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In case you missed it, Andy Guerrero has put the paddles to Bop Skizzum and brought the funk unit screaming back to life, with a handful of shows at Moe's this past December, and, most recently, at Bender's for Guerrero's birthday last month. The guitarist, known also as Andy Rok, put the band on the back burner a few years back to focus on Flobots, his other group, as it made its way into the mainstream.

Those who know Guerrero locally -- the same folks most likely never refer to him as Andy Rok -- know that Bop Skizzum's never been far from his heart. Needless to say, it's not at all surprising to see him reviving the ensemble. And the time off has Clearly served Guerrero and his bandmates -- sax man Serafin Sanchez, who also plays keys and Erin Jo Harris, who shares vocal duties with Guerrero -- very well.

Don't know if it's the roadwork with Flobots has tightened Guerrero's chops, or if it's the addition of Harris, but whatever it is, the band sounds better than ever -- better than it did before it went on hiatus, actually, if you want to know the truth. Don't take our word for it. Listen to the act's new Push EP for yourself after the jump. - Westword

Bop Skizzum will have a big chance today to make a very good first impression.

For the first time in its musical career, the funk-rock band from Denver will perform at Arapahoe Basin —and have the opportunity to earn some new Summit County followers. The event, from 1-4 p.m., is free.



“We have always wanted to play in the mountain towns,” said Andy Guerrero, lead singer and rhythm guitar player for the band. “You get the best exposure there.”



Apart from Guerrero, Bop Skizzum features Josh Kyser (drums), Chris Harris (funky bass and vocals), Serafin Sanchez (tenor sax, keyboards and vocals), Joe Ferrone (trumpet, percussion and vocals) and Jeff Valentine (trombone).

Although all its members are very young (they are all in their early 20s, except for Harris), the band has already released two EPs (“Elastic Phunk” and “Reverberating Funk”) and has a new album coming out in July. They call it “The Propeller” and, according to Guerrero, “it is the best” that they have put out so far.

“We are mostly a funk-rock band, but we do whatever we want. All the members of the band have very different backgrounds, and that makes us unique. All we want is for people to dance and have a good time,” he said.

And it is this unique style that has earned the band spots opening for such acts as George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, G. Love and Special Sauce and Fishbone.

However, according to Guerrero, Bop Skizzum is just now starting to get recognition.

“We are getting to the point where people start recognizing us. I know we have to be patient because nothing happens overnight.”

Most of the band’s shows have been along the Front Range, but the band has just hired a new booking agent in hopes of broadening its fan base.

“The great thing about it is that now we can just focus on making music. It has made our world so much easier,” he said.

So what does the funny name mean, you wonder. '

“Nothing. It sounds different and has no connotation. When I came up with it, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about copyright,” Guerrero said.

For more information on the band, visit www.bopskizzum.com. - Summit Daily

As a band, we love being able to give back to the community, and so we couldn’t be more excited to have been asked to play this years Lords House Of Hope Benefit concert with Rachel James at The Hard Rock Cafe on April 9th! Not only are we honored to be playing such a timeless and well known venue, but we’re more excited than ever to be finding ways to give back to the community. A home for over 40 orphaned children in Kenya, the Lords House of Hope is giving loving children a second chance at life in Kenya’s most devastated slum outside of Nairobi. Bop Skizzum is thrilled to be participating in the event, and with sponsors like 9News (Denver), Best Buy, and The Hard Rock Cafe Denver, it’s sure to be a great time for all! We hope to see you all there, and can’t wait to have the FUNK finally give back. Download Bop Skizzum Music – itunes.apple.com Born This Way Beauty Queen Official Music Video Concert Events Tour Dates – www.bopskizzum.com Bop Skizzum Merchandise – www.bopskizzum.com Main Website – www.bopskizzum.com Follow on Twiiter – twitter.com Facebook Friend – www.facebook.com Myspace – www.myspace.com Since it’s founding more than ten years ago Bop Skizzum has always taken pleasure in concocting songs that enable you to blow off some steam by getting on the floor and burning it up. Screaming horn lines, block-rocking beats, and lyrics squarely stamped with Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” seal of approval all point to one thing:
Video Rating: 5 / 5 - Immolation Fan Club

Bop Skizzum has a problem. The band just can’t commit. What is this soulful music the band plays? Is it funk? Is it rock? There are horns. Bad-ass horns. Does that make it jazz, or funk, or funk-jazz, or jazz-rock? And what about those fat guitar chords and that cheeky glint in the players’ eyes? Can a band love Tower of Power as much as it loves Weezer? And does it really matter if all the music makes you want to do is dance?

A roaming funk party led by an ever-changing tribe of high-precision musicians, Bop Skizzum is out to prove a simple equation: That great funk music rocks, and that great rock music is supremely funky.
,br> Founded by frontman/guitarist Andy Guerrero in 2000, Bop Skizzum has elevated audiences with a joyfully musical amalgam of R&B, funk and good old-fashioned guitar rock. Sharing stages with heroes including Fishbone, G. Love, Flogging Molly, Flobots, Long Beach Dub All Stars, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. In 2005, Bop Skizzum released an EP, Propeller, which nicely captured the booty-shaking power of its live show. The band was twice nominated as Best Funk/Soul/Groove band by Westword in Denver. - The Ums

Bop Skizzum has a problem. The band just can’t commit. What is this soulful music the band plays? Is it funk? Is it rock? There are horns. Bad-ass horns. Does that make it jazz, or funk, or funk-jazz, or jazz-rock? And what about those fat guitar chords and that cheeky glint in the players’ eyes? Can a band love Tower of Power as much as it loves Weezer? And does it really matter if all the music makes you want to do is dance?

A roaming funk party led by an ever-changing tribe of high-precision musicians, Bop Skizzum is out to prove a simple equation: That great funk music rocks, and that great rock music is supremely funky.
,br> Founded by frontman/guitarist Andy Guerrero in 2000, Bop Skizzum has elevated audiences with a joyfully musical amalgam of R&B, funk and good old-fashioned guitar rock. Sharing stages with heroes including Fishbone, G. Love, Flogging Molly, Flobots, Long Beach Dub All Stars, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. In 2005, Bop Skizzum released an EP, Propeller, which nicely captured the booty-shaking power of its live show. The band was twice nominated as Best Funk/Soul/Groove band by Westword in Denver.

In 2007, the Skizzum went on hiatus when Guerrero, also known as Andy ROK, became a full-time Flobot. Guerrero and the Flobots toured the country and Europe and released a mega-hit song “Handlebars,” which has registered over a million downloads on iTunes. In addition to clowning around with Conan O’Brien and rockin’ Jay Leno, Guerrero was invited to join the Recording Academy’s What’s the Download Interactive Advisory board, alongside Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson and Earth, Wind & Fire. Guerrero is a founding member of the Board of Directors for Flobots.org, a non-profit organization started by the Flobots.

Yet the call of the Skizzum never ceased, which is why Guerrero, Sanchez, and new vocalist Erin Jo Harris have reformed Bop Skizzum for the first time in two years. Sensing a growing funk deficiency in Denver, the band has been writing up a storm, polishing its chops and preparing to infuse the city with a serious dose of Vitamin F. - Benders Tavern

When I heard that Bop Skizzum was playing along with 11 other Colorado acts last Friday night, I was already sold. Better yet, Skizzum was playing on behalf of a great cause. Double sold.

Fronted by guitarist Andy ‘Rok’ Guerrero (also of the Flobots,) Bop Skizzum has staked a claim in the Colorado music scene with hard-driving modern funk rock. Guerrero celebrated his birthday on-stage at Denver’s Bar Standard Friday night as the culmination of Whole Foods’ “Whole Planet Party”.

The Party benefited the Whole Planet Foundation which funds micro-loans to indigenous people around the world struggling to build businesses and communities in underdeveloped nations. Whole Foods is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in countries that supply its stores with food products, and the program focuses on financing small no-collateral loans to women driven towards self-employment ventures.
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For myself, the ability to contribute to such visionary bottom-up investment in foreign communities would have brought me out to Bar Standard/Milk Bar/Jazz Bar at 10th and Broadway anyway. That I got to funk-out to the gripping vocals of Bop Skizzum leading lady Erin Jo Harris was just gravy.

Bop Skizzum has been a revelation in the already diverse Colorado music landscape over the last couple years as they build a groundswell following. Their new album “Beauty Queen” is worth a listen, and you would be well-served to check Skizzum out at joints like Bar Standard before they outgrow the hyper-local scene.

Also standing out in the night’s lineup were local indie rapper Small Boi and Bar Standard regular DJ Rockstar Aaron.

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