Musicians don’t take themselves too seriously while pursuing their art

By Brianna Corrine

After meeting as students at Colorado State University several years ago and living, jamming and playing lacrosse together, the Crooked Rugs have become one of Fort Collins’ hottest bands.

Heralding the tagline “mysterious noise from Fort Collins, Colorado,” they are rising stars of the state music scene.

Record release party
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14
with Honey Blazer and Tarantula Bill
at HQ Denver

The band is a modest group of five, including a pair of brothers: Rex Stowers on guitar and Finn Stowers on bass. Jayce Haley takes on the role of frontman and guitarist; Nolan Brumbach plays drums; and Jay LeCavalier is on keys. Each member radiates charisma and a genuine joy for art. While many projects fall through or break apart, The Crooked Rugs seem to be here to stay.

Sibling bonds

Band dynamics are tricky, and even more so when siblings are involved. However, Rex and Finn share a unique bond that surpasses many sibling relationships, Haley says, adding, “They are a pretty crazy working dynamic, but they definitely play together really well.”

Speaking about the band as a whole, Brumbach adds that they are comfortable working with one another and sharing spaces. Between playing in different bands and being roommates, they know one another well. And while they still face challenges, the music keeps them together.

“There have been a lot of dynamic changes. There have been moments where I think we’ve all been frustrated with people individually, but we just keep together,” Brumbach says.

“You know it’s really good to communicate and talk about your problems,” he continues with a laugh, while LeCavalier jumps in with “The Crooked Rugs are my family.”

Grinning, Brumbach agrees, “As cheesy and corny as it sounds, it’s true.”

He adds, “I think it’s just about communication and goal setting. We do take it seriously, but at the same time we try not to take it too seriously.”

In tune with their jovial attitude about working together, the band is excited to play music in northern Colorado.

“It’s a pretty happening music scene, honestly,” Haley says. “We’ve toured other places and gone to a lot of other thriving scenes and Fort Collins has essences of all of them, but it stands on its own. It’s pretty cool, there will probably be a lot of bands from this area that stick around for a while.”

Continuing Haley’s thought, LeCavalier adds, “It’s pretty popping here, and I’d say one of the biggest challenges of being here at this stage that we’re at is that geographically Colorado is in a difficult place to launch a tour from.”

While there’s an outstanding local scene across the Front Range, the rest of the country and world are relatively far away, LeCavalier says.

Brumbach adds, “There’s nothing like coming back and playing at home.”

Playing every genre

There is something in The Crooked Rugs catalog for any listener. The band has four albums under their belt and a fifth on the way. They aim for each album to have a distinct but cohesive sound.

“We tend to write more thematic albums,” Haley says.

LeCavalier says their “Tales of a Great Western Sky” album had more of a “country, midwestern vibe to it and there was a long time where we were writing music like that and we just kept putting it on the back burner.”

Eventually, they compiled enough songs for the LP.

The blend of genres comes down to two things in the words of Brumbach, “One, we all just love music, and two, we all like a lot of different kinds of music.”

From pop-punk to country-blues to singer-songwriter, “There’s influence of all these different kinds of music, so it kind of keeps us in a headspace where it’s easier to create,” Brumbach says.

Haley adds, “We also experiment quite a bit.” Whether it’s a cheeky disco album, electronica, or a completely post-punk album, you can be sure that The Rugs had a blast while making it and were as authentic to themselves as a band can be. “We play whatever excites us at the time,” notes Brumbach.

Where have The Crooked Rugs learned their free-flowing behavior? Primarily from artists who don’t take themselves too seriously but continue to be prolific. LeCavalier mentions how, “We all have our own tastes individually,” even as they connect over common touchstones such as The Beatles.

Inspired by Beck

It’s an ever-evolving relationship that keeps them excited to create. In discussing the specifics of their inspirations, they point to their CD collection. “We have a ton of CDs in our van,” Brumbach says, adding that there is a foot-high stack of varying artists and a similar stack that is just Beck.

Revealing his undying love and obsession with Beck, a veteran singer-songwriter and producer also known for ignoring genre boundaries, LeCavalier said, “He also has a wide variety of sound and has still managed to stay relevant, by kind of going with the flow instead of sticking with one thing.”

Putting it simply, “I think we all are inspired by artists who are …” Brumbach starts, “... prolific and just put things out,” Haley finishes.

As for new music, The Crooked Rugs play a release party tonight at the HQ Denver on South Broadway for their new 1970s-themed album. “It’s probably our best album yet,” LeCavalier crowed.

“I hope people are just inspired,” Brumbach says. “I think the best thing is when I go see a show and then immediately want to come home and play music.”

With pride in what he and his mates have built, Brumbach says, “I didn’t think we’d be doing it at this level, but we are and I love it.”

Humble, charismatic, and genuine with an edge of satire, The Crooked Rugs are creating music that sparks an infectious joy. Their dreams are vast – from a Red Rocks date to a European tour – and they are ready to pursue them.

Brianna Corrine is a part-time poet and full-time audiophile. She is a writer with a penchant for critiquing music and delving headfirst into various art and literary-focused spheres as she contributes regularly to a variety of publications.