Openair Sessions

Knuckle Pups haven't been around long, but the band is already making waves beyond the Colorado music scene. Featuring former members of Denver band Mega Gem, the indie pop quintet released its debut EP "San Panino," last year. A gig at the Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho, followed a few months later. Knuckle Pups stopped into our studio last week to play four songs. The members also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about how the band came together, their love for punk rock and their experience at Treefort.

Black Belt Eagle Scout's "Mother of My Children" is the remarkable indie rock debut album from the Portland, Ore., band. At the time of its recording, Black Belt Eagle Scout was just one person: singer-songwriter Katherine Paul, who played every instrument on the album. She originally released it in 2017, and it soon caught the attention of renowned indie label Saddle Creek, who re-released it last year. Since then, the band has expanded to a quartet. Black Belt Eagle Scout visited the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Larimer Lounge with Julia Jacklin. The band played four songs, including a couple new tracks, and Paul spoke with Bruce Trujillo about why she started the project after playing drums in several Portland bands, the Pacific Northwest music scene and recording the album on the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community reservation in Washington where she grew up.

Denver band iZCALLi recently released its fifth studio album, "Casa de Papel." Shortly before the album's release show, the Latin psych-rock band made its third appearance in our performance studio. iZCALLi played four songs from the new record. The members also spoke with Bruce Trujillo about consistently writing new music to "stay fresh," working with producer Tyler Imbrogno of Denver band Eldren and performing at a Colorado Rockies game last year.

Roger Sellers has made electronic music for several years, first under his own name and currently as Bayonne. The Austin, Texas, musician released his sophomore Bayonne album, "Drastic Measures," earlier this year. The record finds Sellers singing about life on the road as a touring musician while adding pop-inspired choruses into his loop-based music. Bayonne stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Lost Lake. Sellers played four songs from "Drastic Measures" with drummer Ryan Heath and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about his love for musical repetition, his upcoming summer music festival gigs and creating his own hot sauce brand.

Aly Spaltro released "Even in the Tremor," her third album as Lady Lamb, earlier this month. The New York-based singer-songwriter takes plenty of musical twists and turns in her music, shifting from charming and lively pop to contemplative folk at a moment's notice. The connecting thread is Spaltro's poetic and reflective lyrics. Spaltro visited our studio to play four songs from "Even in the Tremor" on acoustic guitar with bandmate Marian Li Pino on backing vocals. She also spoke with Bruce Trujillo about how her songs have become more autobiographical, why she arranged the album herself and how a traumatic childhood experience at Pizza Hut led to the song "Young Disciple."

The Copper Children formed in 2015 when frontman Zea Stallings booked a performance at the Gothic Theatre and needed a band to back him. Since then the Denver group has released three albums that blend jam, folk and psychedelic rock, the most recent of which is "Speaking in Spirits." The Copper Children visited the CPR Performance Studio before an album release show at Denver's Larimer Lounge. The members played three songs from "Speaking in Spirits" and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about the band's origin story, how they view their music as prayer and writing lyrics spontaneously during jam sessions.

The members of Oko Tygra shared their hypnotic, '80s-influenced dream pop in our studio four years ago. Since then the Denver quartet -- led by singer and guitarist Joshua Novak -- has remained relatively quiet, playing intermittent local shows and working on new music. The band is back in the local spotlight this month with the release of its debut album, "Assistoma." Oko Tygra recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio. The band members played three songs and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about why they don't play as many concerts as some bands, the years of work that went into "Assistoma" and the themes of solitude and isolation behind the new music.

Daniel Rodriguez has been a guest in our studio several times as a member of Colorado folk band Elephant Revival. That band went on hiatus last year, but its members remain busy. Guitarist Rodriguez has done so by recording his debut solo EP, "Your Heart, The Stars, The Milky Way," which he released earlier this year. Rodriguez returned to the CPR Performance Studio to play four songs from his new record. He also spoke with Bruce Trujillo about the differences between performing solo and with a band, how writing music helped him come to terms with a recent breakup and exploring a more "electric" sound.

We first welcomed Whiskey Autumn into our studio in 2016 after catching wind of their submission to that year's Tiny Desk Contest from NPR Music. Three years later, the Denver band brought their eclectic indie pop back into our studio just before releasing the new album "Modern Doubt." Whiskey Autumn played four songs from the new record and chatted with Bruce Trujillo about the political edge behind their songs, the ambient beach sounds on the record and the advantages of recording in their home studio.

J.S. Ondara's humble musical beginning is a central theme of his debut album, "Tales of America." The singer-songwriter grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, with little opportunity to hear or play music outside of listening to his parents' small radio. After moving to Minneapolis, Ondara cut his teeth in that city's music scene before gaining a national spotlight for his poetic folk songs influenced by gospel and the pursuit of the American dream. J.S. Ondara stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Lost Lake. He played three songs from "Tales of America" and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about how hearing Bob Dylan for the first time led to his move to the U.S., teaching himself to play guitar and whether or not he plans to "go electric."

Hop Along began as songwriter Frances Quinlan's solo acoustic project, but has since evolved to a full band signed to the Saddle Creek indie label. The Philadelphia quartet self-produced its third album, "Bark Your Head Off, Dog," which features an eclectic sound influenced by folk, pop, punk and classical music. But it's Quinlan's effervescent vocal delivery of her thoughtful lyrics that might be the band's most remarkable element. Hop Along stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before headlining the Bluebird Theater in Denver last week. The band played three songs from "Bark Your Head Off, Dog" and Quinlan spoke with Jeremy Petersen about adding a cinematic quality to her music, the legacy of Saddle Creek's catalog and what it's like collaborating with her brother Mark, who plays drums in Hop Along.

Slow Caves release their debut album, "Falling," this week. The Fort Collins indie rock band has been a presence in the Colorado music scene for several years and they represented the Centennial state last week at the SXSW music festival in Austin. Before that trip to Texas, we welcomed them back into our studio for the first time since 2017. Slow Caves played three stripped-down versions of songs from "Falling." The band members also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording the album in Austin and signing to the Cincinnati indie label Old Flame Records.

Definitely, Maybe is a new Denver band from songwriting partners Carmine Gabbianelli and Zachary Antonio, formerly of indie rock group ScaTTer GaTHer. Last month Definitely, Maybe released its self-titled debut EP, recorded in Gabbianelli's home studio. We recently featured "Being" off that record on our latest Colorado Music Sampler. Definitely, Maybe stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Fort Greene Bar. The band members played four songs from the new EP and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about the benefits of recording in your own studio, filming a music video for "Sleep" and what they've learned about the Denver music community over the past few years.

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

Don Chicharrón specializes in a type of Peruvian psychedelic rock music called Chicha. Led by vocalist Aldo Pantoja, the Denver nine-piece has a vast sound that's both bizarre and danceable. The band released its self-titled debut album this month and will celebrate Saturday with a release show at Denver's Hi-Dive. Don Chicharrón stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play some new music. The band members also spoke with Bruce Trujillo about the origins of Chicha music, recruiting some family members to play on the new record and the growing popularity of Latinx music in Denver and beyond.

We first met Spirettes at our 2017 "Super Session" in Colorado Springs, which was featured on the current season of our collaborative TV series with CPT12, "OpenAir Live & Local." The band, then a trio, performed songs from its self-titled debut record at that event. Now, Spirettes plan to release a new EP this spring with an expanded lineup. Spirettes stopped by the CPR Performance Studio before a gig at Denver's Syntax Physic Opera. The band members played four songs and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the band's origin at a 2016 Courtney Barnett concert in Denver, incorporating the cello into their music and their collaborative songwriting process.

Tropa Magica is a new project from brothers David and Rene Pacheco, founders of the Los Angeles band Thee Commons. They released their self-titled debut album as Tropa Magica last year. The Pachecos expand on their "psychedelic cumbia punk" sound on the record by adding jazz and pop influences. Tropa Magica stopped by the CPR Performance Studio last year. The band members played four songs and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about forming Tropa Magica on New Year's Day 2018, taking inspiration from French cabaret singer Édith Piaf and the growing popularity of Latinx music in the U.S.

The Helio Sequence recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the release of its fourth album, "Keep Your Eyes Ahead." The Portland, Ore., duo marked the occasion by releasing a deluxe edition of the record via Sup Pop and embarking on a month-long U.S. tour in which the band performed the album in its entirety. That trek included a stop at Denver's Globe Hall. The Helio Sequence stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before that show to play four songs from "Keep Your Eyes Ahead." The band members also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about Portland's music scene, re-learning to play several songs from the album and their plans to get back in the studio.

Anthony Ruptak released his debut album, "A Place That Never Changes," this month. It was a difficult project for the Denver singer-songwriter, who lost his instruments, songbooks and savings when his house was burglarized before finishing the album. Ruptak was able to complete the record with some help from the Denver music community. Ruptak and his band recently stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play three songs from "A Place That Never Changes." He also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about the "cinematic" quality of the album, playing 16 different instruments and how he got back on his feet after the burglary.

Wye Oak released the album "The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs" last spring. Led by the songwriting duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, the Baltimore group has made a habit of changing its sound from record to record, and its sixth full-length is no exception. With the addition of new member Will Hackney, Wye Oak's sound has grown fuller and richer. Wye Oak stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before headlining Denver's Bluebird Theater. The band members played four songs and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about expanding the band's sound on the new record, how they write music while living in different cities and the ambiguous meaning of the album's title.