The Show(case) Must Go On!

The Erica Brown Band formed in 1998 after the collective members of J.D. and the Love Bandits contacted Brown with the prospect of fronting their band. As luck would have it, the soulstress was between projects (Brown previously contributed vocals to the irreverent, critically acclaimed cult bands Foreskin 500 and Cherry Bomb Club). The subsequent name change was spurred because "I'm not a 6'3" trombone player named J.D.," says Brown, laughing.

The five-piece -- bassist Rich Sallee, guitarist Mark Lawson, keyboard and Hammond organ player Jim Ayers, and Scotty Rivera, who shares vocal duties with Brown -- released its debut long-player, Body Work, in November 2000. The band's second effort, Rough Cut Stone, was recorded and produced at FTM studios by Steve Avedis, whom Brown credits as having "the sharpest ears in the business"; the recording was released in April and is already starting to gain momentum.

As a result of its inspired performances and the accolades it has garnered in its five short years of existence - the group receives regular airplay on KUVO and KGNU and was voted number one for the month of April on KRFX's specialty show, Strictly the Blues, for the month of April - the Erica Brown Band could be thrust into the national spotlight. A record label that Brown declines to disclose so as not to "hoodoo the process" has expressed interest. Whether anything comes from it, she seems content just to be in the game.

"I'm not going to be one of those little old ladies in a home -- or, worse yet, one who doesn't have a pension who eats Little Friskies because she can't afford Fancy Feast -- wishing I had done this. Someone once said, 'Don't die with the music in you,' and I couldn't agree more." -- Herrera

BUCKNER FUNKEN JAZZ
NOMINATED IN JAZZ/SWING
Rod Buckner is a teacher by day, serving as the band and orchestra instructor at Denver's Henry Middle School. By night, as the leader and namesake of Buckner Funken Jazz, among the most popular combos working the local circuit, he's had plenty of chances to teach as well.

"The band started about five years ago, and it was originally supposed to be a blues and jazz band," Buckner says. "But the first guys that I had were mainly rockers, so I had to teach them how to play jazz. That was a hard job."

Fortunately, the situation has improved over time. As Buckner Funken Jazz established a reputation via regular performances at clubs such as Herman's Hideaway and Herb's Hideout, like-minded instrumentalists were drawn to it. At present, the band consists of Buckner on trumpet and sibling Ron Buckner on bass, supplemented by saxophonist Matthew White, conga expert Bobby Hill, guitarist Devon Kurzweil, keyboardist Mark Esquibel and drummer Chad Hodges. "The guys we have now are excellent jazz musicians, and they're definitely interested in the funk, too," Buckner says. "So the band is just getting better and better."

It's been several years since the release of Late for School, the combo's most recent CD, and Buckner would like to put another recording in the can. In the meantime, though, he wants to perfect the act's blend of classic covers and finger-popping originals. "We might play straightahead jazz during our first set, and during the second set throw in some Maceo and funk and Latin and our own stuff," Buckner says. "It's like a good stew, man. We mix it up." -- Michael Roberts

CABARET DIOSA
NOMINATED IN ECLECTIC
David Sherman was born with a fairly ordinary name, and he lives in the 21st century -- but he doesn't let these troublesome details cramp his style. As Juan del Queso, self-proclaimed "minister of the New Mambo Revival and professional man of leisure," Sherman fronts Cabaret Diosa, which is less a band than an alternate worldview. As he puts it, "I never really know where the myth ends and the reality begins."

Life became a Cabaret in 1995, and since then, the collective has featured a rotating membership whose recruits receive an eccentric pseudonym just for joining; current players include lead singer Montana del Fuego, trumpeter/vocalist/percussionists Don Grandisimo de la Misconception and Dinkis Con Creama. (Dinkis, by the way, is Jon Gray, formerly with Fat Mama, a much-missed Boulder jazz/groove collective.) Thanks to flamboyant costumes, a refreshing love of theatricality and a stage demeanor borrowed from an earlier, snappier era, Cabaret Diosa instantly established itself as a live act par excellence. "We try to get our freak on, but we do it in the context of a 1950s big band," Sherman notes. "We use a lot of psychedelic rock influences, too -- and bastardize the hell out of everything."

Next up for the Diosans is a busy tour schedule that includes festival stops outside the state they're in -- whatever state that is. Also on tap is the recording of what Sherman describes as "a concept album called Apocalypso, which describes how the New Mambo Revival saves the world from destruction." After a purposeful pause, he adds, "It's semi-autobiographical."