Pee Pee

Colorado's best underground bands, as voted by 104 local- music experts and selected citizens who consider 313 bands. Pee Pee ranks #18 the top 20 for 2007 rising from #32 out of 313 band for 2006 -see jpeg chart. http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/0804/20070804_031604_ae05pollresults.jpg - Denver Post

When Pee Pee kicked into its set a few weeks ago at the Rhinoceropolis art space, something was missing.

The percussionists were there, including the pretty girl sitting on the cajon. Players on the cello, trombone and bass were all in attendance, playing and singing their hearts out, as were musicians on keyboards, accordion, violin and acoustic guitar.

But something was absent sonically, aesthetically.

It's hard to believe that this Denver indie folk band wasn't complete with eight people sending out campfire-styled joy with casual grace and uplifting assurance. But then Esther Hernandez, who switches between the saw and flute in Pee Pee, walked in front of the audience. She was running late, but after she took a seat on a bucket, Hernandez picked up in the middle of "The World Is a Wheel."

She was the missing link and the knot that tied everything together. And Pee Pee's chorus-styled music was that much more potent after her arrival.

It's not as unusual to have nine or 10 people on a Denver stage as it would have been a year ago. Just ask Pee Pee, Everything Absent or Distorted, Team Awesome, Nathan & Stephen, Me Llamo Rosa or Tripp Nasty's Orchestra. The city's vibrant music scene has taken a cue from international acts The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Architecture in Helsinki and Bright Eyes and is now embracing the big bands and the arty, fluid collectives.

That was obvious as spoken-word artist Lenny Chernila joined Pee Pee later that night for "Dream of Green," bringing the total number of people on the small stage to 10. The receptive and respectful crowd at Rhinoceropolis, numbering about 70 people, applauded enthusiastically but didn't flinch. It was just another rock show.

"It's definitely cool," said Matt Labarge, who owns the Hi-Dive rock club. "A lot of musicians, in this town especially, are all friendly with each other and everybody likes to have different bands and they jam together and have the philosophy of the more the merrier.

"Most of these people like happy, fun music, too, because when you have that many people collaborating, that's how it turns out. And they're always having a good time."

That they're having a good time is no coincidence.

"A lot of the fun is lost in a lot of music. I hate to say that, but I know a lot of people who feel the same way," said Pee Pee frontman Clapstain Boobrich, a.k.a. Doo Crowder. "But making music for us has always been really magical and fun."

Experimental beginnings

It's not that the pop trio or rock quartet have anything to worry about, but it's fascinating to see the proliferation of these large bands. It's especially surprising given the issues that crop up, including matching multiple schedules, creative dissent and agreeing on a leader amid a sea of smarty-pants musicians.

But the music makes it worth it.

"We didn't really start with any ideas," said Pee Pee's Crowder. "The actual things that we felt are what guided us, those magical things. When we first started, it was an experiment."

When Pee Pee began, it was Crowder's acoustic guitar, a cello, a bandoneon and a friend clapping along to keep the beat. He soon invited more people to these backyard sessions, and at one point 16 people crammed into his basement for a night of sweaty singing, songwriting.

"I kind of had this vision that, at one point, everyone would be in it," Crowder said last week. "It would be funny if the whole world was in it."

Crowder would like to teach the world to sing. And why not. Collectives thrive on big sounds, unique instrumentation, impassioned if not expert playing and absolute chaos.

"You go to church and you see all these people singing in the chorus, and it's all the more powerful," said Buddy Croissant, a local musician who promotes shows and lives at Rhinoceropolis. "It's the same effect with rock music." - The Denver Post- Ricardo Baca- August 2006

Voters in this year's Underground Music Poll had to narrow down their favorites to 20 local bands. And for any true fan of local music, that's a tough task, given the depth of the local talent pool.

Here are 10 more local acts that didn't crack the top 10 but are first-rate nevertheless.

Pee Pee (No.32)

This loose, coed family of goofs and drinkers has more up its sleeve than a "why didn't I think of that?" band name. Spoken-word poetry, Handsome Family-style absurdism, acoustic/orchestral jams and singing saws frame their rough, direct style.

"Over That Hill" casts a Graham Nash chorus into a lo-fi lake, reeling back a melody that begs for repeated listens. Cheap synths? Ten people on stage? Look no further. (9 p.m. Wednesday, Climax Lounge) - Denver Post- Ricardo Baca- July 2006

Pee Pee
Pee Pee. It's hard to say out loud without giggling even a little bit. It's like a recession back to grade-school vernacular, and it's absolutely the silliest combination of two monosyllabic words since "wee wee." But who needs a clever, well-thought-out band name anyway? This Denver-based assembly of friends makes beautiful music that doesn't need to be weighed down by pretentious metaphorical bullshit. Pee Pee is an aural amalgamation of everything from horns and acoustic guitars to theremins and saws (yes, saws). Alongside sweet lullabied compositions, the ragtag orchestra often improvs on stage, resulting in down-home folk-rock jamborees that make show-goers gladly squeal for more Pee Pee. - Westword

When one of Denver's underground mainstays, the Dinnermints, dissolved a couple years back, bassist Doo Crowder fell in with a ramshackle band of players who wound up dubbing their collective Pee Pee. What began as a pastime, however, has evolved into a shifting ensemble that incorporates everything from acoustic guitar to strings, horns, theremin, accordion and saw. With the shambling �lan of a folk hootenanny, Crowder and crew croon fully formed compositions alongside unglued improv, resulting in a Silver-Jews-meets-Freakwater jamboree that's short on rock-star crap and long on heart -- not to mention paeans to Pabst Blue Ribbon. The hardscrabble orchestra will fill the stage of the Larimer Lounge on Wednesday, May 10, after sets by Oblio Duo and Nate Perry. As great as the openers are, though, the audience will discover what every kindergartener already knows: Pee Pee is number one. - Westword, Jason Heller- May 2006

"What we really want is for Denver’s relative unknowns to have their shot at contributing to our National identity. Bands like George and Caplin, Cowboy Curse, Januar, Orwellian Math Project, Bela Karoli, Pee Pee, etc. all stand ready to invade late night television like Dressy Bessy. The support system of record labels, recording studios, manufacturers, publicists, journalists and, most importantly, fanatics are in place to nurture us all while we slowly get educated and get the courage (and money) to go on tour, pay for a radio campaign and write letters to Rolling Stone in crayon asking them to review an album."
-Andy Tennant - waywardpanties

Like the best holiday house party you've ever been to, this intimate treat of a show was the perfect way to ring in the New Year a day or two early. If only the beers hadn't been four dollars each. - Westword