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Georgie James
Places
(Saddle Creek)
Musically speaking, John Davis, best known as the onetime drummer for Q and Not U, and singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn come from a similar place: They both love throwback pop-rock as filtered through a contemporary indie sensibility. But the distinctions in their stylistic choices broaden the scope of Georgie James, their highly enjoyable joint project. Davis-sung efforts such as “Look Me Up,” “Need Your Needs” and “Hard Feelings” are harmonically ornate, with arrangements that belie the relatively simple instrumentation. In contrast, the songs on which Burhenn steps to the forefront are more straight-forward, keyboard-driven affairs – but the charms inherent in “Cake Parade,” “Long Week” and the intoxicating “Cheap Champagne” are abundant and thoroughly rewarding. Georgie James has a split personality that comes together beautifully.-- Michael Roberts

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The Last Town Chorus and The Weakerthans
Marquis Theater
September 27, 2007

Better Than: Waiting in line at the DMV.

Lead singer of the Last Town Chorus, Meghan Hickey, has a voice that is both sultry and seductive. Hickey's ability to handle her slide guitar is like watching the best flamenco guitarist strum with the ease of a swinging hammer. I never knew a slide guitar could make the kind of music she was creating from her own lap. It was hypnotic and set the kids into a spell. I never thought that the very young and rambunctious crowd was capable of standing in one spot for more than a couple of seconds. The Last Town Chorus was immediately transformed into the Last Town Trance. I found myself hanging on every word, whereas the album does the duo zero justice.

I found it a bit harder to get into the Weakerthans. The crowd made it almost intolerable to suck down the cheap Natural Light that I was consuming for the majority of the evening. First, the younger than usual crowd sung every note from John Samson's earlier work, making it a bit distracting for those that don't sing along. There was definite energy there, considering this show was the first on a very long tour, but the new material felt a bit unrehearsed and forced, and the audience reacted accordingly. Any goodwill the band had to offer was drained by the crowd as they withdrew from the unfamiliar new stuff. It was as if they expected the entire show to have highlighted the first album.
-- Julio Enriquez

Personal Bias: Who said yukking it up during a show was cool? Do yourself and your neighbors a favor, go to the bar if you're going to be disruptive.

Random Detail: The venue held each act accountable to their time schedule. Brilliant!

By the Way: Never judge a concert by the kids waiting in line to get in.

Steve Bays, Hot Hot Heat’s frontman, had a lot more to say than we could squeeze into Westword’s September 27 profile, as demonstrated by the attached Q&A.

At interview time (on September 12, the day after HHH’s latest CD, Happiness Ltd., was released), the band was heading north to Los Angeles following an early morning acoustic show at an L.A. radio station – and Bays was semi-dazed thanks to a lack of sleep and massive caffeine consumption. Nevertheless, he proved to be friendly and articulate as he talked about a variety of topics, including the group’s head-to-head matchup with Kanye West and 50 Cent; the high cost of realizing their vision for the most recent recording; the joys of using a real orchestra on the disc, as opposed to a synthesized one; the downbeat cast of many new lyrics, which contrast sharply with the outfit’s original party-band image; the inspiration provided by Denver’s DeVotchKa; his defense of major labels; the experience of opening for the Killers earlier this year, only to have the headliner pull the plug because lead singer Brandon Flowers’ voice went out; and his own experiences with throat problems, which turns into a salute to national health care Michael Moore would love.

Read the entire prescription below:

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What: Immagine at Cornice.
Where: The Tivoli student union building at the Denver Film Society/Starz FilmCenter Theatre (off 9th and Auraria).
When: This Wednesday, September 26, at 7 p.m.
Cost: FREE!

Itching for some free Pearl Jam? Well then be a “Better Man,” get off your “Yellow Ledbetter” and call up “Jeremy” for the big-screen showing of Pearl Jam's new concert movie Immagine at Cornice. All god-awful puns aside, it’s a great chance to see the newly released Danny Clinch documentary chronicling the band’s 2006 summer tour through Italy for free. Also, if you want to meet up with other like minded Pearl Jammians before hand, go to Brooklyn's across the street around 5:30 p.m to discuss anything from "Bug" being their best song to just how anti-corporationy Eddie Vedder really is.
--Gene Davis

Lee Burridge
Balance, Issue N. 12
(EQ Records)
Yeah, yeah: Music that’s energizing and exciting on the dance floor often sounds beyond dull on an iHome. Still, the best mixers (and Britisher Lee Burridge, who's slated to headline at Vinyl on Saturday, October 6, certainly qualifies) are able to find a middle ground between hyperkinetic BPMs and sonic variety that’s perfectly described by the name of this three-CD set. Each disc flows logically from one mood to another, and Burridge adds elements with taste and restraint, resisting the urge to spasmodically press each button on the control panel every few seconds. Paris’ “Spider & Bird,” on disc two, is a case in point: The echo effects, electronic splats and occasional voice samples are used sparingly enough that when they surface, they generate a jolt instead of contributing to clutter. For this reason, the collection works on an ambient level when played at low or moderate volume but becomes an instant party-starter when the dial is cranked. That’s a perfect Balance.-- Michael Roberts

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Had ax-expert Saul Hudson chosen to perform under his given name, he might never have succeeded in the music business, let alone made it to the cover of the forthcoming video game “Guitar Hero III.” Lucky thing he changed his moniker to Slash.

During the Q&A below, which formed the basis of the Velvet Revolver profile in the September 20 Westword, Slash proves to be the coolest of conversationalists, as well as a man who’ll even tackle topics that don’t cast him in the best light. Talking points with the Guns N’ Roses vet include the hoopla surrounding the twentieth anniversary of the 1987 GNR benchmark Appetite For Destruction; the decision by editors at Rolling Stone to put an old Guns photo on an August cover just as VR’s latest disc, Libertad, was hitting; assorted near-death episodes experienced by him and his GNR brethren; a recent trip to rehab, precipitated by a close, personal relationship with OxyContin; exaggerations that slip into the GNR story; his frustration at the assumption that VR, which co-stars Scott Weiland, Dave Kushner and fellow ex-Gunners Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, would be a one-shot superstar project; a near breakup of VR caused largely by GNR frontman Axl Rose, who released a fax claiming that Slash had badmouthed his current bandmates during a meeting that the guitarist initially denied had taken place; his explanations for lying about the Rose get-together, which he subsequently said focused on business matters, not his desire to rejoin GNR; filling in for an absent Van Halen at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the prospect of all the Gunners making nice for their expected induction five years from now; his excitement about “Guitar Hero III,” and the difficulty he’s had mastering the game; and his forthcoming autobiography, which aims to set the record straight on events that Slash admits he often has difficulty remembering.

That’s life as a guitar hero.

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Why stop at a Heaven and Hell concert preview item like the one in Westword’s September 20 issue when you’ve got a chance to chat with one of the architects of Black Sabbath? That’s what we asked ourselves -- and the conclusion we drew accounts for the following conversation with once-and-future Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, who’s currently touring with H&H, a band that commemorates an early ´80s BS lineup (Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Vinny Appice and vocalist Ronnie James Dio) that came together after Ozzy Osbourne went solo.

Butler jaws in entertaining fashion on a wide range of subjects: his views about how Heaven and Hell measures up to the original Sabbath crew; his pleasure at letting Dio handle the lyrical duties that typically fell to him; the reasons Bill Ward, the first Sabbath drummer, didn’t participate in H&H; his bass-playing role model; the original response to his use of wah-wah pedals and his approach to de-tuning his chosen instrument; the point at which journalistic hatred for Black Sabbath turned into slavish critical affection; his mixed feelings about the words he wrote for the Sabbath classic “War Pigs”; a little chat about Satanism; and his fondness for Just For Men hair-coloring products.

A touch of gray? To Hell with that:

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Perry Ferrell Satellite Party and Mink
September 18, 2007
Apple store at Cherry Creek Mall
Better than: Any other show I have seen at a retail store in Cherry Creek.

For some strange marketing reason, the Apple store in Cherry Creek Mall hosted acoustic performances by Perry Ferrell Satellite Party (of Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros fame) and opening act Mink in the early evening before their Tuesday night Ogden show and only publicized it enough to bring in about 35 people, half of whom were members of the media. It was bizarre.

I’ve always been slightly annoyed with how proactive Apple is in trying to be the cool/hip brand of the computer world. In those ads with the pretentiously laid back young guy and the older nerdy dude, my heart always goes out to the PC. So I wasn’t surprised that Apple pulled a stunt like bringing in a band in to play a quick set when they are touring through. I have no idea why they did not get the word out there better, however, and give these guys a decent audience.

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St. Vincent and The National
September 18, 2007
The Ogden Theater
Better than: Anything else I’d be doing on a Tuesday – or almost any day, for that matter.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, I missed most of St. Vincent’s opening set. What I caught was certainly intriguing. A one-woman multi-instrumentalist with some experimental, post-rock leanings and a strong, pretty voice. It reminded me just a bit of Bjork, but it was over before I could form a solid opinion.

I was unprepared for the intensity of the National's live show. On record, especially the new one, the National display more of a restrained dynamism than forceful, pedal-to-the-metal rocking. There’s plenty of energy there, but it isn’t explosive. Live, it was explosive. Even the slow, brooding songs had a much more obvious sense of urgency, and the uptempo, heavier rockers were positively furious.

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Arcade Fire, with LCD Soundsystem
September 17, 2007
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Better than: Uh, just about anything else in recent memory.

Slide Show

Epic. Grandiose. Those are fitting descriptors for Monday night’s unreal double bill at the Rocks featuring LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire.

Soundsystem got things going a little before 8 p.m. with a vigorous set of pulse-pounding tunes that mesmerized the enthusiastic crowd. Despite admitting to being winded (“This is very high altitude,” said frontman James Murphy. “Everytime I sing a high note, I feel like I’m going to pass out. If I do, well, uh, sorry.”), the act had little difficulty moving the masses of asses. LCD, which just joined this leg of the tour, served as the ideal opener on this night, leaving the throng in sweaty anticipation of the impending firestorm awaiting it in the wings.

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Monolith Festival, Day Two
Saturday, September 15
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Better than: Sweating to the Oldies

Bob Log III walked on stage wearing a motorcycle helmet with a telephone attached to the visor and black Elvis-inspired studded jumpsuit.

“I’d like to introduce the band,” he said. “My left foot on cymbal. My right foot on bass drum. And my hands on guitar.”

Throughout his set, he’d introduce the songs like, “This is a song about dancing under a big rock,” or “Here’s a song about going into other people’s rock-filled canyons and getting into trouble” or “This one’s about my little friend who sticks out sometimes, and sometimes he doesn’t – I’m talking my finger.”

Thing is, if he didn’t introduce the songs, you’d have no idea what the hell was coming out of his mouth since singing with a telephone rigged as a microphone made his lyrics nearly indecipherable. One of the few tunes that was remotely recognizable was “Boob Scotch,” which he played while two gals from the crowd each straddled one of his legs, and bounced around as Log he worked the bass drum and hi-hat.

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Monolith festival, Day One
Friday, September 14
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Better than: Seeing a band you know nothing about and really digging them

By the time I got to the top of Red Rocks, all sweaty and wheezy, I realized that I’d just missed Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, which was a bummer since I had heard that the Indiana trio (not so big after all) played an awesome set of swampy Zydeco-soaked blues. A friend told me the busty gal playing the washboard was a wonderful sight to behold.

But hey, I wasn't going to let it get me down. So I caught the tail end of the enormously energetic Syracuse, New York-based Ra Ra Riot playing to a packed room on the WOXY.com stage downstairs of the Visitor’s Center. It’s always cool as hell to see string players like the two gals in the Riot and Cloud Cult rocking out.

Next door at the Rock Room, De Novo Dahl was doing its sound check. I was mildly fascinated by their Nashville Nudie outfits and the gal with the strawberry blonde hair, so I made a mental note to come back and check them out.

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Matt and Kim, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
September 15, 2007
Monolith Festival, Red Rocks

Taking the stage with huge smiles on their faces, Matt and Kim sat down to their drums and keyboards and started their Monolith set on Saturday with a fuzzy, spacey synth intro that Matt milked for laugh, aping a prog rock band that would have taken themselves much more seriously. Then Kim came in on drums and they thrashed out what could have been an extended lead-in to any of the Brooklyn duo's songs before stopping abruptly and laughing into the mics.

“Kim, I can't even believe we're here,” Matt said with what could not be mistaken for theatrical reverence for being alive at that moment. “We were in Vegas this morning, and then our flight got delayed, and then our bags disappeared and then we got lost, and then we got here and there was just enough time to load in and ... holy shit now we're on stage! Hi, I'm Matt and this is Kim. We're a band called Matt and Kim.”

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Monolith Festival, Day Two
September 15, 2007
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Better than: Day one -- and my expectations.

Before I even arrived for day two I was filled with fear and loathing of the stairs. I still hadn’t recovered from the first day’s exertions, so I celebrated my arrival by literally collapsing on a bench and refusing to move. My sloth meant I caught the entirety of the Little Ones, seen here, on the main stage, a band I had never heard of and had no intention of covering that turned out to be all right. The singer reminded me of Geddy Lee, which sort of made the whole thing sound like a much poppier, more giddy version of Rush, without all the prog wanking.

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Monolith festival, Day One
September 14, 2007
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Better than: Any other reason to climb roughly sixty thousand stairs.

There are a lot of stairs at Red Rocks. Usually, once you make it through the grueling hike into the place, you’re done. You settle into a spot and maybe take a riser or two up or down to grab a beer. Monolith demanded more. With five stages spread throughout the venue, it made for painful treks up and down hundreds of stairs mandatory to get the full experience. And despite the aching feet and back, the experience was worth it.

Stopping to catch my breath once I made it in, I caught the start of a set from Everything Absent or Distorted (a Love Story) on the main stage. The band looked and sounded right at home on the big stage, and, as usual, the bombastic pop sound put a smile on my face. As much fun as it would have been to sit and listen, I had to head to the singer-songwriter stage to catch Ian Cooke (above).

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