Monday means free Colorado-made music here at Reverb and Steal This Track. This week, we have acoustic pop from , hip-pop from , the Old West americana of , and the ramshackle rock of . These tracks are a steal!
Singer-songwriter Andy Flattery makes delightfully unadorned, melodically memorable acoustic rock that’s familiar enough to be welcoming, but original enough to grab you and keep you listening. On his sophomore EP, “Night Run,” Flattery draws from country, americana and folk traditions, but he injects them into a mold of well-produced and beautifully played pop music. Steal “Your Love is Poetry” and you’ll be singing along in no time. You can download the whole EP for a mere $5 from .
Hip-hop artist H*Wood’s mama might call him Brandyn Boudreaux, but we think his nom-de-mike suits him perfectly. A few years back, the Colorado kid went Hollywood, lured by industry and opportunities. While there, he learned a lot about catchy hooks and production while creating music for Disney and others. He recently returned to the Mile High, however, with hopes of building our fair city into a musical force to be reckoned with. H*Wood’s latest single, “W.O.R.K.,” has “hit maker” written all over it. The track’s playful synths, female backing vocals and heavy bass drops, along with its simple lyrical theme, send a clear message that this is hip-hop for the mainstream airwaves. Steal the track below, then grab more free stuff from .
The Ghost of Joseph Buck is a Denver-based quartet that has been bumping around town for about a year now. The group’s instrumentation — upright bass, piano, guitar, drums and an occasional organ — gives its old-timey tunes the sound of a forgotten era. Recorded with Colin Bricker at Mighty Fine Audio, the band’s debut EP sounds like something you might hear in an Old West saloon — or maybe an Old West saloon on TV. The pared down instrumentation lets the EP’s five songs — three of which were inspired by stories — really breathe and blossom. Potentially useless trivia: a delightful medley or mashup could be made of this song and ‘s “Monsieur Joli,” which we featured .
Safe Boating Is No Accident released its latest EP, “Live Without Dead Time,” last month, via Denver indie stalwarts . Frontman Leighton Peterson — who is also one of the masterminds behind , the local music performance video series — and his band of ruffians rarely play to meet your expectations. On this EP, Safe Boating is one part garage rock band, one part folk act and two parts smart ass. With song titles like “My Baby’s on a Government Watchlist” and “Tyler Durden Has a Facebook Page,” Peterson wears his Zappa fetish on his sleeve, but he pulls it off with intelligent lyrics, solid songwriting and carefully crafted arrangements. Steal “Her New Man” for a taste, then grab the whole EP for $3 (or $5 for a physical CD) from .
This edition of Steal This Track marks the penultimate post by Eryc Eyl. As Eryc turns his focus to other pursuits, Reverb readers will be blessed by the impeccable musical taste and incisive commentary of veteran journalist, music lover, co-host and marketing maven Josh Johnson. Look for Josh’s takeover of Steal This Track, starting Aug 6.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Steal This Track for consideration.
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.
