October 2013

Even avant-garde jazz needs structure. A boundless exploration of less touched musical realms still needs some foundation to stand on. Certain jazz purists don’t even consider fusion, free, or Avant-garde to be true jazz. I stand somewhere in between. The music of Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, and Ornette Coleman is as canonical as Duke Ellington or Bing Crosby. Evolution is vital to keep music interesting, especially in the richly complex world of jazz.

A true pioneer takes great risks, stepping out of the social norm to create something revolutionary and different. They visualize a new way of doing things by bringing a fresh perspective that could potentially change the game forever. These types of people are becoming few and far between, and in a music industry that running dry of inspirational ideas, we need these revolutionaries now more than ever.

As the precipitation begins to fall and the temperatures steadily drop here in the Rockies, the boys from Vermont rock band Twiddle have just completed another scorching Colorado run.

Ani DiFranco is a badass. Since early in her life she has chosen to be a leader against the conventional. At fifteen she legally chose to live on her own. At nineteen she began her own record label—Righteous Babe Records—in order to avoid the grasp of mainstream companies. And throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of multiple rallies fighting for women’s rights, encouraging people to vote, and just expressing what she truly believes. In short, DiFranco is not someone who can easily be ignored.