Something Like Sound

By the time Sunday rolls around chances are you’re going to be on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. Drink some coffee and cram down another slice of cheap pizza, it’s time for the final set of SLS picks for the UMS.

SUNDAY, JULY 25

Hello Kavita (Goodwill parking lot, 4:30pm): 2009′s To A Loved One was one of my favorite records of the year (regardless of the fact that Hello Kavita is a local group). Catch their set if you dig Wilco, Neil Young, or the like. Edit: As pointed out in the comments, Hello Kavita is going on hiatus following this performance, so don’t miss it!

Tjutjuna (Hi-Dive, 6pm): Spacey and loud, Tjutjuna will have you coming back for more. This group recently released a record called Conch Shell for free via their blog.

Old Radio (Club 404, 7pm): If shoegaze is your thing, then don’t miss Old Radio. They’re a bit of a local super group with a veritably stacked lineup. Unfortunately they’re not the only ones to see at 7.

Arliss Nancy (Skylark, 7pm): Another group from Fort Collins making their mark on the scene in Denver, Arliss Nancy has a raw sound that’s just as country as it is rock-and-roll (and perhaps a little punk too).

The Jim Jims (Club 404, 10pm): She’s drunk, you’re horny; why not have some fun and see The Jim Jims? Their set at Patrick Kelly’s apartment party was a highlight of one of the best parties I went to last year.

Woodsman (Hi-Dive, 11:55pm): Sometimes they’re spacey and ambient; sometimes they’ve got a driving tribal beat. Woodsman always manages to keep things fresh, something Pitchfork recently picked up on (but we’ve been talking about for months already). Also, their set is the last one of the entire week’s festivities, so if you haven’t passed out yet, it would be a good idea to go.

This is the kind of news that fits perfectly with the new summer format! Rather than keeping their music confined to the basements and bars of the front range Woodsman and M. Pyres have decided to tour together throughout the last part of June.

Woodsman is already out on tour supporting their newest release Mystery Tape (out now on Lefse Records) and will continue touring after the “Take Me To The Moon” dates are through. M. Pyres will be bringing his band The Season Creeps along to play some new songs as well.

As a special treat we have two tracks from the forthcoming M. Pyres and the Season Creeps record Mountain Pacific available for download. Look for this new album in July on Patient Sounds.

(click on the cover to download a zip with both songs)

Conchord

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Gravity Deluxe

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Tour Dates:

June 17 – DC – house show
June 19 – NYC – 86 Guernesy
June 20 – MA – Copperworks
June 21 – PA – Cafe Metropolis
June 22 – OH – Believeland
June 23 – IL – TBA special show – Chicago (w/o Woodsman)
June 24 – IL – Box Social
June 25 – WI – Project Lodge

There was a modest crowd at the Hi-Dive  on Wednesday night as Minneapolis-based psych-rock bands Vampire Hands and Daughters of the Sun brought their unique styles of music to Denver. Local space-jam band Tjutjuna played the first set of the evening, followed by a strong performance from a personal favorite: Woodsman. Despite the marked similarities between all the bands on the lineup I didn’t feel like I was listening to the same thing four times in a row.  Overall the evening was an enjoyable mixture of ambient sounds and surf-esque rhythm and tone.

Tjutjuna

Woodsman

Daughters of the Sun

Vampire Hands

Click for more photos | Tjutjuna | Woodsman | Daughters of the Sun | Vampire Hands

It’s warm outside, so that means it’s time to go out and hit the shows. Here are a few that feature stellar poster-art and great lineups.

Vampire Hands with Woodsman & Tjutjuna (5/26 at Hi-Dive):  This $6 show pairs 2 of Minneapolis’s finest experimental rock bands with 2 of Denver’s best. Expect to hear new material from both Woodsman and Tjutjuna since both groups have new releases coming out soon (or already out).

DU May Days Musicfest feat. Shiny Toy Guns & Chali 2na (5/27 at Driscoll Greens): Nothing says awesome quite like “free.” The DU May Days Musicfest is great for several reasons: 1. The bands (the lineup is pretty solid and keeps getting better every year). 2. Free food (usually better than what you’d expect). 3. It reminds CSM students that we haven’t been in school for the past month and that DU still has another couple weeks to go.

Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Ian Cooke, & Candy Claws (5/28 at D-Note): Arvada won’t know what hit them after this show. It’s an invasion of sorts: Fort Collins folk singer-songwriter Danielle Ate The Sandwich will bring her unique ukulele styling while fellow Ft. Collinites Candy Claws play their unique style of ambient-indie-dream-pop. Ian Cooke’s amazing cello work will tie everything together quite nicely.

Hot Congress & Long Spoon block party (6/5 at Meadowlark & Larimer Lounge): This mini-music-fest showcases some of the best in what Denver’s music collectives have to offer. The lineup is ridiculously stacked and the evening’s events will feature prize giveaways and food vendors. For more information and a more in-depth preview of the block party visit the Hot Congress website.

Westword Music Showcase (6/19 in the Golden Triangle neighborhood): Westword just announced the full lineup for their annual music showcase and it is shaping up to be the don’t-miss event for June. They’re basically taking over an entire neighborhood for a day of great music and entertainment. Added bonuses this year include cheap tickets (only $15 in advance), more all-ages venues and a VIP option.

Woodsman has been a busy group as of late. In addition to prepping for a summer tour and new 12″ record they’ve been making the rounds in the blogosphere with a few new videos. The first comes via The Fader and is a 9-minute trip called “Smells Like Purple”

The second video here comes via Blood Drank Magazine and is a 3-minute excerpt from a longer performance titled “The Quiet Set.”

Woodsman will release Mystery Tape on June 6 on Lefse Records. A pre-order can be found here and a download of “When The Morning Comes” can be made here (right click “save as”). Listen to the track below.

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Last year, when SLS was still in its first stages, we got a big boost from local music journalist Dave Herrera at Westword when he asked me to nominate 20 bands for the 2009 showcase. A year has passed and once again I was asked to nominate 20 local bands that had made an impression on me. In the spirit of transparency, I’m going to list the bands I nominated. I decided to choose acts I had not previously  nominated.

Be sure to check out these groups (even if a few didn’t make the final list) and vote for your favorites by clicking here.

In no particular order… Tim’s picks for the 2010 Westword Music Showcase:

Woodsman
Houses
Achille Lauro
Candy Claws
Tjutjuna
Old Radio
Hello Kavita
Gregory Alan Isakov
The Knew
Fissure Mystic
M. Pyres
Arliss Nancy
Fellow Citizens
John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light
Jim McTurnan & The Kids That Killed The Man
Paean
Pretty Lights
Eleanor
Weed Diamond
Flashbulb Fires

Local experimental instrumental lo-fi group Woodsman released a new single out this week on the French digital-single-label Beko. The two-track download features “Manual Control” and “Chants.” While “Manual Control” is a shorter soundscape filled with ambient guitar and voices, “Chants” uses its 9 minute running time to build from a simple repetitious guitar riff (which sounds a bit like “Dikembe Mutombo” from their recent LP Collages) to a full thematic climax and denouement.

Download Beko 34 (via Beko DSL)

Listen to Woodsman

Orbiteer

The Meadowlark, a quiet street-corner venue in lower downtown, appeared calm and cool from all outward appearances last Friday night. Inside the bar was a different story. Waves of sound pounded from amps and speakers as the space was filled to capacity. Those who had gathered in that cozy place found themselves carried away by the psychedelic sounds created by the Denver-local bands therein.

Woodsman

The night began to get interesting when Woodsman took the “stage” (which was mostly just a large swath of the floor). With two drummers providing the backbone for their style of ambient lo-fi, Woodsman added to the sound with two guitarists and a slew of effects. Building to crescendos and tearing everything down to its bones, Woodsman certainly showed that experimental music is much more than mere noise.

Fissure Mystic

Fissure Mystic, a group that has aligned itself with the local Hot Congress music collective, was up next. Their set was a nice change up from the spacey sounds of Woodsman and was slightly reminiscent of underground punk music from the early 90’s.

Tjutjuna

Tjutjuna (I know, just try to pronounce that name) closed out the night with one of the loudest sets of music I have ever been exposed to. Even with earplugs in, my ears were still ringing on the drive home. Their set was spacey and hard hitting. The bass from the speaker cabinets struck my chest as the other-worldly sounds of their Theremin player swirled around the room.

See a full gallery by clicking here.