#brasstree

Photos and story by Stephanie DeCamp [Note: To view full pictures with text, click on the article link to view it directly, instead of as part of your tumblr feed. Now here’s a band that surprised me, as I hadn’t heard anything quite like them on the local scene since the last time I saw FLASHLIGHTS (around two years ago). They are dark and sexy, and probably belong more to Brooklyn than Denver. But that’s what makes them so cool. Their ours.

If this band were an animal, they would be a panther. Keyboardist James Wayne described their sound with an alarming answer: one genre. If you’ve ever asked any band to describe their sound, then you know that this is rare — you’re almost always going to get a stoned mish-mash of genres coupled with a declaration of purpose behind the music. Which is great; I love complex answers. But simple ones are great too, especially since the genre expressed was one I was unfamiliar with: “Dark-wave,” said Wayne. “Dark-wave was a genre of music in the 80s; it was really popular in Europe, and was like, dark synth-pop. Which I didn’t know when we made our music. But now, I’ve realized that’s what we sound like.” But this alone does not describe the power and raw, synthetic appeal of what they produce. The feminine mystic of lead singer Cassie McNeil’s voice is a very sexy juxtaposition when heard over Wayne’s keys and Drummer Alex Anderson’s (also of local giants ManCub) percussion. More than that, they pull off something I had never considered before, outside of bands like Slipknot: prerecorded drum beats and a live drummer. While at first this may sound like an abrasive combination, it genuinely compliments the dramatic appeal of their live performance.

By Stephanie DeCamp

What is Brass Tree? It's DIY as fuck, that's what it is.

Leighton Peterson, Ben Mund, Tyler Cambell and Luke Bender are the residents of the Brass Tree house. One night, they had an epic party. And doubtless, as we all do, the next day was filled with "We should do this all the time, man!" style conversations. But here's the difference between them and most other collective houses: They actually did end up doing it all the time.

On a regular basis (around once a month) the Brass Tree house turns into the Brass Tree Sessions — an intimate afternoon with unheard of or mildly buzzed (and buzzed about) bands; wherein there are snacks, libations, and a backyard full of unusual (and most times, charming) individuals. 

The DIY part comes here: These guys turned a small room on the first floor into a fully rigged, duct-taped and unquestionably blessed sound and video studio. That's right: The whole show you're watching is being taped, and taped fairly well. Can you not squeeze into the tiny space allocated for the most devoted of jumping fans? No problem. They also have that same video feed running to a flatscreen TV in the living room and a projector in the kitchen. 

Let me emphasize here, these men are clearly nerds of the greatest kind. The house is nice enough, but obviously that of a bunch of dudes who likely have lost a job or two to the love of a guitar, the jealousy of an amp or the downright meanness of a Casio keyboard. They even have a set of eight standard apartment light-dimmers now rigged to run the lights in the performance room.

Yes, they even have lights.

While I admit I have only been to one of their shows, I intend on going to their fifth installation tomorrow (Saturday, June 25) to check out heretofore unknown-to-me bands Fingers of the Sun, School Knights and Force Publique. Will they be any good? I have no idea. But the first show I went to most definitely was.

In April I was invited via Robin Walker — a tiny blast of electric-ukulele indie herself — to attend a party there where her band Cougarpants (featuring Jessica Hughes on drums) was playing. There I also saw local heros Hindershot and resident roommate Leighton's own band, Safe Boating Is No Accident. I was assigned by my student paper to shoot the event, while my colleague Ian Gassman collected interviews.

It's a photographers dream in the main room, assuming you are flexible and unafraid of heights — to avoid the earthquake crowd one is almost required to climb amp stacks and wiggle under bassists' legs. The decorations are a blissful mess of color that, fortunately enough for me, happened to match Walker's blue hair that night. Fidgety camera conditions aside, I walked away impressed.

Equally impressive for scene veterans such as myself: I didn't know a soul there besides my writer. Awesome. Here's some advice from me to you: The less people you know at a party, the better. This goes for those you work and those you attend for pleasure. Strangers are inherently the most surprising lot there is.

At any rate, hopefully you have a good idea now of what Brass Tree TV is all about, and will take a look at what they're doing next. Sure, you'll be able to watch the show you missed later. But remember: this was born of an Epic Party. Being there is half the fun.

Check out the Brass Tree Sessions FB for more info: