Openair Sessions

On her debut album "Beyond The Bloodhounds," Adia Victoria Paul -- who performs as Adia Victoria -- addresses her complicated relationship to the American South. The South Carolina native adapts the blues music of that region with a modern spin. Her album references artists like Billie Holiday and Robert Johnson -- for both their music and politics. Paul and her band stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a performance at this year's Underground Music Showcase. She performed three songs from "Beyond The Bloodhounds" and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about the sociopolitical history of blues music, coming to terms with her Southern upbringing and expressing herself through live performance.

When NPR Music asked listeners to tell them their favorite new music artist of 2016, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy received the second most votes. Glaspy released the album “Emotions And Math” this year. It’s a strong debut LP for the New York City-based singer-songwriter, featuring her crunchy guitar riffs and hard-nosed confessional lyrics. Prior to a Denver show at Larimer Lounge, Glaspy stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play four songs from "Emotions And Math." She also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording the album multiple times, performing on "Conan" and staying quiet on the meaning of her lyrics.

Eros And The Eschaton last joined us at OpenAir in 2014 after the release of their lo-fi debut album “Home Address For Civil War.” Since then Denver Westword readers voted the Colorado Springs band as the best local pop band of 2015 for their blend of shoegaze and pop melodies. The band has also extended to a five-piece for their sophomore album, “Weight Of Matter,” out August 19. Songs like "Rxx" are faster and louder, but still in the experimental rock vein that has made them local favorites. Eros And The Eschaton played "Rxx" and others from the forthcoming album during their second OpenAir session and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about signing to indie label Bar/None Records, the Colorado Springs arts scene and expanding their sound on "Weight Of Matter."

Benjamin Clementine won the 2015 Mercury Prize for his debut "At Least For Now," joining previous winners like PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys and alt-J. Clementine is a London-born self-taught musician who developed as a young street performer in Paris. His haunting and unique music blends classical music, rock and spoken word. At the center are Clementine’s bold tenor vocals and percussive piano arrangements. He stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before a headlining show at Denver's Bluebird Theater. He played three songs from "At Least For Now" and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about his career since winning the Mercury Prize, his experience as a street performer and his love for early rock 'n' roll artists like Little Richard.

James Cooley has spent eight years making electronic beats and melodies in his Littleton bedroom. He has self-released five albums and three EPs under the name Mesita. Cooley rarely performs live, but he recently stopped into our studio for a unique Mesita performance: Instead of electronica, he performed solo with acoustic guitar. He performed three songs from his catalog including the recent single "All Out In The Open," and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about his new album "Laniakea," exploring new pop music directions and the possibility of a Mesita tour.

Peter Bjorn And John are now a decade removed from their breakthrough single, "Young Folks." However, the Swedish trio has remained consistently busy since then, and this year they released their seventh studio album, "Breakin' Point." The band worked on the record for five years with several producers, including Adele and Paul McCartney collaborator Paul Epworth. The result is a more pop-centric album than previous releases. In addition to performing four new songs in our studio, the band spoke with Alisha Sweeney about approaching the new album as a series of unique singles, the logistics of working with many producers on the same record and running the new INGRID recording studio and label in Stockholm, Sweden.

When The Outfit visited our performance studio in 2013, they were a fairly young Denver rock band with a few songs in their repertoire. The band has evolved quite a bit since then, and now has a debut full length out via the local Hot Congress label. We welcomed back The Outfit shortly before an album release show to preview four songs off the self-titled record. The band spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording at Denver's Black In Bluhm studios, how Hot Congress founder Lucas Johannes has propelled their career and a recent opening set for punk pioneers Buzzcocks.

SHEL returned this month to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. The band features the four Holbrook sisters from Fort Collins, though sister Sarah was absent for this particular session. ​ The band recently released the album "Just Crazy Enough." The Holbrooks worked with producer and former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart for the record, which hit #13 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart upon its release in May. SHEL performed three songs from "Just Crazy Enough" in our studio.

Inner Oceans has had a steady rise since forming three years ago. The Denver experimental pop group received the "Best New Artist" of 2014 award from Westword and performed on the Underground Music Showcase main stage in Denver last July. The band has released only a few singles, but plans to release a debut album, "I Don't Mind," on Sept. 16. It will feature material they wrote and recorded during a month of seclusion in a studio outside Bailey. Inner Oceans returned to the CPR Performance Studio to play three synth-driven songs and spoke with OpenAir's Jeremy Petersen about how the band has developed its sound over the years and the details of their anticipated debut album.

Poet's Row is set to release two new EPs this weekend -- "The Artichoke" and "The Armadillo." Both records showcase a different side of the Denver band: The former is solely the folk duets of founding members Mickey Bakas and Emily Hobbs, while the latter incorporates a full band. Poet's Row celebrates the EP releases with a two-night stint at Syntax Physic Opera on Friday and Saturday. Before those shows, the band stopped into the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2013. They performed four songs and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recruiting members of Clouds & Mountains and Chimney Choir for "The Armadillo" and how Bakas and Hobbs balance their marriage with their band duties.

Eye & The Arrow brings a different musical direction with each visit to OpenAir's studio. The Denver trio, which features two members of folk-rock band Paper Bird, visited in 2012 and 2013, but neither performance was quite like the one they gave us earlier this month. They performed three songs from the forthcoming EP and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the real-life "ghost" tapes that inspired the record and working with John Oates of Hall & Oates in Nashville. The band is set to release the new cassette EP "Ghost Tapes," with a performance on May 27 at Globe Hall.

Elephant Revival last joined us at OpenAir in 2014 as they were preparing for a Red Rocks Amphitheatre show opening for Devotchka. The band will perform at the famous Colorado venue again on May 22, but this time around, they will be the headliners. The Nederland-based quintet just released its latest album, "Petals," which they recorded in part at eTown Music Hall in Boulder. The band performed four songs from the new album at OpenAir and spoke with us about the exciting visual elements of their live show, the time cellist Bonnie Paine's bow "exploded" on stage and the forthcoming music videos the band filmed in Colorado.

The band Caveman tells a story on its website about a group on a desert planet who seek an "archaic apparatus." The device is said to end the so-called "Otero War," which is the title of the forthcoming third album from the Brooklyn band. Caveman will release "Otero War" on June 17. The band was tight-lipped about the concept behind the new album when they recently performed new songs at OpenAir. But frontman Matthew Iwanusa did tell OpenAir's Jeremy Petersen that the album features a cohesive, central story.

Matthew Logan Vasquez spent the past decade fronting the California-based band Delta Spirit, which has released four albums. The band's music soundtracked the final scene of the television series "Friday Night Lights." Delta Spirit is currently on a break, but Vasquez isn't slowing down. He released his debut solo LP, "Solicitor Returns," in February and recently played a headlining show at Denver's Lost Lake Lounge. The album is Vasquez's attempt to move away from pure Americana-folk and into a rock 'n' roll sound.

Denver band Pan Astral kicked off their OpenAir session with a song that pays tribute to their hometown. "Mile High City" appears on their recently released third studio album, "Suburban Blues." Pan Astral has a growing reputation for live performances. The group recently expanded into a fuller rock band sound with strong electronic influences thanks to new member Kyle Zender.

We first heard the music of Whiskey Autumn in the band's submission to NPR Music's 2016 Tiny Desk Contest. The Boulder trio's video for "Dog Days" introduced us to their smart, catchy electronic pop and we included it as one of our 10 favorite Colorado entries this year. The band played four songs at OpenAir and spoke with OpenAir's Jeremy Petersen about the production behind their Tiny Desk video, shifting from folk to electronic music and how R&B singer Frank Ocean inspired their sound.

Denver singer-songwriter Rachael McCuaig was one of thousands of artists around the country who submitted an original video to NPR’s second annual Tiny Desk Concert Contest earlier this year. She used a simple setup in her contest submission -- just vocals and guitar -- but it was enough to make our list of 10 favorite Colorado entries from 2016. McCuaig hasn't recorded an official release, so we were thrilled to host her in the CPR Performance Studio recently and share her music with our audience for the first time.

Brooklyn composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone formed San Fermin for a one-off performance of his sheet music compositions in 2012. However, that music would live on past that show: The band recorded and released those songs in 2013 on San Fermin’s debut self-titled album. Ludwig-Leone then solidified San Fermin as an eight-piece touring band with two lead vocalists and a blend of rock and orchestral instruments. Last year San Fermin released its second studio album, "Jackrabbit," which came to life as Ludwig-Leone and his band adapted to life as a touring band and became a close-knit musical family.

Dan Boeckner puts most indie musicians to shame as far as his energy and sheer output. The Canadian musician co-founded the pioneering indie band Wolf Parade, fronted Handsome Furs and collaborated with Spoon’s Britt Daniel in Divine Fits. Now, he leads the new band Operators. The band played at OpenAir on the release day of its debut album, "Blue Wave." The record is a continuation of the synthesizer-driven sounds of Handsome Furs with contributions of drummer Sam Brown and keyboardist Devojka.

Hard-rocking Colorado band The Yawpers brings their national tour to Lost Lake Lounge in Denver on Saturday. The Yawpers' released their latest album, "American Man," last year on Bloodshot Records. The group talked about its songwriting inspirations, new love for Bruce Springsteen and the challenges of life on the road during its recent CPR Performance Studio session.