Something Like Sound

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.

It was a couple months ago Dave Herrera at Westword contacted us to get our input on this year’s showcase. We sent in our picks and the festival finally came. Due to the shear massiveness of writing reviews for the acts we saw, each band gets 30 words… ready, go!

Astrophagus (1 pm, Curious Theater): Think Miles Davis meets Radiohead, minus Thom Yorke’s whiney voice. These guys built an amazing wall of sound with synths, guitar, drum loops, and trumpet. Expect to see them at UMS.

Houses (2 pm, Curious Theater): Ever since lead singer Andy Hamilton sent me their EP, I haven’t listened to anything else. With all 7 members, Houses had a big sound, but a relaxed attitude. Expect to see our EP review soon.

Hello Kavita (3 pm, Curious Theater): I remember walking in thinking “Who kidnapped Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and brought him to Denver?” These guys put on a top-rate performance, and are putting finishing touches on a new album.

Achille Lauro (4 pm, Curious Theater): “I feel like we’re in a Talking Heads video,” said bassist Jon Evans of the Curious’s interesting set-up. The group proceeded to create instrumental harmonies until we left early for Cursive.

Cursive (4:15 pm, Verizon Outdoor Stage): Having only heard The Ugly Organ once, and their new single “I Couldn’t Love You,” I had an enjoyable time watching this Omaha-based band’s incredibly intense performance.

BDRMPPL, CacheFlowe, luengliss, Josephine & the Mousepeople, Married in Berdichev, Pictureplane, and Slight Harp (5pm, Curious Theater): Perhaps one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen, this group of about 10 musicians from all the groups listed filled the stage with synths, laptops, modulators, and all kinds of electronics to perform their unique styles of trip-hop/remix music live.

Bela Karoli (featuring The Wheel) (6 pm, Curious Theater): This avant-pop group had a little trouble with feedback, but once it was under control everything went beautifully. At the end of the set The Wheel came out and played a couple songs to the then-packed house.

Meese (6:55 pm, Verizon Outdoor Stage): This local group is releasing a new album on a major label at the end of the month. Quite honestly I got a little bored during their hour-long set, the generic pop sounds didn’t really strike me as memorable.

Built To Spill (8:25, Verizon Outdoor Stage): When I woke up on the day of the fest, I had “I Would Hurt A Fly” running through my head (basically, I love Built To Spill). Although they didn’t play that song, they did most of my favorites, including “In Your Mind,” “Strange,” “Sidewalks,” “Kicked It In the Sun,” and had a strong closing with “Carry The Zero.” Seeing these legends of indie-rock reminded me how much I love guitar and how good their music is after all these years.

Well, that was it, we took the bus home and slept. As you can see, we spent most of our time at Curious, this was mostly because that’s where most of the great up-and-coming acts I’d only heard about were playing. Our friends Young Coyotes, The Photo Atlas, Epilogues, Andrea Ball, etc. also had sets that day, but I wanted to expand my boarders. Special thanks again to Dave Herrera at Westword for getting us better connected with Denver music, we all look forward to seeing what’s in store for next year.

One last thing. Our buddy Lance from The Flat Response was there taping at both Curious and the Verizon Outdoor Stage for most of the day, if any of his recordings turn out, we’ll let you know where you can listen to them.

Words by Tim Weilert, Photos by Bengsoon Chuah