dates/tours/fun!

Matt Nathanson at the Fox again, oh yeah. Dude puts on a fucking great show. I had to throw the "fuck" in there because Matt says "fuck" approximately 83 times per show. Not for the kids.

Jan 19 2008 The Rockboat Miami, Florida
Jan 25 2008 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, Florida
Jan 26 2008 The Social Orlando, Florida
Jan 27 2008 Workplay Theatre BIrmingham, Alabama
Jan 28 2008 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia
Jan 29 2008 The Handlebar Greenville, South Carolina
Jan 31 2008 Recher Theatre Towson, Maryland
Feb 1 2008 Toad’s Place New Haven, Connecticut
Feb 4 2008 The State Theatre State College, Pennsylvania
Feb 5 2008 St. Andrew’s Hall Detroit, Michigan
Feb 7 2008 Knickerbockers Lincoln, Nebraska
Feb 9 2008 The Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado

Glen Phillips has been to town several times in the past few years, but I haven't seen him since summer 2000. Oh my! Lookit, he's even visiting the western slope, the mountains and the lovely Fort Collins.

01/19/08 The Rock Boat Miami FL
01/24/08 The Rock Boat Miami FL
01/26/08 Ann Arbor Folk Festival Ann Arbor MI
02/07/08 Steve's Guitars Carbondale CO
02/08/08 Far East Center Grand Junction CO
02/09/08 Avogadro's Number Ft. Collins CO
02/10/08 Fox Theatre Boulder CO
02/15/08 AcousticMusicSanDiego San Diego CA
02/16/08 McCabe's Santa Monica CA
02/17/08 Freight & Salvage Berkeley CA
02/21/08 WOW Hall, Comm. Ctr. for the Perf. Arts Eugene OR
02/22/08 The Aladdin Theater Portland OR
02/23/08 Triple Door Seattle WA
03/26/08 Club Passim Cambridge MA
03/27/08 Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry NH
03/28/08 Wilde Auditorium West Hartford CT
03/29/08 Joe's Pub New York NY
03/30/08 The Avalon Theatre Easton MD
04/02/08 Jammin' Java Vienna VA
04/03/08 World Cafe Live Philadelphia PA
04/04/08 Club Cafe Pittsburgh PA
04/05/08 Brighton Center For the Performing Arts Brighton MI
04/06/08 The South Gate House Newport KY
04/09/08 The Music Mill Indianapolis IN
04/10/08 High Noon Saloon Madison WI
04/11/08 Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago IL
04/12/08 Shank Hall Milwaukee WI
04/13/08 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis MN

Everything Absent Or Distorted - local heroes make an appearance at the Hi-Dive. Yee-haw.

02-16 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Pela - their MySpace page lists this show on March 10, the Hi-Dive says March 3... At any rate they rocked the house last time they played there.

03-?? Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Grand Archives, the current band of former Band Of Horses dude Mat Brooke. This is gooooood stuff.

03-04 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Sons & Daughters are coming to the Hi-Dive with Bodies Of Water (one of my new favorite bands)!

03-17 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
03-18 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03-21 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
03-22 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-23 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
03-24 Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs)
03-25 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
03-26 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
03-28 Chicago, IL - Double Door
03-29 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
03-31 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
04-01 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04-03 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04-04 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
04-05 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
04-07 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall

* with Citay
via

Get ready for the Hotel Cafe Tour 2008! This tour's artists include Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, Sara Bareilles, Josh Radin, Bob Schneider, Dan Wilson, Meiko, Priscilla Ahn, Kate Havnevik, Eric Hutchinson, Greg Laswell, Jessie Baylin, Jim Bianco, William Fitzsimmons, AM & Christopher Denny. Above all I hope we get Jim Bianco and Bob Schneider...

3/6/2008 San Diego, CA — Belly Up Tavern
3/7/2008 Santa Barbara, CA — Stateside
3/8/2008 Anaheim, CA — House of Blues
3/9/2008 Los Angeles, CA — Hotel Café
3/10/2008 Tucson, AZ — Club Congress (WxSW)
3/11/2008 Tempe, AZ — The Club House
3/13/2008 Austin, TX — Parish (SxSW)
3/14/2008 Dallas, TX — House of Blues
3/15/2008 Houston, TX — Red Room
3/17/2008 Birmingham, AL — WorkPlay
3/18/2008 Nashville, TN — Exit/In
3/19/2008 Atlanta, GA — Center Stage
3/20/2008 Chapel Hill, NC — Cat's Cradle
3/21/2008 Annapolis, MD — Ram's Head Tavern
3/22/2008 Philadelphia, PA — World Café Live
3/24/2008 New York, NY — Fillmore @ Irving
3/25/2008 Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club
3/26/2008 Ithaca, NY — State Theatre
3/27/2008 Pittsburgh, PA — Mr Small's Theatre
3/28/2008 Chicago, IL — Park West
3/29/2008 Madison, WI — High Noon
3/31/2008 Minneapolis, MN — Fine Line
4/1/2008 Kansas City, MO — Record Bar
4/3/2008 Boulder, CO — Fox Theatre
4/4/2008 Denver, CO — Bluebird Theatre
4/5/2008 Salt Lake City, UT — Avalon Theatre
4/7/2008 Boise, ID — Big Easy
4/8/2008 Seattle, WA — Neumos
4/9/2008 Portland, OR — Wonder Ballroom
4/11/2008 San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall
4/12/2008 Los Angeles, CA — Henry Fonda Theatre

purchase tickets

Blitzen Trapper is returning! I missed them twice last year and don't intend to do so again...

02-22 Seattle, WA - University of Washington #
02-28 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *
02-29 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *!
03-01 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
03-02 Phoenix, AZ - Modified *
03-04 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
03-05 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *
03-06 Hattiesburg, MS - Thirsty Hippo %
03-07 Tallahassee, FL - The Beta Bar *
03-08 Everglades National Park, FL - Langerado Festival
03-09 Jacksonville, FL - The Eclipse *
03-11 Birmingham, AL - BottleTree *
03-13 Austin, TX - Yard Dog Gallery (Schubas SXSW party)
03-14 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-15 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-16 Norman, OK - The Opolis *
03-17 Columbia, MO - Mojo's *$
03-19 Nashville, TN - Exit In *
03-20 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
03-21 Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern *
03-22 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle *
03-23 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *
03-25 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
03-26 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
03-27 Cambridge, MA - Middle East *
03-29 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-30 Worcester, MA - Clark University *
04-01 Montreal, Quebec - La Salla Rossa *
04-02 Toronto, Ontario - El Mocambo *
04-03 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place *
04-04 Cleveland, OH - The Grog Shop *
04-05 Detroit, MI - The Magic Stick *
04-06 Chicago, IL - Schubas *
04-08 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *
04-09 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
04-10 Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College *
04-11 Omaha, NE - The Slowdown *
04-12 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot *
04-14 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive *
04-15 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
04-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club *
04-18 Seattle, WA - Neumo's *
04-19 Portland, OR - Holocene *

# with Menomena
* with Fleet Foxes
! with Grand Archives
% with Beach House, Papercuts
$ with Mahjongg
via

Cloud Cult - the only date that matters. Yay!

05-17 Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO

local bands, yes.

A few happy things occurred today. First, I found out that Aussie band You Am I is playing the Hi-Dive next month. My friend Tualla is a huge fan, and after she so expertly turned me on to The Broken Family Band this week, I trust her implicitly. Plus, I know that she'll come down from Canada to kick my ass if I don't go...

Second, the new Okkervil River album, The Stage Names, just leaked!! I have listened to it 4 times today, and I can honestly say that it is fucking brilliant. It's crammed full of the clever Okkervil lyrics that we've come to count on, and as an added bonus Will Sheff has really taken his vocals to the next level - he sounds fabulous. I have come to believe that this band couldn't make a misstep if it tried. The Stage Names is coming out (Jagjaguwar) on August 7. I command you to buy it. You know you want to. Now if we can just get these guys to come to Denver...

Finally, I had a lovely night of local band festivities at the Bluebird. I used to think that Denver didn't have any bands worth a damn, but have since discovered that I just wasn't looking in the right places. I was fortunate enough to catch two of my favorites tonight.

The first time I'd heard of Everything Absent Or Distorted was when I saw them open for Malajube and Snowden a few months ago. OK, truthfully, I saw the last song of their set; but I admit that it hooked me. They played again at Larimer Lounge last month, but I was Fort Collins for a graduation ceremony. So, tonight was the first time I got to witness a full set from these guys, and I gotta tell ya - in this case, the first impression was more than accurate. I'll say again what I said back then - these guys are the epitome of geek rock... geek rock with a razor sharp edge, anyway. They are 8 bodies of instrument swapping, sports-jacket wearing, energetic blast of a band. The one guy who seemed to actually be "dressed down" was wearing jeans and an Iron Maiden t-shirt. Not only was he wearing an IRON MAIDEN shirt, but he shuffled from banjo to accordion to bass to showing off his dandy ballet dance moves. Other members played a violin and trombone, in addition to the normal, boring, rock and roll instruments. The only way this set could have been better would be if they could have thrown in some damn cowbell. If you live in the Denver area (or even if not) and you have the chance to see these guys - GO! They do not disappoint.

Headlining tonight were the Hot IQ's. I saw them open for The Thermals a few months back and was definitely impressed. They've received accolades aplenty for being best local band and whatnot. After the 8 member EAOD set, the stage seemed rather empty for the 3 Hot IQ's, but they brought it, for sure. Slightly less geek and slightly more rock, the Hot IQ's had the crowd eating out of their hands. Me? I caught myself wishing that the sets had been swapped and EAOD were headling. Not that Hot IQ's weren't fabulous, just that EAOD really knocked my socks off. But THEN, midway through their set, Hot IQ's brought out a cooler of popsicles, and proceeded to throw them into the crowd. I didn't manage to catch one, but the mere fact that I was at a rock show where popsicles were hurled into the crowd was reward enough for me. I don't know if it was the sheer fucking coolness of the band actually flinging popsicles from the stage or what, but they seemed to gather some steam after that. They finished up their set in incredible fashion, and I was the slightest bit bummed that there was no encore. They're playing Monolith at Red Rocks in September - w00t! See them.

je ne sais pas ce qu'ils disent mais je l'aime

Alright, we're gonna do this out of order tonight...

Snowden headlined at the Larimer Lounge this evening, with two opening bands - Everything Absent Or Distorted and Malajube. I begin with Snowden because they really weren't all that impressive. Mind you, I only stayed for (almost) 5 songs, but it was kind of a chore to get that far. I'd heard of Snowden, but had never heard Snowden, and I have to say that they had a hard act to follow in Malajube. I also have to say that they failed miserably. After the first song succeeded in doing absolutely nothing for me, I figured - to be fair - I'd stay for 5 songs. When the 5th song started, I knew it wasn't going to move me any more than the 4 that preceded it, so I left. They failed in one thing that Malajube did so well - to engage the crowd (even saying after about the 3rd song that it's "ok to move"). Additionally, Snowden seemed to take themselves entirely too seriously. There was no bantering with the crowd, no eye contact with the crowd, and most certainly no smiling. It was almost like the musical version of Office Space... It's too bad; I sensed that there was something that could be great lurking under the surface of their dull performance. Perhaps I didn't stay long enough, perhaps they were having an off night, but color me unimpressed.

Backtracking a bit, I arrived at the Lounge just in time to catch Everything Absent Or Distorted's final song. Pity. Based on that one song, it would've been a great set to witness. My initial reaction was to sum them up in two words: EAOD = geek rock. These guys were resplendent in collared shirts, sweaters and glasses, not to mention that both the accordian and the trombone were represented in that one song that I caught. When I got home I did some research and discovered that not only is the band local, but EAOD personnel includes a doctoral student, two lawyers and an acupuncturist. Geek rock indeed, this band is smart with a capital "S". I'm thrilled that they're from Denver... partly because there's a very good chance I'll get to see a full set soon, but also because of the dearth of good bands that hail from Denver.

And finally, Malajube - the band that I plunked down my hard-earned $8 to see... lol. Malajube is a five-piece band from Quebec (I couldn't find any decent pictures of them on the 'net... note to self: get a fucking digital camera already!). Everything's in french, and although I took french for 6 years in junior/high school, I can't understand a damn thing they're singing about. Nevertheless, I fell in love with last year's release Trompe-L'Oeil and was pretty excited when I heard they were coming to Denver. As much as I love the album, however, it didn't adequately prepare me for the live show. This band is waaaaaay more rocking on stage than I ever could have guessed from listening to Trompe-L'Oeil. They put on an entertaining, highly energetic set that made 45 minutes seem like 5. They were engaging, they were charming, and they all have very cute accents... :) They have everything that, in my opinion, Snowden was lacking. They actually interacted with the crowd - "Let me fix this problem of shit!" (equipment problems); "Come closer, I can't see you. My sweat is worth a lot of money". If you ever get a chance to see them, go - you won't be disappointed. Here's hoping for a headlining set in Denver before too long.

On repeat (Malajube - Trompe-L'Oeil):



Parce qu'on aime
fondre en larmes sous les draps
on s'aime comme ci comme ça
pour une dernière fois

Et s'il-te-plait
ferme la porte derrière toi
Et quand tu reviendras
je serai près de toi

Et si tu m'aimes
serre-moi fort dans tes bras
Est-ce qu'on ne s'embrasse pas
pour une dernière fois

Mais dis-moi à quoi tu penses
Et quand tu reviendras
Je serai près de toi
Pour une dernière fois

(Merci à Maude pour cettes paroles)