The Builders and the Butchers have already been through town twice this year, and are coming back for a third time, opening for Amanda Palmer on December 6th at the Bluebird . If you've never heard this Portland group, I highly recommend checking out their self-titled debut . The band, fronted by Ryan Sollee, applies a dark 1800's mentality to acoustic folk music, but they approach the art in a manner that tends to be more fun (and far less creepy) than Denver-based goth-country artists such as Slim or Munly . [...]
In the spirit of posting more local acts, here's a nice set from Action Packed Thrill Ride , when they opened for The Builders and the Butchers last month. I don't see any APTR shows on the calendar for November or December, but maybe a few will pop up before 2008 fades away. (Lucas?) Action Packed Thrill Ride 9.10.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack [...]
Digging into the vaults for this show, which closed out my run of concerts in 2006 and goes into the books as one of my favorite musical experiences for that year... As a long-time Tom Waits fan, I was super-psyched when John Common told me of the initial plans to organize a tribute at the Mercury Cafe . A cast of top-notch Denver musicians was invited to perform some of their favorite Waits tunes. To sweeten the pot (and after weeks of rehearsing), John and his band topped off the night with a [...]
I posted Hi-Dive sets from Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit a few weeks ago, and wanted to introduce the opening act of that evening, San Antonio's Hacienda . These guys were a great addition to the lineup, and their flavor of psych-pop fit in perfectly with the other two acts. Their debut album, " Loud as the Night " (produced by Black Keys' Dan Auerbach), just hit the streets in September. To be honest, I didn't have a chance to pick it up at the show, and have only listened to the myspace tracks. But based on [...]
Denver's own Dressy Bessy has been on the road for the last four weeks in support of their new album, " Holler and Stomp ". They made it back into town last night, performing in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Bluebird Theater . After a few days off, their tour will continue this week throughout the Midwest: 10/24 - Minneapolis, MN 10/25 - Northfield, MN 10/26 - Winona, MN 10/28 - Fargo, ND 10/29 - St. Paul, MN 10/30 - Menomonie, WI 10/31 - St. [...]
Here are a few more of the PopFest sets: Elf Power Circulatory System Thee American Revolution If anyone can help out on the Circulatory System setlist, let me know! Elf Power 8.16.2008 Athens Popfest, 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA Source: Microtech Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > M-Audio MicroTrack II > CF > Adobe Audition > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: [...]
After catching Cryptacize at the Hi-Dive in June, I had been looking forward to their PopFest set throughout the summer. As luck would have it, getting tied up (shuttling gear between the other venues) caused me to miss most of their performance. On the flip side, there was enough time to dash into the 40 Watt, toss up a pair of mics, and capture the entire thing on tape! The band is on tour with Danielson throughout November, including a stop in Denver...I can't wait! Tourdates: 10/31 New [...]
(Setlist photo courtesy of Heather Browne !) The Delta Spirit set turned out a bit rougher on tape than Dr. Dog, but still quite listenable.... enjoy, y'all! Delta Spirit 9.27.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Setlist: 1. Bleeding Bells 2. Strange Vine 3. People C'mon 4. House [...]
In anticipation of Ruby Isle 's appearance at the Hi-Dive this week, here's they set I captured last month in Athens. The resurgence of Kindercore this summer was big news, and Ruby Isle is one of the first acts to join the new roster. Though I guess you could consider their addition to the roster stacked, considering that member Dan Geller is also a co-founder of the label... :) Their debut album, Night Shot, was released this month. If you can't make it to one of the Colorado shows (Thursday in Denver, Friday [...]
Dr. Dog was kind enough to let me tape this weekend at their sold-out Denver show. I'm sure a lot of people will be wanting this one...no introduction needed! Dr. Dog 9.27.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: 1. The Old Days 2. Hang On 3. The Way the Lazy Do 4. [...]
Denver-based art collective Win Wear presented 'The Swell" last night, hosted by the Object and Thought Gallery . "The Swell" being their latest in a string of unique events focusing on a convergence of visual, audible, and culinary arts, Win Wear is all about collaboration. Artists Erin Reid and Brandon Weaver contributed five paintings each for the event. Using the artwork as inspiration, musicians Scott Beck and Mark Shusterman spent the last few weeks developing musical compositions to accompany the art showing. As the night's first "set", Scott and Mark performed this new material live [...]
Here's the second night of A Weather 's Colorado jaunt, where they opened for Point Juncture WA at the Hi-Dive . The previous night's set in Colorado Springs is available in a previous post . A Weather 9.15.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: 1. Screw Up Your Courage 2. Spiders, [...]
A Weather = Another spectacular Portland band I stumbled across this month. Normally performing as a 5-piece, they trimmed down for touring, hitting the road as a trio consisting of Aaron Gerber, Sarah Winchester, and Lou Thomas. Taking a minimalist approach can be risky, but with A Weather the sparse arrangements work without a hitch, proving an intimate listening experience, even in a cavernous room like the Black Sheep. Be sure to check out their debut album, "Cove" , which is certain to find a place amongst my best-of-2008 list. :) A Weather [...]
Considering the number of bands that come out of Portland, it's no surprise that some great talent can be overlooked from time to time. One of my Oregon favorites, Point Juncture, WA , has passed under the radar for far too long. They've been on the road in support of their brand new release, Heart of Elk , and managed two stops in Colorado this month. Here's the Denver set, with the Colorado Springs recording to follow soon... Point Juncture, WA 9.15.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 [...]
Davey Wrathgaber has been on tour with The Visitations this month, and he stopped by Denver for a fun show with local favorites Fissure Mystic, The Pseudo Dates, and Mike Marchant at the Lion's Lair . This tour was supposed to be in support of their new CD, "The Conundrum Tree", but the release date was pushed back to 10/14/08. You can pre-order the album from Orange Twin , and check out this live show while you're waiting for it to arrive! The Visitations 9.05.2008 Lion's Lair, Denver, [...]
Here's the South San Gabrie l set from the Hi-Dive Tuesday night. I'd seen Centro-Matic several times, but quickly discovered I like this project even more. Against expectations for them to rely on material from "Dual Hawks" (released in June), SSG managed to cover their full catalog. It was great to see so many people coming down early, filling up the room before The Broken West and Centro-Matic hit the stage. South San Gabriel 9.09.2008 The Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) [...]
Denver was lucky enough to have The Broken West kick off their tour this week at the Hi-Dive , in support of Centro-Matic. Tuesday night's performance just happened to align with the release of their sophomore effort, "Now or Heaven", available through Merge Records . Check out both the new album and this fine live performance, and then go catch them in person this month: 9/13 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar 9/15 Chicago, IL @ Schubas 9/16 Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room 9/17 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern 9/21 New [...]
(Photo by Marc Espowood) To keep the flow of PopFest material going, you'll probably see less commentary of the sets. Here's another from Wednesday night, Athens' own Spring Tigers ! Spring Tigers 8.13.2008 Athens Popfest Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA Source: Microtech Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: 1. intro 2. New Improved [...]
Atlanta duo Judi Chicago was another act unknown to me before PopFest. Ben and Travis played a variety of instruments over a set of sampled dance beats, tossing in a healthy dose of irony in the form of both banter and lyrics. I was in the back during this set and didn't have a good view of the stage, but Rich has come nice close-up over on the C&T photostream . Judi Chicago 8.13.2008 Athens Popfest Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA Source: Microtech Gefell M300's [...]
Continuing in the vein of all-female punk, local Atlanta favorites The Coathangers followed immediately on the heels of Hotpants Romance. The Coathangers 8.13.2008 Athens Popfest Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA Source: Microtech Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: 1. Never Wanted You 2. Toomerhead 3. Tonya Harding [...]
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