Concert review of James

Monday night I had the pleasure of seeing James at the Bluebird. This was one of my favorite bands in the 90s and Laid is one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke, so needless to say I had some high expectations for this show. Though, being a realist, I realized the potential of his voice to fade after being around for over 20 years was a distinct possibility, but that did not stop me from going to this show. Thank christ I didn't skip it. This show was so much fun. James played a number of songs that spanned their entire career and some off the new album that recently came out. There were two main highlights to this show other than my phenomenal air drumming during Laid (in my mind I'm the white Carter Beauford) The first one was when they sang Lullaby. This song is beautiful and one of my favorites on the Laid CD. The other highlight was a song I believe was called Expression. This song was one of the most amazing songs to hear live that I have witnessed in a while. The lights with it were awesome, the drums and percussion blew my mind, and the dancing during it was great. The entire band looked like they were having fun all night long and when they closed the set they brought a bunch of audience members onstage to dance with them.

This is a band that has everything you could want, string instruments, horn player, percussion, the ability to just jam for a bit, dancing (and not that backstreet boys synchronized bullshit, I'm talking feeling the music and moving your body dancing) and incredible music. While there were a few mellow songs, there was nothing on that setlist that I would have exchanged for something else. These guys are pure fun and great entertainers. I walked out of there a bigger fan than I was when I walked in. Also, the fear that I had that he wouldn't be able to reach the notes in Laid were all for nothing. His voice is still perfect.

Around town tonight and tomorrow

It's been a busy ass weekend and I just didn't get a chance to post again. If you are looking to go out tonight, hit up Bluebird for James, Ogden to see Sonic Youth, or Red Rocks for Alice in Chains. I'm personally going to be at the James show.

Tomorrow, check out Eels at the Ogden. Those guys are awesome. I really wish I would have gotten tickets for that one. Don't make my mistake, get your tickets now.

Around town tonight

Another busy night around Denver, check out who is here tonight.

Muse w/ Passion Pit @ Pepsi Center

Passion Pit DJ Set, Boyhollow @ Larimer Lounge

Cobra Skulls, 10-4 Eleanor, False Colours, Sea Of Teeth @ Blast-O-Mat

LUPEC - Crush Party @ Hi-Dive

Bluetech, Heyoka, SHLOHMO, Kilowatts, Phutureprimitive, James Pants, Filastine @ Cervantes

Synthetic Elements w/ Forth Yeer, The Outta Controllers, Potato Pirates, Insomniaxe @ Gothic Theater

Les Nubians w/ DJ Cavem @ Soiled Dove

Artless Bravado / Flashbulb Fires / Tijuana Pillbox / Milktooth @ Lion's Lair

Ian Cooke Band w/ Ian Cooke (solo set), Kal Cahoone and the Dirty Pretty, and Bonnie Gregory @ Walnut Room

The Riot Before @ Illegal Petes

Monroe Monroe, Mitya, The Pretty Sure @ Meadowlark

Cikatriz, SuperSeed, Trykes & DJ Omar 2.0 @ Bar Standard

Super Diamond @ Ogden

Caldera Lakes, Ya Ya Boom, Doo Crowder, Sybil Vane, Kissing Party @ Rhinoceropolis

The Informants w/ Colfax Cowboys, Brethren Fast Racing Team, Second Bell @ Herman's Hideaway

HEAVY DRAGS W/ BAD WEATHER CALIFORNIA & PUSHING UP DAISIES @ Bender's Tavern

tin horn prayer/el sin sin/a tom collins/THE RIOT BEFORE @ Rockaway Tavern

Nino w/ Calebkai, U.T.I.C.A @ Moe's

Jon Statz @ Walnut Room pizza

Phantom of the Opera with Marta Burton and Nick Rossi @ Eron Johnsons

Random Hero, Fulcrum & Hot Cheeze Soup @ Cervantes Other Side

The Riot Before @ 3 Kings

Dave Edwards & The Original F & G's, Buck 25, Penchant (w/ Danny Masters), Jaded Traveler @ Toad Tavern

Killah Priest (Wu-Tang Clan) & Kozmic Prophet @ Casselmans

Catfish Kray Blues Band with Jesse Garland @ Ziggies

Ben Folds with Colorado symphony orchestra @ Boetcher Concert Hall



Now that's a lot of great shows. While I'll be at the Blue October show in Boulder tonight, I recommend the following: Ben Folds (saw him with Tori Amos, he was phenomenal, throw in the orchestra and it will be a beautiful show) Super Diamond, they will play Neil Diamond covers all night. Who doesn't want to sing Sweet Caroline? Monroe Monroe will be another great show as well. Are you a rap fan? Check out Killah Priest tonight. Synthetic Elements will also rock your world if you make it over there. Tonight is the best night to be out. Make the most of it.

Around town 10-1

The weekend is almost here, time for lots of great shows on Friday as well as a lot of mediocre shows and a few terrible shows (Hanson at Fox Theater....I can't believe they are still touring)

Sea Wolf (solo acoustic) w/ Patrick Park, Sera Cahoone @ Hi-Dive

The Besnard Lakes, Vitamins, Riflemen (members of Candy Claws, Paean, Mouthful of Thunder, Brooke Waggoner) @ Larimer Lounge

The Kissing Party w/ Fingers of the Sun, The Don'ts & Be Carefuls @ Moe's

The Heyday, Air Dubai w/ Bop Skizzum, Places @ Gothic

Radical Knitting Circle and The Hollyfelds @ Walnut Room

Redman and Whiskey Blanket w/ Food Chain, The Pirate Signal, 3 The Hard Way, Mike D Chill and THC @ Cervantes

Matt Hires w/ Camera Can't Lie & Andrea Ball @ Soiled Dove

I'm A Boy w/ KindleTree, Brighton Boulevard, The Julia Bryan Band, Red Hot Blues Catz @ Herman's Hideaway

Kinetix, the Brew, Roster McCabe @ Bluebird

Josh Abbott Band @ Grizzly Rose

The Independents w/ Captain Blood@ 3 Kings

Paddy O'Brien @ Eron Johnsons

the Bop Kings @ Rockaway Tavern

Buzzard, Adai @ Old Curtis Street Bar

Entropy, Coral Thief, The Desciples, Iconoclass @ Toad Tavern

Brethren Fast @ Ziggies

Autumn Assault @ Benders

Cody Crump and the Little Giants @ Skyline Park

Reckless Red @ Lincoln's

Once again, I recommend Kissing Party at Moe's. That line up is stellar and there is a surprise special guest as well. Want to know who? Better go and see. If they don't do it for you, Brethren Fast is playing at Ziggies. If they can't get you dancing then I'm betting you have two broken legs or just paralyzed. Have fun out there, and if you go to any shows let me know how they are.

Around town the next couple of days

The nice thing about the week is not a whole lot goes on musically, and this week has been pretty sad for the most part.

Tomorrow Band of Horses is at the Fillmore, though personally their music doesn't do it for me, Thursday the Thrift Store Cowboys are at the Hi-Dive, and Friday the show you should start looking forward to is Kissing Party, Fingers of the Sun, and Don'ts and Be Carefuls at Moe's. Holy crap what a line up of awesome music. While you are there, be sure to have some BBQ because it's pretty damn tasty. Great food and great music, how can you go wrong ?

The Mighty 18 Wheeler at 3 Kings

If you made it out to 3 Kings last night, you were treated to a spectacular line up that had Mighty 18 Wheeler opening for the Vibrators. What most of the place wasn't expecting is for the Mighty 18 Wheeler to win pretty much the whole bar over with raw energy. To describe TM18W, you would need to look to the 70s when Alice Cooper was just starting to get big and everything was a show. Mighty 18 Wheeler has captured that time and throws in everything they can afford to do. They have a go-go dancer on stage, the lead singer has a complete wardrobe change, and there is a battle for stage presence. Every member of this band has such great presence while playing it's hard to decide who to watch, though most guys were focused mainly on the go-go dancer. During their set they threw down covers to Real Me and Sympathy for the Devil and had people screaming with excitement. When they were done playing, there wasn't much left to the place, in fact I don't think their drum kit quite made it. When they play next, do yourselves a favor and see these guys throw down.

Around town tomorrow and Saturday

Well I've been both incredibly busy and incredibly lazy at the same time. You will have to forgive me. Luckily you haven't missed anything big at all. (I did tell you to go to 3 Kings last night) So here you go, here is what's going on tomorrow and Saturday.

Friday
Matt and Kim, So So Glos, Pictureplane @ Ogden

School of Seven Bells, Active Child, DJ Peter Black @ Larimer Lounge

Woven Hand, Serena Maneesh @ Bluebird

Demon Funkies @ Scruffy Murphys

Scout Niblett w/ Porlolo, Brian Hartley, Lady Parts @ Hi-Dive

NUNS OF BRIXTON w/ 98% Chimp, Absent Minds, Gestapo Pussy Ranch @ Benders

Furthur @ Red Rocks

TECH N9NE @ Fillmore

The Trampolines w/ Della, Jason Vigil Band, No Fair Fights @ Gothic

Rootz vs. Murphy (of STS9) w/ The Larva Ink, Tyler Snow, & Nico Casciato @ City Hall

P-Nuckle, Synthetic Elements, Guerrilla Jazz.. Free Show @ Herman's Hideaway

Michael Adam CD Release w/ Jeff Brinkman and John Common @ Walnut Room

Headhum / Antique Scream / Lehnen @ Lions Lair

Truckasaurus w/ One Whore's Town, The Morgendorffers, Captain Blood @ Moe's

Rachael Jane & The Hurricane @ Ziggies

Real is a Feeling with: Pictureplane, Screensavers and Crew @ Meadowlark

Liebermonster w/ Volunteer Funk Department @ Cervantes Other Side

Pre party Meet and Greet Jaberwaockeez @ Casselmans

Face - All Vocal Rock Band @ Soiled Dove

Pretty Mouth, Dang!,Myth of Logic, Sonic Vomit @ 3 Kings

Crusher Bound Cadillac, Judged By Twelve, Cimmerian Shade, Shotgun Holiday @ Toad Tavern

Eagerminds, Inland Lights, Banners For Badges @ Old Curtis Street Pub

Saturday
Starfucker w/ Tennis, Tommy Metz @ Hi-Dive

The Cult, the Black Ryder @Ogden

Land of Talk, Suuns, Achille Lauro @ Larimer Lounge

Thee Oh Sees w/ O'Holloran @ Benders

Furthur @ Red Rocks

: Skylab :: Wolfgang Gartner • Showtek • Dieselboy @ Denver Coliseum

Blue Million Miles, Ideal Fathers, Light Travels Faster @ Lost Lake

Local Fest 2010 w Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, All capitals and many more @ Casselmans

Glass Delirium w/ Saved By Ruin, Ploy for Extinction, Fears are Limits, Advent Justice @ Gothic Theater

Reno Divorce @ Bluebird

St Fall Apart CD Release Party w/ King Rat, Slow Death @ 3 Kings

Martin Sexton w/ Leslie Stevens @ Chautauqua Auditorium

Voladores w/ The Widow's Bane, Still Light, Frieda Stalheim @ Walnut Room

Fire In The Asylum / The Swindlers / Forrest Day @ Lions Lair

Mad Dog & The Smokin' J's, Hillbilly Hellcats, GT & The Sidewinders, & Beki Hemingway @ Herman's Hideaway

Pharoahe Monch, Boot Camp Clik featuring Buckshot, Sean Price, & Smif N Wessun, Kidz In The Hall, Skyzoo @ Summit Music Hall

Memory Down, With Arms Raised, Alive In Stereo, Pushing Daisies, Finding Nowhere @ Toad Tavern

Double Down, Traveling Electric Chair. @ Old Curtis Street Pub

Gary Morris w/ Justyna Kelley @ Soiled Dove

Cara Cantarella Band @ Ziggies

Josh Vaught (of The Rouge) w/ Joe Mondragon, Focus! Focus!, Vanessa Spear @ Moe's

Apex Vibe w/ UmConscious, Gravity, Rhythmic Fuzz @ Cervantes

The Prime @ Cervantes Other Side



With such a busy weekend I know it's hard to choose just one. If you want to hear some funk, head to Scruffy Murphy's for Demon Funkies, if you love the Clash, head to Bender's for Nuns of Brixton, or if you want an acapella rock group that is pretty awesome, head to Soiled Dove for Face. I had a chance to see them at Taste of Colorado a year ago and was pretty impressed what those guys can do without any instruments.

Saturday's choices are also tough. If you love Social Distortion then you need to check out Reno Divorce at the Bluebird. If you are a rockabilly fan then Herman's is the place for Hillbilly Hellcats, and head to Casselmans for Local Fest for a good mixture of some of the best local bands in Denver.