 "Photo: photo: Alicia Schuster / UCD Advocate")
 "Photo: photo: Alicia Schuster / UCD Advocate")
All that was left after the massive party was a demolished house covered in blood-red paint and crude graffiti. No, it wasn’t some sort of gang takeover or a horror movie set, it was Denver group The A-OKs’ Halloween party.
The show featured 10 bands from Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. Drawing over 300 people, the Halloween bash ended with punk kids taking down walls, painting words and penises everywhere, and ripping out light fixtures. The house once belonged to trumpet player Tiffany Cronick’s uncle until he died in the living room.
After that, several members of the band called the tiny house home and practice space. But now the bank is taking it back and tearing it down, so the band decided to have one last hurrah before its demise.
This craziness is routine for the ska group, and the band wouldn’t have it any other way. Complete with a large horn section and keyboard, this band recalls the sounds of light-hearted ska-punk staples like Reel Big Fish and Mustard Plug.
The eight members of the group have been on the local scene for two years, doing it all themselves and helping others along the way.
This D.I.Y. ethic has taken the band far, and has even gotten them on the bills of some high-profile shows. When asked how she landed a show with The Mad Caddies on Nov. 23 and Big D And The Kids Table on Dec. 5, trumpet player Nicole Orts giggled and said simply, “I wrote an e-mail.” Cronick added, “They’re two bands that we kind of grew up really loving, so we saw that they were coming through and we asked if we could play.” Orts said, “Ultimately it went through both of them [the venue] and the band saying yes.”
The concert D-town Skankdown, featuring The Aquabats, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and many more local and national punk and ska bands on June 20 was a milestone for the band for several reasons. Cronick explained, “I put that show on. Playing to 300 to 400 people was amazing. So that helped our fan base.” Orts added, “Then between me, Mark and Matt getting on stage with The Aquabats, that totally helped! People are like, ‘You played with The Aquabats?’ and we’re like, ‘Yes, that was us.’”
The D-town Skankdown wasn’t good just for exposure; it also helped the band find a drummer. Cronick explained, “He was at that show and fell in love with us, and he was one of his [points to Mark Swan, keyboard] friends.” Orts said, “We’ve gone through a couple of drummers. Mark says we have Spinal Tap luck with drummers.”
What really sets The A-OKs apart from other local bands in the state is their drive and the members’ D.I.Y. style. “I think we have the talent and the drive and a lot of local bands miss out on one or the other. Not to say that local bands aren’t talented. You see these amazing bands that just don’t have the time or the money or the whatever to put in as much effort as you need to actually make a name for yourself,” said Cronick.
“And we put in effort, even though we may not have any money. We have no money,” Orts added.
That effort is apparent when you see the band live or buy merchandise. “We do everything D.I.Y. We print all of our own CDs, we put on all of our own shows, and we make all of our buttons and stickers,” said Cronick. The band plays about four times a month and toured out of state on the members’ own dime last summer. Currently the band has booked three shows this month and is currently writing new music for those shows.
From destroying houses at shows to living the dream without a dime in hand, the members of The A-OKs are doing it all themselves. Which will, after Halloween’s debauchery, mean finding a new practice space.
The A-OKs w/Big D And The Kids Table
7 p.m., Dec. 5, Marquis Theater
myspace.com/theaoksrok
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