The humble beginnings in dominating the northern Colorado music scene -- the r!ght way.
The northern Colorado music scene has been teeming with life recently, and it seems to be getting more prominent with every year since I landed here for college. Bands from northern Colorado have been on the rise, many of them going on tours in and around the state. All of them produce a wide variety of different sounds -- but this featured band is already on the next level in content creation surrounding their music.
The Play Wr!tes are a Greeley-based band of students from the University of Northern Colorado. Their presence in the music scene is relatively new, but they've been making waves within the first year. This still begs two questions: Who are they, and what makes them different?
I was able to sit down with vocalist and lyricist Micah Wilborn. He's a UNC junior with a major in theater education. My roommate works with him on the regular, so we eventually met at a friendly gathering one night. Just speaking with him for a couple minutes, I could tell that he was packed with creativity and this sense of determination to put that creativity into motion. When I began this music blog, I finally realized that not only can I feature already distinguished artists in the industry, but I can also shed light on, you know, local friends in local bands.
I've always had a strong love for local bands and their endeavors. Even in Tennessee, I had a few friends in bands that I wanted to give my support (and entire wallet) to. There's a huge amount of respect that can be dealt to someone who takes the initiative, time and energy to put their dreams into motion, especially at such a young age. Micah was the perfect test subject for my idea. We talked about the band -- how he got involved, their projects and what the future looks like for the group. Past, present and future, right?
Micah found the opportunity through flyers around campus from a Mr. Troy Mott, who was looking for a vocalist/keyboardist. As a freshman, Micah wanted to be a part of some little jam band throughout college, considering his heavy background in choirs and musical theater. After a series of e-mails exchanged with Troy, Micah realized there was a tighter connection beyond a mutual love of music creation.
"He said he was actually a huge theater fan, and he wanted to take a lot of inspirations from theater. For a little while, our tagline was 'Reinventing Theatricality.' I think we both recognized that musical theater, especially, is one of the most effective ways of storytelling or just one of the coolest mediums."
That connection, however strong, can't be the only indicator of a good pair. Micah knew he wanted to be in a band, as long as the band fit his style. If it's fun for him, it makes work seem a lot less, well, work-y.
"Originally, I thought, 'Well, yeah, of course I'm going to like the sound -- I don't know why I would say no because he doesn't play a style I like.' But I learned pretty quickly that's really important in the scene, to make sure that you really blend."
And that they did. They blended perfectly. Micah fell for the style in the instrumentals Troy sent him, and the creative juices began to flow. For their first song, Where To Go, Micah said the lyrics took him two days to come up with. Not long after that, it was recorded at Red Wall Studios in Denver and posted for the world to hear -- planting the seed of what would become their signature rock sound. What Micah thought was an opportunity to join a little garage jam band turned into a tactical plan to take place on the charts.
As Play Wr!tes began to get more involved -- performing more shows and releasing creative content -- they saw strong support from the industry around them. Micah brought up various artists that really inspired him to stick with the plan. Artists like Brian Wight, Slow Caves, Judah and the Lion and others never heard of before. (This was the point in the conversation where I felt lost in the slew of names. My head was spinning! Expect to see these artists featured in the near future...)
Not to say it wasn't still difficult to juggle the music with other things, Micah made sure to point out. With an overall lack in availability, it's hard to be fully committed. And it's no surprise that college is expensive, putting a lot of necessary equipment on hold. However, through the connections that the boys have had over the years, they've been able to utilize what they already have to the fullest extent -- talent. Below is there newest music video for Perfect Forgery for which the band went all out, making it one of their biggest projects yet.
"There's some stuff we can produce ourselves. Like the movement piece, we're just going to produce with friends -- people that we know so we can keep the cost low. But the official music videos we're gonna go all out for."
The video was shot and edited by Funky Carrot Productions, which also happens to be a local team made of former UNC students (and some of my friends!).
I freaking LOVE the chorus and melodies in this song. It conveys so many emotions of looking for answers in people don't have the slightest clue. Calling for help, and it seems like they can barely hear you. The repetitive motions of life driving you to the brink of madness, trying anything to find a way out. You know Baggage Claim's number one goal is to find the song for that feeling that can't be simply put into words -- and this song is primo for just that.
Remember how I mentioned next level content creation? Not only do the Play Wr!tes make music (obviously), but they also have a few side projects that really perpetuate "Reinventing Theatricality." They use new mediums of expression that not many bother to explore.
Five months ago, after the release of Perfect Forgery, the Play Wr!tes explored one of these rare mediums through their first movement series. Using a GoPro and the Adobe Suite all on his own, Micah shot and edited an interpretive dance that seemed to create an entire story for the song. It perpetuates a lot of the same emotions I felt were addressed in the lyrics and score.
Micah said the idea came from the band Half Alive. I saw them fully alive once in Denver not too long ago. Their set was well-rehearsed in terms of choreographed dancing and timing, but there was also an essence of pure improvisation and excitement. I got the same feeling when watching this video. The visual story that the dancing portrays is both chilling and exhilarating. Micah is looking to create more publicized movement series for other songs, but for now enjoy Episode 1 below.
Micah and the other Play Wr!tes members have shown what they're really capable of in a matter of months -- but this is only the beginning for them. While pursuing professional career goals in various fields, these guys are taking the term "side hustle" to a whole new extreme -- officially setting a higher standard for content, music, meaning and theatrics on top of dealing with every day life as college students.
"I always asked myself if I would drop out of school right now to go on tour. And for a while, the answer was no because education is important. Nowadays, I'll do it right now -- you say when."
I, personally, can't wait to see what they come up with next. If you want to learn more about the Play Wr!tes -- including past projects, future ideas and concerts -- a website is in the works. Once it's published, I'll link it in this article with an update to check it out!
What are your experiences with the Greeley scene? Do you think the Play Wr!tes are working it? Comment below!