Thunderthief

This Thursday, Casey Ottmann, also known as Thunderthief — up-and-coming DJ / producer who originally cut his teeth in Colorado and has since made the transition to Los Angeles — will be unveiling his newest, baddest music video for “Fireworks (feat. Kyle Coy).”

Thunderthief has made significant headway into a full-fledged musical career half way through 2014, after striking a deal with the UK’s OHM RECORDS (who will distribute his upcoming record). “Fireworks” also features charismatic Denver solo artist / singer Kyle Coy, who gives the track a vibrant push towards pop / mainstream accessibility.

The Moon Room at Summit Music Hall will be the scene for Thursday’s dance party, as Thunderthief will bring along fellow local Denver musicians to accompany himself on stage, for a night of raucous, EDM fun. The former lead vocalist for Bop Skizzum, Julie Almeria, vocalist Brian Wight, and former Nautical Mile vocalist Janaya Alexandra will perform alongside Coy and Thunderthief, while Denver drummer Ryan Macleod and guitarist Ryan Kulback fill out the full band accompaniment.

ttThis will be a special night for Thunderthief, as it his first live show since returning to Denver from his latest venture to the City of Angels. This is a night guaranteed to pound the speakers and push an electric wave of emotion through the crowd, as the full band accompaniment distinguishes a unique, inviting sound that most DJs have not had the chance, nor the capabilities, of supplementing their live sets. - Sam Lang

Thunderthief, Casey Ottmann’s electro pop punk project, creates truly inventive songs that combine the styles of emo band Saves The Day and synthpop performer La Roux. Before heading south to Austin, Texas, to perform at the Colorado Music Party on Saturday, March 21, Thunderthief along with Avan Lava and Depth Connection play Lost Lake Lounge tomorrow night for St. Patrick’s Day. Ottmann spoke with AXS about Thunderthief and the music scene here in the Mile High City for this exclusive interview.

AXS: Are you a Denver native? If not, where are you from originally?
Casey Ottmann: I have always considered myself to be a Denver native, but I'm not a true one. I was born in Texas, but moved here when I was 3 years old, so Colorado is the only place I remember growing up in.

AXS: What inspired you to start playing music?
Casey: It was a combination of watching a lot of skateboarding videos and listening to Saves The Day that really got me inspired to play music. I wanted to connect with people the way that my favorite bands connected with me.

AXS: How long have you been performing?
Casey: I played my first show with my first band at my high school talent show. That was 11 years ago.

AXS: Where was your first show in Denver, and what was the experience like? Who else did you play with at the show?
Casey: My first show in Denver was at Lifespot. It was this little venue in a strip mall where I met a ton of my friends that I still hang out with today. I can't remember the actual line-up of the first show I played there, but bands like 6afraidof7, The Brotherhood of Dai Han, Esprit De Corps, and Left In The Fire were always on the same shows my band (Ruin Sisera). I really enjoyed the brotherly relationships that I formed there, a lot of my friends today are people from Lifespot shows, I'm grateful for those days.

AXS: Have any Denver musicians inspired you?
Casey: My biggest musical inspirations all hail from the East Coast unfortunately, but there are some great musicians here who I respect and like a lot. OneRepublic, Pretty Lights, My Body Sings Electric, Air Dubai, and Kaji are all great Colorado musicians that I love absorbing.

AXS: What projects are you currently working on?
Casey: I have a few projects going on as of right now:

Upcoming EP (release date TBA) - A handful of new originals and collaborations that I have been working on over the last several months.

Cover song EP - A few covers of some great songs that have inspired me over the last decade. I'd say the song names but I haven't finished them yet, so I'll keep you posted. [Laughs]

Sidekicks - This is a vocal collective that I started in April of last year with a collection of fantastic vocalists from Denver & Los Angeles. We write & produce acapellas for EDM instrumentals that producers need vocals for.

ElectrAcoustic performance - I love when a band can bring out the soul of a song in its raw form. So I've been creating acoustic versions of all my songs with some electronic components in Ableton to bring an organic but familiar vibe to these songs live.

I think that about covers it.

AXS: What else are you involved in locally?
Casey: My family owns a gourmet food company called Pastamore, as well as a gluten-free pasta company called Viviana Foods. I've been involved in those companies and helped build them up since I was a teenager. I just recently moved back to Denver from Los Angeles, so I've been enjoying seeing my immediate family a lot more. I'm also about to become a mentor for Colorado Youth at Risk. It's my first time doing anything like that so I'm excited to finally give back to the city that has given me so much. Even if it's in such a small way.

AXS: Do you have a goal in mind for the sound the you produce? Are there certain influences or themes the you try to inject into its own music?
Casey: The goal I have in mind is to connect emotionally with my fans and show them what live inside my heart. As I continue to evolve as an artist and producer, I continue to learn new techniques and use them in my music, so the sound is destined to evolve. The main theme I love to work from is the idea that you can overcome any difficulty in your life, and that through the struggle, you become a better, stronger person. I live my life believing that there is good in everyone, so I make music that hopefully helps you find all the good things within yourself.

AXS: For someone who has never seen or heard you, what would you tell them to entice them to watch your set?
Casey: That's a good question. [Laughs] I would say that I'm an Electro-Pop punk producer that loves beautiful, catchy vocals and a live band.

AXS: What would your ideal live show look like? Where would it take place? Any particular time of year? Would a specific band/musician share the bill with or open for you?
Casey: I would love to play Red Rocks at sunset during the summertime. That's been a goal of mine since I started playing music.

AXS: What shows are you looking forward to over the next few months?
Casey: I'm really looking forward to playing the Colorado Music Party at SXSW on March 21st, and I get to play at Lost Lake on St. Patrick's Day!

AXS: What do you enjoy most about Denver’s music scene, and why?
Casey: I love the fact that the music scene in Denver is really diverse and I know a lot of people in all different corners of it. It's been great to see how my friends grow and improve each year. - Alli Andress

Psssst…..Hey Thunderthief! You got your electro in my pop punk! And ya know what? It turns out I kinda like it.

The Chemistry EP is just one song done five different ways. The first track is the standard standalone version of the song which is a plugged-in upbeat pop punk tune. The next 3 versions of the songs are remixes. There is the Edg3 Remix, the Night Kids Remix and the Broken Remix. The Edg3 mix has a nice slowed down beat which doesn’t make the track too dancey feeling for me and plays to the kind of electronic music I like the most. The outro on this version is probably also my favorite as well with its deep, low tones accompanied by a soft beat that fits the mood of the song.

The Night Kids mix is probably the most dancey and the one that I enjoyed the least. So many beats layered over one another and the quick punchy drums and record scratching just weren’t for me. I am sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy it just wasn’t the feeling I wanted to take away from the song.

The Broken mix is probably the most mellow of the mixes and adds a more noticeable keyboard sound to the track and the fast and penetrating drum beat lends itself nicely to the track.

The record finishes off with a totally non electronic acoustic version of the song which is a good song and can hold its own even without all the fancy electronic additions. But then where is the fun in that? Thunderthief has done a good job of giving me something a little different and unexpected that I could appreciate. I will most definitely be adding these guys to my ones to watch lists. - Emo At Heart