Openair Sessions

John Craigie is a gifted storyteller whose lyrics range from humorous to melancholy. The singer-songwriter hails from California, but spends most of his time on the road and has performed in all 50 U.S. states. He released his 10th studio album, "No Rain, No Rose," earlier this year. Craigie plays a release show at Denver's Walnut Room Thursday night. Accompanied by violinist Bevin Foley of Colorado band Trout Steak Revival, Craigie performed four songs in our studio. He also spoke about playing the first-ever concert at the farm of Boulder artist Gregory Alan Isakov, the pros and cons of playing solo shows and blurring the line between humor and tragedy with his lyrics.

Ben Pisano started Corsicana as a one-man-band while in high school. The Denver musician has since explored ambient rock music characterized by soaring falsettos and dream-pop melodies. Pisano produced and played every instrument on his debut album, "Haven," which features songs that often hit the seven- or eight-minute mark. Pisano joined us in the CPR Performance Studio with a backing band to perform four songs from "Haven." He also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about spending years writing a single song, the concept behind "Haven" and some of his musical heroes like The Antlers and Bon Iver.

Jesse Manley spent the past few years collaborating with Denver dance troupe Wonderbound. The Denver musician wrote music for five performances including "Dust," a piece on the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. His songs reflect the folk and Americana music of that time. Manley and his band went on to record the music of "Dust" as an album, which they released last week. Prior to the album release show, Manley performed three songs from the record in the CPR Performance Studio. He also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about his history with Wonderbound, playing the Weissenborn slide guitar and reading up on the Dust Bowl for his latest work.

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

Rose Hill Drive had a fast rise after releasing its debut album in 2006. The Boulder rock trio went on tour with The Who and found a large international audience. However, the band split just four years later. ​But that's not the end of the story. Rose Hill Drive has reunited for some live shows in Colorado including a recent gig celebrating the Fox Theatre's 25th anniversary in the band's hometown. They've also released the new album "Mania." The band members stopped in to the CPR Performance Studio to play some music from the new record and chat with Alisha Sweeney about the decision to reunite, their musical endeavors during the hiatus and their excitement for upcoming live performances.

Middle Kids caught our attention late last year with a couple of memorably melodic rock singles. The Australian band has since released its debut self-titled EP, performed on NPR's World Cafe and embarked on a U.S. tour that included a stop at Denver's Lost Lake Lounge. Middle Kids stopped into our CPR Performance Studio before that show to play four songs from their debut record. The band members also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about their diverse musical backgrounds, the Australian music scene and plans for a full-length album.

Los Campesinos! is one of the most energetic indie-pop bands of the last decade. Since its 2008 debut, the Welsh seven-piece has crafted a signature sound out of sing-along melodies, reflective lyrics and noisy rock choruses. The band's sixth studio album "Sick Scenes" follows a short hiatus after its record contract had expired. The members performed three songs from the new album and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about self-financing the new album, selling Los Campesinos! soccer jerseys and seeing new fans on their current U.S. tour.

Fort Collins native William Knudsen performs as The Ugly Architect. Although his music career kicked off in Portland, Ore., his music has strong ties to Colorado and he is closely associated with the Downtown Artery venue in his hometown. The Ugly Architect's music has strong folk influences and Knudsen's lyrics have the quality of a world traveler. His debut album is out this spring. He and his band performed some songs from the record and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about establishing himself in the Fort Collins music scene after leaving Portland, writing the album in a secluded Wyoming apartment and his days as a performance poet.

Anthony Ruptak has been a regular visitor to the CPR Performance Studio. The Denver folk singer-songwriter has twice played with his backing band The Midnight Friends at CPR's OpenAir. We also filmed a concert with Ruptak at the Walnut Room last year. This time around Ruptak performed backed only by his brother Matt on percussion. His new EP "Don't Let It Kill You" is out later this year. He played some music from the forthcoming record and spoke with Alicia Bruce Mitchell about playing most of the instruments on the EP, headlining a recent benefit for the American Civil Liberties Union and his high hopes for 2017.

iZCALLi cut its teeth playing for solely Spanish-speaking audiences: The band's brother-sister combo of Miguel and Brenda Aviña originally hail from Mexico City. But over the past five years the members of the Denver band have expanded into what they call the "American scene" by playing shows with Colorado bands like Petals Of Spain and The Photo Atlas. iZCALLi visited our CPR Performance Studio to play some music from the album "III" -- in both English and Spanish. The quartet also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about expanding to an English-speaking audience, the family dynamic of the band and recording a public service announcement for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Shady Elders have released over the past four years a string of EPs and singles that feature melodic pop hooks backed by shoegaze-inspired rock. The Denver band is well-established in the Colorado music scene, and performed last summer at Red Rocks Amphitheatre before a screening of Prince's "Purple Rain." Shady Elders release the debut LP "Inside Voices" on Friday with a show at Denver's Syntax Physic Opera. The band members visited the CPR Performance Studio beforehand to play some songs from the album. They talked with Alisha Sweeney about recording in California, their collaborative writing process and performing music by their late musical heroes Prince and David Bowie.

We've had the pleasure of recording the music of Patrick Dethlefs several times in the past five years. The Denver singer-songwriter has played for us in our studio, at Denver's Art District and at last year's Underground Music Showcase. We welcomed Dethlefs back into the CPR Performance Studio this month just before the release of his new album, "Beauty In The Unknown." He performed some new music from the LP and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording the album live to tape, incorporating his band into his writing sessions and the themes of personal reflection in his new songs.

Jux County has a long history in Denver: Frontman Andy Monley formed the country-punk band in 1986. Since then the band opened for acts like Nirvana, X and The Dandy Warhols while establishing itself as a longstanding force in the Colorado music scene. Jux County's current lineup -- a trio rounded out by bassist Chris Pearson and drummer Ron Smith -- has played together since 1992. The band last year released "Coral," its first new full-length in 15 years. We welcomed the band into the CPR Performance Studio to play some new music from "Coral." The members spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the decision to make an album after more than a decade, the band's long history in Denver and some notable tour stories throughout the years.

Pueblo musician Mike Clark plays in several Colorado bands, including The Sugar Sounds amd The Haunted Windchimes. Lately though, his focus is on country-folk band The River Arkansas. The band is set to release the new album "You Animal" next month. The River Arkansas returned to our studio for the first time since 2015 to share some new music from the forthcoming LP. Clark and the other members also chatted with Alisha Sweeney about recording the album in Houston, the album's title and how a birthday party gig funded their new record.

Dragondeer has spent the last three years thrilling audiences with a mix of electric blues, rock and bluegrass. It's safe to say the Denver band has left an impression on Colorado music fans: Westword readers selected Dragondeer as Colorado's "Best Blues Rock Band" two years in a row. Dragondeer has just one EP to its name so far, but that will change when the band releases its debut full-length later this year. The quartet recorded the album in California with producer Mark Howard, who has worked with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Tom Waits. The band members stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play some new music and chat with Alicia 'Bruce' Mitchell about recording their first LP, the reaction they get from electric mandolin solos and what they're looking forward to in 2017.

Denver's The Baltic has been on our radar since the members started making music together as teenagers. The quartet had a big 2016: They signed a new record deal and performed at Red Rocks for the "Film On The Rocks" concert series. ​The band members -- now all attending different colleges -- returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. They played some new unreleased music and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about signing to Misra Records, writing music via email and their first ever live performance in sixth grade.

When Flaural visited our studio in 2015, the Denver psych-rock band had just formed a few months beforehand and played only one show. But the band members had established specific goals: release some EPs, go on tour and play some festival dates. Flaural has since accomplished each of those goals and established themselves in the Denver music scene. The band members returned to CPR's OpenAir to play some new music and speak with Jeremy Petersen about staying busy during their first full year as a band, their recent recording sessions in California and their ambitions for the new year.

Yasman Azimi -- who performs as YaSi -- may be young, but she's got years of experience in Denver's hip-hop scene under her belt. She performed with H*Wood since 2013 before recently launching her solo career. YaSi released last summer the EP "Stranded Feelings," and she followed that up with the single "Pink Caddy," co-written with fellow Denver artist Sur Ellz. In December, she performed a couple of songs in our CPR Performance Studio. She also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about getting attention via online blogs, her love-hate relationship with music growing up and how a Frank Ocean cover kickstarted her music career.

Just in time for the holidays, Kissing Party stopped into the CPR Performance Studio. And rather than the same old Christmas jingles, the Denver band played four original songs in the holiday spirit. Kissing Party just released "Winter In The Pub," a compilation of the holiday singles dating back to 2010. The band -- minus singer Deirdre Sage -- also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about Christmas pastimes and plans for a new non-holiday album in 2017.

The founding members of Wild Child met while touring as backup singers for the band The Migrant. That encounter has proven to be a happy accident, as the two singers -- Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins -- hit it off as songwriting partners. The Austin, Texas, band has since grown into a septet with a varied and energetic indie pop sound. Wild Child's latest full-length is "Fools." The band performed two tracks from the LP as well as a brand new song in our CPR Performance Studio before a headlining show at Denver's Bluebird Theater. They also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about the band's origin story, how touring is essential to the band's livelihood and how "Fools" is a breakup album.