Andrew Novick’s First Gig With the Warlock Pinchers

“I remember we made a banner because Mark Brooks had said, ‘All legitimate bands have a banner.’ We each had band names. Mine was Schooly Bob back then, and later it was Karen Carpenter Ksum [KCKsum]. Learning the songs was fun and ridiculous, but I had no idea what a live show was going to be like. The first one was at a party in John Norton’s basement in Boulder.

“I was playing percussion on a green Freon tank, and we had drum-machine tracks on cassette tapes. I was worried about getting out of time or forgetting something, but once it started, there was not room to move or even think. It was a tiny room, and the members of the band were each surrounded by the audience. We yelled about Satan and Jolt Cola and jumped around like crazy. We played a version of Madonna’s ‘Burnin’ Up,’ and people were rolling all over the ground. When you’re in the moment, nothing technical matters. It just happens.”

Andrew Novick recently juried Pink Palace (An Homage to Casa Bonita), an art exhibit that runs at Next Gallery until March 11. KCKsum will release the new single “Donald Trump Rides a Cockhorse” in March.

Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work.