reverend peyton's big damn band - spreadin' the word

If you live in the Denver/Boulder area, you absolutely NEED to be at the Fox Theatre tomorrow... err... tonight, I guess that would be.

By the most fortunate of accidents, I caught Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band at the Monolith Festival back in September (I can't yet bring myself to utter the words "last year" in regards to 2007). When I found out they were playing the Bluebird Theater I was ecstatic. Then I discovered they were playing the Fox the very next night and knew that I was very possibly in for a Big Damn Band two-fer.

The show at the Bluebird tonight was fantastic. I'm not exactly sure if it's because I hadn't seen a live show for nearly two months, or because I hadn't seen my show-going pals Leah & Laura for over two months, or because the Big Damn Band is just that damn good, but I had more fun tonight than I've had in a loooooong time. If you weren't one of the couple hundred lucky souls in attendance, you've got yourself another chance as the Big Damn Band is playing in Boulder at the Fox on Saturday - today, tomorrow, whatever you want to call it. For you mountain folks, they'll also be playing the Belly Up in Aspen on Sunday. Yay!

That is a glance at the marquee through my dirty windshield, a tree, and a sign post (I forgot to take a pic until after I'd already gone to my car...). Note the typo in the band name... ha.

From a brief chat with washboard queen Breezy after the show tonight, they are a bit nervous about playing an 700-capacity venue (as they've never been in Boulder before), so if you happen to read this, you should make some plans to be at the Fox for the show. I personally guarantee you a great time. Jason Webley will be opening again and he alone is more than worth the price of admission, so you can even look at the Big Damn Band as icing on the cake.

Do it, for god's sake. It's a phenomenal show.

rant.

To: Denver
Re: Last night's sold out Mountain Goats show at the Hi-Dive (but mostly re: the opening band)

1) I did NOT stand in the freezing cold outside for 45 minutes and inside the hot venue for 30 minutes to see you make out. Buy a CD and stay at home. It'll be cheaper.

2) I did NOT stand in the freezing cold outside for 45 minutes and inside the hot venue for 30 minutes to have you push in front of me the instant the music began. And yes, I will keep my elbow in your back until you get the fuck out of my sightline to the stage.

3) I did NOT stand in the freezing cold outside for 45 minutes and inside the hot venue for 30 minutes to listen to you talk about how hot the accordian player is. Do a google image search, buy a CD, and stay at home. It'll be cheaper.

4) Many of you are way too tall.


To: Hi-Dive
Re: Last night's sold out Mountain Goats show

1) Why was I standing outside for 45 minutes? In November? It was cold!! If you are going to sell tickets online with the only pick-up option being will call, get a guy who can check an ID in less than a minute. Seriously.

2) Your website said the doors time for the Mountain Goats show was at 7:00. But the opening act didn't even come on until 9:45. I mean, I guess that's how long it took your guy to check people in, but this is not a new issue. Like the time you advertised doors at 9:00 and I arrived at 9:30 only to discover that I'd already missed the opening band who I was really there to see in the first place.

3) I still love you.


To: Mountain Goats
Re: Last night's sold out Denver show

1) You guys rock. John Darnielle, you are a lyrical genius.

2) Despite my ranting, it was still possible to hear a pin drop during your set. That was awesome.

3) I always knew that I loved you, but I didn't realize how much until tonight. Thank you for a three song encore in a venue where ANY encore is like an endangered species.

4) I'm pretty sure that I won't be listening to anything but Mountain Goats for several days. I blame you. Mountain Goats.

5) Come back soon. Please.


PS - in the "universe you suck" files, the Stars played last night at the Gothic. As much as I love the Stars... I made the right choice. Indeed.

ladybug transistor (i'm out of clever titles...)

The Ladybug Transistor/Papercuts/Widowers
8/14/2007
Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

In my determination to NOT miss the Papercuts set last night, I arrived at the Hi-Dive promptly at 9:00. However, as is my luck these days, the show didn't start until 9:30. Ah well, I was there in plenty of time to catch the openers – local band Widowers, who list the likes of The Beach Boys, The Zombies, Wilco and The New Pornographers among their influences. They were quite good, showcasing their brand of reverb-y psych pop in a pleasant 6-song set.



A short time later Papercuts took the stage, and so did the myriad technical problems. Over the course of the 40-minute set, Jason Quever and co. encountered a malfunctioning pedal, a malfunctioning microphone, and a drum that decided to fall over mid-song. Quever was visibly frustrated, though most of the problems seemed to be solved by the halfway point. Regardless of the technical difficulties, and the "long day" Quever claimed the band had had, Papercuts turned in a lovely performance. Unsurprisingly, most of the songs were chosen from this year's acclaimed release Can't Go Back; while Papercuts didn't play my personal favorite Take The 227 th Exit, they did put a smile on my face with Dear Employee and John Brown.



In sharp contrast to the almost weary tone of the Papercuts set, The Ladybug Transistor were bordering on giddy by the time they began their show. Gary Olson was definitely the focal point on stage as he juggled the trumpet, tambourine, shakers, claves, and what appeared to be a beat up old bass guitar with just two strings. Then there's his mellow baritone… studio recordings don't do this man justice; in the live setting his voice wraps itself around you like a nice warm hug.



Approximately half the songs were taken from the recent (and lovely) release Can't Wait Another Day, including Terry, For No Other, This Old Chase, So Blind, Always On The Telephone, and Three Days From Now (perhaps due to the passing reference to Denver?). It was a night for technical problems though as Gary's pedal was on the fritz off and on throughout the set. The band took it all in stride by bantering with the crowd a bit between songs - about Denver's altitude (a tired subject to us locals), Julia's greatest onstage fear (sneezing), and the Big (Abraham) Lincoln Head Monument in Wyoming. The hour long set was a blast; The Ladybug Transistor are an absolute joy to watch – you can't ask for more than outstanding musicians who undeniably have a great time playing together.

well, i did it again.

Bishop Allen/Page France
8/7/2007
Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Oh, Hi-Dive, why do you hate me so? I had been looking forward to seeing Page France for weeks. It's fairly standard for shows at the Hi-Dive to start around 9:00; it's also fairly standard that three bands, sometimes four on weekends, play at any given show. I arrived at the venue at 9:40, heard house music and sensed the flurry of action that indicates a set change. I thought I'd played it perfectly, showing up just in time for Page France's set. My stomach dropped when I moved into view of the stage as I realized that Michael Nau was packing up. I'd missed their set completely... so, after missing half of Dan Deacon's set a few weeks back, missing an entire Blitzen Trapper set last week, and now last night's debacle, the score stands: Hi-Dive: 3, Bridget: 0.

It was a 16+ show, so the fence was up. I debated whether to hang back by the bar or duck into the fenced-up crowd. Opting for the latter, I headed for the stage, dodging scene kids left and right. It was a good choice - Bishop Allen puts on a hell of a live show. Multi-instrumentalist Christian Rudder was apparently under the weather, but you couldn't tell - he played his guitar, ukulele & trumpet with much gusto.



I was surprised at how bold Justin Rice's voice was in the live setting; he sings rather tenuously on much of Bishop Allen's studio material, almost Conor Oberst-like in some instances. He's got a great voice, very expressive and the sort where you're reminded of another singer but can't quite place your finger on who it is.



A big part of Bishop Allen's charm is the mish-mash of different styles they adopt: the sweet lilting of Butterfly Nets, the mariachi-tinged Like Castanets, the manic bounciness of Middle Management, and the epic swell of Flight 180, to mention a few. At the end of the night, Bishop Allen had played a poppy and delicious sixty-minute set that seemed over in the blink of an eye. The band performed with infectious enthusiasm and by the last song the entire crowd was singing, dancing, and smiling. They're coming back in October supporting John Vanderslice. Oh, I am so there.





setlist:

The Same Fire
Rain
Busted Heart
Click, Click, Click, Click
Like Castanets
The Monitor
Things Are What You Make Of Them
Middle Management
Clementines
Choose Again
Butterfly Nets
Flight 180
-a rare Hi-Dive encore!-
Charm School
These Arms Of Mine (Otis Redding)

i *heart* girls with guitars

Girls with guitars are fabulous. I got to the Hi-Dive last night just in time for local Le Boom's final song. It's impossible to form an opinion on them from that one song, but they did have a girl. And she played guitar. Just like both bands to follow...

It was the second band that I had come to see - The Comas. I recently fell in love with their current release Spells and somehow missed their last trip through Denver with The Veils back in June. The comparatively mild Spells belies The Comas live show as this band builds a magnificent wall of sound via dual lead vox/electric guitars, thumping bass, keyboards, and a drummer who pounds the hell out of his kit. Andy breaking his guitar strap rockin' out on the first song was the perfect indication of what we had to look forward to. Most, if not all, the songs were culled from Spells and Conductor. My only gripe with the set was that the vocals were mixed too low and were buried under the powerful music.







Headlining the whole affair was Los Angeles' Great Northern. As I watched them set up I couldn't help but wonder whether this young band's live show would be as impressive as their light display: drums and keyboards adorned with Christmas lights and red-lit lamps placed strategically about the Hi-Dive's small stage.



Great Northern took no time at all to charm the mid-sized crowd with their dreamy, not quite shoegazey, pop. I have a particular fondness for percussion, a fact that I don't exactly keep hidden. Great Northern, with their tambourines, jingle bells, shakers, and stand alone drum fit that bill to a T. The ease and comfort with which these ladies and gentlemen play together is astounding considering the band is just two years old. Co-lead vocalists Solon and Rachel were especially engaging with the perfect amount of crowd banter.



With only one album to draw from, the set was a bit on the short side (around 50 minutes); nearly all the songs on Trading Twilight For Daylight were played. The stunning show came to a head with three of The Comas joining in, banging on tambourines for the last number - a bring-the-house-down rendition of Into The Sun. Great Northern is headed for spectacular heights, keep an eye out.





All photos courtesy of Cause=Time.

it's really impossible to have a bad time in colorado. and that's the damn truth.

So says Ryan Adams.



I’m not one to support faceless corporate America in such a way as attending a Starbucks-sponsored concert, but seeing Ryan Adams will beat out my conscience every time.

I really wanted to see the Old 97's, but we got in only in time to see their last three songs (Barrier Reef, Murder (or a heart attack), Timebomb). But as I discovered today, so did Rhett... thanks to a flight delay. Now I'm just wondering what they did before Rhett showed up? Maybe played a string of Murray songs? That would have been fun... was anyone there who would care to enlighten me?

This was my first experience seeing homegrown DeVotchka, and they didn't disappoint. With countless instruments in their arsenal (including sousaphone, accordion, violin, trumpet, various percussion, bouzouki, upright bass), they easily won over the Red Rocks crowd with their unique brand of greek-punk-mex-americana. I've never been able to really sink my teeth into their studio material, but I may have to give it another chance.

Up next was Lucinda Williams. Although it goes without saying that she is an Americana institution, I have never gone out of my way to listen to her music. Nevertheless, I was excited to see her; it felt like the first time I saw Bob Dylan - living legend and whatnot. What followed, I am almost ashamed to say, was ninety minutes of me alternately being bored out of my mind and having my ears blown out by the way-too-loud electric guitar. Blasphemous as it may seem, I didn't enjoy her at all. Lucinda seemed disinterested through most of the set - though this could just be her stage demeanor. It took her half an hour to break out Right In Time, the first upbeat - and likely my favorite - song of the set. The other standout, though not in a good way, was new song Honeybee. Honeybee is a bluesy-punk number with completely banal, embarrassing lyrics. Perhaps the cold truth is that I am just not a fan of Lucinda Williams.

Finally, The Cardinals took the stage at 11:00. Opener Magnolia Mountain kicked off a string of seven songs which found the Cardinals channeling Jerry Garcia & The Dead, with every number turning into a lengthy jam. Beautiful Sorta launched the more country-rock latter half of the show. This band is tight, tight, tight at the moment; they play extraordinarily well together and the harmonizing is just breathtaking. Dear Chicago was easily the highlight of the evening.

As a long time defender of Ryan Adams - through all his temper tantrums, hissy fits, fan ejections, profanity-laced voice mails, etc., etc., etc. - it's awfully gratifying to see that he has finally grown up. He's clean & sober, he's found himself a niche with the Cardinals, and by all accounts is playing and singing more professionally than ever. Ryan exhibited confidence and precision in his performance last night. And while he seems to be more comfortable than ever in his own skin within the confines of his songs, he revealed quite a bit of nervous energy in his bantering with the crowd. He did, however, prove an ability to poke a little fun at himself: "If this wind kicks up any more I'll really be able to storm offstage... if you know what I mean". I knew he had it in him.

Magnolia Mountain
Peaceful Valley
Easy Plateau
Goodnight Rose
Mockingbird
Let It Ride
Cold Roses -> What Sin Replaces Love? -> Cold Roses
Beautiful Sorta
When The Stars Go Blue
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
A Kiss Before I Go
--------------------
Dear John
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Dear Chicago
Wild Flowers
I See Monsters

who wanna rock with aqueduct?

Well, me for one. Of course, I also wanted to rock with Blitzen Trapper and Smoosh, but seeing as how I can't seem to figure out door time vs. show time at the Hi-Dive, some things are just not to happen. Blitzen Trapper was to open this evening's festivities, and were really the band that I wanted to see the most. I checked before I left - doors at 8:00; in my experience this means the show is supposed to start at 9:00, but in actuality rarely starts before 9:30. Being me, I still managed to leave the house later than expected (I'm hopelessly tardy in every way, shape and form), but did get to the Hi-Dive by 9:30. As I arrived I heard music from inside the venue and my heart sank a little as I realized that I missed the beginning of the Blitzen Trapper set. Once I was inside, noticed the goddamn cage was up again, and saw that Smoosh was onstage... Well, the best I could hope for was a change of order, that Blitzen Trapper was going to play after Smoosh. Never my luck though...

I had to've caught most of the Smoosh set, as they played for half an hour after I arrived. The girls were definitely more confident and less like deer in headlights than when I saw them last summer. Of course, I imagine that opening for Aqueduct at the Hi-Dive must be at least slightly less intimidating than opening for the Eels at the Fox Theatre. For being teenage girls, this band certainly brings me lots of enjoyment. Besides the poppy songs, they are, from my experience, completely unpretentious kids who just love music. I'll never forget them coming out for the Eels encore of I Like Birds, where Krazy Al literally lifted them in turn up to the mike to sing lyrics. Tonight they appeared in the front row at the Hi-Dive just after Aqueduct began their set. Oh, the energy of teenagers... joining them both dancing in the front row and onstage for a couple of songs was their bass player, who I can only assume is their younger sister. For the past couple of years these girls have undeniably been catching the eye of some major players - Jason McGerr, Mates Of State, Pearl Jam, Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power, Sufjan Stevens, Eels, The Go! Team... keep an eye on these kids.

And Aqueduct. They were a lot of fun. I always love a band who truly seems to be having a blast onstage. And no doubt David Terry turned in a fun-loving performance almost worthy of Craig Finn. Aqueduct was in town a few months ago, with What Made Milwaukee Famous opening. I know I wanted to make the show, but I can't remember what prevented it. From what I'd heard, WMMF pretty much stole the show... But I really enjoyed Aqueduct tonight. They proclaimed tonight the "best show of the tour so far". Of course, we were, like the 4th show, but still. Yay Denver. No doubt I'll see these guys again - which will be this fall, unless we were lied to tonight.

But I'm still pissed that I missed Blitzen Trapper.

making very very very very minor history tonight

To me, the mark of a great live band is when I, after a show, listen to said band incessantly for a few days (or until my next great show, whichever comes first).

Tonight at the Larimer Lounge was Maxïmo Park's first time in Denver (hence the minor history), and it was glorious. In fact, I had been wondering before the show if they'd ever been here, so it was a pleasure to know that I was there for the virginal CO experience. So, I'm an equal-opportunity attentive fan, you know? I like to take in the whole band, all the instruments, all the players, etc. Tonight, however, I found it exceptionally challenging to tear my eyes from the charismatic, expressive, magnetizing bundle of energy that is Paul Smith. In Colorado, we hear all the time about the difficulties of breathing in the high altitude, and I admit it can get old. Maxïmo Park didn't complain about the thin air, but I found myself wondering how Paul didn't just pass out. The guy is a total rock star, abounding in showmanship. The hour long set was a perfect mix of banter and expertly-executed music. If memory serves (not bloody likely), they played everything from Our Earthly Pleasures except for Russian Literature, Nosebleed, and Sandblasted And Set Free. From A Certain Trigger they played Apply Some Pressure, Graffiti, Postcard Of A Painting, Going Missing. There were probably a couple more - I was having too much fun to try and keep up with the setlist...

Opening up were first, The Oolahs from Los Angeles. The Oolahs came highly recommended from my friend Mark, but as I didn't anticipate an on-time start (I never get these things right...) I arrived in time only to catch their last 1 1/2 songs. I liked what I did see, though. After The Oolahs was Monsters Are Waiting also from CA (Echo Park?). I liked them a lot, their singer/keyboardist was very... theatrical - for lack of a better word. Lots of dancing and emoting and attitude. Their set ended quite oddly and abruptly though when they were faced with technical problems halfway through their last song. They couldn't get the guitar to work so the singer told a (really lame) joke and then rapped a little bit of Too $hort's Don't Fight The Feeling. She actually wasn't too bad... but she did get embarrassed and moved away from the mike for all the "bad" words... lol.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I am currently listening to Our Earthly Pleasures, only after finishing A Certain Trigger. That's a great live band for ya.

Oh and by the way, MP's reportedly playing the Jimmy Kimmel show tomorrow - Friday, July 20. Check it out if you know what's good for you.

the new soiled dove

Tonight was another one of those decision-making nights. Up until a few days ago, I'd been planning to see Rasputina at the Bluebird. I have never heard their music, but cello rock intrigues me, and I thought it could be fun. Then Leah e-mailed me to see if I was going to the Gary Jules show at the Soiled Dove. I freely admit that, before tonight, the most I'd heard of Gary Jules was his Mad World cover for Donnie Darko, and maybe his songs from Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy. But I had been wanting to check out the Soiled Dove since they moved from downtown, plus the cover charge for Gary was $6 less than for Rasputina. Yup, I'm a cheap bastard.

I couldn't be happier with the choice I made tonight. I picked Leah up and we headed out to the Dove. It is a beautiful venue - very intimate with nary a bad seat in the house. We arrived mid- Jim Bianco set. We caught the last 4 songs: one about stalking, one about a break-up, a beautiful tune called Sing, and finally an unabashed love song. I didn't even realize it was Gary Jules playing with Jim (with some very nice harmonizing!!!) until Leah pointed it out to me. Told you I knew nothing about the guy. Jim Bianco is a funny, funny man. There were times when I forgot whether I was at a stand up comedy show or a music show. I know that banter annoys a lot of concert-goers, but to me it's one of the things that distinguishes a live show from a record. I love banter, and when it it as funny as tonight's, well - there's nothing better. We got a good stalking story, saw Jim deal with the guy next to me sneezing quite unnecessarily LOUDLY in the middle of a song AND asking an inane question (where did you first start playing music?) between songs. He was a treat, and I was a bit disappointed that we missed the first part of his set.

Then Gary Jules. Wow. From my limited experience of Mad World I didn't really know what to expect. I think he spent nearly as much time telling stories as he did playing music. So many stories that I would love to retell, but I have to advise you to just go see Gary for yourself. Some of the highlights include Gary talking a lot about his mom, then admitting that he's a total mama's boy, that the tattoos are just "wussoflage". Wussoflage is my new favorite word. Another great story was about how the Scrubs cast were among the first to see Gary play live, and how Zach Braff included all his friends from that time on the Garden State soundtrack... except for Gary. But he did eventually get into a Scrubs episode - the one with the "sensie" surgeon. You know those sensies - the ones that have tattoos and look like bikers, but talk about their mothers all the time.... Waaaaaait a minute... OK, so you had to be there. So go see Gary already.

The only disappointment to an amazing evening was the drunken couple to my left. Leah and I have decided that we are just magnets to the annoying. They arrived shortly after we did, and proceeded to talk to each other during every song and to make comments to the artists between every song (this is the guy who sneezed mid-song and asked Jim where he first started playing music). Other highlights include trying to sing along to every song without knowing the words and absolutely begging for Mad World - which was when I realized that they were probably there to hear THAT song. Now, I totally admitted that Mad World was pretty much the extent of my Gary Jules knowledge before tonight, but after seeing him play, you kinda forget about that overexposed cover song and appreciate the guy for his real singing and songwriting talents. That is, unless you're the annoying couple to my left.

The real corker was when Gary introduced a song as the one that finally stopped the 8000 e-mails he got every day from teenagers in black eyeliner telling him what Donnie Darko meant to them. The woman of the couple actually yelled out "Fuck you, asshole!". Seriously. I honestly don't think she was being particularly mean spirited, just that perhaps she had been one of the 8000 kids with black eyeliner... but still. Here's a guy who spends a night with a crowd where you can (otherwise) hear a pin drop, telling entertaining stories and singing heartfelt songs that HE wrote... how can you insult a guy like that for perhaps loathing, just a little bit, the fact that what he's best known for is a COVER song?!?!? I love Donnie Darko as much as anyone, but still I can see how Gary Jules would not want a cover song for a cult movie to be the thing that he's remembered for.

As I refuse to let assholes ruin great shows for me, I am taking nothing but good memories from tonight. I hope Gary Jules comes back real soon. If you EVER have a chance to see him, and like to really be entertained, take it. That is all. :)

vandervelde battles battles

For quite some time I'd been pondering tonight's show choice... David Vandervelde at the Hi-Dive or Battles at the Larimer Lounge? Dilemma, dilemma. Truthfully, I'd been leaning toward Vandervelde for a while. While the new Battles album has been receiving rave reviews from both critics and online friends of mine, I've only listened to it a couple of times and have apparently just not "gotten" it yet. Which is not to say that Vandervelde made me sit up and take notice immediately... It took me several listens to start appreciating The Moonstation House Band. When the moment of truth arrived, I had to go Vandervelde.

I had a good night tonight. First was dinner at Laura & Leah's. Laura had taken a Thai cooking class and invited a bunch of us wine night girls over to test out her new skills. The menu went like this:

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Kai) (vegetarian)
Green Papaya Salad (vegetarian)
Shrimp with Green Curry
Vegetables with Red Curry (vegetarian)
Coconut Lime Sorbet with Mangos (vegetarian)

It was delicious. Leave it to the Asians to have plenty of vegetarian options!! The party timing couldn't have been better either, as everyone started heading out around 9:00. I hung out just long enough to put my Hi-Dive arrival time at just after 9:30 and just in time to catch (most of) the opening act. Oh, and also tonight I met up with Mark, a last.fm friend of mine. It's not the first time I've met an internet buddy at a show, but it's been a while. And I have to say it was really nice to have someone to talk to. Since I've got all of one friend in town who has my taste in music (well, OK, maybe one and a half - I have been to several shows with Laura... lol), I've just grown accustomed to attending shows by myself. And to his credit, Mark is the one who definitively convinced to me to see Vandy instead of Battles... But anyway... when I got to the venue there was one dude on stage with an acoustic guitar. I was confused. I had been under the impression that local band Mothership was opening, then Jonathan Byerley, then Vandervelde. I was mistaken as it was Jonathan Byerley (also local, which I found out just now) playing when I arrived. He didn't leave much of an impression, though I did like him. Pretty mellow.

Then Mothership. Here is, verbatim, what I wrote about them after I saw them open for The Besnard Lakes and Dirty On Purpose a few months back:

Opening up the whole evening was local band Mothership. They were... adept. The crowd loved them, but they were just too "jammy" for my tastes, and all the songs started to sound the same. Which is not to say they were without bells and whistles (literally). Adam alternated guitar, whistling, baritone sax and this odd black box with an antenna that made noises when he moved his hands near it. Noises that kind of sounded like a... mothership. Those are all technical terms, too, I swear! Brian had a cool Star Wars guitar. Brendon alternated guitar and trumpet. It sounds like it should all add up to something spectacular, but it just didn't hit me the right way I guess. I did enjoy the last song of the set, though - called Ida Lee - about leaving earth in a homemade spaceship in 2012 (or 2013, I can't remember the exact date...). Awesome.

Yup, that's pretty much how it went tonight, except that they DIDN'T play Ida Lee, making tonight's set pretty damn disappointing. I still can't understand how a band who plays harmonica, trumpet, theremin (found out what this was in the meantime... lol), bongos, and sleigh bells can bore me so much. It's a mystery.

Finally, David Vandervelde. He played 4 new songs, solo, before his bass player joined him onstage. He apologized for not having the whole band with him, but it seems Richie is in Tennessee... "He got rich without me. He invented deep fried ranch balls for TGI Fridays". I spent a few moments trying to imagine what, exactly, a deep fried ranch ball is. It sounds really gross, but then, so did deep fried mac n' cheese at one point in my life. But I know now that deep fried mac n' cheese is the shit... especially after several hours of St. Patty's Day drinking.... mmm hmm. I was impressed with Vandervelde. It was a very short set - after his 4 solo songs they played a Phil Ochs cover, then Murder In Michigan and Feet Of A Liar. Very short, but very very very good. The biggest hurdle I encountered with The Moonstation House Band was David's voice. It grated on me for quite a while, but seeing him live... I enjoy his singing SO much more in the live setting than on the disc.

One last note - and something I seem to be dealing with a lot lately - the crowd tonight was extraordinarily sparse. I don't like to think of myself as a complainer, but I may have to rethink that... :) I complain about sold out shows, I complain about tiny crowds... No pleasing me I guess. I just hate to see an artist that I really like and respect have to play to a handful of people... that's when sets get shortened and bands don't want to come back to Denver. On the plus side, though, Vandervelde is all of, what - 22, 23? So when the rest of the world catches on to his talent, I'll be all "Yeah, I remember when I saw Vandy at the Hi-Dive back in '07 with, oh... about 30 other people. It was fantastic."

what the fuck, denver?!?

I almost didn't go out tonight. The recent heat wave is killing me, and when I got home from work all I really wanted to do was sit on the couch, watch Friends reruns and eat popsicles. But seeing as how I included Get Him Eat Him on my most recent "best of 2007" comp, I could hardly miss seeing them at the Hi-Dive.

Because Mondays are notoriously early shows at the Hi-Dive, and because I didn't want to repeat last Thursday's debacle of showing up partway into the headlining set, I left home just after 9:00. I arrived at the Hi-Dive shortly after the second band, Blue Million Miles, had taken the stage. At best, they were forgettable. But in all honesty, they bored me to tears. If I learned anything from the My Morning Jacket show early this year it's that I really don't care for jammy rock bands. At all. I'm still scratching my head about who thought it would be a good idea to have this band open for the indie pop brilliance that is Get Him Eat Him. I survived, though... with a little help from $1 PBR night... :)

So, either my musical taste is getting more obscure, or I still just haven't figured out how to successfully predict what bands will make a good showing in Denver. I rarely hear a lot of the music that I like on the radio, even on a great station like radio 1190. And apparently I also rarely pay attention to what's big on the scene... So on nights like tonight I just don't know what to expect. Get Him Eat Him's new album got a 7.2 from Pitchfork. Not bad at all. And certain folks over at Via Chicago have been touting the album. Normally I would assume a decent turnout, but there were probably about 40 people at tonight's show. Their loss, IMO.

I was immediately turned on by the band's humor when they were setting up and the keyboards were obviously WAY too loud in the house and the bass player stepped up to the mike - "We're Get Him Eat Him and we're here to kill you. Accidentally, we promise." They got all the kinks worked out momentarily and played a great, energetic set (I'm like... 90% sure about this setlist):

2X2
Just 50
There's A Guy
~bass string change~
What We Do
Get Down!
Present Tenses
The Coronation Show
Push And Pull
CBT
Hand In Hand (Elvis Costello cover)
Murphy Bed
Diminutive

Unfortunately Get Him Eat Him suffered from a "small crowd killer" after the third song when a bass string broke. It took a couple of minutes to fix, and many people in the crowd migrated over to the bar. By the time the set ended, I think there were actually only about a dozen people in the stage area. Too bad.

The critic in me wants to say that this young band has a ways to go. I got the sense that they weren't quite as tight as they could have been, and while perhaps it was a venue issue, the vocals were muddy and the bass was a bit too heavy. However, the music fan in me had a blast and was very happy with the performance from these guys. Tonight I was left with a feeling that I've been experiencing all too often lately - I'm really glad I got to see this band at a small venue with a handful of other people, but at the same time I want them to come back, which gets sketchy when nobody comes out to the shows. Still, I'm glad I gave up my popsicles and headed out to the Hi-Dive tonight. As one last sign that I'd done the right thing, the house music came up after the show - and it was Band Of Horses' Everything All The Time... <3

tonight, a detour

So, here's what happened... I had every intention of going to the Richmond Fontaine show tonight at the Bluebird. But then Wednesday afternoon I was driving to the big farmer's market in Boulder. My friends Amy & Andy have shares in the local CSA, and those lucky bastards are on vacation in Kenya for the next month, so I am getting their fruits & veggies. Yum. Of course, I'd rather be in Africa again...

But I digress... While searching for parking anywhere near the market (difficult) I was listening to Radio 1190, pretty much the best indie radio station in the area. The DJ started talking about having tickets to give away for the Shearwater show on Saturday. Now, I'd heard of Shearwater, but didn't really know too much about them. The DJ went on to explain that Shearwater started out as a collaboration between Okkervil River's Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg. If you know me, you probably know that I am just slightly more than a HUGE Okkervil River fan. Needless to say I was intrigued.

So when I got home I solicited the opinions of my fellow music lovers over at Via Chicago... and was told in no uncertain terms to go to that Shearwater show. And I did.

I decided to head out early to see a couple of local bands open up. First was Hello Kavita. They were good, but apparently missing the Wurlitzer and their drummer. We (that would be me and the, oh, about 7 other people who attended their set) were told that although they wanted to rock out, it just wasn't gonna happen tonight. But they did play a Tom Waits cover (I'll Shoot The Moon) and a Townes Van Zandt cover (Colorado Girl). They also had the most awkward ending to a set that I think I've ever seen...

singer: "Are we done?"
violinist: "Wanna rock paper scissors to see if we're done?"
singer: "Yeah, we're done."

Actually, I would love to see one of those rocking sets from these guys one of these days...

Next up was (die) Pilot. There was a bit of discussion about how to lay the cinder block in front of the kick drum and some issues in working out the keyboard problems they were having. But once the kinks were worked out, this band fucking rocked!! They have a left-handed guitar player, always endearing to ol' southpaw me... I sense he's the newest member, because when the band launched into one (particularly great) song he stated he'd just sit there and "look pretty".

The bass player seemed to exude a certian cockiness, which I loved. But as it turned out, he was just a "little bit drunk". lol. OK, so maybe you had to be there, but the banter from these guys was great. The bassist dedicated one of their last songs to his brother "so you can dance and punch someone in the face." "Sometimes he does both at the same time. Just know that he's out there." Classic. Really great, really fun band. And they're playing at the Bluebird on July 11. I am SO there.


And in what may seem like a bit of an anti-climatic ending to the evening, was the Shearwater set. But anti-climatic? No. Fucking awesome is more like it. Jonathan Meiburg has an amazing stage presence... He commanded people's attention straight away by opening the set with some a cappella singing. From that moment on, you could have heard a pin drop at the ol' Larimer Lounge. Of course, there were probably around 60 people in attendance, but still.

It takes little in a live show to make me happy, and tonight I was a complete pushover. Why? Just a few words... Banjo. Trumpet. Stand-up bass. Yes, I'm easy, I just admitted it. But Shearwater managed to throw in some extras... such as Kim playing a xylophone with her bass bow. Such as a talented drummer playing lots of percussion... I love percussion. Such as a bit of witty banter. Meiburg mentioned that they had driven through "the national park" on their way here today and saw lots of things - a marmot, several chipmunks, a hummer. Whatever he meant by it I was amused... as I always am when I see some jackass driving a hummer around town. I fucking hate hummers.

It was an interesting set. I didn't really know what to expect as I'm not overly familiar with the band. It was certainly low-key, but the crowd was enthralled. Personally, I don't know that I've ever seen an artist more intense on stage than Jonathan Meiburg. It would have been difficult not to be impressed with the performance.

Shearwater played for about an hour then retreated to the patio for all of about 5 seconds before returning for an encore. Meiburg questioned whether they had time, to which we responded with a resounding YES. "One more or two?". A guy near me said "four more!". Haha, rock on. They played two more, ending with an incredible rendition of Baby's On Fire. Great night, great fun, you should see Shearwater if you ever get the chance.

weird. fucking. night.

Yup. So, I found out last month that Dan Deacon was coming to Denver. I really like his new album, Spiderman Of The Rings, so I figured I'd check it out. However, even with the best of intentions, I often don't go to shows on weeknights at the Hi-Dive because they are typically late, and I have a job, for god's sake.

But, partly because I've heard nothing but good things about Dan's live show and partly because I feel guilty about missing a lot of recent shows that I should have attended, I decided to venture out tonight. Now, here is what I have learned about the Hi-Dive... normally they have 3 acts per night, generally starting at 9:00. From my experience, they never start anything before 9:30, so I have made a promise to myself never to get to the Hi-Dive before 9:30. Tonight, doors were at 7:00, show at 8:00, BUT... 4 bands, not 3. I thought to myself that typical rules should apply, so I left home just after 10:00. Boo.

The first weird thing is that about halfway to the venue I realized I forgot my phone. I forgot my FUCKING phone!!!! Never mind that I could get an important text (although Leah, my most reliable concert-going buddy, is in the Yukon at the moment) but my phone is what I use to take show notes. I felt completely naked without it.

The next weird thing was that when I got to the Hi-Dive, the guy at the door asked me if I was going to the show. Huh. Why the fuck else would I be here? I gave him my $8 and got my wristband, and upon entering I assumed that Video Hippos were on stage (they were the band before Dan).

The next, not so weird - but mildly annoying thing, was that the Hi-Dive had "THE FENCE" up. I've only had to deal with THE FENCE once, when the Spinto Band played. I don't really get it... I've been to other 16+ shows there where they didn't have THE FENCE up... When THE FENCE is up, you can't take any alcohol into the stage area, you have to stay on the bar side. It's weird. Since I was under the assumption that we were still in opening band territory, I got me a PBR and stationed myself outside THE FENCE to watch the show. What I noticed was that the stage was dark and all I could really see was a skull on a post that intermittently decided to emit some strobe lighting.

After about 5 minutes, as I was thinking how great the music was for an opening band, I realized that it was Dan Fucking Deacon playing. I missed the goddamn beginning of the show, despite the fact that I got to the Hi-Dive at 10:30. What's a girl to do? I downed my PBR and made my way into the rather BO-smelling stage area so that I could get the fuck down. I stood toward the back for a few songs, but when Dan said he only had two more I knew I had to make my move. I wormed my way up to the third row for the last two, and I gotta tell ya... I danced like I was fucking 18 years old again. And it was great. Dan played not on stage, but in front of the stage. The crowd was ideal - dancing and having fun but not obnoxious. The hour that I was actually there flew by like it was 10 minutes.

So, was it worth the 30-minute round trip drive and the $8 for the hour that I got to see Dan Deacon? Goddamn right it was. I only hope that it's not too long before Dan shows his face around here again. If you ever have him in your town, go. No shit.

Good god, what a fun fucking show.

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.

dance party usa! er... uk, anyway

First off, happy (rather belated) Father's Day to all the dads out there, hope you had a great one. I spent the afternoon hanging out at my folks' house, stuffing myself full with Boca Burgers, baked potatoes, veggies & coconut cream pie. And despite massive amounts of cheating by team Mystik (that would be me and my baby brother), we still managed to lose a few games of euchre. Cheating on Father's Day? I know, I'm terrible... but the parents were pretty lit up, they'll never know what happened.

What better way to wrap up a day of family fun than to boogie down with Hot Chip at the Gothic Theatre? I could have sworn that when this tour was announced, they were supposed to be playing at the Bluebird. Ah well, it was a good night for it as the Gothic is relatively on my way home from my parents' house. Judging from the size of the crowd, the venue change (if indeed there WAS a venue change...) was a good idea; the Gothic was nowhere near sold out, but the little Bluebird would have been packed. As it was, I was pleased and surprised by the crowd - it was smaller, tamer and older than I expected. We had front row spots in the balcony, and although it was probably 90 degrees up there, the crowd was sparse. Happy happy. I was a bit worried at the outset, as I had developed a bit of a red wine/rum & coke induced headache on the way to the show. I don't know if it was the ice water I was drinking or the dweeb-funk beats, but the headache was gone shortly into the set. Yeehaw.

Hot Chip put on a great show. I'm not familiar enough with them to have worked out a setlist... they played a couple/few new songs which sounded great. They ended the regular set with an amazing, energetic rendition of Over And Over. It was so good, that I thought it would be impossible to top it with any kind of encore. Unfortunately, I was right; the encore was pretty disappointing - Everywhere (EKOLU cover); Electric Boogaloo (?) & In The Privacy Of Our Love. I guess what bothered me the most was that after a dancetastic main set, 2 of the 3 encore songs were slow. It just kind of killed the groove. BUT, it was a great, really fun show.

it's a double edged sword...

The first time I ever heard of Brakes (I refuse to give in to the brakesbrakesbrakes rubbish...) was just over a year and a half ago, when several people over at Via Chicago were raving about their debut album, Give Blood. I fell in love with the band immediately, and their recent release, The Beatific Visions, landed in my 2006 top 10. I never thought I would see Brakes live... The good news is I got my chance when they played the Hi-Dive in Denver tonight. The bad news is tonight is probably the last time I'll ever see them live again... at least in Denver.

But I digress...

My evening began spectacularly when I caught a car leaving a meter just half a block away from the Hi-Dive. I got inside at about 9:15... No matter how many times I promise myself I won't get to the Hi-Dive before 9:30, when I want to see both opening bands I forget that even though the show is supposed to start at 9:00, it never does. Electric Soft Parade took the stage at about 9:30 and played a great set. Since I'm a sucker for both funny banter and Brighton accents, they were definitely right up my alley. Seems they were in Salt Lake City last night, where there was no drinking, and the crowd was "all-ages emo shit". "Fuck. Oh, jesus, I said fuck. Oh shit, I said jesus. Oh fuck, I said shit. People buggered off!" Well, maybe you had to be there... :) I really enjoyed them, and while I've heard of them (obviously), I've never actually heard them - although their new album No Need To Be Downhearted is on my list of things to do. It seemed that nearly every song they played was a single in the UK... good, british pop for sure. We were thanked profusely for "coming out early and actually watching". Seems they've had a lot of "dead" shows lately. Ironic, now that the show is over...

Next up was Brooklyn's Pela, who I was excited to see as I've really been enjoying their new album, Anytown Graffiti. They played a great set, very high energy and completely rockin'. I had thoughts of trying to work out a setlist, but that never quite panned out... lol. Billy did dedicate the 3rd song - Drop Me Off - to Aunt Maureen and Grandpa Joe. I'm pretty sure that everybody in the bar knew who Aunt Maureen and Grandpa Joe were, as there were the only two grey-haired people rocking out to Pela's set. Too cute. Billy also mentioned that he'd never been to Denver before and wants to come back. Sweet. Pela endeared themselves to me even more when they stayed and danced to the Brakes set.

Finally, Brakes. My hopes for a good crowd were up during the Pela set, where the 200-capacity Hi-Dive was at least half full+. Sadly it seems that most of those people were Pela fans and didn't stick it out. Their loss, I guess. Brakes are one of those bands that I like to think of as "mine"... I know few people who have heard of them - none in my own town - even though they are a British "super-group", made up of members of Electric Soft Parade and British Sea Power. They are one of those secrets that I simultaneously want to keep to myself and share with the world. Unfortunately (in some sense) it seems that the secret is thus far well-kept. Despite a decent turnout for Pela, there were maybe 40 people who hung around for the Brakes set. Remember the irony I mentioned about the ESP set? I think there were more people in the crowd for their set than for the Brakes. But, I enjoyed every last drop of that Brakes set... I'm not normally a very vocal live music fan, but I did yell for every Brakes song tonight. I figured they could use the moral support... :) A funny aside, Eamon kept referring to the venue as Hi-Dave's, said he really wanted to meet Dave... lol. It was a great show and everything that I hoped for... which is nice since, as I stated above, tonight may very well be the last time I ever see them in Denver. Boo. The setlist:

Hold Me In The River
Ring A Ding Ding
Heard About Your Band
Pick Up The Phone
I Can't Stand To Stand Beside You
Cheney
You're So Pretty
Margarita
Beatific Vision
All Night Disco Party
On Your Side
We Saw Jerry's Daughter (CVB cover)
Cease And Desist
What's In It For Me?
Spring Chicken
Porcupine Or Pineapple
The Most Fun
NY Pie
Comma Comma Comma Full Stop (on setlist, not played - you know it's bad when a 7 second song is scratched...)
No Return (on setlist, not played, which really pissed me off!!!)
Jackson
Huevos Rancheros

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.

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

andrew bird, success!

When I was just a little boy
I threw away all of my action toys
I became obsessed with operation, oh

Hearts and minds and certain glands
You got to learn to keep a steady hand
And thus began my morbid fascination

After my previous 2 attempts to see Andrew Bird were thwarted (one sold out show and one blizzard/parking disaster) I was a bit worried that I would encounter a new catastrophe tonight. It would seem, however, that the third time really is a charm.

I love that picture... ->
I was very excited when I found out that Apostle Of Hustle was opening the show. I have really been enjoying their new album National Anthem Of Nowhere. I missed the beginning of their set, despite the fact that I walked into the Fox at precisely 9:02 and the show was supposed to start at 9:00. If nothing else, this week has been rife with shows starting on time. Apostle Of Hustle were absolutely fabulous - tight, charming and funny. I haven't been so taken by an opening act since Malajube and then The Besnard Lakes. O Canada, you've done it again. Not that AoH blew Andrew Bird away or anything, but they were nearly as enjoyable as Andrew himself.

Andrew Bird. Finally, Andrew Bird. The man is insanely talented. Setting aside the violin, the guitar, the glockenspiel, the songwriting and the voice... NO human being should be able to whistle that well. C'mon. He played for nearly two hours to a visibly captivated crowd. I've never heard the Fox Theatre so quiet in my entire life. Especially a sold out Fox Theatre. Partly it was just a good crowd - even though the theatre was at least 2/3 full for the Apostle Of Hustle set, you could hear a pin drop while they played too. The singer even commented on how quiet we were, to which the guy behind me responded "that's because you're so good!". True, true.

Anyhoo, the only disappointment of the evening was the near lack of anything from The Mysterious Production Of Eggs. By my count, it took Andrew 6 tries to successfully start Skin Is, My. Apparently they've been playing it almost every night for the past month and the dry skin at the end of his finger was catching on the violin strings. Gross. And he played Tables And Chairs, which is my absolute favorite song of his. I do like how he mixes things up for his live shows, rather than regurgitating what he's already put out on his albums. Though they are spectacular albums, you have to admit. I never thought it possible that he would be able to put out a better piece of work than The Mysterious Production Of Eggs... but Armchair Apocrypha is even more of a masterpiece (imho). I've listed to it at least 25 times and I find something else to fall in love with every time I hear it.

Good news: Andrew mentioned that he thinks he's playing E-Town in a couple of months. Sweet.

A setlist for you:

Steve The Cat
Imitosis
Fiery Crash
Spare-Ohs
Dear Dirty
Plasticities
Heretics
Simple X*
Armchairs
Skin Is, My
Scythian Empires
Dark Matter
-----
Why?^
Tables And Chairs

^Andrew solo
*I think I can honestly say tonight was my first time to witness a See n' Say being utilized as an instrument...

well, i'm back

I know I haven't posted a heck of a lot lately, but it has been a trying couple of weeks in Mystik Spiral land. Two weeks ago my dad was in the hospital for 4 days (related to the lymphoma he was diagnosed with a couple of years ago). Additionally, work has been insanely busy, and I've been madly trying to get ready for the Cancun trip while fighting a cold that I caught from my nieces last week. The last straw, however, was when my computer crashed last Tuesday. Talk about devastating. Long story short, I was a victim of spyware, and luckily the computer geeks at Circuit City were able to repair my laptop without losing anything from my hard drive. It was a bit sketchy - apparently my tech guy had a bet going with another tech guy on whether or not he'd be able to fix it. Thankfully MY tech guy won. Oh yeah. Thank you David at Circuit City.

So, my first show in nearly two weeks was The Decemberists at the Fillmore. God, I hate the Fillmore; I think I hate it a little more every time I go. At this point, it takes a band that I really really really want to see to get me to go there. As it is, I love The Decemberists just as much as I hate the Fillmore, so it worked out. Plus, I had to find out if Colin was going to follow through on his promise of "something special" after a sickness-shortened show last November. We kicked off the evening with BBQ and brews at Leah & Laura's. Awesome. I am so glad it's spring. Leah threw out all the hamburger buns though, and I had to eat my garden burger on a hot dog bun. We improvise well. It was gooooood. (PS - the Sporting Life picture over there is for Leah - since Colin didn't play it tonight... :) Plus it's one of my favorite Decemberists pics ever...)

We got to the Fillmore at about 10 past 8 and My Brightest Diamond had already started (very much on time!). They only played 'til 8:30 so it was a short set for us. They put on a good live show - Shara only had 2 other band members with her, but they were all very animated and energetic. I'm sad I missed the first part of the set. Oh - and it was Shara's birthday!

Then at some point during the set break, 4 of the most annoying girls on the planet decided to stand right behind us. As soon as The Decemberists took the stage they alternated between talking loudly at each other and singing loudly AND horribly right in my ear. Awesome. Who wants to hear Colin sing when you can have the most dreadful off-key, top of your lungs singing woman right next to you? Oh yeah, me, that's who. I noticed a pattern - for all the songs from The Crane Wife they would alternate between talking and "singing" but for any older song they just talked. Fucking n00bs. The kicker though (which was the moment we finally decided to move) was when Shankill Butchers began and one of them exclaimed "I love this song!" and then proceeded to talk to her friends again. People, seriously... singing loudly and out of tune is meant for your car and your shower. And if you want to talk, talk between sets. Or don't come to the show.

Although my view suffered a bit, moving away from the yakky bitches still vastly increased my enjoyment of the show. I could actually hear Colin sing. It was fabulous. Early on, Colin proved that he remembered the November debacle and promised they'd play right up to curfew (11:00 on a Sunday; they took the stage at about 9:00). There were plenty of antics - from a "la dee dah" contest during 16 Military Wives, to a dance contest during The Perfect Crime to (of course) the audience participation in Sons And Daughters - where, I might add, Colin told us that we are the most pitch perfect crowd they've ever played for. Awwww.

For the encore, Colin played a couple songs solo - and asked for requests. If I was closer and/or possessed a booming voice, I would have asked for Apology Song... :) The first request was for Mariner's Revenge.... though it would have been interesting to see him try, I'm not too sure Colin can manage that one by himself. But he promised to play it with the rest of the band (w00t!). The next request (much more appropriate) was for Joanna Newsom's Bridges And Balloons. Lovely. Then on to Red Right Ankle, where Jenny joined Colin (on the organ) for a short time. Lastly was indeed The Mariner's Revenge Song, complete with theatrical whale and lots of dancing. We didn't get a lot of practice in being swallowed by that whale, because it was close to curfew and they were afraid of getting "unplugged". Haha. Needless to say, Colin managed to keep his "special" promise in the last three songs alone... It was an amazing show. They actually ended up playing until about 5 past eleven, due to John's impromptu rendition of what I think was Michael Jackson's Rock With You, while Nate and Chris did some crowd surfing. We think they were actually trying to play until they were unplugged, but the Fillmore was cool. For once. The complete setlist goes like this:

The Crane Wife 1 & 2
The Crane Wife 3
The Island: Come & See/Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel...
The Infanta
July, July!
"Happy Birthday Shara"
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)^
Shankill Butchers
The Engine Driver
On The Bus Mall
O Valencia!
16 Military Wives
The Perfect Crime 2
Sons And Daughters
-----
Bridges & Balloons*
Red Right Ankle*
The Mariner's Revenge Song

^with Shara Worden
*Colin solo

So good. I fell in love with The Crane Wife all over again tonight. I haven't listened to that album - really not too much Decemberists, period - for a couple of months. Listening to it now though, and realizing again how fucking amazing it is. Aaaaaaah.