Indie 102.3 Sessions

Ben Pisano started Corsicana as a one-man-band while in high school. The Denver musician has since explored ambient rock music characterized by soaring falsettos and dream-pop melodies. Pisano produced and played every instrument on his debut album, "Haven," which features songs that often hit the seven- or eight-minute mark. Pisano joined us in the CPR Performance Studio with a backing...

Jesse Manley spent the past few years collaborating with Denver dance troupe Wonderbound. The Denver musician wrote music for five performances including "Dust," a piece on the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. His songs reflect the folk and Americana music of that time. Manley and his band went on to record the music of "Dust" as an album, which they released last week. Prior to the...

Grayson Erhard visited our CPR Performance Studio a year ago as a member of Pandas & People. The Del Norte, Colo., native recently returned to perform as a solo artist. His music prominently features adroit guitar tapping mixed with pop and folk melodies. Erhard performed three solo songs and spoke with Alicia Bruce Mitchell about his recent writing sessions in New Mexico, receiving offers to...

Rose Hill Drive had a fast rise after releasing its debut album in 2006. The Boulder rock trio went on tour with The Who and found a large international audience. However, the band split just four years later. ​But that's not the end of the story. Rose Hill Drive has reunited for some live shows in Colorado including a recent gig celebrating the Fox Theatre's 25th anniversary in the band...

Middle Kids caught our attention late last year with a couple of memorably melodic rock singles. The Australian band has since released its debut self-titled EP, performed on NPR's World Cafe and embarked on a U.S. tour that included a stop at Denver's Lost Lake Lounge. Middle Kids stopped into our CPR Performance Studio before that show to play four songs from their debut record. The ba...

Los Campesinos! is one of the most energetic indie-pop bands of the last decade. Since its 2008 debut, the Welsh seven-piece has crafted a signature sound out of sing-along melodies, reflective lyrics and noisy rock choruses. The band's sixth studio album "Sick Scenes" follows a short hiatus after its record contract had expired. The members performed three songs from the new album...

Fort Collins native William Knudsen performs as The Ugly Architect. Although his music career kicked off in Portland, Ore., his music has strong ties to Colorado and he is closely associated with the Downtown Artery venue in his hometown. The Ugly Architect's music has strong folk influences and Knudsen's lyrics have the quality of a world traveler. His debut album is out this spring. He...

Anthony Ruptak has been a regular visitor to the CPR Performance Studio. The Denver folk singer-songwriter has twice played with his backing band The Midnight Friends at CPR's OpenAir. We also filmed a concert with Ruptak at the Walnut Room last year. This time around Ruptak performed backed only by his brother Matt on percussion. His new EP "Don't Let It Kill You" is out later...

iZCALLi cut its teeth playing for solely Spanish-speaking audiences: The band's brother-sister combo of Miguel and Brenda Aviña originally hail from Mexico City. But over the past five years the members of the Denver band have expanded into what they call the "American scene" by playing shows with Colorado bands like Petals Of Spain and The Photo Atlas. iZCALLi visited our CPR Perfo...

Shady Elders have released over the past four years a string of EPs and singles that feature melodic pop hooks backed by shoegaze-inspired rock. The Denver band is well-established in the Colorado music scene, and performed last summer at Red Rocks Amphitheatre before a screening of Prince's "Purple Rain." Shady Elders release the debut LP "Inside Voices" on Friday with a...

We've had the pleasure of recording the music of Patrick Dethlefs several times in the past five years. The Denver singer-songwriter has played for us in our studio, at Denver's Art District and at last year's Underground Music Showcase. We welcomed Dethlefs back into the CPR Performance Studio this month just before the release of his new album, "Beauty In The Unknown." H...

Jux County has a long history in Denver: Frontman Andy Monley formed the country-punk band in 1986. Since then the band opened for acts like Nirvana, X and The Dandy Warhols while establishing itself as a longstanding force in the Colorado music scene. Jux County's current lineup -- a trio rounded out by bassist Chris Pearson and drummer Ron Smith -- has played together since 1992. The band l...

Pueblo musician Mike Clark plays in several Colorado bands, including The Sugar Sounds amd The Haunted Windchimes. Lately though, his focus is on country-folk band The River Arkansas. The band is set to release the new album "You Animal" next month. The River Arkansas returned to our studio for the first time since 2015 to share some new music from the forthcoming LP. Clark and the other...

Dragondeer has spent the last three years thrilling audiences with a mix of electric blues, rock and bluegrass. It's safe to say the Denver band has left an impression on Colorado music fans: Westword readers selected Dragondeer as Colorado's "Best Blues Rock Band" two years in a row. Dragondeer has just one EP to its name so far, but that will change when the band releases its...

Denver's The Baltic has been on our radar since the members started making music together as teenagers. The quartet had a big 2016: They signed a new record deal and performed at Red Rocks for the "Film On The Rocks" concert series. ​The band members -- now all attending different colleges -- returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. They played some new...

When Flaural visited our studio in 2015, the Denver psych-rock band had just formed a few months beforehand and played only one show. But the band members had established specific goals: release some EPs, go on tour and play some festival dates. Flaural has since accomplished each of those goals and established themselves in the Denver music scene. The band members returned to CPR's OpenAir t...

Yasman Azimi -- who performs as YaSi -- may be young, but she's got years of experience in Denver's hip-hop scene under her belt. She performed with H*Wood since 2013 before recently launching her solo career. YaSi released last summer the EP "Stranded Feelings," and she followed that up with the single "Pink Caddy," co-written with fellow Denver artist Sur Ellz. In D...

Just in time for the holidays, Kissing Party stopped into the CPR Performance Studio. And rather than the same old Christmas jingles, the Denver band played four original songs in the holiday spirit. Kissing Party just released "Winter In The Pub," a compilation of the holiday singles dating back to 2010. The band -- minus singer Deirdre Sage -- also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about Chris...

The founding members of Wild Child met while touring as backup singers for the band The Migrant. That encounter has proven to be a happy accident, as the two singers -- Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins -- hit it off as songwriting partners. The Austin, Texas, band has since grown into a septet with a varied and energetic indie pop sound. Wild Child's latest full-length is "Fools.&quot...

The husband-and-wife team between Denver band Lost Walks originally set out to create a Disney-style musical. But -- as singer-songwriter Andy Thomas and singer and accordion player Jen GaNun recently told CPR News -- a visit to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide, Colo., shifted the band's direction toward rock. The band's recent debut album, "Wolf, Woman, Man," te...

Denver's FaceMan has a reputation for a wild live show. Westword gave the band's 2014 Lost Lake Lounge concert the "Best Stage Art" award for its shark-shaped stage. The trio -- which recently incorporated a horn section -- also organizes festival-sized events like the recent "100 Year Storm" at Denver's Oriental Theater, which brought together 100 Colorado acts...

Two members of the Colorado band Elephant Revival joined us last week for an unusual session in the CPR Performance Studio. Violinist Bridget Law and singer-percussionist Bonnie Paine played with members of the Colorado Symphony for a special performance that featured music from the band's latest album, "Petals," as well as some older material. Elephant Revival will share the stage...

The members of Chimney Choir have defied genres and labels with their music since they got together in 2011. The Denver band blends folk, electronica, rock and even ballet music on last year's "Boomtown." Chimney Choir will release the album "(dream)" with an interactive live show at the Mercury Cafe on Saturday. The band stopped into the CPR Performance Studio beforehand...

Loch Lomond might be a new name to Colorado audiences, but the band is well-established in their home of Portland, Ore. Frontman Ritchie Young -- the band's one constant member -- has released six indie folk-rock albums over the last 13 years, the most recent of which is "Pens From Spain." Young and the current Loch Lomond lineup stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before two Colo...

Esmé Patterson has performed in the CPR Performance Studio several times over the past five years. Her latest session marked a milestone: the 400th performance we've recorded for OpenAir Sessions. The Colorado native this year released her third studio album, "We Were Wild." It's an introspective album that reflects on her recent 30th birthday and leaving her former band Paper...