Courtesy Annie Gruba
Audio By Carbonatix
Valentine’s Day hits different, depending on your relationship status. Take local musician Aaron Howell: He isn’t feeling very lovey-dovey this year following a particular painful break-up, so he’s throwing Heartbreak Holiday, an alternative Valentine’s event at the Federal Theatre on Saturday, February 14.
Howell, the muse behind new solo acoustic project Gentleman Deluxe, won’t be crooning alone, though, as he’s assembled a fifteen-member ensemble comprised of longtime friends and collaborators from such acts as the Samples, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Dragondeer and Jammy Buffet. Silver West, Micah and the Mirrors, Scooter James and the Schofields are also on the bill. So whether your heart-shaped holiday is all red roses and boxed chocolates or not, it’s going to be a good time.
“First off, I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. We’re doing it in this good-humored, tongue-in-cheek, ‘anti-Valentine’s Day’ way,” Howell says. “On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate romantic love. If you separate out the commercialism of it, I think it’s great.
“At the same time, I spent the last few years in the break-up algorithm of the internet. It was feeding me a lot of content, because I myself had gone through some pretty serious heartbreak,” he continues. “I started to realize, yes, romantic love is definitely something that should be celebrated, but, man, getting your heart broken is among the most transformative ordeals a human being can go through. If you can survive it, it turns you into a whole new person and helps you grow so much. I thought that was something worth celebrating, too.”
Gentleman Deluxe became an outlet for Howell to work through the sudden sting of sorrow and sadness. The result was the twelve-track album Way High, released last July, followed by a cross-country solo tour, during which Howell healed through community and reconnecting with old music friends.
“I obsessively worked on the record, from start to finish, for nine months,” he shares. “Then, I got twenty of the best musicians I know in the State of Colorado to play on the record. A big part of what helped keep me sane was inviting my friends to come play on the record. The album, the tour and preparing for this show were all deeply profound grounding, connected experiences.”
Courtesy Annie Gruba
Most know Howell as the livewire frontman of Denver rock troupe MF Ruckus, as well as irreverent rap group White Fudge and Oingo Boingo tribute act Reptiles and Samurai. But Gentleman Deluxe showcases Howell’s softer, more vulnerable side through alt-Americana, outlaw country and offbeat pop with such songs as “Trash People” and “Every Wizard Needs a Witch.”
“I love sad songs. Listening to sad music when you’re sad is good for your mental health,” he says. “It helps you process grief and pain. There’s a good zone of optimal development that you can live in where you it’s good for you, it’s cathartic, it’s cleansing.”
With Way High out in the world, Howell plans to keep Gentleman Deluxe going; he already has plans for a sophomore follow-up centered around themes of loss and death.
“The voice in your head can be a real fucking dick. The voice in my head sometimes tells me I’m failing in some way, or I’m past my prime or a joke,” the 43-year-old says. “But I’m obsessive enough that I have to finish what I start. The well does sputter from time to time, but I don’t think it’s going to run dry anytime soon. I have not stopped coming up with stuff that makes me laugh and cry and excited.”
Whatever comes next, Heartbreak Holiday offers an opportunity to get together and blow off some steam. “It’s more, ‘Thank god we found each other, because it can be very dark and lonely out there, and I appreciate that you’re in my life,’” Howell explains.
“It’s mostly about making fun of ourselves and realizing there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he concludes. “Having a good cry is good for your health, and we all recognize we’re going to come out the other side and love again.”
Heartbreak Holiday, 6 p.m. Saturday, February 14, Federal Theatre, 3830 Federal Boulevard. Tickets are $19.
