shows of interest for 5/28 - 6/3/2007

So I didn't get to nearly as many shows last week as I wanted... mainly due to my financial situation. Birthdays, Mother's Day and a graduation killed me in May! Happily it's a slow week and almost a new month!

Thursay, May 31
Achille Lauro/Mothership @ Hi-Dive

Friday, June 1
The Narrator @ Larimer Lounge
Mason Jennings @ Fox Theatre
Norah Jones/M. Ward @ Red Rocks

Saturday, June 2
Bob Schneider @ Gothic Theatre

livin' up to the hype

I think the first time I heard The Hold Steady was just over a year ago. I distinctly remember driving home from some family thing or another at my parents' house. It was an early spring afternoon and the album blasting on my car stereo was Separation Sunday. I was hooked immediately, and have since been waiting for Craig & the gang to make a trip to Colorado.

I have heard a lot of things about The Hold Steady's live shows. Mostly that they are energetic, crazy, drunken on-stage parties where the band has more fun than the fans and are truly thankful for people to come see them play. Tonight proved no different... well, except for the drunken part. Despite several cans of Budweiser and a bottle of Jack, the band seemed pretty sober to me. The show was incredible - it exceeded my expectations for sure. It was just so amazing to see Craig with that goofy grin on his face for 90 minutes; to see a band that has some serious fun playing their songs. The set was a good mix of new and old songs:

Stuck Between Stations
Chips Ahoy!
The Swish
Hot Soft Light
Massive Nights
Party Pit
Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
You Can Make Him Like You
Stevie Nix
Girls Like Status
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Southtown Girls
How A Resurrection Really Feels
-----
Citrus
First Night
Most People Are DJs
Killer Parties

Heartless Bastards opened up - I missed them in Denver in January because I was out of town, and I didn't even know they were opening for The Hold Steady until Leah informed me today! Although it took me some time to warm up to Erika's voice, I was excited to see them. They didn't disappoint, and put on a great set.

Well, this is probably short for one of my blogs... but I'm in charge of driving my two nieces the 40 or so miles to Fort Collins tomorrow and need to get to sleep. On top of that I've been dealing with iPod issues today that finally lead me to have to "restore factory settings" tonight. Needless to say I'm pretty pissed off to be sitting here with an empty iPod. Grrr.

shows of interest for 5/21 - 5/27/2007

I could conceivably be going to 6 shows in 6 days... good thing I'll have a 3 day weekend to recover.

Monday, May 21
The Broken West @ Bender's Tavern
The Black Angels/VietNam @ Larimer Lounge
Animal Collective @ Cervantes

Tuesday, May 22
The Hold Steady @ Ogden Theater (w00t!)
Brandi Carlile @ Fox Theatre

Wednesday, May 23
Minus The Bear/Chin Up Chin Up @ Bluebird Theater
Meat Puppets @ Fox Theatre
Dr. Dog play Letterman (don't miss this one!)
Ben Kweller plays Carson Daly

Thursday, May 24
The Album Leaf @ Bluebird Theater

Friday, May 25
Girl Talk @ Bluebird Theater
Colin Hay @ Swallow Hill
Shawn Mullins @ Fox Theatre

Saturday, May 26
Colin Hay @ Swallow Hill
Albert Hammond, Jr. @ Marquis Theater

Sunday, May 27
Joss Stone @ Fillmore Auditorium

lots of tour dates

Dinosaur Jr. - The new album, Beyond, is awesome!

05-16 San Francisco, CA - Slim's *
05-17 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
05-18 Seattle, WA - The Showbox *
05-19 Olympia, WA - Capitol Theatre *#
05-20 Bellingham, WA - The Nightlight *
05-22 Victoria, British Columbia - Sugar Nightclub *%
05-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *%
05-25 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall *#
05-26 Edmonton, Alberta - Starlite Room *#
05-27 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Odeon Events Centre *#
05-28 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Garrick Centre *#
05-29 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
05-30 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
05-31 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *
06-01 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *
06-02 Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub *#
06-03 Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig *
06-04 Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig *
06-06 New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
06-07 New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
06-08 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre *%
06-09 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda *
06-10 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground #
06-11 Cambridge, MA - Harvard Square
06-15 Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theater
06-16 Denver, CO - Westword Music Showcase
06-17 Aspen, CO - Belly Up
06-26 London, England - Scala
06-27 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
06-28 Friborg, Switzerland - Fri-Son
06-29 Munich, Germany - Olympic Stadium ^
06-30 Berlin, Germany - Postbanhof
07-01 Hamburg, Germany - AOL Arena ^
07-05 Byron Bay, Australia - Hotel Great Northern
07-06 Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli
07-07 Sydney, Australia - Metro
07-08 Sydney, Australia - Metro
07-09 Auckland, New Zealand - The Studio
07-11 Canberra, Australia - University of Canberra Union
07-12 Melbourne, Australia - The Forum
07-13 Adelaide, Australia - The Gov
07-14 Perth, Australia - The Capitol
07-20 Valencia, Spain - Ibecassim Festival
07-27 Storas, Norway - Storasfestivalen
07-28 Emmaboda, Sweden - Emmaboda Festival
08-11 Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-12 Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-25 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-26 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival

* with Awesome Color
# with Lou Barlow
% with Uncut
^ with Red Hot Chili Peppers



Battles - I haven't heard the new album, Mirrored, yet, but it's getting rave reviews...

05-10 Berlin, Germany - Maria
05-11 Bielefeld, Germany - JZ Kamp
05-12 Cologne, Germany - Studio 672
05-14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso (Room 2)
05-15 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
05-16 London, England - Scala ^
05-17 Sheffield, England - The Corporation ^
05-18 Bristol, England - The Cooler
05-19 Somerset, England - Butlins Minehead (All Tomorrow's Parties)
05-20 Leeds, England - Stylus Uni ^@
05-22 Manchester, England - Academy 2
05-23 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC2
05-24 Birmingham, England - The Barfly
05-25 Dublin, Ireland - Temple Bar Music Centre
05-26 Paris, France - Maroquinerie
05-27 Lille, France - Le Grand Mix
05-30 Oullins, France - MJC Oullins
06-01 Rome, Italy - Dissonanze Festival
06-02 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
06-04 Dortmund, Germany - FZW
06-05 Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
06-13 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom
06-14 Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
06-15 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
06-16 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
06-17 Orlando, FL - The Social
06-18 Miami, FL - Studio A
06-19 Tampa, FL - Crowbar
06-20 Tallahassee, FL - The Beta Bar
06-22 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
06-23 Houston, TX - Numbers *
06-24 Austin, TX - Emo's Jr.
06-25 Denton, TX - Hailey's
06-27 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad #
06-28 Phoenix, AX - Rhythm Room
06-29 San Diego, CA - Beauty Bar
06-30 Los Angeles, CA - Troubador
07-02 San Francisco, CA - Slims
07-03 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
07-04 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
07-05 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
07-06 Boise, ID - Neurolux
07-07 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
07-08 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
07-10 Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
07-11 Minneapolis - Triple Rock Social Club
07-12 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
07-13 Milwaukee, WI - Stonefly Brewery
07-14 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Pitchfork Music Festival) %
07-16 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
07-17 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
07-18 Boston, MA - Paradise
08-31 New York, NY - Seaport Music Festival

^ with Clark
@ with Beans
* with Sharks and Sailors
# with Marnie Stern
% with Yoko Ono, Cat Power, Clipse, Iron and Wine, Girl Talk, Grizzly Bear, Califone, the Twilight Sad, Fujiya & Miyagi, Oxford Collapse, Dan Deacon, Beach House, Professor Murder, Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound

Bob Dylan at Red Rocks? Well, I probably won't be able to afford it. plus, My Morning Jacket is opening, and I have no desire to see them again...

6/22 Atlantic City, New Jersey - Borgata Hotel Casino
6/23 Atlantic City, New Jersey - Borgata Hotel Casino
6/24 Hershey, Pennsylvania - The Star Pavilion
6/26 Florence, Massachusetts - Pines Theatre
6/27 Uncasville, Connecticut - Mohegan Sun Casino Arena
6/29 Wantagh, New York - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
6/30 Bethel, New York - Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
7/1 Essex Junction, Vermont - Champlain Valley Exposition
7/3 Quebec City, Quebec - Colisée Pepsi Arena
7/4 Montreal, Quebec - Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
7/5 Ottawa, Ontario - Cisco Systems Ottawa Bluesfest
7/7 Orillia, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
7/8 Orillia, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
7/10 Interlochen, Michigan - Kresge Auditorium
7/11 Sterling Heights, Michigan - Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
7/12 Toledo, Ohio - Toledo Zoo Amphitheater
7/14 Cleveland, Ohio - Plain Dealer Pavilion
7/15 Indianapolis, Indiana - White River State Park
7/16 Kansas City, Missouri - Starlight Theatre
7/19 Morrison, Colorado - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
7/21 Telluride, Colorado - Town Park
7/26 Costa Mesa, California - Pacific Amphitheatre
7/27 Paso Robles, California - California Mid-State Fair
7/28 Kelseyville, California - Konocti Field Amphitheatre
9/16 Austin, Texas - Zilker Park

Dan Deacon - check out his new album Spiderman Of The Rings!

05/16 : FREE SHOW 7pm at SOLAR ONE, NYC (Studio B Rain Location)
05/25 : Two Art Chicks, Greensboro, NC
05/26 : Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
05/27 : Harvest Records, Asheville, NC
05/28 : Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN
05/29 : Bottletree, Birmingham, AL
05/30 : Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
05/31 : The Jinx, Savannah, GA
06/01 : TSI, Jacksonville, FL
06/02 : Back Booth, Orlando, FL
06/03 : TBA, Miami, FL
06/04 : New World Brewery, Tampa, FL
06/05 : Common Grounds, Gainesville, FL
06/06 : The Beta Bar, Tallahassee, FL
06/07 : Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS
06/08 : The Green Space, New Orleans, LA
06/09 : Spanish Moon, Baton Rouge, LA
06/10 : Mink, Houston, TX
06/12 : Emos Lounge, Austin, TX
06/13 : The Cavern, Dallas, TX
06/14 : Warehouse 21's Luna Space, Santa FE, NM
06/16 : ExPlx, Los Angeles, CA
06/17 : Che Cafe, San Diego, CA
06/18 : Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA
06/19 : Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
06/20 : 21 Grand, Oakland, CA
06/21 : Fools Foundation, Sacramento, CA
06/22 : Holocene, Portland, OR
06/23 : TBA, Seattle, WA
06/24 : Higgins Hall, Missoula, MT
06/25 : Grouse Mountain Lodge, Whitefish, MT
06/26 : Neurolux, Boise, ID
06/27 : Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
06/28 : Hi Dive, Denver, CO
06/29 : The Jackpot Saloon, Lawrence, KS
06/30 : Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
07/02 : Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis, MN
07/03 : Cactus Club, Milwaukee, WI
07/05 : The House Cafe, Dekalb, IL
07/06 : TBA, Kalamazoo, MI
07/07 : Scrummage University, Detroit, MI
07/08 : TBA, Hamilton, ON
07/09 : Sneaky Dees, Toronto, ON
07/10 : Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa, ON
07/11 : La Sala Rossa, Montreal, PQ
07/12 : Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA
07/14 : Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, IL
07/21 : Whartscpae Festival, Baltimore, MD

i adore my internet friends, but...

Seriously. I can't keep up with the new music this year. And as if I didn't have enough new albums to listen to, I've recently received a couple of fantastic recommendations from my cyber-friends.

What I'm listening to right now is an album called Horses Of War by the amazing band Revival. Tualla turned me on to this one, and although (I'm certain I've mentioned before), she detests The Decemberists and reverb, she's from Canada so I have to forgive her... lol. These days my musical tastes are being overrun by HORSES:

Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
The Besnard Lakes - Are The Dark Horse
Blackstrap - Steal My Horses And Run
Horse Feathers - Words Are Dead
My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse
Rock Plaza Central - Are We Not Horses
Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain

The other album of mention today is from a group called The Tailors, entitled Wakey Wakey. My friend Rich (though not the Rich who wrote the review... apparently the UK is just overrun with Rich's... lol) just turned me on to this today, and it is fantastic. Lately, when I think of London artists, I think of such acts as The Libertines, Jamie T, or the Arctic Monkeys. The Tailors are nothing like what you would expect to come out of the London scene - their sound is pure Americana. Check them out if you love alt-country...

you should hear this

The Narrator - All That To The Wall is to be released tomorrow, May 15, via Flameshovel Records. I first heard of The Narrator while cruising the Larimer Lounge calendar for upcoming shows. All it took was this announcement:

Just announced!! Flameshovel Records... a very cool band...

... to get me to check out The Narrator's MySpace page. I liked what I heard, and I hunted down a preview of All That To The Wall. Really good shit, this. To give you an idea, they've been compared to label mates Chin Up Chin Up, and they employed members of Oxford Collapse (plus others) for the new album.

Tour dates:

05.31.07 @ The Waiting Room Omaha, NE w/ Cursive, Malpais
06.01.07 @ Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
06.02.07 @ Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
06.04.07 @ Comet Tavern Seattle, WA w/ The End of the World
06.06.07 @ Press Club Sacramento, CA w/ The End of the World
06.09.07 @ Che Cafe La Jolla, CA w/ The End of the World, Lanterns, Cancer Leo
06.12.07 @ Modified Phoenix, AZ
06.14.07 @ Emo's Austin, TX w/ Ume, Bring Back the Guns
06.16.07 @ Rudyard's Houston, TX
06.23.07 @ Cake Shop New York, NY
06.25.07 @ Black Cat Washington, DC w/ Cataract Camp, The Ear The Eye The Arm
08.01.07 @ Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH w/ Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Jai-Alai Savant

And do check out the album tomorrow, it's really nice. Some samples, even:

Download "Son of the Son of the Kiss of Death" (mp3)
from "All That to the Wall" by The Narrator
Buy at eMusic

Download "SurfJew" (mp3)
from "All That to the Wall" by The Narrator

Download "Start Parking" (mp3)
from "All That to the Wall" by The Narrator

crowded house reunion tour!

Speaking of second chances... Crowded House must be the only band that I listen to now who I was listening to 20 years ago. Yet I never had/took the chance to see them live. Earlier this year they shocked their fans with news of a new album - entitled Time On Earth and set to be released 7/2/2007 (not sure of the US release date). Tracklist:

01. Nobody Wants To
02. Don't Stop Now
03. She Called Up
04. Say That Again
05. Pour Le Monde
06. Even A Child
07. Heaven That I'm Making
08. A Sigh
09. Silent House
10. English Trees
11. Walked Her Way Down
12. Transit Lounge
13. You Are The One to Make Me Cry
14. People Are Like Suns

And today, I learned that they will be coming through Denver in August - w00t!:

Sat 08/04/07 Northampton, MA Calvin Theater
Sun 08/05/07 Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion
Mon 08/06/07 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
Wed 08/08/07 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Thu 08/09/07 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Sat 08/11/07 Montreal, QC St. Denis Theatre
Mon 08/13/07 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
Tue 08/14/07 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater
Fri 08/17/07 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
Sat 08/18/07 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Mon 08/20/07 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Wed 08/22/07 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Fri 08/24/07 San Diego, CA Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
Sat 08/25/07 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Sun 08/26/07 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Tue 08/28/07 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Wed 08/29/07 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery
Thu 08/30/07 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery
Sat 09/01/07 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot
Sun 09/02/07 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Hall
Mon 09/03/07 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
Wed 09/05/07 Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Thu 09/06/07 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Sat 09/08/07 Winnipeg, MB Manitoba Centennial Centre
Sun 09/09/07 Minneapolis, MN The Orpheum Theatre
Tue 09/11/07 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Wed 09/12/07 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle

Pete Yorn opens 8/5 - 8/13; 8/25 - 9/12
16 Frames opens 8/14 - 8/20; 8/24
Fountains of Wayne opens 8/22

Now, this, I'll go to The Fillmore for...

polyphonic summer tour

I missed The Polyphonic Spree when they came to town back in March. Looks like I get another chance!

05-14 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
05-27 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch! Festival)
06-23 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
06-24 Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ
06-25 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
06-26 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
06-27 Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre
06-29 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
06-30 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
07-01 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
07-02 Boston, MA - Avalon
07-03 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
07-05 Toronto Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
07-06 Detroit, MI - The Majestic
07-07 Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
07-08 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
07-09 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave II
07-10 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
07-13 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
07-14 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
07-15 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
07-17 San Francisco CA - Great American Music Hall
07-18 Los Angeles CA - El Rey Theatre
07-20 San Diego CA - Canes Bar & Grill
07-22 Denver CO - Gothic Theatre
07-23 Aspen CO - The Belly Up
05-14 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
08-04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-11 Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-12 Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival
09-01 Stradbally, Ireland - Stradbally Estate (Electric Picnic Festival)
09-02 Argyll, Scotland - Inveraray Castle (Connect Festival)

shows of interest for 5/14 - 5/20/2007

Monday, May 14
Rocco Deluca/Keane @ Ogden Theater

Tuesday, May 15
Sunday Slum @ Larimer Lounge*
Bjork/Joanna Newsom @ Red Rocks Amphiteater
Wilco plays Letterman

Wednesday, May 16
Yacht @ Hi-Dive

Thursday, May 17
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Gothic Theatre
The Killers @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

Friday, May 18
Tim Finn @ Walnut Room

Saturday, May 19
Love As Laughter @ Larimer Lounge

*I may go to this one just because Sunday Slum is from my hometown of Castle Rock, CO. Weird, nothing ever comes out of CR...

my #4 top artist...

...And I forget to post album news. I was going to do this the other day, but hell, I'm a scatterbrain. It's not much, but it's something. Rilo Kiley will be releasing their fourth full-length on August 20. That's in the UK, mind you... there's been no US release date announced yet. WTF!?! The album is entitled Under The Blacklight, and we really have no details on song titles at this point.

I loved both Jenny and Blake's side project 2006 releases, but I'm definitely itchin' for some new Rilo Kiley.

i gotta check the road journal more often...

I love Guster. I love Brian's road journal. I just forget to keep up with it, and when I do remember I end up spending half a Saturday knee-deep in hilarity. Today I found this gem of a video from way back on Earth Day...

Brilliant. I love Joe more and more every day... check out those short shorts!

truth time

A couple of confessions for you tonight. First, about why I keep a blog - not necessarily to inform, but more because I'm just too lazy to keep a journal. Music is really one of the most important things in my life, and while I love to get hits and comments and whatnot, this thing is here mainly for my own personal recollection. And second (believe it or not) I only started listening to indie music about a year and a half ago. True, true. And trust me, at my age, I'm kicking myself for missing out on hundreds of fantastic bands that were making music during my younger years. I just never knew better. Naive as it seems, I figured all the best bands were on the radio - the only exceptions being the folk acts I discovered during my Moxy Fruvous rock tourism days...

Having confessed that, one of the things I love about my blog is that it allows me, at times, to pinpoint the exact moment when I became obsessed with a certain band. Tonight, for instance, I can look back and see that it was February 16, 2007 when I fell head over heels in love with Minnesota's Cloud Cult. It was that same day when I discovered that Cloud Cult was playing the Larimer Lounge on May 10. Anticipating something for 3 months does not always turn out so well... hopes and expectations are raised and often shattered.

So what happens after nearly 3 months of Cloud Cult anticipation? My evening began when I left my house at 10:00. I'm really too old for this... :) Got to Larimer at least in time to see 30 minutes of Achille Lauro's set. A cursory glance at their MySpace page earlier this evening informed me that they are of the "Lounge/Death Metal/Jazz" persuasion, which interested me not at all, which is why I left pretty much in time to see Cloud Cult at 11:00. Lucky for me the show was running late, as these local guys put on a damn fine show. Their last song, introduced as their newest song, was fucking amazing. Seems they're having a CD release show at the Hi-Dive on May 31, and I'm kinda feeling the need to attend.

And Cloud Cult? Wow. I cannot remember the last time, if ever, I felt the way I feel about tonight's show: completely indescribable - it seems corny to say that it's as if I was transported to another time or place, but... As I sit here now, it's hard to believe that I was actually at a Cloud Cult show tonight, it just seems so surreal. Perhaps it was the two painters on stage - I've heard that CC often has an artist creating a work of art as they play. I wondered whether the Larimer Lounge stage was big enough for a painter, but hey, we got two. One was Craig's wife Connie, the other (name escapes me) doubled as a trumpeteer. Awesome. Besides the painters, there was a smoke machine and some cool lighting effects. But above all it's Craig's songs that take the breath away. This band is incredible beyond my ability to describe.

I was not able to tear myself away from my Cloud Cult-asm enough to get a setlist, but I did note below some songs that I'm sure they played. Of course there was more, but damn if I can remember.... Some tidbits to share:

-Craig played the entire set with one shoe on and one shoe off. I'm pretty sure that he had 2 shoes when they were getting set up. He is such an artist... :)

-I was nearly in tears when they played "Thanks". Seriously. I don't cry at shows... not that Your 8th Birthday doesn't reduce me to a blubbering mass every time I hear it, but I sense that they don't play that song live too often. Yes, I was very moved by this performance...

-They closed the show (main) with Happy Hippo - Craig said that the last time they were in Denver to promote Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus there were 2 people at the show. At least I don't feel so bad about being late to the Cloud Cult party...

-"That's the end of our set but there's no backstage to run to here...". Lol. They played a two song encore, which I am certain ended with Take Your Medicine. Beautiful ending with some audience participation.

I know they played these:

Chain Reaction
Please Remain Calm
Chemicals Collide
Pretty Voice
Thanks
The Deaf Girl's Song
Happy Hippo
Take Your Medicine

Yes, I love this band... Thank you Steve for turning me on. 8>

You can take it in stride
Or you can take it right between the eyes
Suck up, suck up
And take your medicine
It’s a good day, it’s a good day
To face the hard things

cyhsy go hollywood!

Pitchfork's story, mostly because I'm lazy.... mostly.

Recall those erstwhile Clap Your Hands Say Yeah dates, postponed recently under mysterious circumstances? Well today, the band's publicist kindly lifted the veil of intrigue surrounding the nixed gigs. Turns out the (omg unsigned!) quintet was forced to bail on a few Midwestern cities because they had a date with Hollywood.

Don't be bitter though, this sounds like a goodie. According to Clap's publicist, the band's in Los Angeles now shooting scenes for the upcoming film The Great Buck Howard, which also stars some up-and-comers like Tom Hanks and John Malkovich, along with Colin Hanks and Emily Blunt. How this film will stack up against cinematic giants such as Uncle Buck remains to be seen.

Clap Your Hands also wrote new songs for the film's score, and it was indeed duties related to these new compositions that called the crew away from a slice of their tour a couple weeks back. The band hopes to make up the missed dates in the fall, and sudden stardom hasn't (yet) thwarted their plans to work the European festival circuit this summer.

new okkervil river... finally.

Austin's Okkervil River, one of my favorites, will be releasing their 5th album on August 7. The album is entitled The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar); the tracklist:

01 Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
02 Unless It's Kicks
03 A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene
04 Savannah Smiles
05 Plus Ones
06 A Girl in Port
07 You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man
08 Title Track
09 John Allyn Smith Sails

Here's hoping for a Colorado tour date this summer!

shows of interest for 5/7 - 5/13/2007

Wednesday, May 9
Tapes n' Tapes @ Bluebird Theater
Danger Girl @ Larimer Lounge
RJD2 @ Fox Theatre

Thursday, May 10
Cloud Cult @ Larimer Lounge
RJD2 @ Bluebird Theater

Friday, May 11
The Robot Ate Me @ Larimer Lounge
Bouncing Souls @ Fillmore Auditorium
El-P @ Bluebird Theater
Thee More Shallows @ Larimer Lounge

Saturday, May 12
Drive-By Truckers @ Fox Theatre
Everything Absent Or Distorted @ Larimer Lounge (sadly I'll be in Fort Collins for a graduation. Boo.)
Loreena McKennitt @ Paramount Theatre

Sunday, May 13
CALL YOUR MOM!
Drive-By Truckers @ Fox Theatre