Openair Sessions

Dirty Few released the new EP, "Volcom Sessions," last month. The Denver garage rock quintet recorded it at the California headquarters of the skate and surf apparel company Volcom. It's an energetic record that's representative of the band's potent live show. Before a release show at Denver's Larimer Lounge, Dirty Few returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2015. The band played three songs and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about teaming up with Volcom, hiring a "party manager" and embarking on a West Coast tour.

Down Time released its debut EP, "Good Luck!," last year. The record features five lo-fi indie pop songs that the group itself describes as "grandma jams." The Denver indie rock band has since expanded from a trio to a five-piece and is at work on new material. Down Time stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a concert at Larimer Lounge. The band played four songs and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about expanding its sound with new members, working on a full-length album and filming a concert at Denver's Alamo Drafthouse movie theater.

Phil Pirrone leads JJUUJJUU with a rotating cast of backing players. The Los Angeles psychedelic rock band recently released its debut album, "Zionic Mud." It's heavy on reverberated vocals, fuzzed-out guitar licks and intriguing song titles like "Italian Toothpaste." JJUUJJUU stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Denver's Lost Lake. The band played two songs and Pirrone spoke with Bruce Trujillo about how he started playing music, the many collaborations on "Zionic Mud" and running the California music festival Desert Daze.

Brazilian Girls this year released the album "Let's Make Love," the pop band's first since 2008's Grammy-nominated "New York City." It features the eclectic dance sound the quartet became known for in the early 2000s. The album came together over the course of several years, with recording sessions in Istanbul, Paris, Madrid and New York. Brazilian Girls visited us in the CPR Performance Studio last month. The quartet played three songs from "Let's Make Love" and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording the album all over the world and the romantic themes behind the new songs.

Joel Van Horne released his third album as Covenhoven earlier this month. "A Kind Of Revelation" came from the Denver musician's writing sessions while touring along the Pacific coast of California, Oregon and Washington. The album blends the contemplative folk of Covenhoven's previous work with vivid orchestral string parts. Covenhoven returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2015. Van Horne and his seven-piece backing band played three songs from "A Kind Of Revelation" and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about how his brother's death affected the arc of the album and how the natural world inspires his music.

After a five-year hiatus, Wolf Parade released the new album "Cry Cry Cry" last fall. The Montreal quartet -- led by the songwriting duo of Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug -- picks up right where it left off with a collection songs of featuring mystifying lyrics and uptempo rock rhythms. Wolf Parade stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a concert at the Ogden Theatre. The members played four songs from "Cry Cry Cry" and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the band's growth since reuniting in 2016, how they wrote Wolf Parade songs during the hiatus and how the indie rock music industry has changed since the band's early days.

Super Bummer released its debut album, "Big Ambition," last month. The quartet hails from New Mexico and currently resides in Denver. The album features midtempo rock songs influenced by '90s indie music and surf-rock, as well as occasionally downcast lyrics in line with the band's name. Super Bummer recently played some songs from "Big Ambition" in the CPR Performance Studio. The band members also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about working with the Colorado indie label Grouphug and how they connected with Denver's music scene.

Ivory Circle caught some national attention this year with a remarkable submission to NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest. The Denver band's video for "Never Let Me Go" -- which features multiple images of band members spliced into one shot -- made a list of the contest judges' favorite entries (and our list as well). That video landed them a spot on last week's Tiny Desk Concert bill with contest winner Naia Izumi. Ivory Circle recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. The band members played three songs -- including "Never Let Me Go" -- and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about about why their EP titles are named after triangles, the long process of arranging their vocal harmonies and what the exposure from NPR Music has done for the band.

Paul Kimbiris & The Dark Side of Pearl released the new "May Day" EP earlier this month. Kimbiris has garnered comparisons to Bob Dylan and Gregory Alan Isakov for his lyrical storytelling and folk-inspired music. The new record features a louder rock sound from his band, named for the main street in the singer-songwriter's home of Boulder. Kimbiris and his band recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. They played four songs and Kimbiris spoke with Bruce Trujillo about how a trip to Spain inspired his new music and performing at a Bob Dylan tribute show at eTown Hall in Boulder.

Darren Garvey spent the last two years as the percussionist for Colorado folk group Elephant Revival. That band recently went on hiatus, but Garvey is staying busy with his solo singer-songwriter music. Next month the multi-instrumentalist will release his latest album, "Heart Attack Sleeves," and he performs June 29 at the Walnut Room with Tough Old Bird and Perry West. Garvey stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play some of his own material on guitar and piano. He also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about producing his own records, his goal to share a new song online every week in 2018 and why Elephant Revival is taking a break.

Gasoline Lollipops have a busy 2018 schedule. The Boulder country-rock band will perform at several Colorado summer music festivals including Grandoozy and ARISE as well as a free concert at Levitt Pavilion Denver in July. The quartet released its latest album, "Soul Mine," late last year. Gasoline Lollipops recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio a year after their first visit. The band played four songs and bandleader Clay Rose spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the soul-searching period of his life that inspired "Soul Mine," recording much of the album alone and his plans to write and record music with his mother.

Jess Parsons released her debut solo record, "Murmuration," last week. The singer and ukulele player has been active in Denver's music scene as a member of Glowing House, Bluebook and Kyle Emerson's band. The five-song EP finds Parsons taking the traditional folk sound of her previous work in a more ethereal direction. Parsons stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play three songs from "Murmuration." She also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about recording the EP live to tape in Boulder, working on a collection of nursery rhymes with Julie Davis of Bluebook and how playing with other Denver bands influences her own work.

Erika Wennerstrom has visited our studio before with her Americana-rock band Heartless Bastards. This year, the singer and guitarist took a break from that band to release her debut solo album, "Sweet Unknown." Inspired by a trip to the Amazon rainforest, the record features a more psychedelic sound for Wennerstrom, whose robust vocals are always a riveting aspect of her music. Wennerstrom returned to the CPR Performance Studio last month before a show at Denver's Globe Hall. She played four songs and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about how taking a break from Heartless Bastards helped her songwriting, writing the album on a camping trip in West Texas and how she connects with people through music.

Los Mocochetes have become live favorites in Denver for their thrilling blend of percussion, guitars, horns and vocals that incorporates elements of Chicano rock and funk. The seven-piece band's songs feature politically minded lyrics, and it's easy for a listener to sing along to songs like "¡Que Viva Revolución!" Their entry to this year's Tiny Desk Contest from NPR Music was one of our favorite Colorado entries. Los Mocochetes stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before their Saturday night show at Larimer Lounge. The band members played four songs and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about coming up with their band name at Walmart, how they came to play protest music and winning Westword's "Best Latin Band" award last year.

Jamaal Curry writes hip-hop songs that hearken back to the genre's early days in the 1980s and '90s. The Fort Collins rapper and producer performs under the name Boss Eagle. He released his debut album, "The Firebird Album," late last year. Boss Eagle performed four songs from "The Firebird Album" in the CPR Performance Studio and donned some boxing attire for one of the songs (see above). Curry also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about writing a letter to Puff Daddy as a teenager, creating new verses for some of his favorite rap songs and the Colorado hip-hop scene.

Shannon And The Clams released their fifth album, "Onion," earlier this year. The Oakland quartet teamed up with producer Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys for the record, which features the retro rock and pop sound of the band's previous work. Singer Shannon Shaw's lyrics pay tribute to the victims of the 2016 fire at the Ghost Ship venue in the band's hometown. Shannon And The Clams stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a pair of Colorado shows. The band members played three songs from "Onion" and spoke with Bruce Trujillo about writing about friends who had died in the Ghost Ship fire, playing the songs from "Onion" in Oakland for the first time and how Auerbach's support has affected their career.

Mona Magno (aka Monalicious) is the singer-songwriter and baritone ukulele player behind Twin Flame Medicine. The Denver artist -- who also fronts Flowers of Mass Production -- and her band combine folk instruments with jazz grooves and soulful melodies. The band released its self-titled debut album last week.​ Twin Flame Medicine joined us in the CPR Performance Studio before the album's release. The band played four songs and Magno spoke with Alisha Sweeney about balancing various musical projects and recording the album in Fort Collins.

Palm released its sophomore album, "Rock Island," earlier this year. The Philadelphia quartet's music is hard to pin down: It incorporates elements of rock, pop, tropicalia, electronica and other genres for a bizarre and exciting sound. The band recorded much of the album in a secluded farmhouse in New York state. The band members brought their eccentric sound into the CPR Performance Studio before a show at Lost Lake in Denver. They played three songs from "Rock Island" and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about constantly reinventing their sound, their experimental music influences and whether or not rock music is "dead."

Stelth Ulvang somehow finds time to balance a solo music career with his demanding schedule as a member of Denver band The Lumineers. The Fort Collins native, who plays dozens of instruments, has released three records so far this year, the most recent of which is his solo sophomore LP, "American Boredom." Ulvang wrote and recorded the album over the course of three years during breaks from Lumineers tours. Ulvang and his band stopped into the CPR Performance Studio last week. He played four songs and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the political themes on "American Boredom," recording an EP in South Africa and opening for U2 with the Lumineers last year.

Moaning released its self-titled debut album last month on the renowned Sub Pop record label. The Los Angeles trio writes bass-driven rock songs that recall classic post-punk albums from Gang of Four and Joy Division mixed with influences from the California indie scene. The band recently performed at this year's SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, and Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho. Moaning stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play four songs from its debut. The members also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about playing together since high school, their connection to the distinguished Los Angeles D.I.Y. venue The Smell and the various meanings behind their band name.