Telepathique interview, etc

From Brazil to Denva: Telepathique (Erico Theobaldo and Mylene Pires) plays at the Illegal Pete's downtown, on 16th and Wazee, 8/2. Get a fish taco and check it out. Telepathique released their debut album "Last Time on Earth" in South America in 2006, but now it's being released in to North America on 8/5, and Pacifico is putting them on stages in a couple cities in the US (Seattle, Denver, LA, Chicago). Perhaps you've already heard "Eu Gosto" on Pitchfork. Download Love and Lust.

We interviewed Erico and Mylene by e-mail before their show:

Q: What should we expect to see when you play in Denver at Illegal Pete's?

Érico- We are going to play the songs from the album "Last Time On Earth", some new songs and some versions. At some moments, our show can be more organic and at others it can be more like a DJ set. I really don't know how people will react to this but I'm excited to see.I hope they don't throw tacos at us!

Q: Both of you have made music on your own. How was it for you to work with a partner?

Érico- I'm used to work with partners on many projects. What I think is special in this collaboration with Mylene is that we are totally different from each other and both of us bring our own taste and style to the project. I do this because I really like the result of our collaboration and I love to hang out with Mylene. We always have a great time together - whether on tour or in the studio.

Mylene – What is great is that we are a band of 2 musicians only, and at some point of the concert you just see a singer and a drummer, it's something quite unusual for a rock band but we love to be like that. Also, working with him in the studio brings me freedom because he´s a very opened-mind person.

Q: What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What kind of music did your parents listen to?

Érico- I started listening to my father's old jazz records of artists like Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Thelonious and Miles. But by the time I was 12 I started to play drums with a punk rock band and at that time I was listening to everything from Heavy Metal to dub to Kraftwerk.

Mylene – I grew up listening to popular Brazilian songs from the 60´s, such as caetano veloso, chico buarque, because my parents used to adore them.. And I´ve been always very fan of radio stations, where I could find out such different styles! I have a very democratic taste, I´m very curious and I usually listen to bands and artists from everywhere. Concerning electronic music, Miss Kittin was really a surprise for me, mainly because I write songs and her lyrics are so special, a mix of post-modern and poetic way of saying things. After her, Peaches, indescribable…

Q: How would you describe your hometowns?

Érico- Sao Paulo is a big multicultural city. When I was a teenager I remember dealing with the question "what is the cultural identity of a guy from sao paulo like myself?" cause I felt so distant from the folklore from other Brazilian states and so close to the clubbing culture and hip hop culture, getting into things that was coming outside of my country. But soon I realized that being from sao paulo meant not to be afraid of integrate all those cultural influences.

Mylene – I'm from rio de janeiro, it´s very difficult to describe rio, because it has a lot of contradictions, so much kindness and violence between people, a blessed nature and a lot of pollution… But i´m so proud of being brazilian! All my music background came from this source.

Q: Are there any cities you would love to see on tour and why?

Érico - It will be my first time in the US and I'm excited to see every city we're booked to play (seriously!) I'm mostly looking forward to explore as many musical instrument stores as possible.

Mylene – me too!! I would love to tour Japan, also.

Q: What do you think about this trend of beer or liquor companies sponsoring bands' tours? How has it worked out for you?

Érico- We're at a moment where the music industry must reinvent how it does buisness. I think that sponsorships are becoming an important part of the new industry. Things are changing very quickly - and the industry must learn to change as well. We wouldn't have been able to do this tour without a sponsorship.

Mylene – I agree with Erico. We are coming from brazil and the cost of touring abroad is very high. Besides, I truly believe that drinking is a personal option. On the other hand, and facing the drama of music business nowadays, it´s, at least, good to have companies investing money in culture.

Q: What do you hope audiences get out of your music?

Érico- I just hope that the audience would not worry about trying to figure out what kind of music is this and just have fun and make the party go on

Mylene – enjoy the songs and have fun! Erico is also a cute guy...Girls, watch out!

Other random notes this week:
Ben Kronberg is back in Denver this Friday, 8/1, to perform at the Oriental Theatre, 8 p.m.

The Denver Post Underground Music Showcase is this weekend, 8/1-8/2. You can still get two-day passes to all the venues for $20. And the list of the top underground bands in Denver

The Fire Drills

Catch The Fire Drills (new band of Jason of Red Cloud West) for the first time at Old Curtis St. Tavern tonight, 7/26. APTR had a good size crowd there last night with Breezy Porticos.

So Thursday, 7/24:
_ Matson Jones plays for the first time in like forever at the Bluebird
_ The Colorado Symphony Orchestra has a free concert at Cheesman Park at 7
_ "Breakfast Club" is the film they're showing at Red Rocks when it gets dark.

Then Friday, 7/25:
_ Action Packed Thrill Ride says their show @ Old Curtis St. (21st and Curtis) will be a special one, with three guest musicians, including Jenny (did I spell it right?) on trumpet! That means they'll actually get to play "Clean Break" live. They'll go on around 11 p.m. $6
(They play at the Hi-Dive with Centro-Matic too! Sept. 9)

Mile High Music Festival - traffic

The Mile High Music Festival is backing up traffic on I-70, Havana and Northfield exits. So if you're planning to go, tack on an extra 20 minutes or so to park the car. AND , if you have a flight at DIA to catch, you'll want to make sure you have a little extra gas in the car and leave 20-30 minutes early, or if you have the option, take something else besides I-70 to get there if you can (Tower Road, E-470 toll road, etc)

Ween ... for FREE!

Ween is playing one of those secret MySpace shows up in Fort Collins, tonight, 7/15 at Hodi's Half Note, 167 N. College Ave. Admission is first there, first in. You can start lining up at 4 p.m., and they'll start handing out tickets at 6 p.m. One ticket per person. Show starts at 9 p.m. Bring some water with you to keep cool

The crowd at the Marquis last night was there to see Dear and the Headlights, but we wouldn't be surprised if opener What Laura Says (Thinks and Feels) picked up some new fans too. They brought their sunny, 70s nostalgia glee club/psychedelic/beegees+acid rock+long jams, Denver indie kids brought their dancing shoes, it was fun. It didn't hurt that they had free 3-song CDs and stickers to hand out. Here's hoping they can come back to Denver again soon. Denver could use more longhairs singing three-part harmonies. Their new album is out Aug. 19

DATH did well with their screaming, melodic rock, playing old favorites plus some from a new album due out soon. Ok, about the screaming: What I'm saying is they're much more unleashed live, so the records sound good and all and you get a hint of the scream, but you must go see them in person for the full DATH experience. Don't confuse the passion for anger. Word

One DATH exchange from the stage to the bar:
singer Ian: "We're gonna drink some with you later." (To the audience:) "What are you guys doing later?"
female audience member: "You!"

Dear and the Headlights play tonight, 7/13, at the Marquis Theater with What Laura Says before heading out for a few dates with Jimmy Eat World. Local opener (Die) Pilot also at the Marquis.

MATSON JONES shows!

Hey, hey! Remember Matson Jones? It's been way too long, but they're going to be back on stage for two shows. Tickets for their 7/24 show at the Bluebird in Denver go on sale today, 7/11. They also play 7/25 in Fort Collins. Listen

"Up the Yangtze" opens today at the Mayan. (Review below)

Up the Yangtze

This Friday, Up the Yangtze opens in Denver at the Mayan Theatre at 110 Broadway. It looks at the project to build a humongous dam on the river with the goal of providing cleaner power to billions in China. Of course, such a project has consequences. Here's the report from ATT, who saw "Up the Yangtze" in Seattle:

Go see this documentary.

It's thoughtfully constructed, emotionally touching, and will have you talking for days afterwards.

So go see it with friends, so that you won't have to sit around talking to yourself.

Director Yung Chang analyzes the impact of the historic Three Gorges project from three angles. The introduction and many of the transitions consist of gorgeous panoramic shots with voiceovers by the director. He talks about his experience cruising the Yangtze River as a foreigner, of his grandfather's memories as a former native, and of the statistics of the project. He then introduces us to Yu Shui and Chen Bo Yu. Both youths apply to work upon a luxury cruise similar to the one that inspired the director to create this film. Through their eyes and words, we see the human impact of the project. We gain some insight of the Chinese culture, and an understanding of the citizens' views. Yu Shui and her family exemplify the more traditional Chinese way of thinking, valuing humility, respect for elders and authority, self-reliance, and the good of the many over the suffering of the few. Chen Bo Yu displays attitudes more closely aligned to stereotypical Western mindsets, speaking proudly of personal accomplishments, his ambitions, his individuality, his material desires, and of entitlement. We see their struggles to adapt to change on individual levels, and symbolically on a societal level.

Various snippets of foreign tourists on the cruise paint an unflattering caricature of rich, ignorant outsiders who fancy themselves enlightened after taking the tour. As an outsider, I felt torn by disgust and guilt at the business, but also a slight rationalization that the money being brought in was providing opportunities that many people might not have otherwise had.

Your experience of this movie may well be very different from mine. What I can say with certainty, is that this is a movie worth experiencing.

Blues Traveler : Collective Soul : Live at Red Rocks

blues traveler : collective soul : live

We spent the July 4 holiday @ Red Rocks, with Blues Traveler. It's a tradition! This year, Collective Soul and LIve were opening. It was like it was the late 1990s again. Actually, Hana Pestle was the real opener. Then Collective Soul went on around 5, with the heat of the day still sticking around, but Ed Roland was still dancing around in his Gunnar Nelson hair, button-up green shirt and skinny jeans, throwing the mic stand around like he was a majorette in the marching band. They ran through a bunch of their hits (Shine, Hollywood...) In the middle of "December," they tossed in a cover of The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done" (I've got soul but I'm not a soldier...). They ended with "Run," that song that ended up in the movie "Varsity Blues."

Live took the stage, with everyone but drummer dressed in black. Fitting, since they ended up doing an upside down version of "Walk the Line" during their set. They finished out with Lightning Crashes.

We could tell you details of Blues Traveler's set, but hey, you should have gone. Just some highlights, John Popper played a harmonica solo of the national anthem. Kinda like he was Hendrix but with harmonica. ... After dark, they played as fireworks went on behind them. From Red Rocks, you could see little pops of fireworks from shows along the Front Range in the cities below. ... Popper said they just saw the movie 300. And he had a sword. So he had the crowd reenact when the guy takes out his sword and the whole crowd says, "uuuAAAAH!" "If you ever have a sword and 9,000 people, I highly recommend you do that," he said. ... They played new stuff from the album due in August. One was dedicated to everyone who is serving overseas or has ever served overseas, perhaps called Til I Can Bring You Home. ... Guitarist from Collective Soul came and jammed on one song.

C forgot to charge her camera battery, B forgot to bring a camera, #3 rarely downloads pix from camera to computer once taken, so sorry, no photos of the evening to share with you.

But if you want to see Blues Traveler, they're in Aspen at Belly Up 7/5

recaps

Flobots did a decent job performing "Handlebars" on the Tonight Show last night (if you look for the show online, it's the one with Dustin Hoffman and Gordon Ramsay). They'll be back in CO soon enough for the Mile High Music Festival.


Light rain didn't keep a few hundred people from turning out to hear a free concert by the Colorado Symphony @ City Park, near the Museum of Nature and Science. With the standard fare, including "America the Beautiful," a medley of military tunes (with members of each branch asked to stand during their song _ there was a sailor in uniform in the audience actually), some Sousa ("Stars and Stripes Forever"). They play another free concert Sunday 7/6 at Red Rocks, $10 for parking.


So there's going to be fireworks after the Outlaws lacrosse game at Invesco Field at Mile High tonight, plus after the Rockies game at Coors Field. By the way, the first 10,000 fans tomorrow night, 7/5, get a Matt Holliday bobblehead.

My pick is to go see the fireworks in Vail.

What are you doing this holiday?

Colorado Symphony plays patriotic stuff in a FREE concert tonight at City Park. 7/3, 7 p.m.

rip

Sad news, as you may have heard: Tickle Me Pink's bassist Johnny Schou, 22, was found dead this morning at home in Colorado. They played at the Warped Tour in Denver over the weekend. Today was the day their album came out on Wind-up Records. They were going to mark it with an appearance at Independent Records on Colfax today, but that was canceled due to the sad news. The band also had been set to tour later this month. No word on cause of death yet