Something Like Sound

I got to chat with 1090 Club about a month ago concerning their new video for “ITSON” and they were certainly excited about the project. Now it’s finally out, so be sure to watch that business right here.

If Saturday got me down, Sunday got me back up again. Although the clouds hung low in the sky and menaced us throughout the afternoon, the tired, hungover patrons (and bands) of the Underground Music Showcase refused to let it dictate how the day was going to go.

Upon arrival Jake and I headed down to TS Board Shop for The Pseudo Dates, a great upbeat group. Their set can best be described as a lively combination of punk, surf, and a touch of 80′s pop. It certainly put a smile on my face (both with their music and singer/bassist Suzi Allegra’s punk-rock sense of fashion).

From there I decided we had to see Hawks of Paradise. I had seen this group open for Akron/Family on St. Pattie’s day, and remembered it as a pretty good set. Well, their set at the UMS was definitely memorable (musically, their brand of rock music played well with the upbeat attitude I was forming). What came as a bit of a surprise was the end of their set, when they announced, rather nonchalantly, that the preceding songs were their last… ever.
Edit: I read on Reverb this morning that they might not actually be breaking up, way to go guys.

Jake missed the Houses set at the Hi-Dive on Friday night, so we stuck around the C*****s outdoor stage (that’s right, I’m independent, none of this sponsor-toting crap until I see some dollars rolling my way from you Cartoys). What I said about their Friday set can pretty much be applied to their Sunday set (especially since they were very similar, both were quite enjoyable and had fairly well sized crowd attendances).

1090 Club

Achille Lauro

We stayed a little longer at the outdoor stage to see friends-to-the-blog, 1090 Club. Their set was solid, but I felt a little bad because the crowd really thinned out (next time, Denver, next time support this band). Although I soon found myself walking over to catch Achille Lauro. I must say, they have a unique way of doing things: half the time they’ve got their synths and patches going, the other times they’re playing like a traditional 4-piece. Taken as a whole, I was definitely not bored, and had to stay on my toes to keep up with what was happening next.

After a quick stop by Persian Gourmet for some delicious falafel (my new favorite food; take note everyone who wants to buy me dinner), it was back to the main stage for what was shaping up to be an incredible set from Everything Absent or Distorted. Although this was another band that I had seen earlier in the festival, that certainly did not take any of the thunder out of their set.

Armed with a healthy variety of instruments (3 guitars, 1 bass, 1 accordion, 1 banjo, 1 drum-kit, 1 trombone, 2 keyboards, and various other random noisemakers), EAOD played one of the most ruckus sets I have ever seen; perhaps the word that best describes it: swashbuckling. A whiskey-fueled frenzy of energetic sound, EAOD did not go quietly into the night. As they finished their set, they decided to play another song, a cover of The National’s “Abel,” a fitting temporary closing (until they officially call it good in November).

“My mind’s not right”

-The National

At this point I was truly tired. The combination of my fatigue and the incredible set from EAOD had me convinced that it would be best to end  on a high note. Stay tuned for a proper “Reflections on the UMS” post, complete with suggestions for next year’s festival.

Here comes the second, just like the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

Saturday

Joseph Pope III (Rock The Cradle, 3 pm): I haven’t had a chance to catch his solo act yet, but I have enjoyed what he has added to The Wheel.

Elin Palmer (South Broadway Christian Church, 4pm): After seeing her play Friday night, I’m impressed (and also a little intrigued to learn more about Sweden). I might not show up to this one (since I did just see her), but you definitely should check it out.

In The Red (TS Board Shop, 5:30 pm): As a band on the local Suburban Home Records, I’ve heard alot about these guys, but haven’t heard them live yet.

Astrophagus (Hi-Dive, 6:30 pm): A band that combines beautiful and trippy soundscapes with guitar and trumpet. It’s like the ’59 sound remixed.

Wardens (Hi-Dive, 8:00 pm): I met the lovely ladies from Wardens Friday night, and I said I’d be there. Plus these girls came all the way from Brooklyn.

Danielle Ate The Sandwich (Hornet, 8:15 pm): Ukulele madness! You gotta love Danielle’s unique style

Dualistics (Skylark, 9:30 pm): Get ready to rock out, plus hear some new tunes from this group.

Bad Weather California (Hi-Dive, Midnight): Another excellent closer for the evening, Bad Weather will certainly not let Saturday go quietly into the night.

Sunday

The Pseudo-Dates (TS Board Shop, 3:30 pm): Another band I met during the festival. These guys seem like a fun bunch, so why not check them out (what else would you be doing at 3:30 on a Sunday?)

Hawks of Paradise (Goodwill Parking Lot, 4:30): Last time I saw these guys was opening for Akron/Family, and I remember it being very loud (in a good way).

1090 Club (Goodwill Parking Lot, 6 pm): I already did a write up on these guys, read that.

Andrea Ball (Hi-Dive, 8:15 pm): I had “Beat Beat Pound” stuck in my head today (again), maybe she can get it stuck in yours too.

Bowerbirds (Hi-Dive, 10 pm): This group is making the trek all the way from North Carolina to croon us Colorado folk, don’t miss it.

With the Mile High Music Festival over (more on that later today), it’s time to focus on the next big thing: The Underground Music Showcase. Going down this week (Thursday thru Sunday), The UMS features some of the west’s best indie and underground bands. Playing Sunday night (6pm on the CarToys stage), is our favorite Billings band, 1090 Club.

This group mixes an intense delivery with piano and guitar based instrumentation and catchy lyrics. As a special news update, this group will be doing a live video chat TODAY at 5pm MST (dang, that’s soon), on Stickam.com, so be sure to tune in. In the mean time, enjoy “ITSON” from their album Natural Selection.

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Part 1

Part 2

Here it is! Our interview with 1090 Club from a couple weeks back. Now that finals are done we can get to the incredible backlog we’ve developed here. The interview is in 2 parts (dang YouTube, not letting us do more than 10 min at a time), but both are incredibly interesting. Within the next few days we should have our interviews with The Photo Atlas and The Silent Years up, in addition to some more reviews of local bands.

While the rest of the world was tucked away in blankets sipping hot chocolate, roughly 70 people trekked out to downtown Denver in the cold, dreary weather to see one of Denver’s most non-dreary bands. Headlining at the Hi Dive, the Photo Atlas, along with the openers 1090 Club and The Forecast, put on a show that made all the hassle of driving through the downpour worth it.

As I waited for the show to start, I struck up a conversation with one of the maybe 10 people there (the rest showed up after the concert started). He said he used to write for Chicago’s version of Westword, a newspaper that especially spotlights local music. He made it a point to get to this show specifically for the first opening band, The Forecast. Hailing from Peoria, Illinois, The Forecast could best be described as a Midwest punk band straight from the mid-90′s. With the volume cranked up (almost to the point of discomfort), The Forecast blazed through songs with considerable skill as they mixed the vocals of both male and female lead singers with the ever-driving guitar. Their sound rang quite familiar since they come out of a well-explored genre. However, the songs were still distinct and there were no dead points to the set.

Next up was a band quite familiar to this blog, 1090 Club. The first content we put up here was a review of The Appleseed Cast concert where 1090 Club opened, shortly followed by a review of the album Natural Selection, which has since been released. Starting strong, the band kept a steady pace with their heart-felt vocals. Their unconventional mix including a piano and a violin, but lacking a bass, worked nicely for them. Similar to The Forecast, 1090 Club had mixed vocals frequently through their music. The darker sound of 1090 Club transitioned perfectly from the upbeat riffs of The Forecast to the minor tone of The Photo Atlas.

No newcomer to the Denver music scene, The Photo Atlas has a unique sound that can best be described as “dance punk.” Even my friend from Chicago knew of The Photo Atlas’ reputation around Denver. With an invitation for the spread-out crowd to come in closer “so we can all dance together,” The Photo Atlas started with their typical rock sound that broke down into a dance beat for the chorus. The complex guitar riffs, often reminding me of Saosin, tied songs together from start till finish. Vocals, closer to melodic yelling than anything else, fit well with their style of music. It was rather strange the first time the dance beats came in since it’s not expected at a rock concert. However, as the set progressed, people started moving more and more. Old songs and new fell together, pulling music from throughout their career. Time flew as the band played, making the end of the 45-minute set seem like it was still the beginning.

I pity all who decided against this $8 show because of the weather. We’ll keep you informed of other chances to see these guys. Video interviews with all three of these bands to follow…

Words by Spencer Nelson, Photos by Patrick Beseda

Hey everybody, sorry we haven’t been posting too much lately, it’s finals time and we’re all swamped. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not working on some great new exclusives! Coming up soon we’ve got video interviews with The Forecast, 1090 Club, The Photo Atlas, and The Silent Years! So stay tuned…

Earlier we posted about some great upcoming shows, here’s the second installment. Also note that none of these concerts cost more than $20.

The Photo Atlas & 1090 Club – April 26, Hi-Dive, $8: Denver’s own Photo Atlas recently recorded a new EP as a followup to their 2006 full length No, Not Me, Never. 1090 Club also recently released Natural Selection, an album that we got the chance to review. Both bands are excellent live. Also playing: The Forecast

Manchester Orchestra – May 12, Marquis, $12: We already covered this one, but it deserves another highlight. MO’s new album Mean Everything To Nothing is excellent and they put on a great show.

Adrian Orange, Young Coyotes & Bad Weather California – May 13, Rhinoceropolis, $5 suggested donation: Adrian Orange, a Seattle based singer-songwriter will be on tour and stopping by Denver in May. Young Coyotes and Bad Weather California will also be there to represent the best in local DIY.

Kevin Devine – May 24, Marquis, $12: Kevin Devine is one of those singers whose songs have substance. He’s toured with Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, and a plethora of some of the hottest acts out there. His new album Brother’s Blood comes out at the end of April.

Lucero – May 29, Bluebird, $17: Part country, part punk, Lucero has been writing markedly beautiful and provoking music about life in the American west for the better part of the last decade. With songs that will break your heart and give you something to drink to, Lucero will certainly put on a great show.

Hot IQs – June 19, Bluebird, $10: Another Denver based group, Hot IQs recently released a single titled Houndstooth. They’ve been working hard on new material for their next full length, and will likely be playing new tunes when they play the Bluebird in June.

In other music news, SideCho Records has signed The Silent Years, a DIY band from Detriot. They’ve got a new EP, titled Let Go, coming out July 14. They also have an album already out called The Globe, which received positive reviews from The Onion and NPR. Keep an eye out for these guys and remember where you heard about them first.

Hey everybody, recently we reviewed a couple of albums from SideCho Records (1090 Club’s Natural Selection and Michael Zapruder’s Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope) and the label just announced that one lucky person can win both albums and a bunch of other goodies by signing up for their email newsletter. All you have to do is email contests@sidecho.com. Good luck! For more on SideCho Records, visit their website www.sidecho.com

Hey everybody, here are some new releases you should check out.

The Decemberists – Hazards of Love: Colin Meloy & Co. go on a musical journey with themes of love and heartbreak strewn throughout.

MXPX – On The Cover II – Left coast punks MXPX are up to their usual punk-rock antics, this time with a handful of new covers of songs you might remember from the 80′s and beyond.

Pearl Jam – Ten (Reissue) – It’s been a nearly 20 years since Eddie Vedder & Co. released their breakthrough grunge/rock record. Still as good today as it was during the 90′s.

1090 Club – Natural Selection: We reviewed this group’s record about a month ago (right after seeing them open for The Appleseed Cast). And now it’s finally available here and on iTunes.

Michael Zapruder – Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope: Another record we recently reviewed; it’s a musical journey of sorts, Zapruder’s newest release will appeal to fans of Andrew Bird and Arcade Fire. Also available here and on iTunes.