Listen Up Denver!

When Deer Tick took the stage on Sunday night at The Bluebird, there were light bulbs that flashed the words “Deer” and “Tick” behind the band. Lead singer, and founder of the band, John McCauley was decked out in a fancy pink blazer and tie that was strangely appropriate for his band’s one-of-a-kind combination of blues, folk, country and in your face punk rock. McCauley’s gritty voice not only translated from record to stage almost seamlessly, but the emotional lyrics were brought to life in the live setting.

While most of the audience was blown away by the alternative boy band on the stage, the performance Mother Nature was giving was giving them a run for their money. While there is never a time when Red Rocks is anything less than majestic, the fog rolling over the rocks and dropping on to the crowd like a dancing ghost was nothing short of amazing. Don’t get us wrong, we were actively listening to the music, it’s just that we felt more connected to the fog than The Fray.

All we can say is…we just wish more people were there to see it. In its current formation, Rodina is a new endeavor, and considering the name has virtually no recognition yet, a fair amount of people showed up to check out this who’s who of local and international talent. It was a Thursday night, and the Nuggets were playing a crucial playoff game against the Lakers, but the almost 200 people who ventured out and took a risk on something new, were the ones who saw a truly championship performance.

Mason Jennings took up residence at The Soiled Dover over in Lowry for two nights last week. Listen Up Denver! was in the front row for the first show and we admit we are smitten with this amazing singer songwriter. Playing solo, Jennings ran through old and new favorites as he switched between guitar and piano and even took some time to tell the back stories on several songs. Shamelessly dirty at times, and hauntingly eerie at others, Jennings is capable of manifesting a different mood each time he strikes the first chords of a new song.