A Michal Menert New Years

Michal Menert, a peer and old friend of Pretty Lights is based out of Fort Collins as he has spent much of his life here after he and his family escaped Soviet Eastern Europe in his childhood, according his myspace page. Since then Menert has lived in Fort Collins and surrounding areas and started a career as a Dj. Menert's style closely resembles Pretty Light's as he plays electronic down tempo and hip hop beats mixed with heavy bass. The similarities are strking, and it is no surprise that the two have spent time mixing together.

Here is a little sample from a Pretty Lights after party




He is set to play a new years eve set at the Aggie, and it should be one to not be missed. This is a show that will most definitely sell out so be sure to get tickets in advance

On Campus? Ramskeller Provides Shows

Quick heads up to anyone on campus often; the Ramskeller, which is the on campus bar, hosts a variety of local acts throughout the semester. Occasionally CSU will even commission bigger acts to play the 'Skeller' such as the popular adult swim band/cartoon show Deathklok a few years back, and in even farther back other big names such as Widespread Panic, according to a flier on the wall in the historic bar the Town Pump. Suprising? Yes indeed! Widespread panic now tends to to sell out Red Rocks when in the area, and the thought of them playing the Skeller is ludicrous.

There are still more shows planned for this semester, especially on friday nights, so keep posted for a local show here at our local school.

Rise Against Recording in Fort Collins Again

Punk rock giants Rise against are in the midst of recording their next album here in Fort Collins... again. The Chicago based four-peice has been at work on the new album for several months now and the title is still to be announced.

The band enjoys the Fort Collins area and has preferred recording with the local recording studio The Blasting Room, as it is a favored punk rock hot spot, as founded by members of the legendary punk rock bands The Descendents and Black Flag. This picture was recently released on the bands website among other studio pictures of the band in the studio here in town.

It is great to see a nationally known act favoring Fort Collins as compared to many that prefer bigger studios in costal areas. It would be ignorant to believe the band would stick around the area for much longer than the recording process, but we can always hope for more albums and presence in the city in the future. Unfortunately it could be a while before the band plays any shows in the area as the only tour dates in 2011 are set for Europe and South America, but more should be announced as the year comes to pass.

Snowball to Host Local Musicians

Although the line up hasn't been announced yet speculation and rumor are running rampant in regards to the first annual Snowball music festival in Vail. The word on the street is acts such as Pretty Lights, The Flaming Lips, and Ratatat will headline the event -- but nothing is officially confirmed. The festival is set for March 3rd-6th and will supposedly host three stages, one of which dedicated to local acts from Colorado.

Winter music festivals are basically unheard of when compared to the massive acts that dominate the summer season in North America and Europe. What makes the Snowball festival unique is that it is said to be outdoors, even in the what is known to be one of the coldest months in the Colorado calender.

The event will also be geared towards skiing and boarding as the beautiful resort of Vail will be open for riding.

The line up should begin to be posted by the end of the month, so be sure to check the website for more information as details develop.

Free Show: Dead Floyd

What would it sound like if the music of Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead made a baby? Probably like very abstract synthesized guitar plucking accompanied by loud vocals. Next best thing: Dead Floyd.

Covering songs from both historic bands in conjunctive sets Dead Floyd has been rocking the front range since the summer of 2009, according to their website. They have played extensively in Fort Collins and also shows in Boulder and Denver. The band claims that one of the best things about their live sets is the vast catalog of songs they have to play from. If you do the math that's 27 studio albums and hundreds of songs amounting to endless set lists and combinations of songs.

The next Fort Collins Dead Floyd show is scheduled for this Saturday, December 4th. So if you find yourself bar hoping this weekend and have an itching for some classic rock, or just an awesome show in general this might tickle your fancy. The doors are at 8 pm but the real fun will start a bit later.
What can be transposed to Dead Floyd in the words of the late Jerry Garcia could sum up this event the best, "And for me there's still more material than 20 life times that I could use up."