Denver indie-rock outfit Science Partner is, by definition, a Denver supergroup, in the sense that it is composed of band mates who are part of other Denver bands. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tyler Despres and bassist Charley Hine, for example, were from The Dualistics; guitarist Luke Mossman plays in Achille Lauro; vocalist Jess DiNicola sings with John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light; Maria Kohler is better known around town as rapper Kitty Crimes; and drummer Carl Sorenson plays with–well, just about everyone else.
But while Science Partner started out as basically a fun side project, it’s become apparent during their few-but-impactful live performances over the past couple of years that they are actually a force to be reckoned with on their own. Never was this more apparent than during their show-stopping performance at the Underground Music Showcase in July, which practically stopped traffic with the crowds that gathered outside the open window of the venue.
In between their various other projects, the band has been gradually laying down tracks, putting together a record. Over time, Rocky Mountain News grew from an EP to a respectable full-length record–and is now set to be officially released with a special release show this Friday at the Larimer Lounge in Denver. If you’re in the Denver area, it would be worth your time to come out to the show. If you’re not–take a listen to the single below, “Animal,” and go pick up the record from Science Partner’s Bandcamp site.
So apparently, I’m not music festivaled out yet. Although I’m getting close.
After hitting the Denver Underground Music Showcase last month, and Vans Warped Tour last weekend, I am writing this from the press tent at the Mile High Music Festival–Denver’s biggest annual music event. My first time attending this event–and very impressed with everything so far.
Lots of local bands get to hit these stages during the early afternoon both days. I just finished hearing Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, a great upcoming band here in Denver, do an awesome set. While finding my bearings, I also caught the opening of OneEskimO. Looking to catch Keane, Phoenix and Jack Johnson play later today.
Give a shout out if you’re attending MHMF–let us know what your favorites have been.
Manchester Orchestra--one of the bands I'd like to hear more from
I’ve probably said this before (I’m not looking back in the posts to see if I have)…but I’m a lifetime student of music. I’m the kind of guy who listens intently to music, who prefers it in the foreground rather than the background. I’m also the more reflective type at concerts. I don’t do the stage diving thing. I do the sit-in-the-back-and-watch-intently thing. Because I’m studying when the band is playing.
I hear a lot of stuff that shows promise, and stuff I like personally; but these days, honestly, it’s rare that I go to a gig and really like every band on the lineup. So Saturday night, when I went to the Fillmore Auditorium and saw Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, and Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, I was given a real treat. It was my first time to see any of them play, and every band knocked it out of the park for me in one way or the other.
Take the opening act, for example: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band. (No, the wrestler didn’t turn musician–that’s another Dusty.) From the first few lines of the opening song, I was hooked; I literally couldn’t stop smiling. Their quirky blend of rock, folk and soul, headed up by a guy with an 70’s afro and leisure suit to match, just won me over.
I’d heard Manchester Orchestra before, but I don’t think I understood their vibe, or why they call themselves an orchestra. Not a violin among them (heck, even Dusty Rhodes had a violin). But I understand now. They play rock & roll “symphony” style. I loved it. At times they have two guys playing drums, but during one particular song, I turned my eyes away, and when I looked back, there were four drummers. (I do not need glasses, and no one conked me on the head. I think it was the percussion section from Brand New–they joined Manchester for one of the songs.) Pretty freakin’ cool.
Brand New I loved for their combination of energy and passion, even when doing their slower, softer stuff. And obviously the crowd loved them, too. At times I could hear the crowd singing louder than Jesse Lacey.
Like I said, it wasn’t just one band that stood out for me; it was all of them, for a variety of reasons. But there were a few common threads that tied the bands together that made me love the whole experience:
Stage presence. I once heard a guy say that performers either demand attention from an audience, or they command it. There’s a fine line between the two, but when a band commands the stage instead of just doing a bunch of antics to attract attention, that’s what makes them professional. Every band, in my opinion, commanded rather than demanded–even the quirky antics of Dusty Rhodes seemed honest and believable.
Dynamic range. So often bands think there is no other setting but “10” on their amplifiers, and they play everything loud. Don’t get me wrong–I like loud–but when loud is all you get in a performance, that’s not true musicianship. (In fact, it ties in with the point above–some bands demand attention by playing it loud all the time.) You need a dynamic range in music, to provide contrast, so things stay interesting. That’s part of what makes it music, not just noise–and that goes for every genre. All three bands used a wide dynamic range; sometimes they were loud, other times soft–often in the same song. And because they were commanding the stage, they had as much clout with the audience either way. This is why Brand New could open their set with Jesse Lacey alone on the stage, playing their entire first song alone, quietly, with a guitar–and the audience totally bought it.
Above the other two things, though…the one common thread that completely hooked me about this concert was passion. Every band gave it their all. Every band meant what they were doing, and I believed them. That’s what hooks me about a performance more than anything else–passion. They all had heart. They didn’t let me down.
I hadn’t seen any of these bands play live before Saturday night. But every one of them left me wanting to hear more from them.
So…what bands leave you wanting more? (Don’t be shy…talk to me.)
(This post is supplemental to my article on Examiner.com.)
I admit I’m a bit of a skeptic. When I hear or see a lot of buildup or hype over something, I usually get a little put off, because too many times the “something” doesn’t measure up to the hype. I figure if you have to work that hard to tell everyone how good something is, it probably isn’t. So when I started seeing the high-quality posters and handbills for the huge upcoming CD-release party (and film festival??) for John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light; then saw the articles in Westword; then heard about it on the radio–I thought I’d better check it out, but I was prepared for it to be less than it was cracked up to be.
Thankfully, the event measured up this time.
When I walked into Casselman’s Bar and Venue Saturday night for the event, I was handed a CD of the new release, and a complementary first drink. These guys had everything prepared. They knew that fans would be there, critics, bloggers and the like, waiting to be impressed. There are many blogs and review sites these days, for everything from music to o2 UK Priority reviews. If you can score some good reviews on popular sites, that means there’s a good chance you can gain more listeners, and, potentially, fans. Tables and chairs were set up lounge-fashion, the stage was set, and fog machines were creating “atmosphere.” A huge video screen was running slides. And the display table to the side held a box art exhibit from local artists who drew their inspiration from the record. The video screen, I was soon to discover, was for the “film festival”–four short films by local filmmakers, again themed on songs from the CD, selected from fifteen participants, and shown between acts. The whole evening was literally set up as a party as well as a concert, celebrating the creativity of local artists, all the while turning attention to the CD in a variety of ways.
It was extremely well-planned and creatively designed, and presented in a highly professional manner. I must admit I was impressed. But never having heard John Common before, I wondered: would the band measure up to all the buildup?
The event wasn’t without its snafus. (Few events are.) Actually, the night’s biggest weakness actually had nothing to do with the artists or bands, or even the planning. The second act, Achille Lauro, was obviously a good band, but was plagued with sound problems where most of the room could not hear the vocalists sing or speak, and thus they could not hold the room’s attention. By the time they finished, the room was restless and the party was drifting. I began to wonder if this highly-pumped event was going to turn out mediocre, like all the others that have admittedly made me a skeptic.
When John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light finally took the stage, my doubts faded away. By the third song, I was a fan. By the fifth song, I wanted to join the band.
It was definitely a risky undertaking all around. Beautiful Empty is apparently quite a step toward “down-tempo” from John Common’s previous work; it’s acoustic, reflective, even melencholy. In addition, the band itself contained two violins, two cellos, a keyboard/organ/glockenspiel player, a drummer, bass player and female “background” vocalist (actually she sang more as a duet with John Common and is strong enough to solo on her own). And John played piano and acoustic guitar (not at the same time). Quite a lineup–and again, risky, because it takes a lot to get that many band members to play well together.
But the music was very nearly flawless–great sound, great arrangements, great vocals, great musicianship. The fact that the songs were more reflective did not take away from the power and passion of the performance. It was one of those “good for the soul” music moments for me.
Bottom line: John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light were every bit at the level of excellence that their event promotion suggested they would be. And their new CD is definitely worth a listen.
If you’ve never been to Beale Street in Memphis, it’s worth a trip to experience it. Several blocks of nightclubs with high-quality blues music and some of the best barbecued ribs you ever ate. It’s almost other-worldly because you can practically feel the history pulsing around you.
And if you’re anything like me, the blues riffs stick in your head for days afterward.
When I found out there was a band named “Roadhouse Joe” doing a “blues jam” at a place called Ziggies on Sunday night with no cover charge, I thought I’d go check it out. Honestly, the place looked like a dive on the outside, and no off-street parking (except at a friendly nearby hair salon, I found out afterward). I parked on the street and walked inside just as the fellas were tuning up.
Moments later, I was carried back to Memphis. Sort of.
Not that it wasn’t good; it was. But first of all, it wasn’t really “Memphis” blues; it was more Chicago style, a little less southern fried. Second, there were no ribs. (That wasn’t the band’s fault–it was a bar, not a grill.) Third, the band kind of hum-hawed around between numbers while they tried to decide what to play next.
But when they played, and when the lead vocalist graveled his way through the words …oOOOH, YEAH…
I don’t spend a lot of time listening to blues music, but I must like the blues a lot. Because when I hear them live, it carries me away someplace. So yeah, these guys held their own, and put me right in the mood.
But the forty-minute set was actually just the warm up. It turns out when they say “blues jam”, they mean it. As Roadhouse Joe played, musicians with guitar cases and gear started piling into the small, dark club, signing up on a sheet in the back. And after the set, the band turned the stage (and their gear) over to the crowd, a few at a time, according to who had signed the list. The new musicians tuned up, introduced themselves to one another, shook hands, picked a key…and played and sang the blues, with every bit as much passion (if not as much polish) as Roadhouse Joe had done.
It made the moment much more powerful to realize that what I’d walked into was an actual blues jam session–that these people hadn’t just come to listen to the blues, but to play them, to own them. This was the place where anyone could play the blues.
Lots of people I grew up around don’t care much for the blues–they think it’s depressing, negative, dark, and all that. But for me–and maybe I’m the guy who just doesn’t catch on–the blues make me happy. And apparently, I’m not the only one, because while these people rail on about the girl that done them wrong, the holes in their pockets, and all that sad stuff…they’re smiling. They’re jumping around the stage, losing themselves in the music. The blues may start from a sad place, but when they work their cathartic magic…they seem to take us to a happier place. It’s kind of like venting, I guess. You might spout and scream and hiss and moan, but you feel a lot better afterward.
As I found out later, Ziggies club actually does two open blues jams per week–every Tuesday and Sunday night–hosted by about four different bands through the course of a month. So if you’re in Denver, if you have it in you and you want to be part of the gig…go down there around 7pm and sign up. Ziggies is at 4923 W. 38th Avenue in Denver.
By the way…the blues stayed in my head all the way home.
Denver indie-rock outfit Science Partner is, by definition, a Denver supergroup, in the sense that it is composed of band mates who are part of other Denver bands. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tyler Despres and bassist Charley Hine, for example, were from The Dualistics; guitarist Luke Mossman plays in Achille Lauro; vocalist Jess DiNicola sings with John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light; Maria Kohler is better known around town as rapper Kitty Crimes; and drummer Carl Sorenson plays with–well, just about everyone else.
