PAPER BIRD GETS BACK TO ROOTS IN FIFTH FULL-LENGTH ALBUM

TYRA SUTAKSEPTEMBER 13, 2016

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Ten years ago, Paper Bird, a six-piece indie band from Denver burst onto the Colorado music scene—riding the rapidly growing local sound waves along with bands like Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats, and the Lumineers—out past the state lines and on to the national stage. In the past decade, the band has released four full-length albums, countless EPs, and have toured the country—spreading their unique sound of heavy harmonies blended mostly with acoustic instrumentals to an always-growing fan base that has stayed with the band—even through changes to the group’s longtime line-up. But change proved to be just what Paper Bird needed to release their latest full-length album and the self-proclaimed strongest representation of the band’s evolving sound since their inception all of those years ago.

On September 9, Paper Bird released their fifth full-length album—a self-titled album co-produced by the legendary John Oates, a fellow Colorado resident and record label-mate who was more than willing to help the band refine their sound. The album is composed of eleven songs that showcase the powerful blend of vocals from the band’s three female singers and songwriting that serves as both a statement to the band’s past and future. The lyrics are uplifting and catchy. The beats are driven by an electric guitar and a hard-working drum kit, but the band’s greatest instrument continues to be the harmonies they create with a variety of vocals that piece themselves together to form one musically complete puzzle. Paper Bird marks the groups’s first new music released in three years, and the first created with newest band member, singer Carleigh Aikins. Like original members and the two other lead vocalists of the group, Sarah Anderson and Genevieve Patterson, Carleigh’s vocals are vintage—a throwback to some of the iconic female rock vocalists from the 60s and 70s—moving from strong and raspy to sweet and sultry all in the same breath. With the 2013 departure of perhaps the band’s most notable member, Esmé Patterson, Paper Bird took their time filling the space left in the group—taking time to revisit their sound in the process. With the addition of Aikins voice and songwriting, and the introduction of new life in the band, Paper Bird set forth in writing and recording new music, music they felt confident represented the sound and songs that defined the new line-up and the group’s original passion.

“The process around making this record was a process of defining ourselves in a lot of ways,” said Genny Patterson, Paper Bird vocalist and the band’s keyboard player. “We let go of what we thought we had to do, and went in a direction that we thought was the best.”

That direction, Patterson says, is more rock but with a continued focus on songwriting—a task performed by every member of the group.

Spiraling momentum from the band’s beginnings quickly set Paper Bird on a course that the group worked to reroute back to their roots with the release of their latest album, noting the addition of Aikins as a big inspiration in the process.

“Carleigh brought her amazing sounds and she has such a unique singing style. It’s really great and it’s crazy that she fits in this band. We’re a bunch of weirdos and she just jumped right in from day one.”

This fall, Paper Bird will spread their new sound on a national tour with stops in Nashville for Americana Fest, and in Denver for a Colorado album release party at the Bluebird Theater on November 25.

And what’s next for the band past that? Patterson doesn’t know, but the excitement of the band’s revival and future lace her every word.

“We’re just excited to put the record out, we want people to have this music,” she says—reflecting on the past as she thinks about the future. “We don’t know what’s over the next ridge, but I feel like we’re finally getting to the top of it.”

COLORADO CROONERS, BONNIE & THE CLYDES, EXPLORE A SOFTER SIDE IN FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM

TYRA SUTAKJULY 5, 2016

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Sometimes in life, you come across people who seem to have it all figured out — the direction the path they wander leads and a good grasp on the role they were born to play in this great big world.

Bonnie Sims, powerhouse front-woman of Colorado-based americana band, Bonnie & the Clydes, is one of those people. Along with her award-winning guitarist husband Taylor, and the rest of the Clydes, Bonnie has been spreading a powerful blend of fresh, local country music through venues in the state of Colorado and beyond.

Though small in stature, Sims’ vocals and original lyrics are anything but tiny. With a big voice that radiates from stages of all shapes and sizes, Sims and her gang of talented musicians have garnered quite the following — from big city venues to small town gems — the arsenal of fans that pack in to see this dynamic five-piece band seems to grow every day.

Since 2010, Bonnie & the Clydes have been making and recording music, releasing three studio albums from 2010 to 2015 featuring a mix of foot-stomping country cover songs and a handful of originals penned by Bonnie and Taylor. The band’s 2014 album Music for the People: Part I is an ode to classic country music and full of two-step tempos you’d find drifting through old-timey dance halls. And while country roots run deep in Bonnie & the Clydes’ sound, the band’s latest album Dear Somebody shows off a softer and more thoughtful side of the group.

“Our genre has shifted from starting out as a classic country cover band and doing a lot of western swing stuff, to being more of an americana/country rock band and incorporating a lot of modern day stuff that we listen to into our songwriting,” says Sims. “We’re growing up. For me songwriting is really personal. I tell my own stories. Being more honest in our songwriting has allowed us to be more honest in our music.”

Bonnie & the Clydes’ fourth studio album, Dear Somebody.

While the eleven-song album composed of all original songs still showcases Sims’ classic country sass and incredible voice, the new tunes shine a light on important topics threaded into our society today.

“It’s about humans, and people in general,” Sims explains. “It’s about whatever you build, one day it’s going to come down. It’s about bigger truths in life and helping myself think about it all with music.”

Inspired by an experience encouraging kids to get along while teaching at a summer camp, Sims wrote the wistful tune, “I’m So Glad We Don’t Walk Alone.” With a catchy and nostalgic melody of gently strumming strings guiding the way, Sims’ haunting voice tells a beautiful story of the good still in this world. Bonnie Sims is credited for writing eight of the eleven songs on the album, and husband Taylor claims credit on the remaining three original songs, which are infused with a little more twang and fun lyrics that the greats like Willie Nelson would approve of. “I Get High,” Taylor Sims’ light-hearted song featuring long-time pedal steel guitar player, Glenn Taylor, will lodge itself in your head on repeat. And subtle love letters from and to both halves of the influential musical couple charmingly reverberate through the album.

If Bonnie & the Clyde’s new sound encompasses what it means to grow up, I’m on board. Catch the Front Range favorites this Sunday at the Copper Mountain Music Festival (July 8 through 10) and visit www.bonnieandherclydes.com to download the band’s latest album.

HEAR THIS: THE DRUNKEN HEARTS

Magnetic. It’s one of the only words my buddy and I could agree on to describe the feeling of the first time we caught Colorado-based band The Drunken Hearts, live. It was a cold winter afternoon in Avon, Colorado, and like most music lovers who had descended on the small town for the annual WinterWondergrass Festival, we couldn’t deny the pull that drew us into one of the side tents where The Drunken Hearts were just diving into their first set of the day. We were lured by the symphonic sounds of strings blended with electric guitar riffs and heartfelt vocals reminiscent of great country singers from the past. Other hypnotized festivarians wandering the event grounds slowly made their way up to the front of the stage with us, where the musically-induced trance continued through their bodies. The groove bobbed through our bones and burrowed in our boots tapping along with the catchy beats and unique melodies.

Originally formed as a trio in 2010, The Drunken Hearts have grown leaps and bounds in the past five years, managing to make a name for themselves in a state that is rapidly gaining a reputation as a magnet for roots music. Led by lead singer and acoustic guitar player, Andrew McConathy, The Drunken Hearts are now a five-piece, well-synced blend of musical sensibilities.

“We’re sort of a hodgepodge of a lot of different styles and influences,” says electric guitar player, Rob Eaton, Jr. Eaton’s musical genes run deep: His father is Grammy award-winner Rob Eaton from the Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra. While the younger Eaton cites metal and jam bands as inspiration for his sound, his heady guitar riffs—clean, mesmerizing slices of rock ’n’ roll—would make his dad proud. But the band doesn’t define themselves as a rock band. With the twang Cody Russell brings on the pedal steel, lap steel and banjo, it would be impossible to claim rock as the defining sound of the band. And even though strong bluegrass influences are clearly threaded into their music, The Drunken Hearts don’t consider themselves a bluegrass band either.

“It’s seems pretty obvious to us that we’re not bluegrass,” says McConathy.

“It’s more like ‘ourgrass’,” muses bass player, Jon McCartan.

Rounded out by the dynamic Alex Johnson on the drums, the band members are a virtual grab bag of rock, funk, jazz, jam, blues, electronica, metal, bluegrass, and country genres—all melted together to create a unique sound that the band simply enjoys on stage.

“We’ve stopped trying to define our sound,” said Eaton Jr. “We struggled with that for a little bit. We would go to certain gigs with this idea of how we were supposed to play depending on who were playing for, but it felt forced, and eventually we all decided to just do our thing and go out there and just have fun.”

On May 6, The Drunken Hearts dropped their latest EP—“Love & Thirst”—a six-song realization of a project the band has been working on for over two years. Recorded in studios in Boulder and Denver and produced by Rob Eaton, it’s a fresh take that dips into into the band’s history and gives a glimpse of its bright future. Composed of all original songs, the EP has a lightness to it, even when the tunes lean into dark places.

The Drunken Hearts are also gearing up to hit the road this summer on a national tour that will take them through the midwest and the east coast before returning to the Colorado Front Range they call home to headline Sanitas Brewing Company’s third annual Sanitas Fest on June 18, followed by a big album release party at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on June 30.

Visit thedrunkenhearts.com to download songs from “Love & Thirst” and take a shot at slapping a label on the sound of this up-and-coming band. Or just give in and let the tunes take over.

RIDE AND ROLL: A CONVERSATION WITH TRAVIS BOOK OF THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS

Two years ago, a friend handed me a copy of “Let it Go,” the fifth album from the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters.

“Just watch,” he said. “These guys will be playing Red Rocks in the next couple of years.”

He was right. The progressive acoustic quintet will officially have the honors of taking the stage at the legendary amphitheater on May 6 along with PDX-based Fruition and Southern infusion jam band—JJ Grey & Mofro.

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the band’s inception as well as the launch of the group’s sixth full-length studio album, “Ladies & Gentleman,” a collection of tunes highlighting The Infamous Stringdusters’ artful composition skills and transcendental instrumentals as well as the group’s knack for orchestrating exciting collaborations. We recently caught up with Travis Book, upright base player for the ‘Dusters and aficionado of two-wheeled transportation, to chat about the band’s latest album release, his love of mountain towns and his favorite places to ride in his free time.

As a band, you guys tour—a lot. But you make just as many stops in small mountain towns as you do big city venues. Why? 

Those are our people in a lot of ways. There’s so much energy in mountain towns. They want to get out and party and have a great time. You go to Jackson, Wyoming, and people are there because they’re trying to have an amazing experience every day of their lives. The other side of the coin is that we love going to these towns ourselves. We definitely use the band as a driver to experience things outside of just playing shows.

You’re an avid cyclist and mountain biker. Where’s your favorite place to ride? 

I ride as much as possible. I live in Brevard, North Carolina, and there’s a great riding community there. Mountain bikes, riding gravel, riding road—I love all of it. But I really love riding mountain bikes in DuPont State Forest. A day in the Pisgah is really great, too. I’m from Colorado and I would also take riding from town in Durango any day of the year. There are five different trail systems and you can ride them all from town. Palmer Lake, where I grew up, also has some hidden gems. There’s a lot of horse trails there and a lot of old mining roads. It’s a really sweet spot.

You recently started a program called Bluegrass, Bikes, & Beers. Tell us more…

I got inspired to put together those three things because I love music, and riding bikes and drinking beer. We do a group ride during the day and then we play bluegrass and serve beer at a free event that night to help raise money for local bike clubs. We’re doing a six-show tour through the Blue Ridge Mountains this April, May and June. People can visit bikesbluegrassbeer.com for the official dates.

You recently released “Ladies & Gentleman,” the ‘Duster’s sixth full-length studio album and the band’s first album that features a different female guest singer on lead vocals on each song. What inspired the direction of this album?

In our band, we have lots of singers, but one thing that we definitely don’t have is … any estrogen. For the most part all of the guest vocalists we have on this album are our friends and contemporaries in our little corner of this musical world. We started making lists and matching names to songs—everything came together really organically. We just knew that taking this approach to this album would be really challenging and really interesting. Bluegrass has always been a really prime place for evolution and exploration.

Playing Red Rocks is one of the top goals for any band. Since you guys are set to accomplish that goal this year, what’s next?

We hadn’t really thought much past 10 years, past playing places like Red Rocks and the Fillmore in San Francisco. I don’t really know what’s next. I think we’re just going to continue to explore the music and try to reach more and more people. We’re already working on our next record. We’re hoping to have that out in February of next year. We really believe that our music has good effect on the world and on the people that are part of it. Hopefully, that continues to grow because if you can be a force for good in this world, that’s a gift.