If you’ve been trolling local nightlife the past couple of years, you’ve no doubt run across a guerrilla marching band or two — those groups of musicians, acrobats, cheerleaders and all sorts of other performers descending, usually unannounced, on parties, art openings, other bands’ shows and even random restaurants. (Those in the know are usually been informed via Twitter or word of mouth.)
, an experimental Denver act led by percussionist/filmmaker Scott Banning and comprised of more than 25 percussionists, electronic musicians and other sound wizards, recently stepped into the studio to begin making its new record. What’s more, it’s finalizing an ambitious spring-summer West Coast tour, thanks to a locally-driven fundraising effort the band put together on Kickstarter.com, and may have enough money to start working on a band documentary.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Banning mused recently. “We raised over $3,000 and so far we’re right on schedule for ‘making good’ with all who backed us.”
Besides the record and tour, the band has made T-shirts and limited edition posters, and they’re recording with noted Denver sound engineer Bob Ferbrache at his Absinthe Studios (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, the Czars, 16 Horsepower, etc.)
“We are all pinching ourselves over this one,” said Banning. “We started recording last Saturday (Jan. 15) and laid down all the drum tracks at the Glob (next door to warehouse-art-music space Rhinoceropolis). Some local filmmakers are making a movie about Bob and they showed up and shot some stuff too. We hope to get the rest recorded ASAP.”
Itchy-O has two personae, actually. There’s the one that plays in the studio and consists of (usually) seven musicians: Banning (film, percussion, samples, keyboards, thunder-tube), Kirsten Vermulen (accordion), Ed Smith (violin, guitars), Conrad Kehn, (vocals, vinyl), Nick Lloyd (guitar, banjolyn), Scott Waknin (bass) and Drew Vinciguerra (drums). Then there’s the “street version,” comprised of as many as 25-plus musicians.
Both play a sort of trance-induced, heavily rhythmic mixture that recalls San Diego’s Crash Worship, to which the marching, party-crashing version adds a more festive aftertaste, and a wry sense of humor. And it’s the much larger version that Banning is taking on tour next spring. At least that’s the plan.
“It’s major in that we’re taking around 25 people on the road, but we may only be playing a handful of cities,” he explained. “The only thing concrete at the moment (are) two shows in the Bay area (one in San Francisco and one in Oakland) whit my old buddies in the Extra Action Marching Band (which features founder Simon Cheffins, of Crash Worship).
“We’re looking for stuff to line up, so if anyone knows of anything we ought to hit between June 2nd and 12th, let us know. We like the idea of crashing Las Vegas on the way back.”
The band added that it will likely throw another tour fundraiser in mid-to-late May, which they’ll announce ahead of time.
In the meantime, look for Itchy-O to open for Portland, Ore.’s MarchFourth Marching Band at the on March 25. Of course, private parties are always fair game (Itchy-O may be crashing a private function in Boulder in early February, and a possible Denver appearance on Feb. 19 — but you didn’t hear it from us).
Never hurts to keep your ears to the ground, right?
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
