The music you listen to as the self-absorbed teenage version of yourself is not the same as the music you listen to now.  If you grew up like I did, you may have just started to really spend obnoxious amounts of time on listening to new bands.  Or maybe you started spending a ridiculous amount of money seeing those bands while you were in college, like I did.  I never got a chance to see Margot & the Nuclear So and So's during either of these periods in my life, but I definitely feel like I would have if it were possible; they either weren't in existence or weren't touring all the way down to Florida.  But being at the Larimer Lounge and seeing them play brought me back to the feeling I got when I used to when I was in both of those musically-charged situations.  Seeing all of the "x's" on the wrists, and the camera phones snapping/recording and hearing the intense singing in the cramped space was a feeling entirely too familiar as I recalled the warehouse shows, the house parties, the small college venues that I grew up with and frequented before I was old enough to go to bars and other, bigger venues.  The music I listened to then was a lot more emotionally complicated, gritty-guitar infused and just crowded. 


The Nukes have cast a wide net for their fans over the years, and I love to see the different generations that get sucked into catch when I see shows like theirs this past Tuesday.  And their passionate, too: there are a certain type of music fan that will be drawn to bands for reasons that have more to do with values, and the way people were raised, and I get that feeling with the people I observed at the front of the crowd this evening.  I'm sure there were a few people that came to hear something new, too; all bands this evening had released a new album as of one or two months ago. 

So the opening band was Whispertown, and unfortunately I missed all but the last 3 songs they played.  They had a bare-bones set up with one small drum and Jake Bellows on the guitar.  Bellows is an established musician of the Saddle Creek / Omaha variety (you may know of his other band Neva Dinova), and I was not expecting to see him up there with Morgan Nagler, the principle member of Whispertown.  Nagler herself expressed the revolving door of musicians that Whispertown is comprised of in our interview we did over the internets - you can read it here.  I would have like to see more of the two perform, but I know from Nagler's interview and some brief internet searching that the duo will be back in town soon enough.  Her recent release is Parallel, and you can listen to it

Next up on the night's list of musical guests was Dinosaur Feathers.  They are a band from Brooklyn and their bassist is the splitting image of Ron Linvingston (the movie, Office Space).  The band plays fun, catchy songs that sound like pop-music crack: they jump around and make you want to jump around, it's addictive.  The band played mostly from their new release, Whistle Tips, and the highlights of their performance of that album I think would be "Young Bucks" and "SURPRISE!". 


Richard Edwards is the singer for Margot & the Nuclear So and So's and he's from Indianapolis.  This was made clear when he made a comment about the Broncos recent addition of Peyton Manning, famed quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.  "I want someone to send me tapes once football season starts . . . you may have him now, but we got the best of him."  I forgot about football until he brought that up; I honestly have been in a mental NFL blackout since that Tebow-trading thing.  The Nukes started off with new tracks like "Shannon" and "Fisher of Men," but the night included a little of everything, including "Skeleton Key" and "Will You Love Me Forever?".  It was nice to see the musical accompaniment that Erik Kang provided with the slide guitar and violin, and Cameron McGill on the keyboard and backing vocals.  It was a full room of listeners and a full stage of band members.






The group enjoyed the captivation of that evening's guests, lot's of kids got to experience what I never did - seeing a great band that you can grow up with play a small venue.  And lots of new music to queue up on Spotify afterwards.

Don't you just love band names?  I particularly like to play the game where you try to guess what type of music a band makes from their name alone; it's good tactic for book covers, obviously, but with band names it becomes really funny really fast.  Please indulge yourself if you haven't heard of these bands before, then read on for the scoop on tonight's lineup that the Larimer Lounge.

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's are pop music first, but have a punk attitude and somewhat experimental in sound as they dabble in a few different types of sounds on each album they have released so far.  In 2006, the band released the emotionally-driven The Dust of Retreat and gained many fans with the single "Skeleton Key".  Since then the group has disbanded and reformed with new members and new grittier sounds with 2010 release of their third album Buzzard.  Singer and songwriter Richard Edwards is a lyrical whiz who puts a cute spin on any song with pop hooks throughout.  The March release of Rot Gut, Domestic (unfortunately the band didn't take advantage of the excellent marketing opportunity to release a microbrew with the same name) features songs that are '90s influenced rock, but maintain personality such as with "A Journalist Falls in Love with Death Row Inmate #16" which is about an unlikely relationship with a felon (I guess it happens, i.e. Danny Rawlings) and "Prozac Nation" which is most certainly an ode to the beloved pharmaceutical industry.




Whispertown is the newest version of Morgan Nagler's band, formerly the Whispertown 2000. Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings have their own label, Acony records based in Nashville, and Whispertown is the only other band they've released on it. The new EP Parallel is the bands 2nd release, and the follow up to their previous release, Swim.




Dinosaur feathers is an indie-pop quartest from Brooklyn that cites Billy Joel as an influence on their Facebook page. I think that is a great summation for a new band. Check out all three of these acts tonight at the Larimer Lounge - Doors at 8:00 PM and Show at 9:00 PM, more information can be found on their website here.

Whispertown is a person, is a band, is a way of thinking.  But mostly Whispertown is singer-songwriter Morgan Nagler, who has an entertainment background in acting but now indulges in music with her friends in L.A.  And her friends on the musician-end of the spectrum are impressive - take for instance the indie-folk power duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings who signed Nagler up to bolster their talent on Acony Records.

With a new EP out, Nagler is touring the states with Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, and will be stopping in Denver to play at the Larimer Lounge on May 15 - see event details on their website here.  Nagler, aka Whispertown, took a moment to tell us about Parallel and her music, and I suggest you give her a listen next Tuesday.


CE: You go by Whispertown but used to be known as the Whispertown 2000; Is the name change just representative of a change in your sound or is there more to it? 
MN: The name change represents the evolving nature of one's journey. The Whispertown 2000 was a band that I love! Whispertown, so far, is more of a revolving cast of characters supporting these songs in different ways.

CE: How did you get started in the music recording business?
MN: I got a bit of a late start writing music. It wasn't until I was 20 that I learned to play guitar and really started writing songs, but I have always been a writer of words. Its pursuit came out of a desire to connect with other people in the world, and hopefully by sharing ideas make life better.  Jenny Lewis supported my first and second records, and the second was picked up by Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch at Acony Records, after writing with them for several months in Nashville.  Parallel is now out on Acony, as well.


CE: What was the inspiration for the current iteration of your sound on Parallel?
MN: The inspiration for the new sound of PARALLEL was to experiment with removing the constant strumming of acoustic guitar and replaced it with fewer well chosen notes and instruments, so that everything had a specific unique purpose in revealing the song. Jake Bellows and I went to Athens, Georgia to collaborate with producer Andy LeMaster who psychicly seemed to turn these songs into dreams.

CE: What do you like about playing and performing in L.A. where you live? 
MN: I live in a place called The Shack in Los Angeles. I mostly like writing and playing songs there, in the almost boat like living room/kitchen/Nick White's bedroom.

CE: What is it like playing with Margot and the Nuclear So and So's and do you have any unique experiences to share so far during this tour? 
MN: Our tour with Margot and The Nuclear So and So's begins day after tomorrow! We are visiting Daytrotter on the way to the first show in Maddison, and are very excited. We toured with them a few years back, so are looking forward to the hang. They are sweet!

CE: Acony Records released your album, Parallel, and is based in Nashville, TN. There are lots of recording studios in Nashville and it is generally considered a musician's city - did you record any music in Nashville? More importantly, have you ever checked out the karaoke scene in Nashville? I hear it's only for those at the top of their game. 
MN: I don't think I have actually done any recording in Nashville, but yes, the Label is there and I am fond of the city. I find karaoke endlessly entertaining, so I will have to check that out next time I am in town. My favorite song to do is "Don't Cry" by G&R.

CE: Have you played in Denver before, and if so when was the last time you were here? 
MN: I actually used to live in Denver and have played there many a time! I believe that last was at the Hi-Dive on a motorcycle tour of Colorado with Jake Bellows. There are a few songs on my first record Livin' In A Dream that mention Denver and Aspen.

Check out Whispertown along with Margot and the Nuclear So and So's and Dinosaur Feathers on Tuesday, May 15 at Larimer Lounge. The doors open at 8:00PM and the music starts at 9:00PM. The show is 21+ and tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door. Tickets and more information are available online here.