For those with tickets to tonight's Pixies show, here's a bonus review with another perspective, to give you a clear idea of exactly what to expect this evening. If you haven't already check out Jon Solomon's review.
Adam Perry
Pixies Fillmore Auditorium Monday, November 16, 2009 Better than: having whores in your head.
With workman-like poise, Joey Santiago, Black Francis and David
Lovering calmly and confidently prowled the big Fillmore stage in
Denver last night, pulling off one of the most exciting and effective
reunions American rock has ever seen. For the three sometimes eerily
composed dudes in the Pixies, getting back together after so many years
of acrimony to perform their heavy, eccentric classics that enlivened
and inspired two generations of alternative, indie and punk bands
seemes like a an enjoyable, lucrative decision. Conversely,
ever-smiling Pixies bassist/backup-singer Kim Deal eagerly embraced the
sold out crowd and her chance to finally play all those great songs
again after a few years of mostly festivals
gigs. Indeed, beer bottle in mouth after every song, widespread grin on
her face and giddy comments (mostly ignored by her bandmates) abound,
Deal's Pixies Reunion happiness made it seem as if her dream had just
been granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It was beautiful.
For those with tickets to tonight's Pixies show, we just posted a bonus review from Adam Perry with another perspective, to give you a clear idea of exactly what to expect this evening.
About six decades before the Pixies released their watershed album Doolittle in 1989, Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel teamed up to make a sixteen-minute black and white surrealist film, Un Chien Andalou. The film, which was shown for about five minutes before the Pixies too the stage, included the infamous scene in which a gal gets her eyeball sliced that frontman Black Francis refers to in "Debaser," the opening cut on Doolittle. It would have been fitting as hell to jump right into "Debaser" after showing the film, but the band eased into the set with a group of four Doolittle B-sides ("Dancing the Manta Ray," "Weird at My School," "Bailey's Walk" and "Manta Ray") before delving into the album in its entirety as the the band is celebrating Doolittle's 20th anniversary.
Six Months to Live, deadbubbles and Dario Rosa
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Meadowlark
Better Than: The second big snowstorm of the season outside.
Opening act deadbubbles set the pace for the rest of the show with an
energetic set of rock and roll full of more than its fair share of
weirdness and eccentricity mixed in to keep things interesting.
Frontman Arlo White leaped, pranced and gestured with tasteful bombast
about the room during the band's set, and during "6669," he held a
utility light with a red filter close to his face. Normally this might
come off as kind of a cheesy gesture, but White and the rest of the
band performed each song with absolute conviction in the material that
even this momentary affectation added to the showmanship. Toward the
end of the set, the guys played one of their strongest numbers, the
early solo Eno/T. Rex-esque "Sparkle Jets," before concluding with
another of its best songs, "Rock Solid!" aided by Six Months to Live's
Greg Hill on sax and Zack Littlefield of Dario Rosa on tambourine.
(Editor's note: The author is a moron and forgot his camera. The above video is basically what happened in the Ogden lobby).
Ozomatli with the Nathen Maxwell and the Original Bunny Gang
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Ogden
Better Than: Whatever you did, unless whatever you did featured a thousand drunk people doing the Hokey Pokey.
Sweat: That's what you should be caked it by the time Ozomatli finally, mercifully lets go of your jiggling ass and sends you back out into the world. You should be covered in your own salty secretions, your calves should be sore, and your bar tab should be low, because when the hell were you going to break yourself away to get a refill?
That's the Ozo Experience. It rolled through town again on Saturday, and even dumping snow couldn't slow it down.
Houses, The Knew, Action Packed Thrill Ride
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Larimer Lounge
Better Than: The fireside.
It was snowing on Saturday, seriously snowing, hard enough to cover the signs and turn the city into a giant, hushed bobsled track. You would not have known this, though, if you were taken and plopped in front of the stage at the Larimer Lounge around 10 p.m. The room was in high spirits, with people yelling, getting drunk and standing shoulder-to-shoulder like no one was concerned about getting home. Although each band acknowledged the mess outside, briefly -- only Action Packed Thrill Ride's Mark Cawthray really noted the difference, when he said late in his set, "This is kind of fun. I feel like we're all snowed in together," he observed with a laugh. "Feel that kinship? This is a memory you'll never forget," he said, pausing briefly before adding with more laughter, "We're all dead." It was the musical equivalent of a cheap sunset and cheap beer.
The Sleeping, Escape the Fate, Atreyu and Hollywood Undead played the Fillmore on Tuesday, and photographer Aaron Thackeray was there. See his photos on the slideshow page.
Evangelicals, Holiday Shores, Candy Claws
Monday, November 9
The Hi-Dive
Better Than: (Sorry about this) The Broncos offense
Maybe it's a low blow, but Josh Jones of Evangelicals was responsible for tingling more spines than Brandon Marshall on Monday night, despite the fact that Marshall had an audience of approximately ten million and Jones had an audience of approximately fifty.
Blame the early start time (8 pm at the Hi-Dive? Were they trying to get people out in time for Bingo at Sputnik or something?) for the weak turnout. This might have devolved into a rant about Denver music fans for not coming to see the absurdly awesome Evangelicals, but even without numbers, this city continues to amaze: with the exception of one request for a song they'd already played, the crowd was engaged and supportive, enough to coax a rare encore from Norman, Oklahoma's best band (that's right, Flaming Lips fans).
Hearts of Palm, To Be Eaten
Friday, November 6, 2009
hi-dive
Better Than: One of the best bands of recent years quietly slipping into history.
To Be Eaten probably seemed like an odd pairing for this first of two
final Hearts of Palm shows, except this band plays its music with
the same level of passion and excitement for its material as the
headliner. Sure, To Be Eaten's music is an unapologetic critique of the
status quo in society, but it's done with a sense of hope coursing through
the aggressive precision of each of its songs. Guitarist Ben Pittz
dedicated "End of a Flight" to Hearts of Palm and bassist Eric Fuller
urged us to find a Till brother -- you know, anyone with facial hair and
glasses in the audience, and give him a hug. Drummer Justin Trujillo has proven
to be at least the equal of Brian Miller behind the drum kit in this
band and played with the same ferocity his bandmates always bring to
the show. After uplifting final section of "Burn the Filth," a song
that makes triumphing over the forces of industrial evil seem
attainable, Fuller called the Hearts of Palm guys to the stage for the
choruses in "Metal." The juggernaut of a set ended with the harrowing
"String Theory."
Dirty Projectors, Tune-Yards
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Bluebird Theater
What it was like: Watching a gospel choir through broken glass.
There is a risk, when you see two bands as technically elaborate as Dirty Projectors and Tune-Yards, that you will get several hours of knob twirling and strings pulled with great concentration and zero seconds of eye contact or excitement. What we got instead was a pair of great performances and a night that ended too soon.
They Might Be Giants, Guggenheim Grotto
Thursday, November 5
Gothic Theater
Better than: Seeing an expertly executed live show that didn't include sock puppets.
They Might Be Giants couldn't stick to one sound during their
appearance at the Gothic on Thursday night. The band's show, which
nearly spanned two hours, included a comprehensive range of tunes, a
selection that pulled from their latest release, Here Comes Science, as
well as seminal albums from the 1990s like Flood and Apollo 18.
The Siren Project
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Church
Better Than: The Project has been in a long time.
Having a show at the Church is a bit of a losing proposition not
because it's not that a cool place to have a show -- although it's a beautiful
building inside and out and the sound system is excellent, the regular crowd seems more into pre-recorded, comfort music. The DJs
played a great mixture of songs familiar to anyone who was ever into
darker music (Goth, post-punk, downtempo, darkwave etc.) as well as
crossover alternative rock, which filled the dance floor. As soon as the DJ announced a live
band would be playing, though, most of the dancers cleared out. Obviously
there's no cut and dry reason why people going to a dance night don't
want to see a live band, even this particular act, but it sure seemed like yet another example of a whole lot of people with their heads in
the past.
David Bazan, Say Hi
November 1, 2009
Hi-Dive
Better Than:Dreaming about an open mike night during a nap.
"Do you guys want to hear a joke?" asks Say Hi frontman Eric Elbogen maybe three songs into their set. We do, of course. "Clean or dirty?" he asks. He gets a bunch of requests for dirty, then a bunch of requests for clean. He tells us he'll do one of each.
Here's the clean one: "How come white people can't tell jokes timing." We laugh appreciatively. Here's the dirty one: "How come witches don't wear underwear? To bet a better grip on the broom."
That one gets an "ohhh" and more laughs from the crowd. "This is a song," he says, and the three-piece plays a song.
Omaha band It's True started things off with some sweet 'n simple
melodies and starry-eyed vocals. They cranked the feedback a bit
because they're no pushovers, but theirs was certainly the odd
performance out on a night of retro feel-goodery.
College Music Marathon October 20-25, 2009 75+ Venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan Better than: Fighting swarms of tourists to see the Statue of Liberty.
This year's CMJ (College Music Journal) Music Marathon offered more music than any avid concert goer could even attempt to comprehend with 1,300+ bands playing at more than seventy-five venues across New York City. The experience proved to be completely overwhelming and provided more shows than any human could attempt to cover adequately. So, in the aftermath of running from venue to venue, here are a few of the festival's standout acts.
As we told you last week, DJ Miss Audry -- the hottest dance-music-spinning, gryo-slanging goddess this side of Mykonos -- has retired from DJing. She spun her last set on Saturday at the Funky Buddha. See photos on the slideshow page.
Everything Absent or Distorted (a love story), The Knew, Jim McTurnan and the Kids That Killed the Man
October 24, 2009
Bluebird Theater
Just Like: Heaven
This was the final moment of Everything Absent or Distorted (a love story), the last song in a too-short set
that was just long enough for the band to play every song they know.
And we were down to something like one guitar and one keyboard and
eight voices singing their souls ragged, and if you closed your eyes
you could feel it. There is something in this world that connects us
all. You're welcome to call it God or fate or goodness or whatever you
want, but it's there and it's the reason we slog through our days. And
finding that thing and holding it for a few seconds or minutes, that
was why Everything Absent or Distorted existed in the first place. They got there, to
transcendence, more often than most bands but especially right then
during their last song ever. If you closed your eyes you could actually
feel it in your spine: This is why pop music matters.
Sunset Rubdown, tUnE-yArDs
Friday, October 23
Bluebird Theater
Better Than: Wolf Parade and Swan Lake combined.
Providing the latest evidence that the loop pedal is the best thing to happen to one-person bands since the harmonica holder, Merrill Garbus, who performs as tUnE-yArDs, opened up the show with a collection of tunes in which she accompanied her voice and ukulele with simple looped beats made with a floor tom and snare, throwing in the occasional collage of layered oohs and ahhs and other vocalizations. (A bassist and guitarist also provided subtle backup on a couple songs.) Of course, this is a tool available to any bedroom folkie these days, but Garbus proved herself far more than just any bedroom folkie. Short and squat, barefoot and with her face painted, she had quite a stage presence before she opened her mouth, but it was her voice, a husky yet slightly nasal alto that she wielded with such power, range and control that I wondered if she was classically trained, that really sold her quirky, jaunty pop songs. Garbus recently signed to 4AD and is on tour not only with Sunset Rubdown but also with art-rock darlings du jour Dirty Projectors, so I wouldn't be surprised to see her profile rise quickly and soon.
The Pogues Friday, October 23, 2009 Ogden Theatre Better than: expected. Much better.
"Sorry it's taken us awhile to get here," guitarist Philip Chevron said during the Pogues' first show ever in Denver. "Almost thirty years in fact, but we finally got here." But holy Jesus, the epic two-hour set these guys delivered was more than worth the wait.
There had been some less than favorable accounts of frontman Shane MacGowan's at a few other dates on the current American tour, but MacGowan delivered a damn fine performance at the sold-out Ogden Friday night, much better than what a lot of folks might have expected due to his drug and booze-soaked reputation. After the band took the stage as the Clash's "Straight to Hell" played on the sound system, a roadie gave MacGowan a lit cigarette and the singer came out wearing sunglasses an oversized black and white striped sweater that made him look, as a friend pointed out, a bit like a Love and Rockets Bubbleman.
Editor's note: Whitney the Intern is in New York for CMJ, the annual music festival and conference. She filed this dispatch.
An upstanding establishment serving beer in Solo cups on tables lit by candles in bar glasses, Wicked Willy's was precisely the venue one would hope to see an act like The Knew. The small, basement level bar played host to an interesting array of people -- not surprising, considering it's a pirate-themed bar in the middle of SoHo.
Great Lake Swimmers, Wooden Birds, Brothers O'Hair
Larimer Lounge
October 21, 2009
Better Than: Bird watching in the snow.
Brothers O'Hair were clearly the least seasoned and the least purely talented of the three band bill. They were also by far the best live act, engaging the crowd of friends and admirers (we were all admirers by the end of the set) with a combination of Canadian caterwaul and Irish Catholic whiskey music. Their songs fell forward with a hard-work momentum. They were built in obvious, but effective, soft to loud builds. They employ a stand-alone bass drum, played with hard felt mallets, in a march-like intensity, and that is one incredibly foolproof way to make your rock roll. Of the four members, three wore suspenders, and the last one a vest. They wore them like they'd been through three days of sleepless drinking and laboring -- initially respectable, currently functional. Brothers O'Hair moved to Denver from Austin, and we're fucking glad to have them.
Square Rot Hot Congress Prevue House Show
Night of Joy, Fissure Mystic, The Jim Jims, Old Radio, Lil' Slugger, Vitamins
Friday, October 16, 2009
Patrick Kelly's Crib
Better Than: Paying mucho dinero for parking, tickets, and beer at a standard venue.
Nothing screams house show quite like a porch full of smokers throwing back forties like it's nobody's business, especially if said porch is attached to a recently foreclosed apartment building in Capitol Hill.
TheBottesini Project Friday, October 16, 2009 Notably Fine Audio Better than: Any other local collective improvisation group.
One of the great things about Bottesini Project shows is the uniqueness of each performance. Since the shows are based completely based on collective improvisations, there's a freshness and vibrancy about the performances that's not found in rehashed jazz standards or playing tunes that have been completely mapped out. While the idea of free jazz might confuse some people with its loose structure and disregard for musical rules at times, there are times where spontaneous pieces can actually sound like pre-written tunes.
A Hawk and a Hacksaw, The Hand That Rocks the Dreidel and Damon and Naomi
Friday, October 16, 2009 hi-dive
Better Than: Having to see the out of town bands at a bigger venue.
The Hand That Rocks the Dreidel, a four-piece this time out including two drummers -- one with a more traditional, albeit minimal, set and the other with three conga drums of various tones -- kicked this show off. With upright bass giving the music a smooth low-end and Yuzo Nieto's inspired saxophone work and resonant, soulful vocals, the band played what
sounded like a combination of Afro-Cuban jazz and Mexican folk music with a hint of off-the-beaten-path rock.
Gregory Alan Isakov, Elenor, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Andy Thomas
Bluebird Theater
October 17, 2009
Better Than: A full tank of gas and the lonely, open road before you.
A local artist sold out the Bluebird for his vinyl release show, which is impressive. This probably says more about the loyalty of Denver's music fans than Isakov's special day, but it's obviously a little bit of both. Isakov put on a damn impressive show. He and his band will make you feel like you're in a woodland cabin with a mug of hot chocolate, a snowstorm outside and your special someone at your side. But come on -- a vinyl release? Is that actually an event?
The Used and the Almost played the Fillmore on Sunday. Photographer Aaron Thackeray (we call him the Awesome) was on hand. See his photos on the slideshow page.
Jolie Holland, with Matt Bauer
The Walnut Room
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Better Than: Walking from Market St. Station to Walnut & 31st in the cold
No one shines like Brooklyn-based indie-folk goddess Jolie Holland.
Just as Neil Young was the depth and edge of CSNY, Holland was the
stand-out talent in the Canadian, all-girl, alt-folk group the Be Good
Tanyas, and for the last half-decade has excelled on her own. Last fall,
Holland drew a large crowd to the Boulder Theater on the heels of her
latest record, The Living and the Dead, and impressively nailed spot-on
versions of most of that album's songs, even though she was so under
the weather that coughing between verses became a theme.
Saturday night
at the Walnut Room, Holland was healthy and full of attitude,
and the vibe was at once magical and slightly heartbreaking: someone
shouted out "you're bigger than this venue!" early in Holland's eighty-minute set, and the singer-songwriter's frequent banter included
repeated complaints about having to tour-manage herself, having a
certifiably insane schedule of "five weeks with one night off," and having to take the wheel for all-night drives to the next city, as
she did after the Walnut gig to reach Sunday's show in Omaha. In
essence, Holland mesmerized the devoted Denver audience as usual, but
at times the reality of her increasingly mismanaged career made the
caress of her dream-like voice seem bitter-sweet.
Dethklok, Mastodon, Converge and High on Fire
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Fillmore Auditorium
Better than: Seeing the Archies, Alvin and the Chipmunks or any other cartoon rock band
"There sure are a lot of nerds here for a heavy metal show," said a
friend while overlooking the sea of fist-pumping, metal-crazed fans
covering the floor of the Fillmore on Saturday night. With acts such as
the seminal hard-core outfit Converge and reigning metal kings Mastodon
on the same bill, you'd expect the crowd to take on a different,
perhaps tougher complexion. So why all the nerds?
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