I’d been anticipating this Saturday night show at Cervantes’ for quite a while. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has been making some noise for a while now, and I had to find out what all the fuss was about. Sure, I’ve listened to their albums and checked out some online videos, but seeing these guys live is where it’s at. Color me impressed.
The Paramount was hopping on Friday night and all walks of life were represented. There were hardcore Country fans, Hipsters riding the buzz, and, of course, legions of Denver music scenesters who know that Sturgill Simpson has finally been awarded his due in the ever fickle world of music. Long before the show started there was a crowd milling around outside the old venue and queued up for drinks in the lobby.
For the second time in three years, the 1stBank Center played host a Widespread Panic Halloween throw-down. The costumed audience was a tapestry of color and imagination. Age, race, and sex were all masked by the holiday’s disguises and it was sublime to see the release of inhibitions allowing men to wear dresses and women spoof a handsy Donald Trump. It’s only once a year you can see a patron go through security wearing dynamite or have an axe sticking out of their head with ease; long live Halloween shows!
Faith No More drew the short straw with the post Labor Day holiday weekend hangover slot at Red Rocks last Tuesday. While Sol Invictus (released in May on Ipecac), the first studio album from Faith No More since 1997, certainly won’t be their most commercially successful album, it might just be their finest. This band has aged well. Hell, it feels like they never went away. Many of the songs on ‘Sol Invictus’ feel immediately at home with long time fans anxious to see how they translated to the live show.
The Ogden marquee was lit up in glory Wednesday night when Jane’s Addiction brought various generations of rock fans out to the relatively intimate room. The venue filled up quickly with Gen X and Y’ers fiercely holding their ground in their chosen spot. The 90’s had a plethora of alternative rock bands, many failing to stay relevant and continue touring but with the arrival of one of the most popular, Perry Farrell devotees were out in force. The crowd had lived through the days of flannel and Nirvana and were ready for a flashback.
The 90’s were back in full force on Saturday night at Cervates’ as J2G Live threw their annual 90’s Night party with some of the best musicians in Denver doing the heavy lifting. There were tons of costumes that confused the best of 80’s fashion (Neon) with the best of 90’s (Flannel) and a ton of girls even got their hair crimped for the occasion. It was great to see people getting so into the spirit of the party and it was clear that 90’s Night grabbed a firm foothold in the Denver music scene in it’s third year.
Ah, the 90’s. It was a wild time with 80’s Hair Bands getting devoured by the raging juggernaut out of Seattle that was grunge, and Hip-Hop enjoying it’s glory years. Nirvana fearlessly led the Grunge movement while Green Day showed us all how to blend Pop and Punk to create some ridiculously hooky songs. Speaking of hooky songs, Weezer, Sheryl Crow, and Ace of Base all cranked out a few of their own throughout a decade that was known for the rise of the internet, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the first Gulf War.
Englewood’s Gothic Theatre started to fill up early for the inaugural “Nerd Prom” put on by Bop Skizzum last Friday night as the band had lined up some stellar support for the event in the form of opening acts Broken Tongues, Della, and Wheelchair Sports Camp. Bop Skizzum fully embraced the nerd theme and while they mostly performed fun originals like “Hit It On the One” and “I’m So Much Cooler,” they manged to throw in a funky Nirvana cover as well as some great Cartoon theme songs.
Nirvana may have been the band that put an entire generation in flannel, and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden both sold a lot more records, but Mudhoney was truly the band who made the ’90s grunge rock movement possible. Mudhoney was the first real success story for Sub Pop Records; their indie-scene success laid the groundwork for the movement that would (briefly) make Seattle, WA the new capital of the rock & roll universe.
Lisa Siciliano’s 6th Annual Holiday Rock & Roll Photography Art Show & Sale happened on December 2nd at George’s in Boulder. The event featured live music from some great local musicians (including Lisa’s daughter and some other familiar young faces), food, drink, and of course hundreds of Lisa’s black & white Rock & Roll photos on display and for sale. Between musical acts, Lisa took time to talk to us at Listen Up Denver! about concert photography and why BB King plays the Blues and not Hip-Hop.