Jobs in the artistic world are difficult to maintain and even harder to make money off, according to Wendy Chen, a poet, fiction author, and professor at DU. However, if the art is important to you, allowing people to see it is something to strive for.
“I think I’ve always wanted to write as a kid… by the end of college I couldn’t imagine writing not being some part of my life,” states Chen
Fans gathered in person for the first time in years on April 25th for the return to Live Indie 102.3 Meetups.
Indie 102.3, a Colorado public radio station, does a “meet up” each month to give local bands a chance to interact with each other and fans. However, during Covid, these meet ups had to be moved to Zoom. Fans finally got to get dressed up to meet their favorite artists for the first time in a meet up featuring Pleaser Prince.
Pleasure Prince is an electronic duo that began in 2017. The pair began in several different bands while living in New York, but ended up branching on their own and moving back to their home state, Colorado.
“We decided to do something totally different,” stated William Duncan, the drummer and vocalist.
Lilly Scott, the other vocalist and keyboard player, stated they “really wanted to make a band that people would dance to, especially live.”
Along with Pleasure Prince, Alyssa Robi, George Cessna, King Cardinal, and many other local musicians came to the event.
The crowed that gathered in the small lounge consisted of mostly people from ages 20-30. They spread from both inside rooms into the outside patio to drink and mingle, although most gathered inside once the music officially started. It had the feel of a family barbeque as band members and fans mingled with one another.
When the music began, fans bobbed their heads along with the beat as the members of Please Prince played and sang in harmony with one another. Although stating before starting that they were nervous to perform in front of so many other artists, no nerves showed during their performance.
“It’s almost like when you play for other creatives it’s like playing for your mom or your best friend…. It’s valuable and constructive,” stated Scott.
The band was accompanied by multicolored lights as well as digital art on the wall behind them. The soft colors created a serene atmosphere that worked well with the voices of the band.
“Last night was a great audience, so many new faces,” Scott stated.
Duncan said he didn’t really notice the crowd, “I kind of fixate on Lilly, she’s kind of my rock… and her energy matches the crowd’s energy.”
The pair was obviously connected to each other both musically and personally. Their performance showed how well they work as a team and allowed them to show their skills to other creators.
The event was a great way to find new bands and to get to know them personally. The duo stated they gained 30 followers just from that one performance. It allowed creators and consumers to gather and get to know each other, allowing each to learn more about each other.
Pleasure Prince released their debut album, “Numbers”, April 22nd. Their next confirmed show Breadbar on June 25th. They intend on playing as much as possible during the summer months, although dates are still up in the air.
“We’re excited to be playing live in general, come see us play,” stated the band.
The date of the next Local 303 Meetup has not been announced yet but stay tuned to Indie 102.3 to find out more.
Lincoln, Lauren, and Llewellynn
Queer-gendered individuals struggle with not feeling at home in their own bodies every day. Transitioning is one of the best ways to solve that, according to Teagan Orse, a nonbinary student at DU.
Over 1.4 million adults identify as transgender, according to Williamsinstitute.
“The first anti-crossdressing law… was introduced in Colorado in Denver in 1886,” According to David Duffield, the author of Power Embodied. He goes on to discuss that the trans-rights movement truly began in Colorado after the second world war.
The first archived evidence of transitioning in Colorado is from 1967, found in the Transgenderarchive.
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MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 