LOCAL BAND WORKS WITH CAM STUDENTS
Denver band One Flew West, who signed with CU Denver’s own CAM Records, recently released the music video “Had It All,” shot with the help of CU Denver students.
“We did the shoot over two days in December,” said David Di Salvo, the band’s lead guitarist and supporting vocalist. “It was really great getting to see all of the students work together and each play an important role in the video. Some College of Arts and Media students were even actors in the video and turned out to be way better actors than us.”
The shoot wasn’t all fun and games, though. “The second day of shooting was pretty tough,” Di Salvo said. “We met at 6 a.m. in below-freezing temperatures for the outdoor bicycle shots.” The resulting video is a surreal and humorous homage to 1990s sitcoms.
One Flew West may have recently picked up more recognition, but the band has been around a long time. “We grew up together and started the band while we were in high school,” Di Salvo said. “Our original band name was Continuum.” They played under that name for four years before changing to One Flew West.
The band’s five members work together to produce what CBS Denver described as a blend of rock, folk, country, and pop. Di Salvo has a simpler description of their music. “When people ask, we usually just say we’re a rock band with a trumpet.”
Two band members, Linden Jackson (lead vocals and acoustic guitar) and Di Salvo, are Music Business students at CU Denver, and were very familiar with CAM Records, a record label run by actual CAM students.
The band applied to sign with the label last semester. “The students of CAM records work incredibly hard and are completely dedicated to advancing the career of the artist that they work with,” Di Salvo said. “When we got the offer to work with them last semester, we were ecstatic to have been selected.”
Di Salvo’s own experience with CAM students made him sure he could rely on them—he saw their support of bands first-hand, and knows how many students are in bands of their own. “We already knew all the students and were more than happy to work with them. It was an easy choice for us to sign.”
Di Salvo hopes that the band’s development will also develop CAM Records. “We couldn’t wait to leave our mark on their program,” he said.
The collaboration between One Flew West and CU Denver seems set to last. “It’s almost impossible to not work with a CU Denver student in the Denver music scene,” Di Salvo said. “We regularly get the help of CAM Records students at our shows to sell merchandise.” He quickly added that those students are paid for their help. “Denver music is simply not functional without CU Denver students,” Di Salvo said.
—Gideon Simons
Above: Local band One Flew West works with CU Denver students of the CAM program.
photo: Korina Rojo • CU Denver Sentry
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