Monika's Blog

Well I didn’t do too bad with my picks for Hometown this year! Here are the Top 12:

The Heyday
My Body Sings Electric
Beats Noir
Saints
Monroe Monroe
Eldren
Reno Divorce
Fierce Bad Rabbit
Swayback
Churchill
The Photo Atlas
In The Whale

Hear Alf read all the winners here:

Yes, Kaila and I were a bit excited about who got in.

Now, DO NOT forget to sign up for the surveys! You have until Friday at 5:00 PM.

Who do you think will make it into the top 3?

Christmas has arrived early for me this year! And no, I am not talking about my new car (although that is a great Christmas gift. Thanks Mom and Dad!). Next week is the week that I will be listening to KTCL 93.3 as many hours of the day as possible. Why? Because it is Hometown for the Holidays!!

You’ve never heard of Hometown for the Holidays (HTFTH)? Well, if you live in Denver and care about local music as much as me (or even just a little bit), then you have to join me and support 93.3 this week. Each year they hold this contest for local bands in Colorado. Bands each submit one song, the DJ’s select 10 bands, all of whom are played on the radio for the next week or so, while YOU vote for the best. The top 3 will then play a show at Casslemans on December 17th, where, again, YOU will select the winner!

This year there were so many great bands, that there was a 4 way tie for 9th, so there will be 12 bands to select from!

Hometown for the Holidays Music Survey

I was lucky enough to attend the first ever HTFTH in 2006, where Tickle Me Pink came in 2nd place!! There were only a handful of people that made it to the concert that year at the Gothic though because of the HORRIBLE snow storm that year. Remember that? When everything shut down? Yea, I do too. Either way, Tickle Me Pink put on a fantastic show:

It’s no secret that I have become friends with many of the local bands over the past few years, and I have been lucky enough to have heard many of the HTFTH submissions already. I do not envy the DJ’s at KTCL! There are SO many good songs, and I have only heard a handful of the 200+ that were entered.

One of my favorites so far is Churchill’s song Change. The song is a slight departure from their usual songs, and while it sounds a bit like something Adele might sing, they keep their style with the mandolin and harmonies. The video they made for the song is fantastic as well:

Churchill // Change from Tim Twinem on Vimeo.

Eldren submitted their song Sleepy Walker, which starts off with a little bit of a MGMT feel and slowly progresses into their style. The video is fun, but the recording just doesn’t do Eldren justice, as they are a fantastic live band, and I encourage you to go see them whenever possible.

Another one of my picks is slightly biased, but I am posting it anyways. Inca submitted their song as well! Why is that biased? Well, it is a collaboration between my brother, Stefan of Tickle Me Pink, Joey of Tickle Me Pink and Randy of the Heyday.

A few others that I can’t link to are Doctor by My Body Sings Electric (which was stuck in my head from the first time I heard it), Still Time by Bop Skizzum (the first with their new singer Julie), Somebody to Someone by The Heyday and Animal by Homemade Explosives. Other bands that I believe submitted are Take To The Oars, Petals of Spain, Sam Lee, Vices I Admire, and I am sure MANY more that I am forgetting!

So, seriously, go sign up for the surveys now. Regardless of who makes it in the top 3, I can guarantee you will see me at Hometown for the Holidays this year!

Seriously, to all of you that were not at this show last week at the Marquis Theatre (and this is directed to just about everyone I know because there were NOT enough people there), you missed a fantastic show!

Opening for Company of Thieves was Popcult (seriously awesome local band), but of course COT stole the show. Genevieve Schatz is an amazing performer who captivates the audience the moment she got on stage in her sparkling dress.

Not only does she know how to dance, but her voice is incredible. Don’t believe me? Watch the video below, where she covers Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down:”

And Oscar Wilde:

UPDATE: ONE REPUBLIC HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE CELEBRITY BOWLERS AND TICKETS ARE BUY ONE GET ONE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Last year Tickle Me Pink was one of the featured bands that bowled in the Flobots.org annual fundraising event, so of course I had to go! I went on the condition that I photographed the event for the band (and come on, who better to document an event than me?!).

This year is shaping up to be just as fun! I mean, Tickle Me Pink won’t be there, but have you seen the list of local celebs that will be there?

During the final celebrity round last year, they decided to mix it up a little and have some fun. Instead of just straight bowling, every round had a different theme. They made the celebs do anything from bowling in a Snuggie (which is harder than you may think), to bowling with an oven mit, to using a lacrosse stick, to wearing a mask (TMP had Barack Obama). The result was the most fun round of bowling and I wasn’t even participating! Normally I only find bowling fun when I am the one attempting to hit the pins, and am usually drinking a little beer, but Flobots.org made it a blast to watch every team as they performed for us.

These are some of my favorites memories from last year.

The celebs: Rise Against, Epilogues, Tickle Me Pink and more:

Plus, you have to admit that I look pretty hot as Obama (or he looks hot with blonde hair):

Mustached team Tickle Me Pink:

Trying to bowl with a lacrosse stick:

So how do you show off your skills and bowl with the best? It’s easy! Just find some teammates, go to Flobots.org and signup! Yes, it does cost a little bit of money, but it is for a good cause.

Flobots.org is a great non-profit that gives back to the community in many ways. Through their Art to Action program they use music, spoken word, songwriting, instrumentation to educate kids and inspire youth. Fight with Tools helps train young adults to bring sustainable change to their communities. This is only the tip of the iceberg to many ways that Flobots.org is giving back to the community, so please support.

Can’t find a team but still want to attend? Easy! Buy a ticket and come hang out, play xbox games, meet the bands, listen to music, and enjoy drinks and food. Trust me, this event is a blast, even if you are not bowling.

Seriously, I cannot stress this enough, is a great event that I highly recommend you (yes, YOU) attend. Not only do you get to schmooze these great Denver bands, like The Epilogues, Bop Skizzum, DeVotchKa, Churchill, The Knew and of course The Flobots, BUT you get to hang with radio celebs from 93.3 KTCL, members of the Colorado Rapids and the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls and more! You never know who else will be in attendance, those are just the teams who are bowling!

What are you waiting for?? Go buy your tickets now!

Today is shaping up to be a fantastic day! Not only is it my brother’s birthday (go buy his album INCA now!!) but it is the date for Boulder Beta, and there is a local show (no surprise there) in BOULDER! (Gasp!)

What is Boulder Beta?

I am glad you asked. This is an event that was started by Tim Falls in February of this year. Boulder Beta is a mix of startups in the area showcasing their ideas/products/etc in a casual, social atmosphere where they can gain real, honest feedback. It is also a great place to network, see old friends, make new ones and, of course, have a fantastic time!

So, why should I go to Boulder Beta tonight?

The companies that are presenting tonight are top notch (as always). However, I will say that I am slightly biased as I will be a booth babe for MetroGnome (Jana’s latest venture), but I am also looking forward to seeing what SplickIt and Spot Influence will be sharing.

Plus, tonight, there is a pre-party at Trada to celebrate their 3rd birthday, with a bouncy house!!

What about this concert you mentioned?

Another great question! Tonight at the Brick House (that room that is connected to Lazy Dog) there are two fantastic Denver bands that are playing. My Body Sings Electric (who I am sure you have never heard me rave about before ) and The Photo Atlas. I am really hoping that MBSE plays their newest song Doctor (*hint, hint*) but it will be a good show either way.

So come out and join me for a night of geekery, music and fun. (Did I mention that there would be a bouncy house involved?)

Starting this review out with full disclosure: Yes, this is my brother’s newest gig. That is where the bias ends. I love these songs and would whether or not we were related.

As of this morning, you can hear Inca, the new collaboration between Stefan Runstrom and Joey Barba, featuring vocals by Randy Ramirez. These two songs were recorded at Colorado Sound before Stefan moved out to Chicago (no, I am not bitter…at all).

One of my favorite parts of the song Eye of the Storm is about 3 minutes in. This is when you can feel the music start to swirl around you as it becomes more and more chaotic. Your ears don’t know what part to focus on, the screaming guitar riffs, the repetitive singing or the erratic drumming. Then after about 20 seconds your mind slowly starts to follow the rhythmic drum beat until you reach the eye of the storm (or so goes the story in my head).

The second song Don’t Look Away starts off and sounds like the next Foo Fighters hit. By the end of the song you are bound to be singing along.

Be sure to watch this video of Stefan tracking drums for Don’t Look Away.

Also can you believe Stefan played bass on Eye of the Storm?

Go get this 2 song EP NOW at iTunes.

I have been thinking about this for awhile now (and actively trying to achieve this new goal), but I have decided that I need to take more photos and video of my life.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking “But, Monika, you have over 350 videos on YouTube, countless photos on Flickr and always have a camera in your massive purse!” Yes, this may be true, however, how many of those photos feature me with my friends, just hanging out and having a good time? Not very many.

The only photos of myself are the vanity Instagram pics that end up being my profile photo.

*Ahem*

Starting this last Sunday I have been trying to take more group photos. What better time to start than an 80′s party?

The majority of my videos are from concerts and are of the bands performing. While I receive a ton of praise and appreciation from the bands, I feel like I need to document more of my life!

I have never been one to be in front of the camera, but after hanging out with Aimee and looking back through all of her photos I realized how jealous I was of not only her travels, but also her photos with all of her friends!

So here it is. I am declaring my resolution goal of taking more personal photos and videos.

Plus I want to make videos like this (and use awesome songs like My Body Sings Electric’s The End of Summer):

Doesn’t this video just make you want to go to a water park? (And this is coming from a girl who is terrified of being in a swim suit in public and is afraid of drowning).

Good job on the video Aimee!!