liztalksmusic-blog

[liztalksmusic-blog]

Killer in The Mirror Tour Review: Denver

The electricity of excited chatter melded with a perfect breeze fills the air as fans pack into the intimate, 250 cap Denver venue, The Larimer Lounge. It’s a Sunday night downtown, the sun is on it’s way down, and concert-goers are about to experience an unforgettable sold-out night of the “Killer in The Mirror” Tour.

Personally, my feelings at the beginning of the night can be conveniently summed up by the graphic printed on the shirt Maxx Danziger (Set it Off, Drums) chose to wear -- “low expectations, high hopes”, but a few songs into the first set of the night were enough to show me otherwise.

Rapper De’Wayne Jackson took the stage to warm up the crowd for the night with a bouncy energy, and was undoubtedly the underdog of the evening. In my experience, audiences don’t have the best habits about paying their attention to the first artist on the bill-- but Jackson’s infectious sass and passionate, precise diction demanded it. Even for someone who doesn’t typically enjoy music of Jackson’s genre, it was hard to resist the urge to bounce off of the unstoppable, dancy energy he exuded. Through his candid and relatable honesty, as well as his clear natural ability to let loose on stage, De’Wayne Jackson captured concert-goers quickly despite technical difficulties and playing to a crowd that originally seemed uninterested. The environment cultivated by Jackson can best be described as feeling like you’re at a house-party with close friends, rather than at a venue with a performer on a stage and a crowd below. Jackson’s free-spirited, fun vibes were something to be savored.

[GIF: De’Wayne Jackson, gif by Liz Holland]

If you’d like to check out more about De’Wayne Jackson, you can listen to his tunes on spotify here, or follow him on social media under the name @idewaynejackson.

Moving forward through the night, duo Chapel, consisting of Kortney Grinwis (drums) and Carter Hardin (vocals, keyboard, guitar) would be next to take the stage. Chapel’s style was a sharp contrast from what the audience saw from De’wayne Jackson-- and I loved it. Chapel offers softer jams, perfect for a rainy day in, or for a drive on a crisp fall morning. The seamless rapport between Grinwis and Hardin added greatly to their likeability, and the contagious grins they shared when fans screamed lyrics back at them was nothing to ignore. Although those who were familiar with the duo in the crowd seemed to be few, their passion for the band was loud and proud.  

Some say Chapel’s style of music is boring, but heir stage presence is there and their effort to keep the crowd engaged is working. The pair added funky spins on slower songs to add some spice to the unique experience of a live show versus listening to a record, and peaked intrigue through covering the well-known Khalid song, “Young Dumb & Broke”. They also treated fans to a performance of a newly-written and unreleased tune, titled “Mushy Gushy”.

[GIF: Kortney Grinwis of duo Chapel, gif by Liz Holland]

I had the opportunity to chat with them after the show, and, when asked what food he would compare the Denver show to, Carter Hardin replied with, “Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, because after you have one good [song], you think you’re done, but then it’s like, ‘oh wait no, there’s like 6 more nuggets!’”.

If you’d like to see more of chapel, you can listen to their spotify here, or check them out on social media under the name @ChapelUSA.

Upon Chapel’s departure, the crowd was restlessly impatient from their excitement for what was next. When headliner Set it Off did take the stage, they opened with their particularly popular song, “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”. The electricity within the audience was hot, and the four-piece kept it that way kept it that way their entire set.

Set it Off, (commonly referred to by fans as “SIO”) was not what I was expecting-- the band has a distinct flavor to their sound I’ve yet to experience in post-early 2000’s music. They give everything good about modern-day boyband vibes, mixed with the perfect amount of rock and roll edge to offer something refreshingly unique to today’s scene.

[GIF:Cody Carson, lead vocalist of Set it Off, gif by Liz Holland]

What struck me most about the evening was the diversity of the crowd SIO brought in. Ranging everywhere from starstruck young teens to their dancing Dads who were more than happy to be there, or from college kids to a friend-group of moms, the act had something to offer for everyone.

SIO has that “it” factor, that everyone looks for, but never truly understands what it is until they see it in front of them. Not a single part of the crowd went unserved; lead-singer and frontman, Cody Carson, was nothing but interactive the whole night. From frequently holding hands with those in the first few rows and singing passionately to them while he did so, to standing on top of the middle of the crowd to rock out with the back half, (as well as going in to parts of the crowd off to the side that the stage setup didn’t allow to be easily performed to), Carson didn’t miss a beat.

[GIF:Lead vocalist Cody Carson of Set it Off, gif by Liz Holland]

Guitarists Zach Dewall and Dan Clermont gave a fantastic performance as well, moving as much as their instruments would allow and offering huge smiles to singing fans. Drummer Maxx Danziger offered a unique humor and subtle sass in his performance that I greatly enjoyed. When asked what food he would compare Sunday night’s show to, Danziger replied with, “A Chipotle burrito-- you don’t know what you’re gonna get, but it’s always good,”.

[GIF: Lead vocalist Cody Carson and Maxx Danziger, drums, Set it Off gif by Liz Holland]

The band also incorporated a tasteful amount of choreography into their performance, transitioning without incident, and enhancing that special “something” that makes them who they are. Additionally, they treated fans during the encore to an acoustic medley of songs not otherwise on the setlist-- a refreshing change, which gave the crowd a more up-close and intimate experience with the four-piece in their entirety.

[GIF: Guitarist Dan Clermont and Lead Vocalist Cody Carson of Set it Off, gif by Liz Holland]

The excitement from the crowd never wavered throughout their set, and the act ended with euphoria shared throughout the building.

After the show, I spoke with lead-singer Cody Carson who chose to compare the evening to a Rib-eye steak, because it was “savory and over too soon”. When I told him it was my first time watching his band, he responded with “welcome to the family”. That open-armed mindset that the men of Set it Off offer seems to be a key reason why those who love their art keep coming back for more-- between said friendly relationship they hold with fans, incredible stage-presence, passionate, gritty vocals, and how much fun the troupe clearly have on stage with one-another, it’s not hard to figure out why they’ve been able to stay on top of their longevity since forming in 2008.

You can listen to Set it Off here, and check them out on social media under the name @SetItOff.

Overall, what made the night worth it was the consistency of stage presence among the performers-- although each act felt wildy different in terms of style from the previous, the un-fakeable fun each performer was having on stage felt impossible to not feed off of. The Killer in the Mirror tour has a good time to offer to a wide variety of music fans, and if you’re fortunate enough to be living near one of the remaining cities on the tours’ run, you won’t want to miss it.

Although the tour is coming to a close, you can check if The Killer in The Mirror tour is stopping near you in it’s home stretch here, and if you missed them on this run, not to worry-- the musicians confirmed to attendees that another US tour is currently being planned.

[liztalksmusic-blog]

LOST IN TRANSLATION TOUR: REVIEW

Words fail to express how undoubtedly fucking awesome Tuesday night was at the Ogden Theater in Denver, CO. The Lost in Translation Tour brought their lineup to the city and to say I was impressed is a severe understatement.

Upon entrance to the venue, my friends and I, both old and ones I had just freshly made outside of the venue, went straight to the barricade for The Wrecks’ set. They’re the band we were primarily there for, but I soon learned I did myself dirty by not paying closer attention to Dreamers and New Politics, the remaining two bands on the lineup, before the show.

The Wrecks opened with an unreleased jam, “Wasted Youth”, and despite the absence of a released studio version of this song, there were still a decent amount of fans singing along, (myself included).

[IMG: Lead Singer Nick Anderson of The Wrecks, image credit to Angela Smith]

The song included a killer instrumental that was the perfect way to get an audience excited about a band they may not know, and a fantastic way to kick off the show as a whole. The Wrecks were killer with crowd interaction and feeding off the energy the audience was putting out. They moved through their set seamlessly, lead singer and frontman, Nick Anderson, moving into the crowd to jam with fans near the end of the set for their high energy, incredibly dance-able tune, “Turn it Up”.

[IMG: Bassist Aaron Kelley of The Wrecks, image credit to Angela Smith]

The indie rockers wrapped up their set with their most popular song, (at least according to the band’s Spotify page) “Favorite Liar”, giving fans the chance to scream their heart outs during the line in the final verse, “I remember waking up in Colorado…”. The five-piece played another local venue, The Globe Hall, when in town for their headlining tour on Halloween last year, and it appears as though the tour paid off.

[IMG: Guitarist Westen Weiss of The Wrecks, image credit to Angela Smith]

Walking into the venue, you would have no idea that they were the first band on the bill based off the crowd, that was clearly familiar with the band, and those who weren’t certainly are now. You can check out the Wrecks’ latest release, sophomore EP “Panic Vertigo” here. 

After the energy from their set died down and the stage was once again empty, my friends and I chose to move out of the crowd in order to buy some merchandise before things got too crazy and decided to enjoy the rest of the show from further back in the crowd. I was a bit more distracted during Dreamer’s set, but it was clear the band had some fans in the crowd. I enjoyed some songs more than others if I’m being completely honest, but regardless of my preference for some songs over others, their stage presence was undeniable.

[IMG: Lead singer Nick Wold of Dreamers, image credit to Angela Smith]

They know how to get a crowd excited in unique ways. Most notably, at the end of the set lead singer Nick Wold jumped into the audience to crowdsurf (and made it surprisingly far without being dropped), and the band threw stuffed animals into the crowd. I later learned that the animals came from a post-Valentines Day clearance aisle at a Walgreens, and thought it was pretty damn cool that they were creative enough to make it a fun addition to their set, also giving the Denver fans a unique experience from other dates of the tour.

[IMG: Bassist Marc Nelson of Dreamers, image credit to Angela Smith]

Although the band only has a few released songs on Spotify, they’re undoubtedly worth adding to your library.You can check them out here. 

The excited buzz of the crowd and vague smell of liquor in the air set the scene for the rest of the night. The only thing that put a halt to the chatter between hyped up concert goers was the beginning notes of New Politics’ first song and the sensory starkness of the lights shutting down across the room.

I’m used to being in the pit at shows, surrounded by sweaty strangers with little room to move but getting to be close to the performers, where all the action tends to be. This was the first time in a long time that I enjoyed a show from farther away, able to take in and fully appreciate the entire picture. It was refreshing. What surprised me most is that even though I only knew a few songs of theirs, New Politics made it nearly impossible NOT to dance around and get into their set. Everytime I put my full attention on the stage, something new and exciting was happening. The Ogden is a tiered venue, and I saw David Boyd (lead singer of New Politics) crowdsurf at least once in both the first two tiers. He interacted with the balcony, and even jammed with those of us in the back near the bar.

[IMG: Soren Hansen of New Politics, image credit to Angela Smith]

The lighting visuals were intense and overwhelming, but in the best way. I could go on and on about positive things in regard to New Politics’ set. Between a backflipping lead singer, a crazy talented drummer and keyboard player, and the remarkable ability of the musicians to not only keep performing through a long and difficult sounding set, but to keep up their incredible physical and musical ability consistently, never wavering or missing a beat and never letting any fatigue show through, it was an experience for the books.  It takes true passion for their art. Few times in my life have I seen performers as incredible and committed to their stage show as the men of New Politics, and I’m kicking myself for not listening to them sooner.

[IMG: David Boyd of New Politics, image credit to Angela Smith]

The night was filled with antics, dancing our butts off, and having fun. If you’re looking for a way to let loose for a night, a New Politics show is the way to do it. The buzz of the bass filled my body from the hair on my head to the tips of my toes, pounding in my chest along with my heart. Upon leaving the venue I could still feel the buzz of the bass and the energy of the performance on the tip of my tongue, and at the back of my throat, ever so slightly soothing the harshness that was there from screaming lyrics earlier in the night.

All three bands on the tour not only met my expectations, but exceeded them in a mind-blowing way. The passion and commitment these guys all have to their art and to their performance is unfathomably real, raw, and resulted in the most refreshingly inspired shows I’ve been to recently. It takes commitment and drive to play a show at all, but the above-and-beyond passion is what sets these performers apart. It takes true passion to put on a show like these acts did, and I have no doubt they would have played at the same caliber that they did to a  1,000 person room as they would to a room of 10. 

If you have a chance to catch any of the remaining dates of The Lost In Translation tour, DO IT. You’ll only regret it if you choose otherwise. You can find out what cities they’re hitting and get tickets here. 

 Otherwise, do yourself a favor by checking out the bands on the lineup and keep an eye out for future tours they’ll embark on. Trust me when I say you do not want to miss out on the chance to jam these bands. Check out New Politics’ music here.

A special thank you to my friend Angie Smith for providing her kickass pictures for this review: You can visit her website at  PinkSkiesMedia.wordpress.com or check out her instagram at instagram.com/angesmithmedia !

Keep an eye out for some Warped tour related content from me in the next few days! Who are you most excited about on the lineup?

[liztalksmusic-blog]

INTERVIEW WITH BRONNIE MUSIC: SELF-MADE SUCCESS AND FIGHTING THE SILENCE ON MENTAL HEALTH

(Source: www.facebook.com/bronniemusic)

If you haven’t heard of Bronnie, you haven’t been listening. In just a few short years, the independent 20 year old rocker has worked hard and created incredible opportunities for herself; from winning Ryan Seacrest’s cover contest in 2014 against the odds, supporting big names like Little Mix, and charting #3 in rock with her Debut EP “Social Rejex” that released earlier this year, the singer is just getting started. Amongst some of the incredible accomplishments Bronnie has achieved in her short career, one of the most recent may be one of the most exciting; Bronnie’s new single, “Danced with The Devil”, which discusses the too often ignored topic of mental health, hit #6 on UK Rock Charts-- and she’s doing more than just singing about it. I chatted with Bronnie to talk about how else the single and her work is fighting the silence on mental health, some highlights of her career thus far, and what we can expect from her in the future.

What inspired you to write and release “Danced with The Devil”? Did it stem from personal experience, or any particular event? Tell me about it.

I guess it was a combination of two things. Firstly I read an interview with Kellin Quinn on the subject and it really hit home and it inspired me to write about the subject, but also the fact that I receive dozens of messages every day from fans who are suffering from mental health issues. Writing about it, particularly from the perspective that I’ve written the song, I thought it might hit home with some people and encourage them to seek the help they need and deserve.

You partnered with Buddy Project to donate profits from the sales of  “Danced with the Devil” to their cause. What made you decide to partner with them specifically? Was this the plan originally or did it happen more in the moment?

I’ve long admired their work, they do an amazing job. I speak to people online quite regularly who tell me that Buddy Project saved their life, so once I’d written the song and thought about what I wanted to achieve - ie help raise mental health awareness, there seemed no better way to do this than coupling up with Buddy Project to raise further awareness of their work and also to give the profits from the song to them.

When you write a song that’s been inspired by a lot of sad stories you’ve read and heard from fans it just seems wrong to profit personally. I needed to do this.

What’s been most exciting for you about “Danced with The Devil”’s release?

Well, it’s the fans reaction and the reaction from people who haven’t heard my music before, and in many cases have suffered from mental health issues. When you get positive feedback from people in this situation it means a lot!!

Also, this was the first time I charted with a single. We’d hit number 3 in the UK rock album charts with the Social Rejex EP, so it was cool to get to Number 6 on release day in the UK rock singles chart.

This coming January you’re heading out on you first headlining tour in the UK. What are you most excited about for the tour?

I’ve completed nine tours in 13 months as a support act and that has been fantastic. My fan base has multiplied several fold in that period. But I think there will be something special about coming out on stage to your own crowd as the headline. We’ve been rehearsing this week with my new backing band and I’m really pleased with progress on some new songs. I can’t wait to play them!

What’s one question people never ask you that you wish they would? (And what’s your answer?)

Q: Will you marry me?

A: Yes Zac

You’ve accomplished a lot for someone of your age. How did you get started in music? What’s been the most challenging part so far?

I actually started out in musical theatre aged 8 and only shifted into rock music aged 16.

The hardest thing was being the smallest artist in the Ryan Seacrest cover contest in 2014 and growing and winning in the final against four American acts. I was 16 and tiny on social media but we grew with each round and I still pinch myself regularly to check that wasn’t a dream.

On the other hand, what’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?

Stepping out in front of tens of thousands of people supporting Little Mix in a stadium has to be up there! But I think charting with the Social Rejex EP earlier this year because I knew the fans were out there in force buying the EP and helping me. Amazing.

What can we expect from you in the future? New music? More Tours? Anything else you can talk about?

Both. Rejex Tour in January is next on the agenda, and I will be back soon soon afterwards as a support in other tours for sure.

I will have new EP’s and singles out in 2018 too and hope to match our 2017 chart success if possible.

Other than that I will continue writing new songs all the time. I have an enormous book full of songs that I’ve written over the past four years. I hope the world gets to hear lots of them.

Apart from that I want to do more shows in Europe, break into new territories, and come back to the US again. I love travelling and showing people in other countries my music.

If you want to stream and/or purchase “Danced With The Devil” and support The Buddy Project, visit Bronnie’s website here. 

The single is available on Spotify and on Itunes! 

If you want to learn more about The Buddy Project, click here. 

Bronnie’s Socials:

Twitter : @BronnieMusic 

Facebook

Instagram : @bronniemusic 

Business inquiries (for LIZTALKSMUSIC): Email liztalksmusic@gmail.com 

[liztalksmusic-blog]

BEHIND THE BAND: ALEX FUCKING SMITH INTERVIEW

Alex Fucking Smith (Merch for Sleep On It and self published author) and I had a chat outside St. Andrews Hall in Detroit on the Made In America Tour-- watch to find out what Canadian fans are really like, which member of Sleep On It smells the best, and where you can keep hearing more fun stories like these!

I’m working on getting more blogs up about the tour dates I attended-- I overestimated how much work I was going to be able to get done on the road and severely underestimated how much sleep I would actually be getting, so I’ll be writing from memory, but a lot of cool shit happened that’s worth documenting. Keep an eye out for a blog and possibly a vlog about the first couple shows I attended this coming week. For now, enjoy this! 

[liztalksmusic-blog]

Let’s talk about (cancelled)shows and ghosts and shows and clothes designs and shows and shows okay...: Made In America Tour Blog #1

Simply put, yesterday was fucking WILD. I don’t even know where to begin. Aspen and I dragged our asses out of bed at 2:30am on less than 3 hours of sleep, got ready and drove up to the venue in Denver. By the time we were in line and settled it was a few minutes before 6. The morning was uneventful; I grabbed us coffee, we awkwardly ignored advances from the homeless population of downtown Denver, and freezed our asses off. Yesterday was probably the coldest I’ve EVER been. It wasn’t terribly cold all day, but the venue was in the shade and it was super windy-- we got maybe 30 minutes of sun in 11 hours. I kept finding excuses and things to do to walk around so I could feel my feet again. Time went by quickly, and the line grew a lot slower than expected. Considering it was a Saturday, I expected a few early people and for the line to noticeably start growing around noon, but it stayed quiet and laidback. The day had weird ass vibes from the beginning .Everyone was tired and no one wanted to be social. I chalked it up to it being the weather, but looking back I now know the day was cursed from the beginning.

The line gained a few people, most of which I recognized from past shows. After trying to sleep for a few hours and failing considering how god-awful cold it was and how under-dressed we were, Aspen and I decided it was time to run a few errand before the line started really growing and things started to get more lively and hectic-- even though that never actually ended up happening; more on that later.

We found this cute sandwich place, which was refreshingly clean and friendly for the particular area of town we were in. The girls working there were great and for $5, I was stoked for a ham and swiss. I wasn’t expecting much for the price but it ended up being one of the best subs I’ve ever had. They were like a bistro crossed over with a Subway, topped off with overpriced drinks and cute decor. They were called Stack-- check ‘em out if you’re ever in the area, or going to a show at the summit.

I was able to sleep for a few minutes after warming up and filling my tummy, but was very abruptly awoken by the jarring sound of a construction vehicle of some sort backing up about 10 minutes after I dozed.  There was a ton of construction going on right in front of the venue so anytime we had to go to the car crossing streets was a bitch.

Then things started going downhill. We had found out a few hours earlier via twitter that one of the opening bands, Sleep On It, were stuck in Wyoming. (Which by the way, if you haven’t already, check them out. 200% worth it. The band, not Wyoming. FUCK Wyoming.)

Not a big deal, we thought, maybe they’ll stick make it. As the day went on, we continued to fit more pieces into the puzzle. Chapel, another one of the opening bands was stuck with them. The reason being that I-80 was closed due to weather conditions and since it’s Wyoming and no one who loves themselves would choose to live there, I guess there weren’t many options. It’s my understanding that everyone was either stranded, or trying to get out the same way which means stop and go traffic for God knows how long. We realized this meant it was a very real possibility that As It Is (another opener) and Waterparks could be stuck, but they had been silent on social media so we really had no way of knowing. While originally stressed about there only being 2 bands on the bill instead of 4, we started stressing about whether there was going to be a show AT ALL.

But we continued to wait and suffer through the cold. I shut my eyes in an attempt to catch a few more Z’s, but woke up very quickly to the sound of a british accent in the entryway to the venue next to me. As It Is is here! There’s still hope! They started loading in their stuff, but it eventually got back to everyone (via someone w As It Is-- I’m not sure if he’s the temporary replacement for Andy or a roadie, either way it was a very nice long-haired blonde dude) that the only reason As It Is had made it was because they made it through before the interstate totally closed down and took a different route-- Waterparks did not. At this point, we were just waiting for the official announcement that the show was going to be cancelled, especially considering it was around 3pm at this point.

After sometime passed, Patty Walters (lead vocals and frontman for As It Is) brought out some hot tea and coffee for those of us in line. It was a really kind gesture and genuinely really helpful and pleasant because as mentioned earlier, it was cold as shit. Not many band dudes I know would go out of their way to do something like that-- Patty Walter is just a really fuking nice dude. We asked him what the deal was with the show-- he basically told us that for now the show was still happening as planned and we would probably have more news within the hour.

It became clear even if the show was going to happen, VIP wouldn’t, because at this point it was physically impossible. A half hour later we had a conversation with a venue employee who told us that show was still happening-- it was going to be super last minute and they may have to push back doors an hour or an hour and a half, but it was going to happen because they were on the way. Hope had returned, and the mood lifted and became less stressful. More people began showing up and everyone seemed to come to me to ask me what the fuck was going on and where they should line up--apparently I’m super approachable or seem to hold some sense of authority. Moms made beelines for me and asked me all their questions.

Another venue employee came out and gave us an update--the show was on and VIP would happen afterward. They would funnel everyone else out of the venue and we would stick around and do it then. They would find a way to also make sure everyone who had VIP still got early entry, but at that point they didn’t have the necessary list and it was still very up in the air as far as when doors were going to be.

The sun was going down now and the wind was picking up, and the cold became somehow more bitter and miserable. But we held on to the hope that it would all be worth it once the show began, and were even looking forward to a longer set from As It Is and for post-show VIP to not be rushed since the following day was an off day. Then finally, the inevitable happened; just before 5:30, venue employees came out to tell us the show was cancelled; Waterparks wasn’t anywhere close enough to making it in time to play a show. They told us how refunds would work and that they were offering a show at another Denver venue they owned for the opening bands if they wanted it for the following night. The bands all tweeted out that the show was cancelled and everyone at the venue was just disappointed and cold.

Everyone there was really hoping that since As It Is was there with all their equipment that maybe they would play an acoustic set outside considering there was less than 30 of us, but that didn’t happen. In my experience, the guys in As It Is are nothing but incredibly kind to their fans and I’m certain there’s a good reason that they couldn’t or didn’t. Patty did come out again to chat and meet everyone who was still at the venue, which was kind. I talked with him about Aspen and I’s travelling to the next few shows and got him to film something for my vlog (which will be up in the next day or two-- subscribe and turn on post notifications for my channel here to see it when it goes up as well as future content), and left.

When it comes to the show being cancelled, I’ll just say this-- at first I was upset and a little angry. Not at any of the bands or venue staff because none of this was any of their faults in the slightest-- I was just very angry and disappointed with the situation. As far as I know they had never cancelled a show and we just got unlucky-- I’m sure they wouldn’t have cancelled if they didn’t absolutely have to, and I’m also sure they did everything they could to try and make it happen. Unfortunately, there’s just some situations we don’t have control over. I had been waiting outside in the freezing cold since 6am and was upset I had wasted my time and really bummed a hometown show wasn’t happening, but at the end of the day I’m glad everyone on the tour ended up safe and incredibly thankful that I still had 5 more opportunities to see them--most people counting on that show weren’t so lucky. I do feel really bad for Aspen as this was the only show she had VIP for and they’re sold out for the rest of them-- I know having a minute with the guys meant a lot to her and that this is a really, really rough time of year for her. Myself and a few friends are trying to figure out if there’s anything that can be done for her in regard to VIP for upcoming shows, but nothing as of yet.

I also give mad props to Sleep On it and Chapel-- Chapel held an event in Denver today (A Sunday Brunch at a Denver IHOP to hang out with Denver fans who missed out on a show and celebrate their New EP, “Sunday Brunch”. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but I’m planning on listening to is on this drive and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Check it out, it’s on Spotify), and Sleep On It took the offer from the venue to book a show at another venue and invited some Denver local bands to open. Only $10 and SOI got a headlining show, which is pretty cool. I talked to a solid handful of people yesterday that were mainly there for Sleep On It, so that’s really rad for them. I’d be there if I could, but Aspen and I decided it’d be best to not try to do our drive to Kansas overnight considering the amount of overnight drives we DO have to make over the next few days.

Anywho, back to what happened after the show was officially cancelled. Inviting a few girls behind us in line that we had met at a Waterparks show in February, we all went to a wendy’s near by to eat our feelings and try to not think about the negatives of the situation. The plan was to stop by Walmart on the way home to grab a few last minute things we needed for the rest of our trip on the way home and then get a full nights’ sleep before heading out for an 8 hour drive to Kansas the next day, but we were met with a very unexpected and slightly terrifying setback.

You see, whilst in this wendy’s chatting and enjoying our food, a fist-fight broke out in the lobby. Honestly not unusual for this particular strip of downtown Denver, but still startling. What was more startling was how oblivious the employees were. Although my memory of the whole thing is a little fuzzy due to lack of sleep, I remember it didn’t last long and they went outside to seemingly cool off. Before too long they started violently fighting in the parking lot and one of the guys reached for his belt in a way that one would reach for a concealed carry if they had one. Here’s the thing; I don’t fuck around with guns. Especially not with how many violent shootings have taken place the past few months in the US, and in the past few weeks in particular in the Colorado Springs and Denver areas. The employees went outside to break it up and they left, but we decided it would be best to leave.

On the way out, an old guy asked me “Girl, do you take them shots like Nicki Minaj?”Not entirely sure what he meant, but just assuming it was a comment about my ass, because, I mean, it’s Nicki Minaj. If this means something else, please enlighten me. Again, not an usual to be uncomfortably hit on by dirty homeless men in this part of town, but still a weird note to leave the Wendy’s on. We sat in our car while we waited for one of the girls we were with’s ride to show up.

While we were waiting, the guy who was acting like he had a gun earlier came back. He was circling the parking lot in his car, and eventually parked the car and got out, like he was looking for the guy from earlier. This happened like four times and he had a murderous look in his eye. At this point I was honestly shocked no one had called the cops yet-- was it that much of a casually regular situation in this part of town? I was starting to get more scared of the fact that this guy probably had a gun and was angry, so I called the cops. I guess at some point someone else had already called, because while talking to the operator like 6 squad cars showed up. She told me to go ahead and hang up and talk to the officers on the scene instead since they were already there. This led to us sitting out in the cold, again, for another solid half hour while the cops collected information on the guy and asked us questions about what we saw and such. This guy made the mistake of sticking his head around the corner and we told the officer, who ended up finding and detaining the guy in an alleyway a few minutes later. Turns out the guy just had a knife, not a gun, but was lying to the cops about the car being his when they traced the plates back to him. I don’t know exactly what the deal with the dude’s car was, but I’m pretty sure they were fake or from a stolen car based off the overheard conversation between officers and watching them take the plates off the car. We answered a few more questions, gave our contact info, and FINALLY left.

We made a few errands on the way home and passed out at my apartment in CO Springs around 11, too tired to function. After a lot of typical travel setbacks this morning, we finally got on the road to Kansas around noon and at this point I’m praying to any God there may be out there that the rest of this trip goes better than expected, or at least as planned. We’re about 3 hours away from our AirBNB in Lawrence, KS now and the sunset is pretty rad. Enjoy this low quality picture of a high quality sky:

The plan is to get a full nights’ sleep and get in line early for the Lawrence show tomorrow; Not 6am early, but still early. We’re gonna be going on no sleep for some of these shows, so we wanna take advantage of the off days and the nights when we’ll actually be able to sleep in a bed.  It’s still kind of surreal that after all the time we spent planning this trip that we’re actually getting to do this kind of travel. Even though I’ll be spending most of my time sleeping or waiting outside venues, I’m really excited to see parts of the country I’ve never seen before and for the experiences I’m gonna have, for better or for worse. Thank you for doing it with me; I’m gonna try to catch a nap and work on some other stuff, but I’ll be back in a day or two to update on my experiences and hopefully, a show. (I don’t know why another would get cancelled, I’m just afraid to expect anything in fear of being disappointed again at this point). Holy shit, I just realized this is like 8 pages. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around. See ya in Lawrence!

--LIZ

[liztalksmusic-blog]

Welcome to Madness. Welcome to LIZTALKSMUSIC.

I’m sitting here writing this at a gas station somewhere in Kansas, trying to balance eating barbecue chips and somehow decipher what I’m typing on my laptop screen despite the glare of the setting sun. I’m originally from Colorado Springs, currently following a tour. This week, my lovely friend Aspen and myself are following Waterparks first full headlining US Tour-- The Made in America tour, for six shows-- but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ignoring my overly cliche titling:Hi. Although I’m not a big fan of introductions, (I’m more of a “dive-right-into-the-good-stuff” kinda gal), I feel like it’s kinda necessary to give some context as to what my goal here is. So, first of all, welcome to LIZTALKSMUSIC. This adventure is new to me too, and I look forward to riding this wave with you, including whatever bumps we hit along the way. . What you can expect from me is this; a young journalist who really, really enjoys live music and finds a lot of happiness in it, and wants to do something with it to make a living. I’ll be posting blogs about my experiences following tours and any shows I go to, reviews and reactions to albums and other things happening in the music industry, interviews (I’ll have my first one up next week!) and my more personal thoughts as well. I want to show you the music world through a personal lens, while also maintaining professionalism and being objective when it comes to reviews and things similar. I want you to get to know my thoughts and passions regarding the craziness, but also come to trust and value my opinion. I’m extremely open, so you can expect me to nothing but very candidly transparent and honest-- life is too short to not speak your mind.

As far as how all of this is happening, or where it’s going to go in the future-- I’m really not sure. Right now, I’m here to have fun, soak up as much music as possible, and write. I hope you’ll enjoy listening.

I’ll also be putting out video content; subscribe to this channel and turn on post notifications to find out when I put out something new-- I’ll be beginning with a tour vlog up within the next few days, and an interview by next week.

If you want to contact me, the best way is to either:

Email me at liztalksmusic@gmail.com

OR

Tweet me @busymissliz110

Let’s get to know each other-- I’m ready if you are.

--LIZ