This post is an adaptation from my recent article on Examiner.com.
September 17, 2009
Appaloosa Bar and Grill
This past Thursday in downtown Denver, the By All Means Band lit up an otherwise dark stage.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, By All Means calls its sound an Afro-beat/Funk fusion, or “Ghanerican”. Central to the band is drummer Paa Kow, a Ghana native, and three of the other bandmates studied music in Ghana. This is the second incarnation of By All Means, Kow being the only original member. Although they occasionally vocalize, the band focuses mainly on the instruments, with a clear emphasis on drums and percussion.
In the chic Appaloosa Bar and Grill, lit only by ambient room lighting and the street lamps from the windows, the stage sits just inside the front entrance so the music can spill out into the Sixteenth Street Mall. I took a seat inside, out of the way, but in view of the stage.
The band launched into its first set at 10:00 PM with a friendly number, followed by a funky cover of one of those old jazz tunes everyone recognizes but no one really knows.
With the third song, the band came to life.
Seemingly out of nowhere came the catchy opening rock riffs from guitarist Aaron Fichtner–the band’s almost-hidden hunk of dynamite–followed by a powerful blend of African and American rhythms, a strong bass line, and a trombone/saxophone duo fronting the effort. This was the first song where the band showcased the “Afro-beat” part of it’s Afro-funk fusion–complete with a head-turning percussion solo near the end. The results were captivating.
Not too long after, people were crowding the front area, and I was craning my neck to see past them. A few brave souls turned what space there was into a dance floor. Had there been room for it, certainly many more would have been dancing.
Among the few detractions from the performance, the first wasn’t entirely the band’s fault. While the street vibe of the Appaloosa is hip, the venue isn’t very conducive to dance, which this band’s sound definitely invites; so their stage presence was a bit muted because the audience didn’t have enough room. Additionally, I think By All Means would do well to stay away from cover songs, because they have enough clout with their original material to take them places covers just can’t.
That said–should you go see these guys next time they do a show in town?
By all means.
OOMPH scale: 6.5
See where By All Means is playing by visiting their MySpace page.