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The Show(case) Must Go On!

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"It was great. A lot of it was a learning experience. We made a lot of great connections and had a blast seeing Europe through a van window," Zappe says. "A few people at our shows out there were already familiar with us, but I do think we did get a little bit of interest just because we were an American, girl-fronted band."

Although Zappe and Exley have no qualms about playing up the hot-girls-with-guitars angle of their band, novelty is the least of the reasons for Hemi Cuda's appeal. Their songs are hot-wired with pop hooks and harmonies; their live shows are demolition derbies full of noise, crushed bodies and sheer rock velocity. -- Heller

HONKY TONK HANGOVERS
NOMINATED IN COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS/ROOTS
Back when guys like Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash were walking the line, so to speak, between country music and rockabilly, little did they know they'd someday have illegitimate sons like the Honky Tonk Hangovers. The group -- bassist Donnie Jerome, drummer Brandon Webster and singer/guitarists Dave Hall and Jeff Yeary -- has been burning up bars and roadhouses across Denver for a couple of years now with its sizzling brand of roots music. Country, rock and roll, rockabilly, honky-tonk -- whatever you want to call it, the Hangovers' sound evokes the vintage twang and yodel of hillbilly music. No slick Nashville sophistication. No alt-country irony. Just lots of rustic pedal steel, two-steppin' rhythms and heartfelt singing about drinking, loving and driving trucks.

On the band's debut release, last year's Every Little Honky Tonk, the band is captured at its whooping, stomping best. Hall's rumbling baritone offsets Yeary's plaintive, lonesome warble, and Jerome and Webster pitch in harmonies while nailing down the beats with both precision and soul. The sound is authentic and retro without being kitschy; it's obvious the Hangovers have a true love affair with classic country music. The group is also a champion of Denver's roots-music scene and waves the flag for anyone in town willing to buck the trend of phony, commercialized country and play it straight from the heart. With an emphasis on songwriting, tasteful playing and unpretentious fun, the Honky Tonk Hangovers are the perfect reminder that, despite all the lofts and skyscrapers, Denver is still a city of the high-plains West. -- Heller

DJ IDIOM
NOMINATED IN DJ/DANCE/ELECTRONIC
Sir Mix-It-Up might be a more fitting handle for DJ Idiom, aka Chris Cory. The platter jockey has a knack for blending disparate styles into delicious sonic smoothies. Not limited to a single-minded concept of what spinning should be, Idiom breaks down the barriers of style to please his audience and himself.

"My evolution as a musician has been a lifelong experience," he says. "I've gone all the way from listening to my mother practice for recitals as a concert pianist, to being in an alternative-rock band as a teen, to being a flamenco guitarist and B-boy throughout high school, to currently trying to turn my love for music into a career as a DJ."

When Idiom began spinning three years ago, he found that with a little practice, he could effortlessly mix alternative-rock lyrics with hip-hop instrumentals. And this kind of juxtaposing became the basis of his style: He shows "that you can listen to Jurassic 5 mixed with Al Green, Sublime mixed with the Pharcyde, Louis Armstrong mixed with Cypress Hill, Eric B. and Rakim mixed with the Smiths, Nirvana mixed with the Beastie Boys, Aphrodite mixed with Tchaikovsky, and the Grateful Dead mixed with Eydea and Abilities -- all within thirty minutes."

Think of it as sonic splatter painting. "Good music isn't confined to one genre," he says, "so why not mix it all together to make it more entertaining and enjoyable?" -- Hutchinson

ION
NOMINATED IN HARD ROCK
6 P.M., LA RUMBA
Fans familiar with Ion's history will notice a glaring omission on the band's Web site: There are no references to any member's previous accomplishments. Leader Todd Schlafer headed the wildly popular Rocket Ajax, which split after a move to Los Angeles earlier this year. But so far, this strategy of only facing forward is proving successful: A few months after forming, the band has label interest and a sizable fan base.

Schlafer hasn't forgotten the past, however. "I was determined to stay and make something happen," he explains of his decision to linger in L.A. after the Ajax breakup. "Then I got a CD from two of my friends putting this thing together, and it was ten times better than anything Ajax did. I swear, it's unbelievable."

Ion's enviable lineup consists of singer Noe DeLeon, bassist Joe Sego, drummer David "Davis" Foonberg and second guitarist Nik Lawhorn. And then there's the music: Tautly crafted and unabashedly commercial, the band morphs brawny beats, torrential guitar riffs and polished vocals into songs that are as raucous as they are catchy. Ion is currently mastering a full-length CD; expect it to take off, rocket style. -- Soltero

DJ IVY
NOMINATED IN DJ/DANCE/ELECTRONIC
8 P.M., THE CHURCH
Long before Josh Ivy moved the asses of the masses and became a household name on the electronic circuit as DJ Ivy, he was arguably one of the best downhill mountain-bike racers in the world. Then, at the age of nineteen, after nine years as a pro and numerous titles, he unceremoniously walked away at the top of his game to become a filmmaker.

"I realized being an athlete was not in my body anymore," says Ivy of his decision to leave the sport. "I realized there was an artistic side to me."

The turntablist attended film school at the University of Colorado at Boulder briefly before dropping out to make films of his own. However, fate intervened in the form of two turntables with homemade pitch controls; soon, Ivy forgot all about making films.

In what he describes as "just a completely ghetto approach," Ivy learned how to mix from a friend and after a solid year of regimented rehearsal started pursuing gigs of his own. After putting together and distributing over 600 mix tapes, everything began to coalesce in 1999. "Even though it cost me a lot of money," Ivy acknowledges, "that was how I got my name out there."

Ivy currently divides his time between several projects. First, there's his collaboration with Seafoam: Under the moniker Strawberry Fish, the duo has an unreleased twelve-inch, "How Many Licks Does It Take?," due for release on Lo-Rise Recordings. Ivy describes the material as mostly breakbeat and down-tempo. He also tends to a half-dozen residencies, including his most popular night, with partner in crime Psychonaut, at GROWednesdays (Wednesday Nights at Harry's in the Magnolia Hotel). Then there are the Unity Gain parties hosted by his crew, Mile High House. If that weren't enough, he's "hunkering down" and learning how to write his own compositions.

"In terms of deejaying, my main goal is to try and write my own music," says Ivy. "I won't ever stop deejaying; it's all relevant to writing music. My ambition, though, is to play music that makes me feel good. That makes me feel like I lose a sense of time. Makes me forget about everything that's happening and step out of a linear sense of time. I'd like to share that with people, and hopefully, they'll experience it with me." -- Herrera

MARTY JONES AND THE
PORK BOILIN' POOR BOYS
NOMINATED IN COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS/ROOTS
7 P.M., DAZZLE
Because Marty Jones, who leads the Pork Boilin' Poor Boys, is a Westword contributor, he's never been able to write in these pages about one of his favorite local bands: his own. Not surprisingly, he's got plenty to say about what he calls "Denver's finest practitioners of real alternative country music, whatever that means" when given the opportunity.

"I guess the latest is that we're proud to mark our third straight summer with a new guitar player," Jones says. "Our man Dane 'Wichita' Hunter, who joined last year, lost his job with a satellite radio company and has moved to Phoenix to learn how to repair Harley-Davidsons." Taking Hunter's spot is "Barbecue Bob" Coopergrundy, whom Jones describes as "a British guy who played in a band with the drummer from the Pogues." Coopergrundy joins an outfit whose members sport at least two colorful handles, plus a third whose moniker is ordinary but built to last: "We've got Wilbur on drums -- one name only, like Cher -- and Chuck Wagon on guitar. And my name remains Marty Jones."

Full Boar, the Poor Boys' magnum opus, recently earned a second pressing, but Jones isn't interested in sitting tight. "We have material together and might record a new EP this summer," he says. "And I'm hoping to do a little solo recording, just me and a guitar. They're songs that are either very depressing or ones that don't fit the kind of humor we enjoy in the band, like this song about JonBenét Ramsey's murder that nobody really wants to hear." Oh, yeah: Jones is also trying to write some songs with Jason Ringenberg, of Jason and the Scorchers fame, thereby "continuing our evolution into ragged honky-tonk."

Sounds like the type of band Jones would love to profile. Too bad he can't. -- Roberts

LOVE.45
NOMINATED IN POP
9 P.M., DAZZLE
"We've got to go to Seattle and learn how the big boys make records."

That's how Love.45 guitarist Paul Trinidad describes a recent trip to the Emerald City's London Bridge Studio, where the band recorded in a facility previously used by Nickelback, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, among others. Not too shabby for a group of musicians who've been treading water in Denver's local music scene for more years than they'd like to be reminded of. (They'll admit to six as Love.45.)

Tired of the rut they were running, the players started hosting what Trinidad dubs "promo-pack parties" -- where they'd gather to assemble and send materials to anyone who might listen. Following this torrent of mail, Love.45's goods landed in the hands of 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson, who liked what he heard and passed it on to a couple of A&R reps for Universal.

Remaining "cautiously optimistic," Trinidad and bandmates Micki Shivers, Danny Elster and Jim Messina accepted an invite from Henderson to put a new demo together at London Bridge, with Henderson also lending a hand with arrangements and acting as producer. The EP, Love.45 - The Seattle Sessions, consists of three previously unrecorded songs and a remix of "Smile," which appeared on last year's Larger Than Life CD. The recording, which the band plans to use primarily as a demo, will be available to fans in July.

Local .45 lovers have been a loyal group, suffering through some dismal venues as the band worked its way toward better gigs, with a recent slot at Red Rocks (as part of the Film on the Rocks series) making up for early shows at an empty Lion's Lair. And even if Universal's flirting doesn't lead to commitment, there's always the next promo-pack party. -- Soltero

RON MILES
NOMINATED IN JAZZ/SWING
8:30 P.M., ACOMA CENTER
How long has Ron Miles been part of the Denver jazz scene? Long enough to have made the transition from promising newcomer to elder statesman -- and yet Miles has kept his thinking and his playing fresh by constantly placing himself in challenging situations. Of late, he's performed alongside a disparate group of jazz standouts, including veteran clarinetist Don Byron, new-schooler Charlie Hunter and Denver-bred guitarist Bill Frisell, with whom he recorded Heaven, a duet album, last year. More recently, in March of this year, he cut Laughing Barrel with a quartet featuring local drum pro Rudy Royston, as well as bassist Anthony Cox, who calls Minneapolis home, and guitarist Brandon Ross, a New Yorker who serves as Cassandra Wilson's musical director.

"The focus was not so much on me as it was the whole band," Miles says. "I wanted to see if we could develop the material and move it forward together."

Because of the distances that separate the players, regular gigging is a struggle, but Miles and company have an Iowa City show in July and some East Coast appearances slated for the following months, with a European tour likely. Such travels should bring more attention to Barrel, which is being released by the Boulder-based Sterling Circle, a label that's in the process of expanding its distribution. Still, Miles sees the advantages of keeping things close to home.

"The older I get, the more I'm feeling the importance of community, whether it be supporting the local record stores or whatever," he allows. "I think it's nice to have folks nearby who you can talk to and work things out with, so a local label seems like a good idea, especially when they're really excellent people doing good work. I like being a part of it." -- Roberts

MINEZAI
NOMINATED IN HIP-HOP
Nathan Graham doesn't just live for hip-hop; he seems to live because of hip-hop. "Hip-hop saved my life," says Graham, also known by his stage name, Microphone Jones. "If it weren't for that positive outlet, I would've continued down the wrong path."

Graham, one of the founding members of the three-piece crew Minezai, is reticent when asked to expound on what, exactly, the wrong path was. "I did some stuff back then," says the MC, pausing to collect his thoughts, "that I'm ashamed to talk about now. Let's just say it [hip-hop] gave me the self-confidence I needed to stand up and be a man. It made me a somebody in my eyes."

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