We’s Us is Dominating Denver’s Indie Rock Scene

Denver is a city that embodies a certain energy and spirit, a creative
balance between work and play. It isn’t just the mountains, or the altitude, or
the free-flowing delicious craft beer and cannabis, paired with all the hard
work that takes place in the city every day. It is also the musicians and
artists who are inspired by these things. One of the bands that best embodies
this spirit is We’s Us, a group whose name says it all; it strives to be itself,
without any pretentions, and focus on making good music.

Photos by Daniel Krys

The group formed in 2010 under the moniker Eager Minds with Michael
“Weeze” Dawald on guitar and vocals, Blake Manion on drums and vocals,
and Seth Marcus on bass and vocals. The group broke up after recording an EP,
and continued on as We’s Us with a different bassist in 2012, recording its debut
EP in L.A. This past summer, the group’s old bassist moved on to other things,
and Seth rejoined the group. We’s Us make a point of playing feel-good music,
but with a heavy emphasis on song structure and instrumentation.

“Our band is most closely related to Jimmy Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies
with a Foo Fighters feel—emphasis on song structure, but also inspired by
Phish, etc.,” states Marcus. “We aren’t a jam band though; don’t call us a jam
band.”

“We are a very vibration-based band, so how we are all feeling is
something we definitely focus on when we play, and when we feel it when we
play, people leave our shows, pumped. It’s feel-good music for sure,” says
Blake. “But there is definitely a lot of emphasis on the actual playing too;
the most challenging music I perform is with We’s Us.”

<a href=”http://wesusband.bandcamp.com/track/homeless”>Homeless by We’s Us</a>

So far, the group has been embraced by the local indie rock music scene
and have been able to play shows and sell records both in town and on tour as a
completely independent and D.I.Y. entity with no label. It also plans to head
back into the studio to work on a new record that plans to be released this
summer.

“Every time we go on tour and come back with money in our pocket, all
of our limbs, all our bills paid, and smiling, I feel so lucky,” Manion states.

“Being able to tour year round and make a living playing music I think
is a great accomplishment,” adds Weeze.

In addition to writing music and touring, the We’s Us guys are all big
cannabis advocates as well.

“I feel very safe here,” said Manion in relation to the cannabis laws
in Colorado. “I know a lot of older people, the generations before ours,
there’s still that taboo, but they are more open to talking about it, and our
generation is doing a good job of breaking down those walls. I think it’s
pretty exciting. It’s comfortable to know that you can smoke and are not going
to get in trouble for it.”

Marcus has an inside perspective on the burgeoning cannabis industry in
Colorado. “I work in the industry, at Trichome Institute, and I’ve seen how it
has evolved over the past few years,” he stated. “I think we are setting the
stage for a model that integrates cannabis into regular society. It has been
interesting so far to be a musician and in the industry.”

The group also enjoys incorporating cannabis into their routine as a
group.

“Sometimes when the process gets a little hairy and tensions run a
little high, we have to step back and medicate or whatever you want to call
it,” laughs Manion.

“I can’t remember the last time I jammed with these guys not
influenced,” Weeze adds with a smile.

We’s Us is a band that knows how to have a good time, and it also knows
how to work hard. That combination of unstoppable vigor
and mellow relaxation that drives the city is what drives We’s Us as well, and it’s
going places. Going places, but also stopping to meditate on the finer things
in life.

“If you start taking everything too seriously, smoke a joint,” Manion tells
us seriously. “That’s something I have to remember on a daily basis.”