Note From Local Music Director Alisha Sweeney:
I was recently interviewed by MCA Denver about the Colorado music scene, and when I was asked what I wished more Denverites knew about the music scene here I responded, “Opt for discovery. Denver’s got talent, don’t discount a band just because you haven’t heard them yet.“ I believe so deeply in this statement and that is why I love curating the Local 303. This month we continue to find local artists taking risks and exploring new musical paths.
The roster includes a local supergroup of members from DeVotchKa called Post Truth Serum, new tracks from dance-floor heavyweight GRiZ, and pop-punk is alive with new band The Hype Pathetics.
Kayla Rae is a Colorado artist on the verge of stardom and we are proud to be celebrating the release of her new record “Pressure” before she leaves the local scene for Los Angeles.
We are also inspired by Wes Watkins and hip-hop duo (and local legends) WhyGyp for their timely new albums born out of the Black Lives Matter movement that we will be spinning this month too.
Sophie Gray is Colorado’s answer to Maggie Rogers and indie-pop favorites Modern Leisure does not disappoint with their breezy new summertime singles. We also rock out with Ned Garthe Explosion who is also a part of our B-Side Music Fridays series and we’re adding in singer-songwriter Liat and the Sirens who put out their debut single this summer.
The now Denver-based Jorge Elbrecht (who last summer toured Europe with Kurt Vile) brings his experimental sound to the feature and we round out the Local 303 with Pure Weed and the band’s ever-evolving lineup.
Five months in to the global pandemic and protests across the country we continue to take a moment to ask our featured artists about this historical time and how it has affected them personally and creatively. CPR and Indie 102.3 are committed to equity, access and social justice.
Are you a Colorado musician who wants to be featured in the Local 303? Send us your music.
Meet August’s picks:
GRiZ
Jason Siegel PhotographyHometown: Originally from Detroit, MI and based in Denver
Latest release: “Medusa (feat. Wreckno),” Self-Release, June 25, 2020
Formed: 2015
About: To his friends and family, he goes by Grant Kwiecinski, the 29-year-old kid from north Detroit who grew up on a healthy diet of American funk, golden-age hip-hop, and dance music; the curious producer who first began making future-forward music during his formative years at Michigan State University, only to permanently abandon the classroom for the dance floor; and the fun-loving dude who’s the life of the party at every damn party. To the rest of the world, his name is GRiZ, the Denver-based multifaceted artist who’s funkin’ up dance floors worldwide with his self-described “future funk” sound, which mixes electronic music with his fiery live saxophone, energetic funk, and sweeping electro-soul.
In April, GRiZ released his celebrated sixth studio album, “Ride Waves,” receiving praise from the likes of Billboard, i-D, Office Mag, among others. As his most creatively ambitious, most sonically robust, and most personal project to date, the 14-track album features collaborations with major artists like Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Matisyahu, DRAM, and Bootsy Collins, and sees the producer taking his sound toward uncharted territories in hip-hop, pop, and dance music, all while keeping the funky GRiZ sound intact.
“Ride Waves” is GRiZ’s musical culmination following a full year of self-reflection and creative development, a time during which he initiated an extended, eight-month-long social media blackout to refocus on personal self-discovery and his own artistic growth. Ride Waves, then, is his expression of what GRiZ calls “the emotional roller coaster that is life,” with the album title reflecting all the exhilarating highs and painful lows we all experience on the daily. “Sometimes in life, there are big-ass waves that you try and ride, and then you fail,” GRiZ says of the meaning behind Ride Waves. “But then you choose to ride the next wave with confidence. To me, Ride Wavesis about how all the ups in life come with the downs. All the swells, all the tides—they come and go.”
Since the album’s release,GRiZ has releaseda series of EPs that stay true to his bass-heavy, dubstep-fueled roots, aptly titled Bangers.Zip. The EPs are a call-back to his early musical stylings, one of which feature the massive hit “Griztronics” –an epic collab with riddim producer Subtronics that has reached nearly 1 billion streams via Tik Tok, #9 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart and a total of 7.5million streams across major DSPs plus 14million across YouTube in the US alone.
Sharing his sonic journey with fans around the world, GRiZ set out on SeasonsOne of his Ride Wavestour this past summer, selling out venues like King’s Theatre in Brooklyn, The Met in Philly, and two nights at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington for the second year of his personal-favorite GRiZMAS In July events. Season Two saw him return to the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre for his fifth-year of double sold-out shows before heading out on an 18-city trek across North America with stops at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, LA’s Palladium and Chicago’s Navy Pier.
GRiZ has remained one of the leading independent artists in electronic music throughout the years, from his 2011 debut album to his breakout album Good Will Prevail (September 2016), which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Electronic chart and charted on the Billboard 200 chart—an impressive feat for a free release.
A champion of the live electronic landscape, GRiZ’s live show is a spectacle unto itself. His live performances—which mix improvised saxophone, guitar, vocals, and more over booming bass lines and head-knocking drops—have become massive draws around the world. In addition to mainstage performances at major festivals such as Lollapalooza, Movement and Outside Lands, this year he curated the historic SuperJam set at Bonnaroo, bringing over 25 artists together in celebration of music legends. GRiZ has also headlined sets at Electric Forest and Lightning in a Bottle, as well as his sold-out Red Rocks Amphitheatre double-headers in Denver for five consecutive years and counting. He also debuted the 15-piece GRiZ Live Band at the beloved venue in 2017.
A shining force of positivity, GRiZ has preached his lifelong ‘Show Love, Spread Love’ mantra via his ongoing charity work and community activism. Via his annual run of GRiZMAS holiday shows at Detroit Masonic Temple, which has sold out every year since launching in 2014, and the coinciding 12 Days of GRiZMAS series, he has raised funds for music education programs within public schools across the greater Detroit area. Over the years, GRiZ has donated well over $100,000 as part of the GRiZMAS shows.
Since openly coming out as gay via a personal blog post on Huffington Post in 2017, GRiZ has remained a vocal supporter and active member of the LGBTQ community. During Pride Month this year, GRiZ was tapped to be the face of national underwear brand MeUndies’ Pride collection, donating a portion of the profit to the Happy Hippie Foundation, a nonprofit that rallies young people to fight injustice facing homeless and LGBTQ youth. He also performed at the It Gets Better LA Pride party in support of the organization that he partnered with in 2018 to help raise $7,000 on Facebook via their Giving Tuesday initiative. It Gets Better has used GRiZ’sRide Waves track “It Gets Better” as part of their educational videos.
Now with Ride Waves under his belt, GRiZ is reaching for new possibilities via enhanced songwriting and improved production as he experiments with fresh genres and techniques on tour. GRiZ summarizes it best: “There’s so much growth on this album.” Cohesively, Ride Waves captures the everyday experiences of human existence, all while soundtracked in GRiZ’s funkytastic fashion.
Website: https://www.mynameisgriz.com/
Get Social: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify
Jorge Elbrecht
Julianna WilliamsHometown: Miami, Florida and currently based in Denver
Formed: Released first solo record in 2018, and has been making music since he was 11 years old.
Latest Release: “Ancient Grief” (Single), Self-Released, July 10, 2020
About: Jorge Elbrecht (born San Jose, Costa Rica, 1978) is a musician, producer and visual artist who releases music under various project names, including Coral Cross, Gloss Coma, and Presentable Corpse.
From an article in STEREOGUM: “For the better part of the past dozen years, Jorge Elbrecht has had a hand in creating some of the most beautiful, forward-thinking, and occasionally abjectly weird music to infiltrate the world of contemporary indie rock.”
Scattered live performances feature a decrepit-looking Elbrecht, aged far beyond his years and helped onstage by a nurse. Information about Elbrecht and his condition largely comes from his estate, which claims full control over the artist’s recordings and brand.
According to his estate, Elbrecht’s disaffection with popular music and internet culture had developed into a pathology by his late twenties, resulting in dangerously high levels of stress and anxiety as the thematic content of his work grew darker. His deterioration culminated in the onset of rapid aging that saw his health decline markedly. This, according to the estate, is confirmed by a test of Elbrecht’s DNA which shows his genetic age at 76.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: 2020 has been a generally horrible year for me as a musician in terms of “life during covid,” but things could definitely be worse. I’m glad that I can still put out music and have the funds from purchases of my Bandcamp releases help organizations that are dedicated to ending systematic racism.
Band Website: https://www.jorgeelbrecht.com/
Get Social: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud, YouTube, Spotify
Kayla Rae
Kayla RaeHometown: Denver
Formed: 2018
Latest Release: “Pressure / YKTFV,” Side 3 Entertainment, July 14, 2020
About: Grew up in Colorado Springs with my mother and four other siblings. I started singing at the age of six and knew this was what I wanted to do right away. I’m currently living in Denver, but will soon be relocating to LA to expand my work and meet other artists, producers, and creatives.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: It’s been challenging especially because each day is different, but always has some sense of hopelessness. If I’m being honest just waking up some days is difficult, but I know that being an artist I have a responsibility to create. I feel like giving people hope and inspiring them to keep going is what I’m here for. So as difficult as it gets I know change is coming. And I’m proud to see so many people fighting for black lives and fighting for a better world. It seems rough right now but we needed this.
Band Website: www.kaylaraemusic.com
Liat and the Sirens
Amelia Phillips MediaHometown: Voorhees, NJ and based in Denver
Formed: 2020
Latest Release: “Meet the Sea” (Single), Self-Released, May 26, 2020
About: With their earthy acoustics, dark melodies, and rich vocals, Liat and the Sirens have captivated audiences all over.
After years of performing in the pulsing cities of Philadelphia and New York, Liat moved to Colorado, where she drew inspiration from the folk music of the mountains. Her music evokes her itinerant life and Israeli-American heritage— 90s’ pop-rock meets 60s’ folk with glints of Middle Eastern desert soundscapes. The newly formed Liat and the Sirens adds depth to her songs.
Spinning guitar acoustics with powerhouse vocals for lyrical “dark folk” sounds that linger long after a performance. Their poetic lyrics may tug at your subconscious, but any melancholy will be drowned out by upbeat guitar picking and vibrant vibrato vocals. The eccentric tones and dynamics of each song brings out a whirlwind of feels.
Liat Arochas, guitar/vocals, haunting sirens from Anne Schwartz, Christina Adamoili, and Rachel McQueeney accentuate the undertones of Seth Marcus heavy bass grooves, the lead guitar swells from James Cook, the heavy drum patterns of Adam Gerber add the final touch to this divergent band.
For Liat and the Sirens, not only can the light and the dark co-exist, they can be woven together into magical melodies.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: It’s been an interesting time. After finding out all of our gigs were cancelled at some amazing venues like Globe Hall and Swallow Hill Music, that’s when reality set in. I did a handful of solo livestream shows but wasn’t the same at all. Through these intense times, comes creation. I am sure that every musician in quarantine has written some song or melody relating to these historic moments.
With my quarantine buddy, Emily Fata who is a beautiful writer, we wrote the song “Meet the Sea”. The song is about our country as a whole and how all rivers, like veins, flow through the entire body into the big ocean. Everything leads to one source. We are bombarded by so much information. It’s hard to have a real genuine thought. We need to remember that oneness that creates the human race, and not dwell on what divides us.
Band Website: www.liatandthesirens.com
Get Social: Instagram
Modern Leisure
Brit ColeHometown: Denver
Formed: 2016
Latest Release: “Do You Find” (Single), Self-Released, July 31, 2020
About: “MODERN LEISURE IS POP MUSIC FOR THE ART CROWD”- THE DENVER POST
“CASEY BANKER’S KEEN EAR FOR DYNAMIC AND ENTRANCING POP MELODIES IS MATCHED ONLY BY HIS SIMILAR GIFT FOR SHARPLY OBSERVED TURNS OF PHRASE” – QUEEN CITY SOUNDS
“AN UNDERCURRENT OF MILLENNIAL CULTURAL ZEITGEIST” – 303 MAGAZINE
“CHALK FULL OF PERSONALITY” – TASTE MUSIC
Modern Leisure is the musical project of Denver native, Casey Banker. The project began in 2016 as a vehicle for Banker’s personal songwriting after departing from his former band, Shady Elders. The songs of Modern Leisure take personal stories and weaves them into ebullient indie-pop. After the 2018 debut release of “Super Sad Rom Com,” Banker immediately jumped back into the studio to begin working on a new set of songs that would form a new Modern Leisure EP. While the subject of the debut album depicted a nostalgic reflection of his life in his 20’s, this latest Modern Leisure EP is comprised of themes and events more direct to Banker’s experiences within the past year. As a fitting entry into a new decade, Banker moves forward with the clearer vision of himself as he takes agency over his life pursuit. The veteran songwriter now finds himself living in the present, realizing the things that are most important to him: love, truth, and acceptance. Expected to be released in the Fall of 2020, “Another Good Time” sees Modern Leisure synthesizing old and new sounds.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: Coronavirus has made it glaringly obvious how much social interaction the best part of being a musician. Meeting like-minded people who appreciate music the same way we do is priceless. This is the first UMS I’ll be missing in 10 years and that still stings pretty hard. It’s my favorite time of the year in Denver and I’ll miss running into so many friends along South Broadway. As it pertains to Black Lives Matter, it hasn’t impacted me so much as a musician but it’s certainly woken me up as a citizen of this country. I’ve become so much more aware of the glaring inequality that is still occurring in this country everyday that is based on the color of someone’s skin. We’ve began to become aware of the nefarious way white privilege has subtly helped us and we are 100% behind the idea of dismantling those systems to create a more just and fair society for all people. I certainly wish I could play BLM benefits but the coronavirus has stopped that. We may try to do a livestream to raise some money soon!
Band Website: www.modernleisuremusic.com
Get Social:Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Ned Garthe Explosion
Veronica BeerHometown: None but based in Denver
Formed: Most of us were formed in a womb. I sometimes suspect Spencer Alred (guitar) was formed on a moon orbiting Jupiter, just not sure which moon.
Latest Release: “Death Show Boogie” (Single), Sad Pad Records, August 2020
About: Lineup includes Stuart Confer – Drummer & Vocals, Tyler Breuer – Bass Player & No Vocals, Spencer Alred – Guitar & No Vocalsm Veronica Beer – Keys & Vocals, and Ned Garthe – Guitar & Vocals.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: We 100% stand with the Black Lives Matters movement. It feels as though every day the whole world gets hit by a massive earthquake with everyone struggling to regain some balance or footing in an every changing landscape. Catching their balance only to be knocked off their feet again. The world has changed so radically, so quickly that I’m not sure which pieces from the wreckage to salvage and which pieces to abandon. Every night thinking “will tomorrow be an aftershock? or will it be the big one?”
Post Truth Serum
Post Truth SerumHometown: Denver
Formed: We plan to form in the future.
Latest Release: “Modern Victims,” MAS Eclectic Records, May 15, 2020
About: Post Truth Serum’s debut album “Modern Victims” was perhaps never meant to be. This record, the brainchild of Tom Hagerman (best known for his multi-instrumentalist role in DeVotchKa), is a collection of moody, infectious, glorious, and absurd pop songs created from the discarded scraps of melodic content from the deep recesses of his vintage 2011 laptop.
Musical influences from 80’s goth/new-wave synthesizers collide with chamber-pop orchestral strings, horns, and percussion which are all brought to life by the vocals of Elin Palmer and the drums of Shawn King (DeVotchKa).
With all plans for a traditional album release scrapped by the pandemic, the record was prematurely released on Bandcamp on March 19th and as Wonderbound, the Denver-based modern dance company has said in it’s description of the record, “The lyrics and music, written and recorded over the past several years, eerily foreshadowed the emotional and psychological space that the world had suddenly been thrown into.”
This record, in its own way, is a joyful romp through the loss of a carefree youth, the panic of a midlife crisis, the realization of impending catastrophes created by humanity, and the absolute power of human connection and love through our darkest moments. If Rock and Roll is the story of The Myth of Sisyphus, Post Truth Serum’s “Modern Victims” is the laughter that follows.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: I think it definitely puts things into perspective about the nature of essential work. Nearly twenty years ago, I felt a little helpless after 9/11 and considered becoming a paramedic. I’ve felt a little helpless on and off for my entire career to be quite honest, but the truth is that I can’t quite seem to move on from making music, so in that sense, I suppose it is essential that we keep moving forward with the things that bring some meaning into our life. That doesn’t really change the “non essential” designation that we musicians seem to find ourselves in however.
The pandemic has definitely exposed the structural flaws in society. The protests over the murder of George Floyd (and closer to home, Elijah McClain) have exposed the shocking extent of force our police are willing to unleash on the public and the failure of our leadership to help bridge the gap of racial inequality.
Music has always been a way to bring folks together, and now all we are left with is our social media feeds and the two-dimensional livestreams entering our houses through our computer screens.
I grew up in Colorado Springs. I had a very racially diverse group of friends growing up. We all grew up with pretty similar lower middle class incomes and we all had access to music through public schools. I never would be where I am today if it weren’t for that. I’m not seeing that anymore. I’m not seeing the accessibility of the things deemed “essential” or “non essential” and I can’t really tell the difference between the two. I find it all very depressing.
Band Website: https://posttruthserum.bandcamp.com/releases
Get Social:Tom Hagerman Instagram, Shawn King Instagram, Elin Palmer Facebook, Tom Hagerman Facebook
Pure Weed
Ariana KatechisHometown: Formed in Paonia, CO, now based in Denver
Formed: I have released records as Nic Lawless since 2012. Pure Weed played its first show in some form toward the end of 2017. Since then, Pure Weed has seen eight or so different bands thanks to a rotating cast of 16 people thus far who have helped me perform these songs. Each band has had a distinctly different sound and feel from the last, though we continue to play songs that I have written since as far back as probably 2012. I am so grateful to every person who has been involved so far!
Latest Release: “Leona (feat. Alpxne)” (Single), Self-Released, July 11, 2020
About: Pure Weed is the current project of Eric “Nic” Lawless. The band has covered a wide range of genres, from it’s cowpunk inception, cosmic country inspired ballads, a love for Dire Straits, to deeply minimal, and now to a try at bedroom pop, and even house.
Most notably the band has featured Rebecca Ascarrunez, Rose Costello, and Justin Nijssen. While you may never know which lineup of Pure Weed you will get exactly, at its heart, you can expect a deep melancholy interspersed with spastic energy and a willingness to take a risk.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: One thing about the coronavirus is that it’s kind of freeing to write and record without considering a live context or arrangement. Black Lives Matter as a movement has been around for at least as long as I have been performing music, but I am happy to see all of the attention and participation BLM has attracted since the horrific murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis PD.
What can I say… I do feel somewhat uncomfortable to release music at this time, or like I’m taking up too much space, or that maybe I am just in someone else’s lane. But my discomfort is nothing compared to the fearful discomfort many BIPOC have felt about simply existing, really in any form. We have seen for example Elijah McClain, murdered by Aurora PD for walking…. maybe he was air drumming or playing air violin or something like that.
“Leona” was written and recorded in all of a few hours, and as someone who generally spends years writing pieces of songs, it just felt like it was now or never and I am very thankful for thee encouragement from my friend Drew (Alpxne). Leona is actually a protagonist in the Baldwin book Another Country. That said, my story in “Leona” is not the same story that takes place in Baldwin’s novel, just influenced. I do stand with BLM and the abolition of police, defunding the military, closing prisons, and abolish ICE.
I think a lot about migrant workers at this moment who may be out of work and ineligible for unemployment, of houseless people being treated like a problem that needs to be eradicated, and who’s next? I am answering this question in July and nobody knows what will happen in August. Over 100,000 small businesses have gone out of business for good.
Sophie Gray
Tim GilliesHometown: Denver
Formed: 2018
Latest Release: “Girlfriend” (Single), Self-Released, May 8, 2020
About: Sophie Gray is a 16 year-old singer/songwriter from Denver. Music has been a part of her life since a young age when she began to play the guitar, and soon after began to sing and write songs. With that came her love for performing original songs. She began recording and releasing her music in 2018, and numbers picked up with her single “Twisted” in 2019.
Outside of music she is going to be a high school junior next year. She loves mountain sports and is passionate about helping to protect the environment she loves.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: Being a musician during this time is difficult in ways that I never expected to face. In some ways it has been a creative recharge, and in other ways it has been scary seeing so much turmoil and suffering in the world.
Band Website: https://www.sophiegraymusic.com/
The Hype Pathetics
Megan LangleyHometown: Denver
Formed: October 2019
Latest Release: “Alright EP” (EP), Self-Release, August 7, 2020
About: The Hype Pathetics are a three-piece Denver based punk rock group formed in Fall 2019. Members include Paul Bowers on guitar and vocals, Sterling Swanson on bass and vocals and Mario Alvarado on drums. After many years of performing live separately in other bands, with a variety of musical genres, Paul, Sterling and Mario came together to form The Hype Pathetics.
Drawing upon the multiple genre influences of their past, they formed a punk band with a sound of its own. A sound influenced by bands such as blink-182, Teenage Bottlerocket, Ramones, Goldfinger and Green Day. The Hype Pathetics bring the hype and energy in a straight-forward wall of sound with technical drums, punchy bass, and crunchy guitar.
Having the same passion for music and performing, they went on to record their first single, Red On White, in December of 2019 and their first EP, “Alright EP”, in May 2020 at Bottom Line Audio. With plans of their EP release in August 2020, The Hype Pathetics set their sights on performing their original, high energy music to the masses.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: Being a musician now is more important than ever. We had our EP set to release in May but at that moment in time, it was extremely insignificant compared to the more important matters at hand and the voices that needed to be heard. Music is one of the things that brings everybody together, sharing one unanimous voice and that’s what the world seeks now, is unity.
Wes Watkins
George L BlosserHometown: Denver (Born in Bitburg, Germany moved to Denver at 6 months old)
Formed: I started playing solo shows about 3 years ago, but was busking solo loooong before that.
Latest Release: “Sweet Talk,” Self-Released, July 9, 2020. Follow-up release on August 8th!
About: I’m a Denver local who went to Denver School of the Arts for high school. I spent the beginning of my adult life homeless so I had the privilege of learning from the OG’s down there and also of learning that self-worth comes from self and not from the external world.
I have been seen in bands such as Air Dubai, Petals of Spain, Rowdy Shadehouse, iZCALLi, Wheelchair Sports Camp and started the band Other Black. I strive to use music as a tool two-fold.
Firstly, it is my tool to encourage people to experience themselves as I believe that if we could experience the core of our individual personage than we would find that we are inherently flawed and find patience with ourselves in the process of growth. That creates kindness, patience, and less judgement with our experiences with others.
Secondly, I use music as a tool to encourage individual education in a time where to challenge our self, our communities, and our country seems so overwhelming and difficult.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: I find it exciting. Coronavirus lends to me staying at home researching, communicating, and creating a world I imagine. The public resurfacing of the seemingly never ending civil rights movement feels encouraging. I was burnt out. I felt I was constantly repeating the same things trying to encourage the communities around me to experience a different world where we aren’t all constantly oppressed. Now the general public is talking about the same things I’ve been saying for almost all of my life as a musician. I do struggle with the ability of some to take actions that contradict their words, especially on social media platforms.
I wrote a lyric recently that says, ” I used to be able to imagine a world where somebody asked me a question and my answer got heard. It wasn’t drowned out by Union providers up on twitter.” I feel like therein lies my frustration with our current world.
Band Website: www.theweswatkins.com
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, YouTube
WhyGyp
WhyGypHometown: Five Points. Denver.
Formed: We’re not sure but we put out a record before this in March of 2014.
Latest Release: “Message” EP, Self-Release, June 2020
About: Hip-hop music would not be what it is today without this Rapper-Producer duo. From Gang Starr to Lootpack, and from Blu and Exile to Run the Jewels, the history of this music has been defined by such collaboration.
Following in this tradition is the Denver based group known as WhyGyp.
Comprised of DJ/Producer GypDaHip, and Sedrick Avenue, a veteran rapper who is a formidable beatsmith himself, WhyGyp has been quietly regarded as one of the most respected and talented hip hop groups in Colorado.
GypDaHip’s beats sound like Animal from the Muppets traded in his drums for crates full of dusty old records. Meanwhile, Sedrick’s unique vocal cadence and writing style sets him apart from the crowd and shows why he is widely considered to be the most unique and influential voices in the city of Denver.
WhyGyp makes learning fun. Lessons over dope beats. Edutainment.
What’s it like being a musician during this historic moment of Black Lives Matter and Coronavirus: It’s really no different than being anyone else in these times. Coronavirus, Police Brutality coming to light AGAIN and White Supremacy being challenged all at the same time has shown a lot of different people that they are in fact less than people in some of our world leader’s eyes.
Band Website: https://sedrickavenue.bandcamp.com/album/message
Get Social: Instagram
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