Tonight at the Mercury Cafe, ‘s wild, improvisational world music collective, , will release its debut album, “Shima.” Almost two years in the making, the album is lucky to see the light of day, since it was nearly derailed by the illness and recent death of Nieto’s mother.
“If it wasn’t for this album coming out, I think I would be doing worse,” confides the band leader previously known for his other genre-bending outfit, . “I just wouldn’t be doing that well. She was my best friend.”
Taking its punny name from a species of moth, Pink Hawks originally began when lifelong friends Nieto and began playing avant garde, improvisational jazz together. Years later, after both musicians developed a fascination with the Afrobeat music of Fela Kuti, Sonny Okosun and others, the pair hooked up with a huge coterie of talented Denver musicians and began crafting the sound and songs now captured on “Shima.”
The five tracks on the album build upon the traditional Afrobeat sound and spirit, adding jazz sensibilities, experimental improvisation and a healthy dose of both Can’s psychedelic krautrock and James Brown’s funky vamping. While Nieto provides musical direction, sings and adds keyboards, melodica and alto sax to the compositions, he is joined by 13 other musicians who each contribute equally to the powerful, dance-inspiring frenzy of Pink Hawks. Neff and Trevor Morris contribute guitars, Franco Valentino and Ian Douglas-Moore play bass, Nick Krier (formerly of hardcore outfit Mustangs & Madras) plays baritone sax, (of A. Tom Collins and countless others) plays tenor sax, Jason Fox adds lap steel, singer-songwriter adds vocals and keyboards, Joe Tabano plays trumpet, Lannie Shelton plays violin, Zay Rios and Koffi Toudji cover percussion and John Olsson plays drums.
While a 14-piece rock band might sound a bit unwieldy — especially when you throw in adjectives like “improvisational” and “avant garde” — the music that Pink Hawks create is surprisingly coherent, structured and accessible. Sure, the shortest song is just under 10 minutes long, but every second seems intentional and necessary. You won’t find interminable, unstructured solos or noodling in a Pink Hawks track. Nor will you find the cheesy instrumentation and ersatz ethnicity of so-called world music. Instead, you get rock solid grooves, tight rhythms and melodic themes that build, recede and build again like funky waves on a picturesque beach. And while Nieto and company push the boundaries and flex their considerable chops, it is simply a happy dancer’s heart that beats in the chest of “Shima.”
“This music is infectious,” insists Nieto. “It makes your body move and your legs jiggle. It’s still kind of jazz and has this experimental edge to it, but it has this inherent dance rhythm. I’ve had people tell me they’ve danced in public, but we made them get down.”
In spite of the gleeful spirit of the album, a glance at its track listing reveals melancholy and sadness. Titles like “Addicted to Pain” and “Misery Comes in Threes” hint at the darker subject matter that inspired the album.
“This album is named after one of Mike’s and my best friends from middle school,” explains Nieto. “She committed suicide, and this album was a tribute to her, celebrating life and death.”
Though the deceased friend inspired the album, focus shifted when Nieto’s mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer a year ago. She passed away as the band put the finishing touches on the album. Though Nieto appreciates the circle of life represented by his mother’s death and the completion of one of the best albums of his career, the poetry of that isn’t enough to console him.
“It’s been really tough for me because she was a show mom,” he says with a chuckle. “She would be at all my shows, even when I was in crappy punk bands in high school. She’s always been such a supporter.”
In spite of his sadness, however, Nieto — who teaches fourth graders in Montbello by day and is one of three teachers in the band — intends to celebrate his mom’s life with tonight’s performance. Above all, he wants people to have a good time.
“People are gonna get down,” he says. “There’s going to be some surprises that we’ll break out, and some live performance stuff we’ve never even tried yet.”
Ultimately, Nieto seems able to channel his grief into the party-starting jams of Pink Hawks.
“Our set’s gonna be completely dedicated to her,” he says. “It’s good to have something to be excited about.”
Pink Hawks “Shima” album release party, Fri May 13 at Mercury Cafe (2199 California, Denver), with Bad Weather California, The Dendrites, El SinFin, The Future of the Ghost. Doors at 8, show at 9. Tickets are $10. All ages.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out for local music you can HEAR, and the for stories about Denver musicians doing extraordinary things. Against his mother’s advice, Eryc has also been known to . You can also follow Sorry, Mom.
