Indie 102.3 Sessions

Slow Caves release their debut album, "Falling," this week. The Fort Collins indie rock band has been a presence in the Colorado music scene for several years and they represented the Centennial state last week at the SXSW music festival in Austin. Before that trip to Texas, we welcomed them back into our studio for the first time since 2017. Slow Caves played three stripped-down version...

Definitely, Maybe is a new Denver band from songwriting partners Carmine Gabbianelli and Zachary Antonio, formerly of indie rock group ScaTTer GaTHer. Last month Definitely, Maybe released its self-titled debut EP, recorded in Gabbianelli's home studio. We recently featured "Being" off that record on our latest Colorado Music Sampler. Definitely, Maybe stopped by the CPR Performance...

YAWL is a collaboration between Denver rapper Ancient Mith and German producer Dot. The duo released its debut album, "A Pile to Keep, A Pile to Burn," in 2016 and has performed across Europe. This year YAWL played its first U.S. shows, including a recent Denver gig. YAWL visited the CPR Performance Studio to play a few songs. The duo also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about how their collab...

Don Chicharrón specializes in a type of Peruvian psychedelic rock music called Chicha. Led by vocalist Aldo Pantoja, the Denver nine-piece has a vast sound that's both bizarre and danceable. The band released its self-titled debut album this month and will celebrate Saturday with a release show at Denver's Hi-Dive. Don Chicharrón stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play some new m...

We first met Spirettes at our 2017 "Super Session" in Colorado Springs, which was featured on the current season of our collaborative TV series with CPT12, "OpenAir Live & Local." The band, then a trio, performed songs from its self-titled debut record at that event. Now, Spirettes plan to release a new EP this spring with an expanded lineup. Spirettes stopped by the CPR P...

Tropa Magica is a new project from brothers David and Rene Pacheco, founders of the Los Angeles band Thee Commons. They released their self-titled debut album as Tropa Magica last year. The Pachecos expand on their "psychedelic cumbia punk" sound on the record by adding jazz and pop influences. Tropa Magica stopped by the CPR Performance Studio last year. The band members played four son...

The Helio Sequence recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the release of its fourth album, "Keep Your Eyes Ahead." The Portland, Ore., duo marked the occasion by releasing a deluxe edition of the record via Sup Pop and embarking on a month-long U.S. tour in which the band performed the album in its entirety. That trek included a stop at Denver's Globe Hall. The Helio Sequenc...

Anthony Ruptak released his debut album, "A Place That Never Changes," this month. It was a difficult project for the Denver singer-songwriter, who lost his instruments, songbooks and savings when his house was burglarized before finishing the album. Ruptak was able to complete the record with some help from the Denver music community. Ruptak and his band recently stopped into the CPR Pe...

Wye Oak released the album "The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs" last spring. Led by the songwriting duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, the Baltimore group has made a habit of changing its sound from record to record, and its sixth full-length is no exception. With the addition of new member Will Hackney, Wye Oak's sound has grown fuller and richer. Wye Oak stopped into the CPR Pe...

Why? recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its second album, "Alopecia." The breakout full-length from the Cincinnati band introduced many new fans to frontman Yoni Wolf's eccentric take on indie rock and hip-hop. The band is performing the album in full on its current tour, which included a recent stop at the Gothic Theatre. Why? returned to the CPR Performance Studio before...

Natalie Prass released the follow-up to her breakout debut album last summer. The Virginia singer-songwriter scrapped material she had planned to use for the record and wrote "The Future and the Past" after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The album finds Prass adding disco and R&B sounds to her music. Prass and her band stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at D...

DeVotchKa recently released its seventh studio album, "This Night Falls Forever." The record arrives seven years after the Denver band's most recent album, during which the four members pursued various side projects. It features an eclectic range of sounds backed by vigorous string sections. DeVotchKa returned to the CPR Performance Studio to play three songs from the new album. Sin...

2018 was a breakout year for indie rock artist Sophie Allison. The Nashville singer and guitarist spent years self-releasing her lo-fi recordings before catching the attention of the indie label Fat Possum, which has released albums by The Black Keys and Modest Mouse. Earlier this year she released "Clean," her debut studio album as Soccer Mommy, via that label. Soccer Mommy stopped into...

Bud Bronson & The Good Timers released their sophomore album, "Between the Outfield and Outer Space," last month. The Denver quartet says it's a move away from the "blissful ignorance" of their rowdy debut album and toward more serious subject matter. But the band's vibrant rock 'n' roll energy remains intact. Bud Bronson & The Good Timers recently...

Slothrust played a set of jazz-influenced rock in our studio last year. Since then, the New York trio released its fourth album, "The Pact." The record features a heavier sound for the band as well as electronic instruments like drum machine and synthesizer. Slothrust returned to the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Lost Lake. The band members played three songs from...

Julie Davis started making solo music as Bluebook in 2005. Since then the Denver bassist and singer has led bands like Bela Karoli and Fairchildren, and collaborated with fellow Colorado artists Nathaniel Rateliff, Gregory Alan Isakov and Porlolo. This year she returned to Bluebook with her latest musical partner, singer and keyboardist Jess Parsons. Bluebook released the EP "The Astronaut&#0...

One Flew West has spent the past four years forging a sound that melds pop, punk and folk. After releasing the EP "Trial And Error" in January, the Denver quartet went on to perform at Colorado music festivals like FoCoMX, the Underground Music Showcase and the Denver stop of the 2018 Warped Tour. One Flew West recently stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play four songs. The band...

Denver musician Micah Morris fronts the band Fast Eddy when he isn't playing lead guitar with local live favorites Dirty Few. The former released the new EP, "Toofer One," earlier this summer. Morris and the other Fast Eddy members point to Motown and '70s classic rock as influences on songs like "Hurricane Alley." Fast Eddy stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to...

Murder By Death has made frequent visits to Colorado over the past few years. The Bloomington, Ind., quintet performs at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park annually and recently visited Denver for a show at the Ogden Theatre. The rock band released its eighth studio album, "The Other Shore," in August. Murder By Death stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to share some music from that rec...

Audible first caught our attention with a standout entry to this year's Tiny Desk Contest from NPR Music, who praised the Colorado Springs band on All Songs Considered. The quintet went on to perform at the Denver stop of the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road concert in May. The band's music incorporates rock, soul and hip-hop. Audible recently stopped into the CPR Performance Studio. The ba...

Kid Reverie is a new band from Denver musician Steve Varney, who formerly performed with Glowing House and Gregory Alan Isakov. The band takes cues from the folk music of those Colorado acts but also veers toward an aggressive rock sound. Varney released Kid Reverie's debut album earlier this month. Kid Reverie stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Lost Lake....

Eldren is a live favorite in the Denver music scene not only for its own eclectic rock music, but also for annual shows in which the band covers albums like "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Abbey Road" in full. The band releases its sophomore full-length, "Miss Information Aged," this week and performs Saturday at Denver's Oriental Theater. The album explores post-ap...

The SIR Band released its debut album, "So Cold," late last year. The Denver trio traveled to California to record it in a West Hollywood studio, where pop stars Shania Twain and Kelly Rowland were also recording at the time. The band cites a wide variety of musical influences including '60s soul, '90s alternative rock and present-day pop. The SIR Band visited the CPR Performan...

Stephen Malkmus is a pivotal figure in indie rock music. He made some of the most acclaimed rock albums of the 1990s as frontman of Pavement, and continues to innovate with Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. He released "Sparkle Hard," his seventh album with the Jicks, earlier this year. It's an eclectic record that showcases the quartet's musical versatility. Malkmus stopped by...

Edison will release the "Lion's Heart" EP at the end of this month. It's the first release from the Denver band since releasing its debut full-length in 2016. It's also the trio's final record, as Edison will split up following a farewell tour this fall. Edison stopped into the CPR Performance Studio for one last OpenAir Sessions performance. The band members played s...