nonsense, is in fact a Victorian-era Irish slang term meaning “a boisterous woman of stupendous vulgarity”—a phrase that perfectly captures the spirit of their sound: wild, brazen, and unapologetically loud.
About halfway through their journey, the duo met guitarist Cole Helman, whose influences run from stoner rock icons like Matt Pike and Tony Iommi to classic rock virtuosos such as Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix.
Helman’s arrival cemented Flahoola’s lineup and gave the band its razor-sharp edge.
Flahoola’s relentless live presence has taken them across Colorado—through festivals like FoCoMX and BandWagon’s own Battle of the Bands, where they ultimately claimed victory. Their win secured studio time at the legendary Blasting Room, where Electric Scythe was born.
Due out on October 31, 2025, the record’s artwork—by Denver tattoo artist Bob “Bicycle Bob” Lackner—features a “psychedelic reaper” dreamed up by the band in a stream-of-consciousness email. The cover captures the raw, haunted energy Flahoola injects into their music.
The album opens with the bruising rocker “Age of War”, powered by Napier’s commanding vocals that recall Ian Astbury of The Cult, but with an extra bite. Throughout Electric Scythe, listeners will hear the heavy grooves of Kyuss and Red Fang, wah-soaked leads à la Kirk Hammett, and bass lines channeling Steve Harris of Iron Maiden.
Flahoola flexes swagger on “Town of Bodie,” a ghost-town anthem packed with slapping bass and searing
guitar solos, before flooring the gas on “Italia.” Inspired by Napier’s recurring childhood nightmare of being hunted by a murderous Formula 1 driver, the track feels tailor-made for a desert car chase in a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
Together, Napier’s ferocious bass and vocals, Kershner’s thundering drums (flanked onstage by towers of plastic skulls), and Helman’s groovy technical leads form an undeniable live force. Their shows don’t just entertain, they solidify Flahoola’s place among Colorado’s premier rock outfits.
Now, the trio’s explosive energy and unfiltered swagger are captured forever in Electric Scythe. The record drops Halloween 2025, followed by a release show at The Oriental Theater on November 1, with support from Tongue Hammer and Nova Heights.
For Flahoola, it’s been nearly ten years in the making. For fans of heavy, psychedelic, bone-rattling rock and roll, it’s been worth the wait.
No Blueprint on Leaving Strange Music &
It was two in the morning. The world felt still. Stevie Stone was driving from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri, contemplating what to call his new label. After all, this was a big decision. Following his 2021 departure from Strange Music—his label home for nearly a decade—it was time for him to steer his own ship.
“Every time I thought about it, my daughter Ahdasee came to my head,” he says. “It was like the third time—and I’m really big on signs and symbolism—so I got on my phone and asked Siri to define ‘odyssey.’”
Siri replied: “A long wandering journey from poverty to affluence.” That’s when Stevie knew he’d found the name. Four years later, Ahdasee Records is thriving, and Stevie is preparing to release his second album under the label, No Blueprint, the follow-up to 2022’s Raising the Bar.
Stevie’s own journey could be described as an odyssey. Born in Columbia, Missouri, he was raised by a single mother, a choir director who introduced him to soul, gospel, and blues as a child. He hopped from school to school until graduating from Hickman High School. An avid basketball player, Stevie was offered a scholarship to play for a junior college but chose
Launching Ahdasee Records
BY KYLE EUSTICE
music instead. In 2007, he signed with Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, where he was on the same roster as Hopsin.
“That was my first record deal,” he says. “Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Wright, signed me. I was young but already had a production deal. I was in Atlanta for a Hip-Hop and R&B Billboard showcase. My production team entered me in the pool, and they were picking a certain number of rappers and R&B artists. I was one of four chosen.
“My CD was in a bag with about 300 other CDs. One of the members of my team was Ira DeWitt, the Cardinals’ owner’s wife. She and Tomica just started talking, and she mentioned me. Ira was like, ‘Get out, that’s my artist.’ It was like a needle in a haystack, and she remembered me.”
Wright signed Stevie shortly after that. He released one album on the label, 2009’s New Kid Comin, before signing with Strange Music. It was a calculated move. He had a $350,000 offer on the table from Ruthless—but chose to go with Strange instead. He was familiar with Tech N9ne and Strange Music CEO Travis O’Guin’s business acumen and had watched them build Strange into the biggest independent record label in the world. For Stevie, it was all about playing the long game. So, with a modest $10,000 signing bonus, Stevie became part of the Strange family, bringing his sharp lyricism, commanding voice, and ear for beats with him.
“I understood that what I was going to learn here was priceless,” he says. “I’m glad I understood that then.”
Stevie released six studio albums with Strange Music, including Rollin’ Stone, 2 Birds 1 Stone, and Malta Bend. He took the lessons he learned from Ruthless and Strange and applied them to Ahdasee Records. Now, he’s able to guide his own signees down the right road, helping them avoid the contractual pitfalls that many inexperienced artists face early in their careers.
Ahdasee’s roster is already stacked with talent—from Jeff James and Spaide R.I.P.P.E.R. to Ant Bomb and Bacon Da Smalltown General. Some of them will join Stevie on his upcoming No Blueprint Tour, which makes stops at The Moxi Theatre in Greeley on October 16, Vultures in Colorado Springs on October 17, and Black Buzzard in Denver on October 18.
“I have a roster of super talented artists,” he says. “They’ve been coming out with me for a while, but this tour is where I get to showcase them. And we have a collab album coming at the top of the year. You’re going to be able to hear them. Everybody’s dropping like crazy. I’m just excited—it’s like we say, one day at a time, building one brick at a time. But I’m super confident and super excited about what’s to come. Not only for myself but for my audience.”
NO BLUEPRINT ARRIVES ON OCTOBER 3 VIA AHDASEE RECORDS.
BANDWAGON PHOTO OF THE MONTH | JASON ALFARO OF RIGHT EYE MEDIA THE BURROUGHS | BLOCK PARTY - GREELEY, CO | 09/ 05 / 25
