Local musician Anthony Braun was reared on killer music. Guitar player and musical director for local band Animal Soul, he was someone who had access to a collection of great LPs as a kid, laying the foundation for a lifetime love of listening and playing music.
Animal Soul, who in addition to Braun are Abi Nicholas on keyboards and vocals; Alex Read on lead guitar; Guy Ewing on bass; Ian Boletchek on keyboards and saxophone; and drummer Andrew Greene, will perform Saturday at the Swarm, the venue located inside The Hive. Also performing is local Eastern European outfit Carute Roma.
If you go
WHAT: Local bands Animal Soul and Carute Roma.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: The Swarm Venue at The Hive, 1175 Camino del Rio.
TICKETS: $10 at the door.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.thehivedgo.org.
“My parents were hippies growing up, and they had an amazing record collection,” Braun said. “So, by the time I was 5 or 6, I was already well versed in mid-period Rolling Stones. I loved stuff like that, and George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass.’ And then I got into punk.”
Animal Soul’s beginnings started more than a dozen years ago in New York City. The project of Braun, the double-edged sword that is the number of bands in the Big Apple is that it’s great for the fans who love seeing live music, maybe not so for all the bands competing for stage time and open ears of the listening public. Animal Soul dropped a record in 2016, and Braun returned to Durango two years later after living here in the 1990s. The band then became Durango-based.
“I just started gathering up people. Alex was the first one who stuck, then Abi, then Guy,” Braun said. “And it’s just been fantastic, an amazing accomplishment and grace to have this band come together, because they’re amazing musicians.”
Call them a band playing rock ’n’ roll that hints at edgier new wave and power-pop. Saturday’s show at The Swarm will serve as a release party for the band’s latest single, “Here Comes the Shadows.” It’s a cut with a glorious throwback sound that features the rich vocals of Nicholas, a tune that has a serious ’80s vibe while also being as fresh as the indie rock of next week. Later in 2026, they’ll drop their second single in “If You Come Back,” a cut of big power pop that can be likened to ’90s Denver stalwarts Dressy Bessy.
It’s a sound that comes from a six-piece band of musicians who have a love of listening to new music as much as they have of playing. It’s an educational thing: Braun has a few years on a handful of band members, so while he can influence his band mates on artists like Patti Smith, his younger band mates can influence him on bands of now.
“I would say that we’re all very communicative about the different things we listen to and the different things that we do, so getting to share all of that is super fun,” Nicholas said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot since being in the band. I think we’re all so tight knit that everything just kind of becomes a community group experience.”
“And I think the education works both ways, because you know, there’s a lot of current stuff that I don’t know,” Braun added. “It’s stuff these guys grew up on that I didn’t hear, so I learn from them, too.”
For now, the band is toying with how to release music. Maybe they’ll keep releasing singles every handful of weeks, or perhaps there’s an album somewhere in there waiting to be dropped; time will tell.
“We definitely would all like to see an album come out, and put it on vinyl, the whole nine yards,” Braun said.
“I think we’re all just kind of itching to release some music and get the ball rolling,” Nicholas added.
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
