131 APRIL 6-12, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | the release of 2017’s Time Captain — but after a slight change in lineup, the “gras- sicana” band delivered another delicious down-home album. The nine-track Round Feet, Chrome Smile, which dropped in Sep- tember, is a feel-good album all the way through, perfect for a drive through the mountains or a get-together with friends. Best Brass Band Brothers of Brass brothersofbrass.band If you’ve walked around the 16th Street Mall or the Denver Performing Arts Com- plex over the past seven years, chances are you’ve heard the blaring sounds of Brothers of Brass. The New Orleans-style brass band, founded by Khalil Simon, has been trumpet- ing around Denver since 2016. While it fi rst established itself by busking outside every- thing from DCPA let-outs to football games at Empower Field to the Phish lot at Dick’s, the band is now playing places like Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox and Meow Wolf. Brothers of Brass is also steeped in activism, help- ing to lead protests and encouraging youth engagement by playing local schools. Be on the lookout for its upcoming full-length, set to drop in late April. Best Solo Multi- Instrumentalist The Orchestrator theorchestrator.io Brandon Theis, aka The Orchestrator, has become one of Denver’s most popular artists on the strength of his saxophone- infused wobbly beats, which have nabbed him sold-out headlining slots at Meow Wolf, the Bluebird Theater, the Marquis Theater, Larimer Lounge and Globe Hall. While he has yet to release a full-length, Theis is consistently dropping singles that hint at big things to come. Meanwhile, his energetic live concerts are a wonder of live-music production as he jumps from deejaying to trilling his sax to playing guitar to banging on his drum kits. Theis is diving into hip-hop, too, adding more vocals to his tracks that run the musical gamut, with inspirations in jazz, trip-hop, funk, soul, EDM and more. Best Jazz Album Alpenglow Annie Booth Sextet annieboothmusic.com A Denver jazz-scene mainstay, award- winning composer, arranger and pianist Annie Booth formed her sextet in 2015, creating a multi-generational supergroup with Mile High jazz stalwarts Greg Gis- bert (trumpet), Wil Swindler (alto sax), John Gunther (tenor and soprano sax), Patrick McDevitt (bass) and Alejandro Castaño (drums). The group released the soothing, layered Alpenglow last summer after receiving the 2021 Performance Plus Grant from the Doris Duke Foundation and Chamber Music America. Booth composed all the songs, which highlight the varied skills of the seasoned performers. Best Indie Band Silver & Gold silverandgoldmusic.com The Denver area has always been fertile ground for indie rock. Silver & Gold got its start at the University of Northern Colo- rado, where all fi ve members were regulars at open mics and earned their music degrees a decade ago. Since then, the band has re- leased a couple of EPs and a debut record in 2018, Point A — Point A. The music of singer/guitarist Devon Hildebrandt, bassist Brandon Vela, guitarist Pie Lombardi, drum- mer Taylor Drose and keyboardist Claire Jensen is spacey and soothing, even calm, and the band’s new EP, Saving Faces, marks the evolution of Silver & Gold into one of the Front Range’s most original indie bands. Best Indie Album Channels Elektric Animals elektricanimals.com Elektric Animals has taken Denver by storm since forming in 2018, and released the fi ve-song Channels EP, its much-antic- ipated debut, in 2022. Songs like “Come Clean” and “Woe Is Me” highlight the indie-rock group’s ability to intertwine danceable, catchy hooks with moving, tight guitar solos that trickle over smooth bass lines. The band has worked its way to playing places like the Larimer Lounge and Lost Lake, where it offers high-energy sets that keep the crowd moving from the moment it takes the stage. Best Punk Band Plasma Canvas plasmacanvas.bandcamp.com Fort Collins just seems to breed punk-rock acts, and Plasma Canvas has been one of the area’s most popular punk bands for nearly a decade. After an intoxicating set at the Westword Music Showcase in 2022, the band released an absolutely addicting full- length, DUSK, in February. Showcasing the captivating vocals of lead singer and guitar- ist Adrienne Rae Ash, the album encapsu- lates a poetic, cathartic release, all wrapped in a relentlessly rocking punk package. Best Punk Album Your Life and Nothing Else FAIM faim.bandcamp.com Catch FAIM while you can: Denver’s most righteous hardcore punk band has an- nounced that 2023 will be its last as a formal group. But the March release of new record Your Life and Noth- continued on page 132
