The Kills Monolith 2008

I should have paid more attention to the music when The Kills played the secondary stage on top of Red Rocks. Instead I was mesmerized by frontwoman VV. I'm pretty sure they sounded awesome, though.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Monolith 2008

Sharon Jones came on the stage with style. Her Dap-Kings warmed up the crowd, then she strutted on to the mainstage, filling the amphitheater with presence despite being a diminutive 4'11". The backing band was tight and Sharon brought tons of personality to the party.

Avett Brothers Monolith 2008

Before arriving at Monolith, it seemed like people were coming out of the woodwork with exhortations to see the Avett Brothers. I went in with not much info, just a couple CDs borrowed from the library and trust in my friends' good taste. Turns out they were right!

The Avett Brothers brand of rocking hillbilly music hit the right spot, and their energetic stage show made the sunny boozy afternoon at Red Rocks come alive. I'll be playing their tunes for sure up in Laramie, where the indie rock fans are scarce but the whole town loves bluegrass and old timey music.

Devotchka at Monolith Festival 9-13-08

Devotchka have been on my life list of bands to see live for a long time now, so I was delighted to see them headline Monolith this year. I was not disappointed one bit in their beautifully stylized stage show and gorgeous sounds. It still startles me to realize that Devotchka is four people, rather than, say, 20. Of course they added a few more people with the Devotchka strings and horns for the home town performance, and the amphitheatre filled with their beautiful music.

And, it must be said, I have a wee girl crush on the sousaphone-ist and her beautiful t-strap shoes.

Silversun Pickups at Monolith Festival, 9-13-08

Our favorite Los Angelinos always seemed ready for a large scale stage and they proved themselves Saturday night. Filling the air with their brand of shoegaze noise coupled with blistering rock, Silversun Pickups seemed at home.

Holy Fuck at Monolith Festival, 9-13-08

The New Beligium stage for Holy Fuck was the. place. to. be. on Saturday. Wow these seeemingly quiet Canadians blew out our eardrums and set the whole place to dancing with their fierce and inscrutable beats. A dynamic stage presence and wicked awesome drummer kept the crowd firmly in Holy Fuck's hands for the whole set. The boys seemed overcome with happiness as more and more Monolith-ers joined the dance party.

They closed the set with a transcendent rendition of "Lovely Allen", which seemed to me like it was always meant to be played at Red Rocks. The crowd flew to another plane, causing the stage MC to call for an encore, in the middle of the day, at a secondary stage. That's what I'm talking about!

If you get the chance to see Holy Fuck, do so. And remember your earplugs.

Cut Copy at Monolith Festival 9-13-08

Cut Copy is great at what they do, which is perhaps not exactly my thing. They're a good looking group of talented folks though, so I need to share some photos.

Port O'Brien at Monolith Festival, 9-13-08

Port O'Brien was one act I wanted to catch live for sure. Having listened to their single "I Woke Up Today" regularly while sipping PBR in my back yard this summer, I couldn't wait to hear their other material and see them on stage.

They did not disappoint, bringing a fiery set and confrontational but oddly loveable energy to the stage. They closed with "I Woke Up Today", inviting fans to dig into a box of pots and pans and start banging them on the stage. Soon the whole room was screaming "Whoa whoaooooooawhoaaooo -oh!" and enjoying one of th esingle best moments of the whole day.

Lovelikefire at Monolith Festival 9-13-08

These San Franciscans started the day off right, plenty of energy and rock to get the crowd ready for the Festival.

Cloud Cult, Monolith Pre-Party

A double dip of Cloud Cult for my team, although I was an old lady who only made it to one of two back-to-back shows in the Rocky Mountain Empire.

Every time I see this band, I stand in amazement at the quality of their stage show and wonder why they don't have more fans. To college students I say "these guys blow Jack Johnson away! Try some Cloud Cult!"

Opener "Transistor Radio" set the stage for their quiet side, followed by a blistering "Intro" and "Tornado Lessons" and a hint of the rock to come. They played the song I most wanted to hear last night, "Pretty Voice" and it delivered, although I was left wanting "Please Remain Calm".

Ghost themes ruled the night, with some great tracks from their latest album Feel Good Ghosts including my favorites "No One Said it Would Be Easy" and "Journey of the Featherless" as well as crowd fave "Everybody Here is a Cloud". They also dug back to the Aurora Borealis album with "Alone at a Party in a Ghost Town".

The set closed with "Take Your Medicine" and a three song encore of "Mr. Tambourine Man" (shades of the live at kexp cd), "Happy Hippo" (in a sweetly described rebellion against Baca's protestations from the May performances), and "Love You All".






"Pork Pie" and "More Cowbell" delivering the art and the rock.


"Mr. Tambourine Man"

The Dutchess and the Duke, Monolith Pre-Party

On the last stop of their month-long tour, Seattle's The Dutchess and the Duke suffered from a few technical snafus. They made the most of the quiet sound and the noisy pre-party crowd by creating their own little take-away show in the pit in front of the stage.

Beautiful harmonies! Lovely songs! One day I will see them when conditions are perfect (i.e. I don't drink a Jamesons and get distracted by Fleet Foxes merch during their set as I did earlier this summer and they remember their pickups).

Young Coyotes, Monolith Pre-Party 9-12-09

These coyotes are young, just 4 months together as a band according to the singer. Their multi-percussionist sound reminded me a bit of the Annuals, and their footwear reminded me of Vampire Weekend (which in turn reminded me of high school).

Shoes aside, a nice introduction to Young Coyotes at the Monolith pre-party.

Cloud Cult - last night, tonight!

My friends who saw the show at the Aggie Theater in Ft. Collins last night report that Craig Minowa and company put on another excellent performance. Tonight, they bring it to the Bluebird - see you there!

Monolith treats for the Laramigos

Wyoming and Northern Colorado residents benefit from the Monolith influx of musicians this week.

First, Cloud Cult makes a Fort Collins appearance at the Aggie Theatre on Thursday September 11th. I'm so tempted to attend, because they put one of the best live shows around, but it seems a bit excessive as we'll be seeing them the next night at the Bluebird. If you've not seen Cloud Cult before this show is $8 (!) and so close to the Equality State that you can't go wrong.

On Saturday the 13th The Giraffes make their way through Laramie en route to their Sunday Red Rocks date. I'm new to this band but getting a national act at a bar like JJ's is totally worth checking out in my mind.

Obama mania

I don't really want to talk about politics on a music blog, but these were irresistible.
[via bb-blog]

TV on the Radio (monolith preview)

I've missed TVOTR their last couple trips through the mountain west, and I'm so pleased to correct that mistake this weekend! I predict the sound of "Staring at the Sun" oozing out over the rocks will be mind-blowing.

What I've heard from the new album is amazing, and the New York Times agrees. Be sure and check out the interviews with Dave Sitek. That man is a genius.

Monolith Lineup Grids for you!

Map Monolith by time and stage... These will probably be all over the place soon, but we were impatient and made our own. You can print them and work on choosing your own Monolith adventures for Saturday and Sundays lineups. I hope you don't find too many conflicts! Right now I'm a bit concerned about a couple tight spots and wondering how fast I can run up and down those stairs, especially on Sunday night.

Saturday!
Sunday!

Monolith is almost here!!

Fleet Foxes at the Hi-Dive 7/22/08

Seattle's hirsute harmonizers the Fleet Foxes made their way back to Denver this week to a sold out show. Despite a broken down bus and doing serious time on the road this summer, the boys sounded absolutely AMAZING.

A few superlatives: this was the best sounding show I've ever heard at the Hi-Dive. The best crowd I've ever witnessed in the Mile High City. And one of the best bands in America.

From opening songs Sun Giant and the beautiful Drops in the River, jaws were dropping across the room at the vocals. The sweaty crowd stood silently, kept their cameras and their phones in the pockets, and listened with reverence. Highlights included a stunning, better than the EP version of Mykonos featuring the beautiful folk tone of drummer J. Tillman at the ending.

If you get a chance to see these guys, take it. The quality of their live sound is in rare company.

Magnetic Fields set Boulder date!

Oh Stephin Merritt, this time I will make it to see you! No wedding to attend, no baby to feed, just me in the car headed to Boulder. You'll wear brown, I'll wear a smile.

Presale here.

Magnetic Fields - 2008 Tour Dates
10/10 - State Theatre Minneapolis,MN
10/11 - Overture Center for the Arts Madison,WI
10/15 - Boulder Theater Boulder,CO
10/17 - Symphony Hall Atlanta Atlanta,GA
10/18 - Progress Engery Center Meymandi Concert Hall Raleigh,NC
10/23 - The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre Jersey City,NJ
10/24 - Southern Theatre Columbus,OH
10/26 - George Washington University - Lisner Auditorium Washington,DC

Willie Nelson visits Wyoming on summer tour

I missed a chance to see Willie at Frontier Days about 5 years ago. Maybe I'll have better luck this go around. He's certainly offering a lot of dates for the Mountain West!

Willie Nelson - 2008 Tour Dates
07/18 - Grand Casino - Hinckley Hinckley,MN
07/19 - Arnolds Park Arnolds Park,IA N/A
07/20 - Liberty Hall Lawrence,KS
07/22 - Jesse Auditorium Columbia,MO
07/23 - Harrahs Stir Cove Reserved Are Council Bluffs,IA NEW DATE
07/25 - Riverfest Amphitheatre Premium Little Rock,AR
07/25 - Riverfest Amphitheatre Little Rock,AR
07/26 - Amphitheater at the Wharf Orange Beach,AL
07/27 - Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta,GA
07/29 - Charlottesville Pavilion Charlottesville,VA
07/30 - Wicomico Civic Center Salisbury,MD
07/31 - Carrington Pavilion-GA Danville,VA
08/01 - Louisville Slugger - Stands/Re Louisville,KY
08/01 - Louisville Slugger - Field/GA Louisville,KY
08/02 - AutoZone Park - Stands/Reserve Memphis,TN
08/02 - AutoZone Park - Field/GA Memphis,TN
08/03 - Julie Rogers Theatre Beaumont,TX Pre-Sale 6/20 On-Sale 6/28
08/22 - Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds Red Lodge,MT
08/23 - Center for the Arts Jackson Hole,WY N/A
08/24 - Casper Events Center Casper,WY On-Sale 6/27
08/26 - Red Rocks Amphitheater - RESER Morrison,CO
08/26 - Red Rocks Amphitheater - GA Morrison,CO
08/28 - Marymoor Ampitheater - Reserve Redmond,WA
08/29 - Oregon State Fair Salem,OR On-Sale 6/14
08/30 - Lithia Motors Ampitheater Central Point,OR
08/31 - Benbow Lake State Park Garberville,CA N/A
09/01 - Napa Valley Opera House Napa,CA N/A
09/03 - Concerts Wente Vineyards TERR Livermore,CA
09/03 - Concerts Wente Vineyards RESTR Livermore,CA
09/04 - The Mountain Winery Saratoga,CA
09/05 - Ironstone Vineyards Theater Murphys,CA N/A
09/06 - Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara,CA
09/07 - Harrahs Rincon - GA Valley Center,CA
09/07 - Harrahs Rincon - RESERVED Valley Center,CA
09/25 - Radio City Music Hall, NY, NY w/ Jakob Dylan, The Gold Mountain Rebels

[via brooklynvegan]

Heart, Cheap Trick and Journey @ Fiddler's Green, 7/9/08

Wyoming Beat's trusty correspondent Nigel saw Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey at Fiddler's Green last night. Her email review this morning brought a smile to my face:

Subject line: Any Way You Want It

Concert was great fun.

Omg it was PACKED.

We could hardly find a place to sit. Tons of college-agers, as this retro music is very popular with them.

Mostly they make fun of it.


Cheap trick was great – yes, I actually like them.

They played my 3 favorite songs (their hits) which pleased me.

Heart was AWESOME. They are sooooo good.

Seriously. And should totally be the headliner.


Journey was up and down.

They played 4 too many “new” songs.

That sucked arse. Keep it to the hits, boys.

They actually played a couple of the oldy-oldies which made me and Tommy happy – the songs they made before the huge hits.

The guy is good. He for sure is a karaoke-winning Steve. BUT he is no Steve Perry. I repeat, he is no Steve Perry.

Steve is amazing. He hits unthinkable high notes and sustains them with this amazing Perry-specific vibrato.

New guy does not do that.


Now that I’ve established myself officially as a Journey geek...

Nigel, we love you and your Journey geekness!

Happy 50th Birthday Prince

I can't believe I didn't hold his annual party this year! I feel like such a heel. Since he's 50, maybe a belated party is in order. Date suggestions??

p.s. thanks to Ann for the graph!