Bemused

The $6 cover didn't stop students from pouring into the Hi-Dive Friday night when DU musicians Molly Cottrell and the band Bemused were playing. The first band, Silver String, started the night off with a few songs before leading into solos by Cottrell. She took over the stage to huge applause and warmed up the audience with her first song, Fellow Travelers. Cottrell is a singer/songwriter and has been writing her own music for seven years.

A senior vocal performance major at DU, Cottrell hopes to become a Grammy winning performing and recording artist, and she is well on her way. She is recording her demo within the next few months so be sure to keep her name in mind. Though this was her first show at the Hi-Dive, Cottrell has previously had shows at Martini Ranch, Illegal Pete's, Jordan's, Dazzle, Mercury Café, Jazz at Jack's and Alto.

You wouldn' t know it simply by talking with her, but when she gets on stage with a microphone and a piano, the deep jazz voice she has is surprising. She has a range in her voice that lures you in. Combined with her smart, deep lyrics it is no surprise that she has been compared to Alicia Keyes, and says she " is really inspired by old school soul music like Otis Redding and Ray Charles."

" I thought Molly's voice was way too big for the Hi-Dive and that kind of talent needs to be showcased in a bigger venue," said Denver resident JD Snell.

She sang a few songs with Bemused, including " Criminal" by Fiona Apple and " Son of a Preacher Man" by Aretha Franklin. Lead singer of Bemused, Christian Wood Seith said that they had " definitely had Molly in mind when putting together the show." He wanted to create a DU-themed show and Cottrell " contributed a key part of the success."

Bemused was originally created by Seith in January of 2009, but the group members that are in the band now have been playing together for a little over a year. There are four DU alumni that make up the band. Seith is the lead singer/guitarist, the drummer is Nic Thornsberry, the lead guitarist is Colby Marks and Rich Kimball is on bass.

Bemused is not new to the Hi-Dive and they say it is one of their favorite places to play. They opened their set with some songs written by Seith that the band contributed to and you could see the way they worked off of each other.

" I thought that each individual member of the band was able to stand out while contributing to the whole experience and sound," said DU student Liz Glissmeyer.

They had fun during their set and didn't get too serious, feeding off of the audience's vibe. Guitarist Colby Marks had a few great solos that blew the crowd away.

With their last song, Driven, Bemused got the few people who were left sitting to their feet and even dancing. The show was well put together, balanced and upbeat. The inspiration for the band comes from many different places; each member has his own style. These different styles, when combined, create something entirely new and it works.

Though Seith has said he has " extended his artistry into the realm of sandwich making" as a side job, playing music is what he loves to do and " this is definitely the goal" for him. Lets just hope that Bemused continues to play so that we can keep enjoying their music.

Check out Bemused at their website: www.facebook.com/bemuseddenver and listen to some songs at www.MySpace.com/BemusedDenver. - Clarion

Bemused
Departed Ones
Self-released
Comments (0) By Jon Solomon Thursday, Sep 17 2009

Christian Seith moved to Denver from Washington, D.C., two years ago. After playing on his own for a bit, he teamed up with several Lamont School of Music cohorts to form Bemused. Seith, who wrote all of the songs on the act's debut, is a decent writer and has a husky vocal delivery, but the real draw here is the instrumentation, from the ringing tones of Mark Clifford's vibraphone to Aaron Hochberg's Fender Rhodes, which fills out "There You Are" and the sparkling instrumental "Aspirations." "Destination," meanwhile, with its loosely crashing drums, vibraphone, acoustic strumming and upright bass, is a bit disorienting at first, but after a minute or so, the band locks into a fluid groove, one of many such moments on Departed. - Westword Magazine

Can we just say delicious? Fabulous in so many ways – from complex time signatures to instruments you don’t often hear on corporate radio – Departed is a good testament to the value of formal training. Visionary Christian Seith, songwriter, singer and guitarist, assembled the band from his colleagues at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and it wasn’t long before they went from jam sessions last January to the recording studio in late June. “The caliber of the total musicianship allowed the process of learning songs and gelling … as a band to be FAR more expedient than what it takes most bands,” says Seith of the ensemble. “I also chose the specific players because of their unique musical tastes, their experience playing around town and specific instrumental discipline. Let’s be honest, how cool do the Vibes and Melodica/Fender Rhodes keyboard sound, and how many bands use that combination of instrumentation?” They actually do sound very cool together, and this CD is all high-energy-meets-originality through and through. Bemused can be a touch uneven, but overall the tracks on Departed are clean. I personally loved Seith’s gruff vocals – reminiscent of a lower, deeper Jim Morrison – and found his voice to be strong and engaging, but a colleague found him merely “passable” as a singer. The jam-band inspired CD is upbeat, and Seith also does well lyrically, but a few listeners found the acoustic guitar to be a touch “repetitive” – that the instrumentation there could use more variation. My bet is you’ll love this CD and be asking for more delicious tracks from Bemused. - Colorado Music Buzz Magazine

The local band Bemused has been regularly featured on the local music scene. After competing in last spring’s DU Battle of the Bands, they have played in both the spring and fall showcases here on campus.

The band, which is composed of students from the Lamont School of Music frequently has performances. Earlier this month, the band played at Herman’s Hideaway, and Casselman’s.

After spending time in the recording studio, Bemused has released an LP entitled Departed Ones.

The acoustic guitar is present much in the style of Dave Matthews. The melodic element is slightly similar to DeVotchKa. From that base, the band seems to go into more of its own style, not seeking to impersonate or replicate a lot of other music.

The album includes the sounds of vibraphone, as well as an enjoyable interpolation of “Purple Haze.” The vocals run deeper than one would expect. Variety is present throughout the five tracks on their album.

Length would appear to be the only real discrepancy. There is a good variety of music, but not enough songs. Since it is a freshman album, this can easily be dismissed. The next album should have more songs.

Ultimately, Departed Ones is an album deserving of an audience. While there are different sounds, the transition from song to song never seems patchy or rough. There is a variety of tracks among the assortment of instruments. - The Clarion