Merry Swankster

Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 7.6.2009 - 7.12.2009

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:07:23 -0500

[Bon Iver]

Monday, July 6
Michael McDonald @ Paramount Theatre

Tuesday, July 7
Other Girls w/ the Ocean Bed @ Hi-Dive
Flooded Basement @ Larimer Lounge

Wednesday, July 8
Cowboy Junkies w/ Son Volt @ Ogden Theater
Tower of Power @ Boulder Theater
Boys Like Girls @ Marquis Theater
The Mighty Diamonds @ Bluebird Theater
John Common w/ Aaron Espe @ Swallow Hill
Shotgun Holiday @ Larimer Lounge

Thursday, July 9
Steve Aoki - Wired Thursdays @ The Church
Unwritten Law w/ Red Stinger @ Bluebird Theater
A Shoreline Dream @ Hi-Dive
Fear Before @ Fox Theatre
Iconocaust @ Gothic Theatre
A Static Lullaby @ Marquis Theater
Backslide @ Larimer Lounge
Neckhold w/ Ghost To Falco @ Rhinoceropolis
The Motet and Albino @ Boulder Theater

Friday, July 10
Vicente Fernández @ Pepsi Center
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band w/ Denver City Saltlicks Contest @ Bluebird Theater
The Natural Selection w/ The Pirate Signal @ Hi-Dive
So Many Dynamos @ Larimer Lounge
The Seldom Scene @ Boulder Theater
Dead Weather listening party - Lipgloss @ La Rumba
The Lee Boys @ Fox Theatre
Spyro Gyra @ Soiled Dove

Saturday, July 11
All-American Rejects, Goldfinger, others - 93.3's Big Gig @ Fiddler's Green
Bon Iver w/ the Wheel @ Ogden Theater
Dressy Bessy @ Fox Theatre
Spoke Shaver w/ The Jim Jims @ Hi-Dive
Now, Now Everyday Children @ Larimer Lounge
The Lee Boys w/ Filthy Children @ Bluebird Theater
Dark Lingo @ Rhinoceropolis

Sunday, July 12
Bon Iver w/the Wheel @ Fox Theatre
The Briggs @ Gothic Theatre
Yes w/ Asia @ Paramount Theatre
The Photo Atlas @ Marquis Theater
Unicorn Basement @ Rhinoceropolis
John Gorka & Hot Buttered Rum - E-Town @ Boulder Theater

Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.

Retrohump: Counter-programming

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:30:06 -0500

The Clean - "Beatnik"

Went sorta off-the-grid for a few days there, and came back to the main information vein to see that we are, in fact, still talking about M.J. I mean, he was ingrained in my pop culture formation as everyone else's and I can't help seeing pictures of him as a kid and feeling sad for what was coming down the pike for him, but at the same time, I haven't been able to throw myself into the nostalgia cycle. It's like Papa Smurf died or something. Someone from a t-shirt I had as a kid.

So, just for a sec here, is a clip from a legendary band that still exists, and I listen to a lot more. I had never seen this until today, though now's as good a time as any.

the Clean - "Beatnik"

Retrohump: Michael Jackson R.I.P.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:57:25 -0500

For those of us of a certain age Michael Jackson has been a constant presence. As children we knew him as a solo artists while our slightly older peers remembered the incredibly talented little boy outshining his older brothers in the Jackson Five. Some of us may have even watched the cartoon based on the Jackson family. Later we followed Michael's meteoric successes as a solo artist through the 80s and early 90s, with the nascent cultural force of MTV as principle conduit. From the moonwalk, to the glove, to Bubbles the chimp to the videos of sobbing and fainting masses at his concerts around the globe, Michael Jackson was if nothing else, an indelible personality for the world. Even the spoofs he inspired are seminal moments. Back when Eddie Murphy was funny (there was a time, kids) he riffed hilariously on Jackson's effete eccentricities. Parodies from Weird Al's "Eat It" to the less remembered (but funnier) skit from the button-pushing In Living Color, are stuff of legend.

But as I've said privately many times, and on this site a few times, whatever indiscretions, odd behavior, and strangeness behind Michael Jackson's enigmatic status, it was his music that got people interested at all. To this day his music continues to be the easy way for a DJ to guarantee a dance floor draw. That will never change. Today's Retrohump is in memoriam to the legendary work he leaves behind.

July: Texas Concert Listings

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:55:50 -0500

HUGE month for Austin, especially for you Spoon lovers out there. (And really, if you're reading this, you're probably a Spoon lover.) In support of their brand new EP Got Nuffin, the Austin band plays a triptych of shows at the hometown BBQ joint Stubb's.

The Vans Warped Tour also makes its annual turn-around the Lone Star State. (The more astute readers will notice that we've added Las Cruces, New Mexico to the listings.)

And for those of you hoping, the above image is from last year's 4th of July... no event scheduled for this year, unfortunately. On to the listings.

Handsome Furs, Live @ Larimer Lounge, Denver, 6.14.09

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:00:45 -0500

Photos by Merry Swankster

Some solid international acts have graced Denver's stages this month. Earlier this month Montreal's Handsome Furs left a lasting impression at downtown Denver's dive-club fave, Larimer Lounge. In what easily was the year's best show, the husband-wife team of Dan Boeckner & Alexei Perry performed a dazzling show that hit all the buttons to stay memorable. Of course the "year's best" tag wouldn't last. Just last week a sold out Bluebird Theater hosted red-hot buzz band Phoenix for an electrifying and inspiring show capping a tragic day for the music world. Together both shows reminded why music's calling is such a powerful one.

I'm a man of order, with a pronounced fetish for organized chronology, thus I begin with the Handsome Furs annihalation of my expectations, and the Larimer Lounge crowd.

Handsome Furs is Wolf Parade's wiry guitarist, Dan Boeckner, and his fiery wife Alexei Perry. For the most part Boeckner sticks to his primary craft and shares minimal synth duties with Perry. Both play their parts with an honest intensity that is hard to not appreciate. Springsteen's style infusion into Handsome Furs overall aesthetic has been the subject of much analysis and discussion - for good reason; although live, the generational bridge was much more the afterthought compared to the onstage pageantry displayed by the band.

Together they make for an explosive pairing. He the grungy, tattooed punk in combat boots and impossibly skinny jeans that in any event hung baggy on his rail-thin legs. Alexei shined healthily and bright as her close cropped, bleached-blond and sun-kissed skin allowed. In a tight, black minidress this was quite a bit. She wore heavy makeup, long earrings, and for a minute anyway - sexy calf-high boots. The suggestive outfit is a rare sight in the world of dude-centric indie rock. Not to say she was wearing anything scandelous, but to say it commanded attention is as self-evident as one might imagine from the photographs.

Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 6.29.2009 - 7.5.2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:25:17 -0500

[Wilco]

Monday, June 29
Mormon Tabernacle Choir @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

Tuesday, June 30
Code:Bear @ Larimer Lounge
Git Some @ Hi-Dive
Lovely Houses @ Walnut Room
Meese @ Twist & Shout

Wednesday, July 1
Bruce Hayes @ Swallow Hill
Celtic Woman @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
Chella Negro @ Larimer Lounge
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ Fox Theatre
Nightmare Of You @ Marquis Theater

Thursday, July 2
Aprhodesia @ Fox Theatre
Jet Lag Gemini @ Marquis Theater
The Love Me Nots @ Larimer Lounge
Sonnenblume @ Hi-Dive
Pictureplane @ Rhinoceropolis
LA Riots and Felix Cartal @ The Church

Friday, July 3
Avenge The Dawn @ Hi-Dive
Black Lamb @ Larimer Lounge
Savage Henry @ Gothic Theatre
Time Again @ Marquis Theater
Tribute To Michael Jackson Dance Night @ Fox Theatre
Wilco w/ Okkervil River @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

Saturday, July 4
Blues Traveler @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
The Moment @ Hi-Dive

Sunday, July 5
All Capitals @ Larimer Lounge
Good Old War @ Marquis Theater
My Body Sings Electric @ Hi-Dive
The Samples @ Boulder Theater
Symphony On The Rocks @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
VNV Nation @ Gothic Theatre

Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.

Post Phoenix the Bluebird turned into Michael Jackson dance party

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:56:59 -0500

Phoenix show was great. Huge energetic showing for Phoenix from the sold out Denver crowd. In spite of hailing from France Phoenix sounds like the best American rock band on the scene. Hook after hook Phoenix set an upbeat tone to the evening and never looked back. Immediately after the show about half the crowd headed out leaving the remaining ample room to boogie. Kicking off with "Rock With You" - my all time favorite Michael Jackson song - the mini-set of 8 Jackson tunes couldn't have gotten been more fun, and fitting.

As fucked up as Michael Jackson was and as bad as the weird stuff he likely did with underage kids, his music was pop at its very finest, unlikely to ever be replicated. If he is somewhere that allows indulgences to look down at the living world, I hope the sight of an entire planet getting down to his music allows for leftover demons to finally quiet. DJ setlist after the jump.

Pop Icon, Michael Jackson Dies

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:19:17 -0500

LA Times confirms:

[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.
[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and family have are arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.

Jackson was rushed to a hospital this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The parademics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told The Times.

[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home on the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater.

The home is about 2 1/2 miles, about a six-minute drive, from UCLA Medical Center. An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the time to travel between the home and hospital as two minutes.]

The news comes as Jackson, 50, was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

In May, The Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called "King of Pop" back on stage.

His backers envision the shows at AEG's O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could ultimately encompass a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a "Thriller" casino. Such a rebound could wipe out Jackson's massive debt.

Numerology: Not an Untraveled Side Street Sort of Digit

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:48:45 -0500

A handsomely curved configuration resembling two amply nostriled noses in profile or two spoons poised to dig into some steaming porridge, the no. 66 casts a long shadow on the numerical landscape. On the dark side, it’s two-thirds of the number of the Beast, according to the Book of Revelations, and it’s the number of miles that made up the hell-on-earth route that was the Bataan Death March. It also has a special importance in the history of Great Britain, what with the Norman Conquest (1066), the Great Fire of London (1666), and the last year the Brits took the World Cup (1966). But to those of us with a sense of musical perspective, 66 is the name of a historic U.S. highway and a classic song. Like the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four,” which seems to have scared off sensible songwriters from writing another 64 song, “Route 66” is a colossus that dominates its slot all but completely. The always-reliable All Music Guide lists over 900 releases on which the song appears, by everyone from Ray Charles to Anita Bryant.

Photographs of fancy tricks

 To get your kicks at sixty-six 

He thinks of all the lips that he licks 

And all the girls that he's going to fix

–Elvis Costello, “I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea”

Its writer, Bobby Troup, was akin to a journeyman pitcher in baseball, a guy with the goods to make it to the majors but lacking the X factor to ascend to the level of the greats or near-greats. Nevertheless, Troup was a man of many talents. An able pianist and a recording artist in his own right, he was also a record producer, TV show host, and an actor. (He portrayed bandleader Tommy Dorsey in The Gene Krupa Story, among other movie roles.) But Troup seems to have had a good sense of his own limitations; though he wasn’t quite leading-man material, it didn’t stop him from acting. He found steady employment on shows like Mannix and Dragnet, and most notably, had a featured role as Dr. Joe Early on Emergency, where he worked alongside his wife, the blonde-tressed torch singer Julie London, who played hot nurse Dixie McCall. But let’s face it: by the time he was well ensconced on the tube in the early ‘70s, Troup probably could have retired on the royalties from the song he wrote in 1946, during a pit stop on a cross-country car trip. In the invaluable 1001 Songs, author Toby Cresswell supplies Troup’s account of the song’s genesis:

“My wife and I were eating in a Howard Johnson’s and looking at a road map…She said, ‘Why don’t you write about Route 40.’ I said, ‘That’s silly, because we’re going to pick up Route 66 outside of Chicago and take it all the way to Los Angeles.’ She said, ‘Get your kicks on Route 66.’ I said, ‘God, that’s a marvelous idea for a song.’” Troup finished the song in the car. (His marriage to Cynthia didn’t last, but he was gracious enough to give credit where it was due.) When he arrived in L.A., Troup played the song for Nat “King” Cole, who seized on it immediately, and his version went to the upper reaches of both the R&B and pop charts. It was by far Troup’s greatest contribution to American culture—but he was no one-hit wonder. He also penned “The Girl Can’t Help It,” a Little Richard screamer that served as the title to a seminal ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll movie, as well as “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring,” which the Beach Boys recorded, and “The Meaning of the Blues,” recorded by Miles Davis during his golden age.

Nat "King" Cole - "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66"

Some history: The route in question was first laid out as a wagon trail, with delegation of camels in tow, in 1857. Designated no. 66 in 1926, it became a key route for the westward migration of Dust Bowl refugees, a process chronicled in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, who dubbed it “the Mother Road.” Over the next few decades, Route 66 became a critical cross-country thoroughfare, much loved by an America still in the throes of its love affair with the automobile, as well as a breeding ground for the development of the modern filling station. Perhaps inevitably, though, Route 66 was not cut out for America’s post-war prosperity; the four-lane interstates were better equipped to handle heavy-duty trucking, and the road swiftly deteriorated physically as it shrank in importance. By the ‘70s it was a shadow of its former self, with major stretches shut down, and in 1986 it was officially decommissioned as a U.S. highway. Today there is a movement afoot to preserve parts of the road for its cultural importance. But, in its heyday, Bobby Troup’s song helped to cement Route 66’s status as an American icon in the public consciousness.

The Cramps - "Route 66 (Get Your Kicks On)"
Depeche Mode - "Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)"

“Route 66” is an amazingly versatile song; it works in just about any genre, from bossa nova to a primitive electric stomp. Troup’s jazzy original showed off his keyboard chops and sly scat singing. Nat Cole ran with it, adding his mellifluous phrasing and rich rasp to Troup’s gorgeous syllables and kicking the thing into the stratosphere. Numerous versions followed: big band style (Harry James, Bing Crosby, etc.) and lighter takes in the spirit of Cole’s approach (Mel Tormé, Louis Prima, Louis Jordan). Chuck Berry’s 1961 version is perhaps the earliest straight-up rock version of the song. Given his deep influence on the Rolling Stones, it would make sense to surmise that it was Chuck who inspired them to make their audacious cover. But, according to several accounts, it was actually the rendition done by soporific crooner Perry Como that the lads studied. Nevertheless, the Stones transformed this slinky concoction into a fierce, groovy rocker on the strength of Keith Richards’ Berryesque rhythm and lead lines, the tight, brisk rhythm section, urged on by handclaps, and Mick Jagger’s brash vocal. (He stumbles a bit on “don’t forget Winona” but obviously couldn’t care less.) The start-stops in the bridge amp up the tension and release, while the chunky guitar lick that anchors the song has been incorporated into practically every subsequent cover, from garage/pub rock offerings by the Count Bishops and the Eyes to faithfully Stones-y versions by the Pretty Things and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Replacements and R.E.M. The Cramps’ hushed, deconstruction is an exception, but even covers by goth proponents like Depeche Mode and Lords of the New Church owe a great deal to the Stones take. A country version by Asleep at the Wheel, Buckwheat Zydeco’s N’awlins-flavored version, and the UK Subs hardcore bash-o-rama demonstrate the infinite variations the song can withstand. Amazingly, given the visceral, trip-off-the-tongue nature of the lyrics, which border on poetry, no one has seen fit to do a rap version (although Public Enemy did touch on 66-ness in “Incident at 66.6 FM,” a brief collage made up of racist comments to a radio call-in show). So, while Nat “King” Cole’s is the definitive version of Troup’s original, the Stones turned “Route 66” into a lean, mean slice of visceral rock ‘n’ roll. Thus, with all due respect to the sophistication and subtlety of Mr. Cole, my deep-seated propensity to rock compels me to confer top ranking on track 2 of the 1964 debut LP by the future world’s greatest rock band: “Route 66.”

The Rolling Stones - "Route 66"
(live @ Knebworth, 1976)

Well if you ever plan to motor west

Travel my way/take the highway that’s the best

Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it winds from Chicago to LA

More than two-thousand miles all the way.

Get your kicks on Route 66.

Well it goes through St. Louie down to Missouri

Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty.

You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico

Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona,

Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip

When you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66

The Rolling Stones - "Route 66"

Endnote: Along with the hundreds of versions of the song, the highway itself has not lost its hold on American pop culture. It was the name of a TV series in the early ‘60s, as well as the working title of the Pixar hit Cars, which is set there. It also serves as the name of a film festival, a vintage diner, a clothing line, a theater company, a literacy program, a motor speedway, and a novel series.

Final Endnote:“66” by Afghan Whigs contains these unsettling lines: “Come on little rabbit/ Show me where you got it /'Cuz I know you got a habit.” Whether this has anything to do with the Jack Rabbit Trading Post on Route 66 [http://www.jackrabbit-tradingpost.com/] cannot be confirmed at press time.

Endnote III: A New Beginning: I have just discovered “66” by Danish electro-rockers Spleen United (I wonder if they were influenced by the Stomach Mouths of Stockholm), a standout track from the band’s second LP, Neanderthal (2008).

Numerology is our pal Dave's ill-advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. We hear 60 is the new 40, and now we're not even that impressed by his progress.

Previously: No. 1, 2 (redux), 3, 4 (redux), 5-7, 5 (redux),6 (redux), 6.4, 7 (counterpoint), 8, 9, 10/11, 12/13. 13 (counterpoint), 14/15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26/27, 28 , 29 , 30, 30 (counterpoint), 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, Footnotes, 57, 58, 59 , 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Retrohump: Does Weezer suck?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:31:51 -0500

Weezer - "The Good Life"

It's sad when a formerly adored band sinks by putting out progressively sub-par material. The worst scenario possible in such cases is when the new offerings are so bad they invite questioning on the songs you initially liked. Weezer is such a band. Ever since Weezer "returned" to the scene, marked in chronology as after Pinkerton and before the Green album, they've steadily found themselves failing into the despair of irrelevancy.

Being that relevancy of any type needs, by definition, a comparative entity to matter, I'll further validate the claim. Those if us that grew up on the first two records are pretty lost with the band. Somewhere between "Hash Pipe" and a serious (as in not-initially for parody) song about Beverly Hills you knew things got hopeless. Marked for eternity as a go-to soundtrack choice for gallivanting in the affluent Los Angeles burb and reminding us each time of the fall from pop-rock enigma to the pop music fetishists they are today.

I recently spun Pinkerton's "The Good Life" and had a moment of clarity. Weezer was always the cheesy band they are now, and Rivers Cuomo was always the dorky, nerd obsessed with pop music. Can you blame him? We unapologetically revered a song that sang about "shakin' booty, makin' sweet love all the night" but then got taken aback with something titled "Pork and Beans". I love Pinkerton and Weezer's debut album. But I wonder how much of it is tied in adolescent formative history. Now I wonder, does Weezer suck?

Ripping Vinyl, part 12

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:20:46 -0500

After many years of musical obsession completely removed from a record player, my pile of vinyl now grows incrementally, aided by the quality LP sellers of New York City. Baubles from the treasure chest will be posted here whenever it seems appropriate...

The Minimal Wave vinyl reissue label continues to do the lord's work by exhuming all manner of European synth pop that's been forgotten by all but the most dedicated and marginally obsessed. One of their most beautiful releases of late (and wow, just look at the above painted cover by Lorenzo Mattotti) is Lost and Late a compilation of long out of print early-to-mid 80s cassette tracks from French band Martin Dupont. I picked it up a while back, but just sort of got around to processing it for your pleasure.

The band formed in 1981 in Marseilles, France, eventually building enough steam to support Souixsie & the Banshees, before inevitably fading out after a few releases. Cryptically, there was no member of the band that shared their name. From the MW website, we get a bit more illumination on the band's elusive genre, "cold wave":

"cold wave is new wave without the ridiculous attitude the world could be any better and wthout the anger punk brought into this world."- "nice description...but there is some cold wave there that has some anger (I think of D-Stop, or perhaps it is punk?). As a sound you could say it sounds like the post-punk of groups like Joy Division but mostly with electronic percussion and some synth and a bit more raw on the punk side, at least that is most of the stuff i would describe as cold wave."

It is a style much beloved of my cold, cold heart. A couple frosty shards...

Martin Dupont - "Just Because"

"Just Because," the eponymous track from an '84 LP, pretends to be still and ominous at its onset, before suddenly jet-packing forward at accelerated tempo. "I've been a love song in my head," croons Alain Seghir repeatedly, against quickly chugging synth cogs. No one could mistake his band's creation for an outward expression of his peculiar identity crisis, especially with goony deep voices often intruding on the mix. For a neon monsters, this one does have a whiff of doomed romance.

Martin Dupont - "Shake Your Flowers"

"Shake Your Flowers" is more immediately forthcoming about its synth loops, though it has a more tentative, limping rhythm than the first selection's. The ancient tones they achieved spanned a wide gulf, from a frightening apocalyptic foghorn to quite lush and lovely throbbing notes. Alain intrudes now and again to sigh in an emphatic Gallic fashion, but he mainly ducks out so that the track can focus on the interplay between MD's platoon of synth sounds. The more avant tones can be mildly distracting, but there's a pretty, crystalline architecture to it all not often attempted by the key plinkers of the modern age.

Previously:

- the Raincoats, live @ the BBC

- Linear Movement play "the Game"

- A hole where the Romeo should be

- Pete Shelley, also a homosapien

- Not nearly the only Stereolab tour-only 7"

- Monochrome Set transcend the singles scene circa '82

- OMD's Dazzling Ships

- Pylon continue to gyrate, mid-Chomp

- James McNew's home-recordings are so good that I refuse to make a "Dump" pun

- Rox-y! Rox-y! Rox-y! Rox-y!

- Saying somethin' 'bout "Spooks in Space".

Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 6.22.2009 - 6.28.2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:27:00 -0500

Phoenix will mercilessly destroy the Bluebird Theater and its broccoli-headed inhabitants on Thursday.

Monday, June 22
A.A. Bondy @ Hi-Dive
The B-52s @ Denver Botanic Gardens
Bill Callahan/Julie Doiron @ Oriental Theater

Tuesday, June 23
The Artery Foundation Across America Tour 2009 @ Marquis Theater
Bachelorette @ Larimer Lounge
Death Hickey Blues @ Bluebird Theater
Deleted Scenes @ Walnut Room
Summer Slaughter @ Gothic Theatre
Telekenisis @ Hi-Dive

Wednesday, June 24
Jackie Greene @ Bluebird Theater
Nathen Maxwell & The Original Bunny Gang @ Marquis Theater
Paper Bird @ Hi-Dive
Shakedown Street @ Swallow Hill
The Swayback @ Fox Theatre
Torch The Wagon @ Larimer Lounge

Thursday, June 25
Dore Taylor @ Marquis Theater
The Dynamites @ Fox Theatre
The Legendary River Drifters @ Hi-Dive
Lost Point @ Gothic Theatre
Phoenix @ Bluebird Theater
Redshift Radio @ Larimer Lounge
Zimbabwean Music Festival @ Boulder Theater

Friday, June 26
2 Live Crew @ Fox Theatre
Dan Hicks And The Hot Licks @ Soiled Dove
David Cook @ Ogden Theater
I Sank Molly Brown @ Larimer Lounge
Maximum Groove Monster @ Gothic Theatre
Mika Miko @ Hi-Dive
Reno Divorce @ Marquis Theater
Trinity Demask @ Swallow Hill
White Rabbits @ Bluebird Theater
Zimbabwean Music Festival @ Boulder Theater

Saturday, June 27
Ascaris @ Larimer Lounge
The Audition @ Fox Theatre
Bitch And Swap @ Hi-Dive
The Cab @ Marquis Theater
Danielia Cotton @ Soiled Dove
The Dropskots @ Bluebird Theater
Girls Rock Camp Benefit Show @ Hi-Dive
John Denver - The Tribute @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
Lost Point @ Walnut Room
Rene Heredia @ Swallow Hill
Tickle Me Pink @ Gothic Theatre
Zimbabwean Music Festival @ Boulder Theater

Sunday, June 28
Bert Jansch @ Swallow Hill
Here We Go Magic @ Larimer Lounge
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ Walnut Room
Naturally 7 @ Soiled Dove
The Robert Cray Band @ Boulder Theater

Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.

Videos: Future of the Left

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:07:43 -0500

Future of the Left - "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You"
(live, @ Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, 5.19.09)

So, in the process of writing a short review yesterday, it struck me that Future of the Left's Travels With Myself and Another is sort of unbearably great. Andy Falkous' usual acid wit and his band's continual instrumental pummel is evident immediately, but it took real close inspection for me to get how immaculately produced and crafted the thing was. It's not really loose at all, but a painstaking pop record. That has head-banging songs about Satanic orgies on it.

Future of the Left - "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You"

Future of the Left - "The Hope That House Built"
(official video)

Here's the first official video, for a track that struts like the Queens of the Stone Age's better tracks, but strikes me as a lot more clever. And that pub just looks like a good time.

Future of the Left - "The Hope That House Built"

Animal Collective, Live @ Boulder Theater, Boulder, 6.02.09

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:00:01 -0500

Photos by Merry Swankster

At almost the exact midpoint of 2009 there was no other show I was more excited for than Animal Collective at the beautiful Boulder Theater. From the squeeze felt by anyone making a play for scarce extra tickets, I clearly wasn't the only one stoked with anticipation. The experimental group's lone Colorado stop had sold out many months in advance. From the strength of a pair of challenging albums alone (2007's Strawberry Jam and this year's near perfect Merriweather Post Pavilion) this shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise. Consistent praise from critics has always bobbed in the band's wake, but the radical approach to musical composition that makes Animal Collective so unique is also likely to create problems for undeveloped ears. For that and several other reasons, I found it difficult to accept the actuality of their ability to draw large numbers. Obviously a capacity crowd of varied ages goes a long way to proving me wrong. As it turned out, all the high expectations and buzz in the world couldn't turn in a result of branding Animal Collective a "must-see performance."

Without counting the time at a past Coachella where I briefly dropped in on Animal Collective, this show was my first time seeing a proper AC concert. A warm, enthusiastic applause welcomed the trio as they emerged and walked to their respective spots behind each of the three white-skirted stations on the stage. Geologist (Brian Weitz), wearing his moniker's trademark head lamp, took stage right. Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) at stage left had a rig of keyboards, assorted mixers, boards and a small deconstructed drum set. Avey Tare (Dave Portner) worked the middle space between the flanks and took his spot underneath a giant white globe that got blasted by Rorschach-like projections of mirrored patterns throughout the show. For a backdrop, a massive tapestry of the optical trickery from the cover art on Merriweather Post Pavilion's donned the rear. If anyone wonders whether the giant size had an inverse effect on seeing the optical illusion, the answer is no. However, what did compute, awkwardly, was Animal Collective's inability to hold the audience's collective attention for any significant amount of time. Admittedly, a few exceptional song performances stand well enough alone and do not apply. It would be irresponsible of me to ignore the promising start of a show that kicked off a spirited "In the Flowers". Rollicking as it was, the song's upbeat, energetic vibes were not indicative of what was too follow.

Video: Handsome Furs - "I'm Confused"

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:40:59 -0500

Hey, Kelli Douglas, the site's all-around girl has a touch of Handsome Furs fever after a Denver gig, and demanded that I post this video. It's a few weeks old, but I'm powerless to resist. A tiny note from her below...

The Merry Swankster will have a Handsome Furs show review posted in a few days. Until then you can keep yourself happily occupied watching their video for "I'm Confused". The video itself is not confusing, as it's pretty simple to see we are dealing with zombies. Zombies are fun, and watching them in unison to Dan Boeckner's not-scary-at-all voice is pleasantly surprising.