bandwagon magazine - october 2011

BandWagon Magazine Greeley’s live music and entertainment magazine OCTOBER 20114

Artist or Outlaw?

Section 1.32 of Greeley’s Municipal Code states that it is unlawful to post any sign or advertisement in any public right of way. To do so is punishable by up to $1,000 in fines, one year in prison, or both. In addition, each day that a sign is posted shall be considered a separately punishable offense. Admittedly, street artists operate under few rules of their own, but rule #1 has to be, “DON’T GET CAUGHT!” In the last 30 days, however, there have been some arrests made and charges are currently pending against some Greeley street artists. This debate begs the question, artist or outlaw?

What is it about the rush of creating art unlawfully in public spaces that makes it worth the risk? Local artist Eal says that after he won all the awards and had his work shown in all the galleries, it seemed like a natural progression to take his art to the streets. “I just wasn’t seeing the kind of stuff being done here in Greeley as in other towns and cities,” says Eal. He’s currently looking for spaces where his paste-up style of art can remain for longer periods and be appreciated by even more people. In taking his art to the streets,

he’s certainly transformed the local landscape. With pieces like “Texting Jesus,” “Chekinstein,” and the ever popular “Girl with finger up her nose,” this town will never be the same!

Local aerosol artist Palm prefers to express himself through his work on trains, bridges, and overpasses. And he is quick to distinguish himself from other street artists, “I’m not a tagger or typical street artist.” He’s more apt to break out the scaffolding and create art

in places that most would not take the time or effort to access.

Eal and Palm, along with many others, are expressing themselves in new and challenging ways, all while working under the very real threat of getting caught. Undoubtedly, Keagan Fischer was not thinking of getting caught when he proceeded to tag his moniker “Joyo” around the UNC campus, which means “die happy”. Police considered it felony criminal mischief. Granted, tagging is perhaps the lowest form of street art and is perceived as outright vandalism by most.

Make no mistake though: the tide has turned. Whether

Joe Lee ParkerBandWagon Magazine

inspired by the infamous street artist Banky and the documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop or simply inspired by what’s happening in the global street art movement, local street art is becoming more common and audacious. Venture down 16th Street in Greeley or through the streets and alleys of the Downtown Central Business District to see what I mean.

Love it or hate it, expression through art in the streets is not only one of the oldest forms of expression (think

cave etchings), but it is here to stay. Stickers, stencils, spray paint, sanctioned murals, permission walls, wheat paste: pick your

medium. It’s around and it’s visible like never before.

Illegal or legal, artist or outlaw, chances are we’re not all going to agree on this one-way or the other. But let’s face it, we’ve been bombarded with outdoor advertising for so long we’re used to it. So why not allow stimulating visuals from local artists that naturally express who we are and what we’re up to as a community? I suggest that it’s going to happen anyway. We may as well embrace it and allow it to inspire, like art is meant to. The fact that it’s not designed to sell us something we don’t need or want is actually a bonus.

Pictured Above: Local street artist, EAL, Downtown Greeley, September 2011.

(Luckily, Greeley Police don’t read the BandWagon)

Bottom Left: Paste up piece by EAL, Garden City location, September 2011.

Bottom Middle: Aerosol piece by local aerosol artist PALM, Garden City location, September 2011.

Bottom Right: Paste up piece by EAL, 16th Street location, September 2011.

Photos By: Joe Lee Parker

“I just wasn’t seeing the kind of stuff being done here in Greeley as in other towns and cities”


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Watch the Throne compiles an absurd amount of talent and spits it out with effortless grace. Featuring ludicrously expensive samples, a shout from the metaphorical rooftop to the President of the United States, a fistful of choruses from Frank Ocean just as he’s turning the corner and becoming a trend, multiple brand drops of stuff so expensive that you’ve probably never heard of the majority of them (unless you hold Kanye’s financial status), a list of producers as long as Texas’ death row, and a short-lived moment of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon sounding like the best thing to happen to funk since George Clinton. That all said, the album is mainly Jay Z and Kanye comparing the size of their cocks--or putting them together to make sure no one can compete.

The song “That’s My Bitch”, Kanye and his collaborators

engineer a devastating dance-rap mega robot with synths ripping off to carry Justin Vernon’s aforementioned funktastic vocals. It’s a vicious song, catchy as herpes from a whore, but it’s lacking something to seal it cohesively with the rest of the album.

Watch the Throne works best when Jay and Kanye are just talking about how awesome they are without even thinking about being humble about a thing they say. “Niggas in Paris” rides on smooth synth riffs and body blasting bass. The narcissistic horn tooting is highlighted with this classic verse from Kanye “Doctors say I’m the illest because I’m suffering from realness/ Got my niggas in Paris, and they going gorillas,” and Jay brings us back to his glory days with some technical rap magic.

“Gotta Have It” hews apart James Brown vocal samples while Kanye and The Neptunes fuse together the rest of the track. While “Who Gon Stop Me” proves

Jay Z / Kanye WestWatch The Throne

Brady SmithBandWagon Magazine

how deep the search went for unique and different sounds as dubstep and rap find a cozy little hovel to make a proper outlet for Kanye cussing in Pig Latin.

So put together an artist long considered to rule the rap industry and another who has pumped more music and media attention then Bill Clinton--Bill had a lot more media attention than musical greatness--and you get an album dedicated to the two’s grandeur. This album actually has Kanye and Jay Z push each other to a higher level of greatness. This is the first rap super group album since Wu-Tang, and it’s totally worth checking out.

Originating in Greeley, this new collaborative project explores the many facets of and inspirations drawn from The Lords Prayer. The “live” and ever growing endeavor continues to be open for submissions but stands extremely well on its own as a five-track album.

Track one begins appropriately enough with “The Lord’s Prayer,” a classic, powerfully uplifting, and poignant piece by Tim Coons. Only a few months after his recent solo album “Frailty,” Tim continues to explore his extraordinary abilities as singer, songwriter, arranger, performer and co-producer. Accompanied by Luke Leasure on drums and Chris Liepe on electric guitar, Tim demonstrates once again how he’s been on top of his genre since the very beginning.

As if that weren’t enough, track two is an outstanding song by John Olsen entitled “Hollowed Be Thy Name.” With a running time of just over seven minutes,

it takes us on a sonic journey of stereophonic spirituality. Adding and building throughout the song while continuously expressing the inherent passion of the project in its entirety.

Next up is Troy Archer with his song “You Alone Are the Lord.” This rootsy and rhythmic track rolls right along with excellent drum work again by Leasure. Troy’s message is simple and clear with a straightforward delivery both lyrically and musically.

On the next track, we get to see what local favorites Girls With Guitars are up to with their song “Your Kingdom Come.” Featuring RoseAnne Sather and Ellie Pugh on vocals and guitars and Emily Springfield on hand drums, this local trio knows its way around the gospel and folk genre like no one else. They absolutely deliver the goods on this solid piece and leave you appropriately wanting to hear more. Hopefully we’ll have a full-length album from the girls very soon.

The compilation concludes with an outstanding new song

Tim Coons & Various ArtistsAbba, Father


by the one and only Renée Swick entitled “Gradual.” Renée brings it home with a solo acoustic piece (accompanying herself on piano) and nails it like only she can do. Her signature, almost gritty soulful vocals are as always, in fine shape and her halting, expressive piano work keeps her in a class of her own.

Compiled by and expertly produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Chris Liepe, he brings a cohesiveness and professionalism to the entire project that otherwise might have been lost along the way.

With cover and t-shirt artwork by Kyle Steed, the entire download is available for free at: http://timcoons.bandcamp.com/album/abba-father

Pictured: Jay Z & Kanye West - “Putting it together to make sure that no one can compete”

OPEN

To have your album reviewed, send CD to the BandWagon @ 921 16th St. Greeley, CO 80631


Das Racist might be considered a joke rap group releasing several nonsensical tracks in the past, including the classic “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.” They also might also be considered a new voice in rap, dealing with post 9/11 race relations from a fresh perspective. But the truth, obvious in their two mixtapes available for free at dasracist.net, is that they can be both these things, and their debut album, Relax, proves that.

Relax, released on Greenhead Records, shows that, while making a joke of all rap

clichés, Das Racist can stand up to even the best rappers in the game today. Tracks like “Power”, featuring their underground hip-hop buddies, Despot and Danny Brown, and “Shut, Up, Dude” featuring El-P, demonstrate the rap skills of Himanshu Suri (AKA Heems) and Victor Vasquez (AKA Kool AD). These wordsmiths piece together rhymes into complex verses that satirize rap music and culture in a way that is both important and respectable. “Booty in the Air” mocks the all too frequently used hip-hop adage of girls shaking their asses, but they use a catchy style that challenges other rappers the try to do it better.

Das RacistRelax

Mikey UnruhBandWagon Magazine

There is also a moment of complete seriousness in Heems’ verse on the title track, which expresses the plights and confusion of an Indian dude living in America after September 11. They also make a point to indicate the ease of their overly smart wordplay and references. The hook in “Power” claims “its too easy, even if I told you about it, you probably wouldn’t believe me.” A large portion of the record is devoted to similar demands that they are far greater than any other rappers alive, and they very well might be.

Perhaps the best elements of the album are the beats, which were provided by several top names from the hipster music scene. The production line up includes Anand Wilder of Yeasayer, and Vampire

Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, who produced for the quirky, low key “The Trick”, a track that quickly changes from “what is this noise” to “I can’t get enough of this!” Diplo, who worked with DR on their mixtape, Shut Up, Dude, is involved once again, on the pop rap track “Happy Rappy”, a song that is all about being fun to listen to and nothing poignant.

Patrick Wimberley of Chairlift, whose music is probably most notable to the casual music fan from iPod commercials, provides the production for a number of tracks on the album, including the lead single, “Michael Jackson”. “MJ” is a crazy, hard-hitting banger with a nonsensical, chantable hook that will be stuck in your head for weeks. The verses are quick

and will take multiple listens to fully take in, and even then you probably will still be taken back by the amount of content crammed into them. Concluding the first verse, Heems shouts “I’m fuckin’ great at rappin!” Indeed he and Kool AD are. And Relax proves that completely.

After a five year break, Incubus released their album If Not Now, When? in July 2011. At first, If Not Now, When? sounds similar to Light Grenades, released in 2006. But, it is clear that during the band’s five-year hiatus, they were developing

their instrumentation.It doesn’t take long to notice

that the central topic of the album is love. Incubus kept it simple by letting each song touch on the various types of affection, and after listening to each song a few times, it’s impossible not to fall in love with Incubus.

The title track is a classic ballad about the death of love which is not surprising,

IncubusIf Not Now, When?

Megan ConnerBandWagon Magazine

considering that Incubus is known for taking a slow, deep approach in many of their songs. Apart from the darkness that transpires in “If Not Now, When?”, Incubus displays that there is also a very bright light with songs like “Isadore”, which describes the desire for adoration. The rest of the album addresses the many layers of love through themes like separation, disappointment, and longing.

Loyal fans will have noticed that Incubus sounds exactly the same live as they do on their

album. The new guitar solos, piano infusions, and buttery smooth ballads, were welcomed by cheers from Colorado fans during a sold out Red Rocks show just last September.

Not only is it obvious that Incubus has improved, but it’s difficult not to notice their vast extent of musical knowledge as well as the talent they’ve gained since 1999’s Make Yourself. The band is innovative and often creates melodies that stem from a single instrument or pitch.

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BandWagon Magazine Greeley’s live music and entertainment magazine OCTOBER 2011 6


Bellflower106 Minutes – Rated R

Showtimes at bellflower-themovie.com

An awesome mind-fuck. That’s what I thought of Bellflower when I walked out of the theater. It’s a raw, dark film that is also all kinds of special.

Bellflower is the debut film of writer-director-actor Evan Glodell, and it is a legit independent film – no major studio backing at all, no big stars, it took five years to make and cost an estimated $17,000 according to IMDB.com. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it was picked

up for distribution following screenings at SXSW. It’s a film you most definitely have not heard of.

The film follows Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden, (Tyler Dawson) two lifelong friends who are obsessed with Mad Max. They spend their days making working flamethrowers, building muscle cars similar to Mel Gibson’s Ford Falcon Pursuit Special, and drinking. All of this is done to pass the time as they wait for the coming apocalypse to clear the runways for their imagined gang, Mother Medusa. They’re screwed up to a

degree, but their childlike glee awaiting the end of the world makes them the most innocent characters in the film.

The film does take a darker turn. You’re never sure if what you are watching is reality or if it’s all happening in Woodrow’s mind. There might be a happy ending to this story, but it may also be a figment of Woodrow’s imagination or a promise between Aiden and Woodrow that never happens because of escalating events seen earlier in the film.

The movie is about friendship and love and what happens when those two things turn toxic, viewed through the eyes of the male lead. It’s also a technologically ambitious and visually unique film. Bellflower’s

Drive is an action film for adults. Which is another way of saying that Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime drama is for those who values characters, story and slow pacing instead of non-stop special effects and general mayhem and destruction. If your idea of an action film is Transformers, this is not for you. If you want an action fix but don’t want threadbare storytelling and mediocre acting, Drive is the film to see.

Ryan Gosling plays a Hollywood stunt performer, a seemingly quiet, even-tempered and dexterous man. Referred to by others as Kid or simply The Driver, he works as a mechanic for Shannon (Bryan Cranston) and lives alone in his apartment. He moonlights as a getaway driver on the side, never carrying a gun, never being part of the nefarious

activities, giving his clients a five-minute window to get in and out. Driving is what he’s about.

This is the first film of Ryan Gosling’s I’ve ever seen, so I had no preconceived notions of his ability to be a badass, unlike the rest of the Internet who knew him through Lars and the Real Girl and The Notebook. The Driver’s a man of few words and is measured in what he says and does, which makes him even more terrifying when he starts preemptively killing flunkies in the most bloody fashion possible. But he’s very clearly not a psychopath; there is nothing in Gosling’s performance that suggests The Driver enjoys killing people. He just does what needs to be done.

Albert Brooks, primarily known as a comedic actor, was surprisingly effective as Rose, the lead baddie of the film. Never once did I think of him as Hank Scorpio as he’d

stare down Gosling – I only thought of him as a man to be feared. The rest of the cast is damn-near perfect: With two AMC Drama vets, an actor known primarily for B-movies and the Hellboy films and an Oscar-nominated actress, the acting is steps above similar thrillers.

The action scenes are short, but they’re far more coherent and exciting than anything from Michael Bay. The highlight of the film is the chase between Gosling’s (stolen) Ford Mustang GT and the baddies’ Chrysler 300C, the style of the chase is influenced by old-school action films like The French Connection. The film is also incredibly violent, so much so I’d called this film a modern-day equivalent to Reservoir Dogs. This film doesn’t pull its punches, which is a welcomed change to films that play up violence for laughs or tone it down to a PG-13. It’s a legitimately mature film. It’s shocking. It’s exciting. It’s awesome. Go see Drive. 10/10

Jay WallaceBandWagon Magazine

Drive100 Minutes – Rated R

Showtimes on IMDb.com

Jay WallaceBandWagon Magazine

production team built their own video cameras for the film, giving the film a warm, dirty, almost sepia-soaked haze. The flamethrowers they build actually work, as does the other star of the film: Medusa, a 1972 Buick Skylark outfitted with dual

exhaust pipes/flamethrowers, a supercharged V8 engine, hydraulic suspension, and front/rear cameras. The story is intriguing and the film is a great example of what you can do with almost no budget. It’s a violent, awesome quirk-fest you must see. 9/10


Now Playing:Live Music & Free Movies at Kress Cinema

Since they opened three years ago in the heart of Downtown Greeley, the Kress Cinema & Lounge has been offering multiple nights of free movies; free live music, great affordable food, and daily drink specials. That’s right, FREE MOVIES and FREE LIVE MUSIC! Plus it all happens at one of the most beautiful spots anywhere in town. You really have to see it to believe and enjoy it! After all, no cool town is complete without an independent film house. Well, the Kress is that and so much more.

Manager John Jankow has a knack for screening some of the best classic films from back in the day and cult movies we all love to see over and over again. He scouts out the new films and takes into account suggestions from fans around the region. It’s a good bet you’ll see one great movie after another on their big screen with full surround sound. Granted, I’m a sucker for subtitled indie films and killer classics so this place has become a home for my

friends and me. They even let you eat your diner and drink your cocktails right there in the theatre. What more could you ask for?

The lounge features live jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass and the like on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday is the Classic Movie Club where you join by just showing up. It’s one of their free screening nights. This is where we get a chance to see some of the old classics like never before. No matter how many times I’ve seen Casablanca, it’s like seeing it for the very first time when I get to share it with friends on the big screen at the Kress. Fridays, another free movie night, it’s time for cult classics and pop-culture mainstays. Seeing these movies with a group of friends is what the theatre experience is all about. How else would you know who can recite the most lines from the favorites we all grew up with?

Plan to get there a little early or hang out after the movie, as the bar and adjoining lounge are posh and comfortable. It’s a great place to bring a date or meet friends for diner and drinks.

The food is tasty and won’t break the bank and drink specials are offered daily.

Don’t take my word for it, Downtown Greeley rocks and the Kress Cinema & Lounge is one of the main reasons why. It’s the kind of place where you can just drop in, and there’s always something great going on. I know I’ve always had a good time and seen some great movies along the way. About once a month, they host bigger name bands and feature them on the main theatre stage, often with movie footage playing in the background. This is a treat you don’t want to miss.

If you haven’t been or it’s been awhile, then you owe it to yourself to check it out; there’s always something new and fun. They’ll be featuring UNC Jazz music in October and have started screening


classic Spanish movies on Wednesday nights. Check out what’s coming up on their on-line events calendar at www.kresscinema.com and friend

them on Facebook.Oh yeah, did I mention

FREE MOVIES and FREE LIVE MUSIC?

Kress Cinema, 815 8th Ave in Downtown GreeleyPhoto By: Joe Lee Parker

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A Pato Banton concert is an event not to be missed and an experience not to be forgotten.

Positive Vibrations abound with a beat to keep you on your dancing feet, while Pato delivers a message that is food for the mind and soul. Many have considered his charismatic performance as live theatre where no show is alike and audience members become participants in the experience. Pato dialogues with the crowd on a range of topics including current day events and spiritual freedom while keeping the vibes upbeat and fun! The direction

of the concert is totally based on the feedback Pato receives from the audience as there is no fixed set list. Many have said that the positivity generated from the stage has changed their lives forever. Sometimes Pato invites his fans to join him in a prayer circle after the show, where some have cried while sharing their stories of contemplated suicide, isolation after losing a loved one, struggles with substance abuse and how their personal connection with Pato has given them the strength to “Stay Positive” & “Never Give In.”

SPOTLIGHTSUpcoming Concerts you need To see

Michal Menert was born in Kielce, Poland while the country was under communist rule. As a young child, he and his parents fled to the United States by way of West Germany, becoming political refugees. During his childhood, Michal’s father exposed him to a wide variety of Eastern and Western music, giving the boy fertile soil in which to plants his musical visions early on. Coming from a musical background of playing guitar, keyboards, and dabbling in a variety of other instruments gave Michal a unique approach to composing his own musical

style. He grew up in Colorado with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights, and together they played in several bands and challenged and inspired each other as they developed their own unique production styles. He co-produced the debut Pretty Lights album, Taking Up Your Precious Time and has collaborated with Derek Vincent Smith on a handful of tracks since then. His solo album, entitled Dreaming of A Bigger Life was released on Pretty Lights Music in the spring of 2010. His sound combines obscure vintage samples from both Eastern European and Western vinyl with rich analog synthesis and organic hard hitting beats. It is a fusion of yesterday’s elements and tomorrow’s ideas.

MICHAL MENERTThurs. Oct. 13th @ Sky Nightclub

In early 2009, Michael “Mikestar” Etheridge set up a mattress in his basement as a makeshift sound booth, hooked a mic up to his computer, and

MIKESTARPRODUCTIONSFri. Oct. 21st @ A.F. Ray’s

THE EPILOGUESFri. Oct. 7th @ A.F. Ray’s

Scan the QR Code to see the official music video for the band’s

hit song, “Hunting Season”

Recently, The Epilogues have started to recieve heavy radio play on 93.3fm and things are moving fast for these Denver indie-rockers.

Anyone who has been in tune with the Colorado (and Greeley) music scene knows who these guys are and if you ever saw The Epilogues at The Beetle, the BandWagon officially awards you 10 scene points. UNCSR brings the band here later this month. Unfortunately for us, this band will soon be bigger than our little town; so go see them while you still can.

Jerome Luke is not new to the Greeley scene and his fresh music will blow you away. With an all new original sound you’ve never heard before you’ve got to check him out, on his website (jeromeluke.com) and at AF Rays October 8, 2011. If you’ve got a smartphone, scan this QR code to listen to the title track of his upcoming album My Resignation. Catch him while you can because we predict his music is going viral.

Scan the QR Code to hear the the track “My Resignation” from

Jerome Luke.

Jerome LukeSat. Oct. 8th @ A.F. Ray’s

invited some friends over. Ever since then, Mikestar has devoted his life to creating his own kind of hip-hop music. Joining him in this mission are EZ, Thrilla, and Tre C.V.O.K., Greeley rappers who merge their unique talents to become Mikestar Productions.

Having long since left the basement, Mikestar Productions defies our generation’s hip-hop norms to provide fresh perspective on issues we can all relate to. They do Colorado proud by producing music that inspires the audience to chase their dreams, regardless of what others have to say. Their hometown pride is exemplified by their involvement in shows like the G-Town Underground Hip Hop Showcase and the Mile High Mic Check.

The group’s chemistry is undeniable, whether onstage or hanging out at their home studio. “We really are a family,” says Ethridge. “That’s been the idea from the get go.”

Mikestar Productions thoroughly enjoys working and growing as a team, though it could be argued that it’s already found the perfect blend of bluesy instrumentals and thought-provoking lyrics to match Mikestar’s in-your-face style. The group agrees that Ethridge is a perfectionist, an artist who isn’t ashamed to say what needs to be

heard and always pushes Mikestar Productions on to greater heights. It’s clear, however, that the group’s continued success will not affect their passion for creating such pure hip-hop.

Mikestar Productions is more than just a local act. They’ve played shows all over Colorado, opening for names like Killa Tay, Liquid Assassin, and Black Pegasus, the most successful rapper in Colorado. On October 15th, the group will be opening

for Skatterman at Denver’s Roxy Theatre. On October 21st, Mikestar Productions will be releasing their debut album, Most Underestimated Sound In Colorado (M.U.S.I.C.) at A.F. Ray’s, offering a discount to those who buy a $5 pre-sale ticket to the show. Come see how far Mikestar Productions has come from their humble beginnings.

Words By: Mariah Foster

Pato BantonSat. Oct. 1st @ Sky Nightclub


*additional restrictions may apply


The Fray were local favorites before they released “How to Save a Life” in 2005. Now, they are multi-platinum, world renown, and Grammy-nominated artists. Through all this praise, they have remained true to their Colorado roots. This month they will play a benefit show at the Union Colony Civic Center that is raising money to support Love 146’s mission to abolish sex trafficking.

“I want to raise awareness and help people realize that there is still injustice in our world,” said Sophie Wysocki, the organizer of the event. “I learned about Love 146 in high school.”

When her professor assigned a service

project as a part of her class’s grade, she thought of Love 146. Her idea was to plan a benefit show and donate the proceeds to the organization. “At first I thought we would have [the show] in a coffee shop,” Wysocki said. But that’s hard to do when your older brother is in the Fray. Interestingly enough, Isaac Slade, the Fray’s lead singer, had worked with Love 146 in the past, which aided in the decision to play the event.

The Fray will undoubtedly draw a large crowd, and they will claim none of the proceeds. Everything thing in this concert had been donated, which means the one hundred percent of the

ticket sales will go to the organization. “Tickets will cost $15-$30,” Wysocki said, “and we hope to raise $25,000.”

The band’s success with their chart topping album How to Save a Life and the anticipation building around their up and coming album made them the perfect choice to raise this kind of money.But the show is not just about the Fray, it is also about community. Local artist from Denver and Greeley, such as Ashita and Churchhil, will be accompanying them on stage.

Most important to Sophie Wysocki, however, is that the night be about the children.

The Fray to take part of an artists in the round

at the UCCC in Greeley, Friday October 7th


ticket sales will go to the organization. “Tickets will cost $15-$30,” Wysocki said, “and we hope to raise $25,000.”

The band’s success with their chart topping album How to Save a Life and the anticipation building around their up and coming album made them the perfect choice to raise this kind of money.But the show is not just about the Fray, it is also about community. Local artist from Denver and Greeley, such as Ashita and Churchhil, will be accompanying them on stage.

Most important to Sophie Wysocki, however, is that the night be about the children.

Love 146 is a worthy charity because it not only rescues victims of the sex trade, it rehabilitates them. It gives them a place to go, and a means to live their own lives. Love 146 is active in India, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, and more. Their strength lies in their decision to put three quarters of all money raised directly into rescue programs. The rest goes to fundraising and only thirteen percent goes to management. Many non-profits have a difficult time maintaining such a large fund for programs, which means Love 146 is in the top echelon of non-profit organizations.

“The night will be musical round circle,” said Ashida front-man Jeremy Ashida. “The artists will shoot songs back and forth.”

With a band like The Fray set to perform for the first time in a while in Greeley, it will no doubt be a special night at the UCCC. There are many organizations that are out there that claim good intentions, but ultimately they are really in it for themselves. In 2009 and 2010, Love 146 spent $1.3 million on rescue projects, making an already promising concert, all the more worth the $15 cover.


The Laundry Log: Fall FashionPhotography by Luke & Mallory Leasure

Compiled by Marte Samuelstuen & Kari Carda

This season you will see printed skirts like the navajo and floral patterns shown above. Sheer tights are a perfect accompaniment.

Transition summer wear into autumn by pairing bright with warm colors. Thrift stores can help bring retro back with acid-wash denim.

Vary fabric types like knit sweaters with jersey skirts. Geometric patterns are big this season: shown here with an infinity scarf.

Fashion can be comfortable too with paper bag, high-waisted trou-sers. Dress up or down by combining silk fabrics and knit cardigans.

Blissful bags: leather petite side-bags as well as too-cool-for-school backpacks are all the rage - look for classic canvas meets leather.

Shoes! Oxfords fall in love. Jump into high fashion with low profile, ankle boots. Back to the ‘70’s with cuffed socks and wedge combos.


Insert boyfriend here. Think flannel, flannel, flannel. Pair plaids with knit or wool cardigans. For stripes done right, layer with earthy colors, and offset with dark denim, loosely-cuffed at the ankles. Complete the look by adding dress socks with oxfords or sneakers. Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to turn heads... Keep checking out the BandWagon for more fashion musts from the Laundry Log each month.


Food In Review:Rumi’s House of Kabob

Rumi’s House of Kabob on 9th Street and 11th Avenue in Downtown Greeley has been open for nearly a year now. With a tagline that boasts, “Where the food is excellent, and the people are friendly” on their website, I’ve been pleased to discover this description is absolutely true.

After being introduced to Middle Eastern food and culture during my years spent in Los Angeles, I’ve been longing for this cuisine to find its way to Greeley. Happily, I’ve discovered I need not travel far to enjoy classic Persian food. In fact, it’s safe to say I’m now a Rumi’s regular as the whole experience has only gotten better since their early days.

With favorites like Beef or Chicken Barg and Kobideh, the exquisite Lamb Shank, the relatively new Kapsa Chicken, and, of course, the Red Lentil Soup, any food lover is going to feel right at home. Great service, friendly family-like people, and a beautiful atmosphere provide for a first-class dining experience.

I’ve gotten to know Rumi’s owner, David Barghelame, and I make it a point to eat there often. In keeping with tradition, the upstairs dining area offers ample space for large or small groups to dine while seated at low tables on floor cushions. The rugs, tapestries, and furnishings are elegant as well as comfortable. The poetry and spiritual influence of the restaurant’s namesake, Rumi, can be seen in the overall aesthetic of the place.

When you visit, make sure you plan on eating dessert there too! Their Saffron-Pistachio Ice Cream is truly as good as it gets; one serving never satisfies. Both their Baklava and Almond Cookie are out of this world: a definite must, even if you have to order one to-go. Throughout your dining experience, I recommend the hot tea as it can

be enjoyed with any coarse.Check out Rumi’s House of

Kabob for yourself, and bring a friend or two! They’re open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and for dinner, Monday through Saturday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Vist rumishouseofkabob.com for more information.


Photos By: Joe Lee Parker


More Art Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Greeley. For some people it means obligation, school, and college. For others it means community, creation, and life. For me, I grew up here, even though I didn’t physically arrive until I turned eighteen. I became the person that I was going to be because of this town.

When I was in college at UNC I was broke. Old story, I know. Sometimes that meant finding ways to carry someone’s drum bag to get into a show for free, or sipping an I-don’t-really-want-this beer, but mostly it forced me to discover things beyond the movie theater and the Best Buy.

I was broke, so I got creative. I would invite myself into hear the jazz lab bands practice, or wander around campus until I found a barbeque for a club I didn’t really want to join, but was willing to hear about until I finished my chips. I would find art gallery openings of local artists. I expected to see art, not to be overwhelmed with the amount of talent, heart

and passion I encountered. And the arts in Greeley are even more alive today.

The fine arts in Greeley proper boast twenty-plus galleries off campus, five-plus on campus and over one hundred non-major classes a year for any artist in any medium at any level.

Greeley is a booming art town. Don’t believe me? Google it.

Along with the galleries, several coffee shops and small businesses have been honored to give up their wall space to showcase local talent. The ceramic enthusiasts have recently opened up a Clay Center. The local art fairs (Art in the Park, The Artists Block and the Atlas Winter Indie Market to name a few) have had to turn folks away because they are overflowing with applicants, and the Greeley All-Arts meeting lasted over two hours in August, because it hosted over forty presenters all celebrating their opportunities for local artists to participate in the arts in this city.

This series is designed to introduce you to the amazing

art galleries, people and shows that make this town amazing.

UNC is now offering C o m m u n i t y Art Classes. Not an art m a j o r ? Who cares! C o m m u n i t y Art Classes (also called hands on arts) are open to everyone at affordable (and s o m e t i m e s free) rates. This semester alone you can try your hand at photography, doll creation, guitar lessons, belly dancing, w a t e r c o l o r painting or sign up for private lessons in any of the visual or performing arts. High quality and committed instructors who care deeply about creating life-long artists, and they do an incredible job. With the UNC

Kelly CookBandWagon Magazine

campus and support at their disposal, community arts classes have been called “the most useful and meaningful classes I have taken… ever.”

Even better, each class lasts just a few hours, making them accessible

and compact enough for any schedule. UNC students get even deeper discounts. The instructors are friendly, and the classes are fun. To sign up or for more information go to: http://www.arts.unco.edu/express/

UNC Goes Green

Going Green is more than just a social trend; it’s a long-term vision. At its core is the pursuit of projects with environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible motives. The University of Northern Colorado prides itself at being a key player in this endeavor.

UNC is home to a growing Environmental/S u s t a i n a b i l i t y S t u d i e s Program which, coincidentally, was put into motion on the first Earth Day, 1970. The University is also a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) which spans nationwide. This speaks to what the Green movement is really all about – involvement that benefits current and future generations.

Richard Jurin, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, hopes to see sustainability at UNC become a Grassroots movement. It

should be happening from the people, for the people. Students need to be aware of what is going on and take the initiative to participate. They also have to know that their effort matters.

“It’s about community involvement where everyone has a voice and is part of the system,” said Jurin, “like a family.”

The Sustainability Council Planning Team is currently

working to expand the amount of participation. The ultimate goal is a forum composed of different committees that represent all sectors of the University. If the Green Movement is going to grow, people need to communicate and

interact with one another. The first step is increased awareness about what is already happening at UNC. Jurin hopes to improve information accessibility to the public with a website highlighting UNC’s sustainability in the near future.

Some of UNC’s existing

contributions to the cause include, but are not limited to: community garden plots to promote local foods, energy efficient building materials with low VOC’s (Volatile Organic Chemicals), proactive plumbing in the form of low flow shower heads/toilets, energy efficient lighting, and the recycling of materials like aluminum, cardboard, paper, plastic, and even dining hall cooking oils for fuel.

On November 30th, UNC will be putting on an event appropriately named, Green Clean-Up Day. This campus-wide effort focuses on the safe disposal of recyclable items ranging from plastic to cell phones, and from steel to printer cartridges. The goal is to prevent the waste of natural resources and provide students a convenient and environmentally conscious way to discard of their unwanted materials.

UNC is putting the Green movement into motion, proving sustainability is part of a vision that will mature. The game is already in progress. All it needs are more players willing to participate.

Kari CardaBandWagon Magazine

“It’s about community involvement

where everyone has a voice

and is part of the system.”

Richard Jurin, UNC Biological

Sciences

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Jerry was 21 when he first stepped off his plane onto Cam Ranh Bay airfield. That was forty years ago, and Vietnam was very different. A retired three-star general, Vietnam is not a topic he particularly likes to speak about, and the mention of it makes him grow quiet and look down at his thumbs which he has, by that time in the conversation, begun to twirl around each other. To say there was an elephant in the room when my wife, Megan, and I asked him to help send us to Vietnam on a medical trip, would be an understatement. It was more like he had seen the ghost of a long lost relative, something so familiar and yet so terrifying.

Megan and I were going to Vietnam with a team of American and Vietnamese doctors and dentists to provide free medical care to people who didn’t have access to it. Megan was involved with Children of Peace International (COPI) in high school and has since worked with the founder and team leader was Binh Rybacki. Rybacki left Vietnam when she was eighteen, during the fall of Saigon in 1975, and returned in 1993 to find thousands of children homeless. She started the organization later that year, building orphanages, supporting schools, and eventually leading medical teams like ours. The 2011 summer trip would by my first time to Vietnam and Megan’s third.

“How old are you?” Jerry asked.

“Twenty-one.”“I was there when I was your

age, but I was there on duty.” His hands were shaking. He bit his lip and stood quietly for about a minute before he finally said, “Yeah, Pat [his wife] and I will give you some money.”

I’ve never seen a three-star general cry; that day, I came close. It was barely a generation’s time ago that America sent its children to fight on the same roads, in the same rice patties, and in the same towns that I would be travelling through in a few months.

Eight months after talking to Jerry, Megan and I boarded a flight bound for Cam Ranh Bay. Cam Ranh Bay was a major base of operations for Americans during the war and one of three ports of entry for military personnel. The American airstrip is still there and became the main runway used by the airport, as it is the safest in the country. Stepping off that plane I saw many of the same things young men my age saw forty years ago.

Times had changed though. Instead of seeing soldiers and fighter jets, I saw tourists and a UPS plane. Waves crashed on the beach a few hundred yards from the taxi area, and on them were surfers and wave-runners.

There were forty-five people on our team, about the size of a large platoon. A bus took us from there to Viet Tri, a town north of Hanoi.

I will never forget the faces in Viet Tri; they looked like faces in war photographs. The men there were shorter than I and weighed around 130 pounds. Theirs were the faces of the so-called enemy, or that is what they would have been called forty years ago. On my trip, they were called patients. Many of these people had never seen a dentist or a toothbrush. Some of them had seen a doctor once or twice but most hadn’t.

I was lucky enough to have seen these men from behind a surgical mask rather than from behind a rifle. Most Americans who have seen people like that in Viet Tri were shooting at them. We saw 200 patients at that clinic. They were children, elderly, men, and women, but most importantly, they were human, and I got to experience them as such rather than as the enemy.

From Viet Tri we traveled south to Hanoi, where I met a man named Nguyen in front of our hotel, selling pirated copies of books. It surprised me how well he spoke English. Like other street peddlers, Nguyen was most likely born into the profession. School is often a luxury item that will never be within their means, and they spend their childhood selling gum or necklaces to tourists while their parents make dried squid or sugarcane juice. Nguyen said he learned English speaking to tourists, and although he clearly wanted to sell us books, he seemed genuinely interested in why we where in Vietnam.

“Americans come to help?” he asked. The idea seemed unfathomable.

“[Children of Peace International] runs homes for orphans, a cancer center, and an AIDS center,” Megan said.

He was excited about the idea, but mostly because he had a book about the AIDS problem in Vietnam. We didn’t buy it, but we bought The Girl in the Picture, about the infamous picture taken during a napalm attack in Cu Chi. We weren’t able to sign him up as a humanitarian, and we probably didn’t change his view of Americans, but he did, however, give us a discount on our book.

Nguyen thanked us for our work, and he wasn’t even a patient. Perhaps, the way America tries save the world, the fuck ‘em up and give ‘em freedom strategy, isn’t quite effective. Nguyen was excited about Americans coming to help kids that could end up like him: Copying Penguin Classics in the basement of a tailor shop or hollowing out coconuts for desserts. He would have rather gone to school, he told us, and one day, beyond Vietnam’s borders.

Forty years ago, America sent it’s children to war hoping

to save Vietnam. On my trip, I saw a country still getting over the hiccups of that war. There are 250,000 homeless orphans in Vietnam. Many of them will fall victim to sex trade and crime. Communism won out anyway leaving 58,000 Americans lost in vain. Forty years later, we are sending young humanitarians to do what no soldier could really waste his or her time on: teaching children to brush their teeth, pulling teeth, filling cavities, performing ear irrigations, and giving the people of Vietnam the means to help themselves. It really makes a difference. COPI supports fourteen schools and orphanages serving a total of 6,000 kids. They are raising support to build the country’s first pediatric cancer center, and they support Vietnam’s only pediatric HIV/AIDS center. It took forty years and a woman who could have been another casualty to show Americans how they can save the world effectively.

“You people,” Binh said into a microphone on our 50 passenger bus, “are the hope for our world.” She was crying. Our bus had recently left a mountain village near Nha Trang, where team members paid a year’s tuition for five college students from a near by leper colony. It cost $130 each, and the recipients will be the first children from a leper colony to attend college in the history of Vietnam.

Those people changed the world that day. They knew it was well with in their means to make the world at least that much better. I can’t imagine many troops thought that on a regular bases. Otherwise, the mention of Vietnam would not quiet a man like Jerry. A three-star general is not a person one would expect to act sheepish in the face of anything, but a mere word makes him recoil, slip in to an emotional quagmire so debilitating that he can barely utter sounds much less the words they comprise.

“The medical trips serve two purposes,” Binh told me. “We are serving the people of Vietnam. People who really need our help, and we are making friends. That’s important because friends don’t shoot each other.” It’s true. It’s simple. Some might say it’s naive, but it holds water in a place like Vietnam. It is easy to convince people that America is their enemy when there are tanks rolling through town and American napalm attacks are killing children. It’s harder to convince someone of that when Americans are bringing food and medical supplies.

The Vietnamese government isn’t fond of COPI. It would rather boast to the world while they hide their sick and poor than help them. Medical teams are constantly being harassed by police. Leaving our first clinic in Binh Thuan, we were told that the Vietnamese police were looking for us, and that we needed to hide our name tags and refuse to answer questions about COPI, clinic sites, or Binh.

Binh says that the Vietnamese police act tough for about an hour, telling the team that what it is doing is illegal, but the police don’t do anything to stop it. Before long, officers see the quality of care that patients are receiving and ask to go through the clinic. Some officers bring their children to see a doctor. It’s hard to convince a person that someone is his or her enemy when that they are offering free medical care.

I was lucky enough to go to Vietnam forty years late, when I had the opportunity to help fill holes in young men’s bodies rather than put them there. Americans were getting the point, but we haven’t learned that forty years is too long of a wait after we’ve put down our guns, or that we never needed our guns in the first place. “America has a lot of power to stop this nonsense,” Binh said, “but their not using it. They’d rather blow the shit out people than dress the wounds that were already there. People buy into Al Queda because their hungry and uneducated, just like what happened in Vietnam, believe me, I was there.”

Saigon was our last

destination. For our clinic we would drive 30 kilometers west to a town called Cu Chi, where Nick Ut took his Pulitzer Prize-winning picture. Many of the children at the clinic were disabled, probably because of America’s use of Agent Orange. They were the result of the negligent fuck ‘em up and give ‘em freedom strategy. American policy makers were characteristically unaware of N. T. Wright’s observation that “when you fight evil with evil, evil always wins.”

It’s hard for me to find something good to point at when I think of the war in Vietnam, as I’d imagine it is for Jerry too. Binh would say it was a human tragedy. Perhaps she wouldn’t be alive to help orphans had it not been for American soldiers, but perhaps there would be fewer orphans if America was smart about the way they tried to save the world. There would be less widows then. Less parents burying their children, and perhaps less people who want to see America’s cities burn, because it is true. It is simple; friends don’t kill each other.

Vietnam In Retrospect

Zach MartinezBandWagon Magazine


Let’s be honest; the first thing that might come to mind when you think of Oktoberfest is beer. It’s probably the single most enticing factor for twenty-somethings to attend the event: fermented beverages aplenty!

Modeled after the 200-year-old festival held every year in the heart of Bavaria: Munich, Germany, Greeley’s Oktoberfest just celebrated its fortieth year. What began in a UNC German professor’s backyard has evolved into an annual two-day event. Now held at Lincoln Park, Greeley’s Downtown Development Agency (DDA) has worked to preserve some of the classic traditions associated with the festival while also giving it a fresh spin.

“This year, we decided

to feature craft beers and establish a “beer garden” where we could feature a local wine, a local distillery, and local brews,” saids Mandi Huston, who helped logistically coordinate Oktoberfest as the Administrative Assistant for the DDA. “We wanted to create a very classy and sociable atmosphere.”

Held September 23rd-24th, Greeley’s event ran in conjunction with the main event in Munich, which lasts 17 days, beginning in September and concluding on German Unity Day (October 3rd). With over 100 volunteers helping run the event, Greeley’s Oktoberfest drew an estimated 6,000-8,000 visitors over the course of two days.

“Rarely do you see a community as eclectic and close as Greeley is,” says Huston. “Everyone found something

Marte SamuelstuenBandWagon Magazine

they liked at Oktoberfest. The younger, professional crowds enjoyed Friday night’s music, especially the Polkanauts, and the more traditional crowds enjoyed Saturday’s bands featuring polka music.”

To complement the craft beers, traditional German cuisine was sold including giant pretzels, bratwurst, schnitzel, and spaetzle (egg noodles). Various craft vendors were scattered throughout the park along with Kids’ World which featured face painting, blow-up obstacle courses, and WOW Bubbles, where participants feel as though they are walking on water in a giant clear bubble. “Nearly everyone, even the young people who were obviously not beer drinkers, gave the life-size beer pong a go,” said Huston.

To commemorate this year’s event, authentic German-made beer steins were sold featuring the locally designed 2011 Greeley Oktoberfest logo. “We were very impressed with how the steins turned out,” said Huston “and people truly felt a part of something in purchasing, drinking, and toasting one another with them.”

The DDA plans to continue organizing Greeley’s Oktoberfest with improvements made each year. “Oktoberfest was just another reminder of why we love to put on these events and bring people together,” said Huston. “Our goal is to show downtown Greeley a great time!”

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