Concert review - That 1 Guy

2 January 2015 (Hodi's Half Note, Ft. Collins CO)
^4.5/5.0

Superstition claims that whatever you do at the start of the new year will drive the rest of the year, so people fill up their cupboards, wear new clothes, and clear their debts to ensure prosperity. I'm skeptical, but I do think that doing the things you enjoy will help cement those patterns in place. So, I visited with friends on New Year's Day and made it out to Hodi's for the first available show of the year to see That 1 Guy.

That 1 Guy

The last time I saw That 1 Guy (AKA Mike Silverman) at Hodi's, he had Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club (Cory McAbee) opening and his own show had grown to include a flashy dual-screen multimedia element (review). Last night's outing was a bit stripped down; there was no lead-off act and the screens were gone. It might have been nice to have someone warm up the audience, because the two hour interval between the doors opening and showtime had the crowd a little restive. We had to make do with Captain Beefheart's Safe as Milk and Frank Zappa's Apostrophe/Over-nite Sensation blaring from the club PA (along with a few tracks from David Bowie's "Heroes"). On the other hand, the simpler stage presence worked in That 1 Guy's favor. The animations and camera tricks had been fun, but without those distractions, Silverman held the audience rapt for more than two hours straight, making up for the long wait.


As always, That 1 Guy put on a stunning performance, juggling synth riff triggers, foot-tap drumming, and the mix of percussion and melody demanded by his one-of-a-kind Magic Pipe. Watching him play is hypnotic. He rocks from side to side as he lays down the drums, all while building a full harmonic sound on the strings mounted to the two sections of pipe. The mix ranges from bass heavy grooves and cello style bowing to distorted guitar-like tones and the warm feel of marimba. Putting this all together has to require crazy amounts of practice and concentration, but Silverman not only makes it look fairly easy, he throws in pantomime, clowning, and sleight of hand tricks to make it more entertaining.


This stage work key to Silverman's charm: a meaty slap sound effect accent for the song is illustrated by a mimed punch or flick of his hat brim or his duck puppet is voiced by a squeak tone from the Magic Pipe. This all fits together with the quirky nature of his music and lyrical themes. like "Step Into Striped Light", "Mustaches", or "Weasel Potpie". As silly and playful as it can get, though, the songs are never throwaway. The heavy poly-rhythms are perfect for dancing and the lyrics have plenty of hooks for the crowd to join in on.


As expected, That 1 Guy featured several songs from his latest release, Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends (review), tweaked for live performance. In particular, his arrangement of "Whale Race" developed a rich character of synth-driven post rock that fit well with the exotic minor key scales of the piece. Of course, many of the crowd favorites made their appearance, too, from an intensely danceable "Ft. Collins remix" of "Buttmachine" to "The Moon is Disgusting", which he eased into slowly before letting it become the audience sing-along it usually is.


That 1 Guy was a perfect show to start the year off. Technically impressive, his show blended intellectual fun with insistent visceral grooves. Most of the crowd was already very familiar with his catalog, but he still managed to throw in some surprises. Playing in the moment, he reacted naturally to everything from song requests and losing a drum stick, to a woman's demand that he wear her tutu. Acquiescing to this last request, he might have been our puppet, but he owned it by incorporating it into the song. Most importantly, he reflected the crowd's energy with a grateful appreciation for our attention. We, in turn, were just as beholden to him.



More photos on my Flickr.

Concert review - Frankenstein Brothers with Wolff and Tuba

27 April 2012 (Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins CO)

Three completely different flavors of weird, experimental music came together in a single show. Outsider musicians firmly locked into their own beats, each act offered a glimpse of a different, alternate musical universe.

Brian Wolff opened up the night with his tuba and other toys. Next up, That 1 Guy played mad scientist with his self-designed Magic Pipe. Then shred-meister BucketHead abused a poor defenseless electric guitar during his solo set. Finally, the monster assembled: That 1 Guy and Buckethead combined forces as Frankenstein Brothers, even pulling in Wolff for a song.

Wolff and Tuba

Someone neglected to tell Brian Wolff how tuba works. In his world, tuba isn't delegated to the back line of the brass band and there's no concept of oompah. Instead, Wolff took the sounds from his tuba along with his voice and fed them into a host of effects to create a palette for his looped musical creations. Just like Adrian Belew uses his guitar synthesizer to evoke surprising mutations of sound, Wolff creatively sculpted the sounds he needed for each song

He built his rhythm tracks by tapping the body of the tuba and by beat boxing. A more normal tuba sound provided bass line material. Then, pitch shifting whammy pedals let him push his melodies into higher registers. He used echo, distortion, and other guitar oriented effects to open up a rich set of sonic possibilities from crunchy heavy metal rhythms to walls of orchestra synth.

Wolff adapted these elements to hit a number of genres, from experimental hard rock to electronic grooves. His set provided constant novelty and WTF moments. Singing into the mouthpiece of the tuba, which has its own built in mic, his distorted vocals rounded out the sound like a disturbed Tom Waits.

As much as I enjoyed his original songs, including The Triumph of Delusion, his deconstructed cover of Prince's When Doves Cry was amazing. Mechanical beats and heavy bass defined his approach, but he nailed the staccato keyboard riffs, too. His fuzzed out singing added an OCD desperation to Prince's lyrics.

Wolff was a perfect opener for Frankenstein Brothers. The music was intriguing and a little challenging. At the same time, he showed a similar theatrical flair.

Frankenstein Brothers

That 1 Guy

That 1 Guy opened his solo set with Modern Man and its Baba O'Riley style arpeggio groove. Where Wolff's tone was raucous, That 1 Guy was crisp and funky.

That 1 Guy is uniquely astounding. Starting as a bass player, he found the standard bass was too claustrophobic. He wanted to expand into rhythm and wider range of sounds. To reach this goal, he had to invent his own instrument, the Magic Pipe. Part standup bass, part drum synthesizer, the Pipe is a complex collection of strings and triggers. That was only the first step. Next, That 1 Guy became a master of the instrument.

The Magic Pipe provides percussion, bass, melody, and sound effects for That 1 Guy to bow, slap, or tap into place. Like the last time I saw him, he still used his catchphrase, "But wait, there's more" before launching off into another polyrhythmic groove. From jungle beats to the soundtrack of a deranged hoedown, That 1 Guy's had a kid's delight in zipping off in five directions at once, combined with a more mature musical ear.

More than just the music, his theatrical sense kept the crowd locked in, whether he was miming the sound effects or throwing in a magic trick or two. The audience was very familiar with his songs as they grooved to Butt Machine and sang along with The Moon is Disgusting.

Buckethead

After That 1 Guy's set, Buckethead sauntered out in his mask and KFC bucket. His show had a different balance of theater and music that contrasted a mechanical, emotionless affect with fluid, expressive bursts of guitar shred. He'd lock into a stiff Robot Dance while the notes escaped with dreams of freedom, like a musical embodiment of Ellison's I Have No Mouth, But I Must Scream. Buckethead played his solo set against a set of prerecorded instrumental tracks that grounded his musical explorations. Even though this imposes some limits on the song forms, his lead work destroys any sense of predictability.

Buckethead's mastery of heavy metal stunt guitar exceeds Yngwie Malmsteen's, but he proved that his musical tentacles reach further afield. Atonal, experimental flurries gave way to in-the-pocket jazz chops, which fell to twangy country tones. The stylistic change-ups and dynamic shifts kept the audience's attention.

Beyond his robotic stage persona, Buckethead's show had a couple of other standard features, including a toy exchange in the middle. Like an E.T. Santa, he diffidently handed out toys to the front row. Many people brought toys to trade, which he'd examine and carefully set aside. That led into a brief nunchaku kata.

After the mid-show break, there was the ritual of the kill switch. Buckethead's guitar has a red kill switch that cuts the signal when pressed. Rhythmically tapping it during a solo creates some very strange, feedback laden sounds. As Buckethead slowly traversed the apron of the stage, he allowed the audience access to the kill switch, letting them control the glitchy fury.

Frankenstein Brothers

After a brief break, Buckethead and That 1 Guy came out for a shared set. Like Frankenstein's Monster, the assembly was distinct from its constituent parts. With That 1 Guy setting the groove, it opened up Buckethead's playing better than the prerecorded tracks of the solo section. That 1 Guy stretched out, too, manipulating the Magic Pipe to get the sounds of keyboard washes and violins.

One of the stranger songs was a mutated, detuned version of Joe Walsh's Life's Been Good. That 1 Guys deep vocals led into the only time I've ever heard bass yodeling. It was similar to Tuvan throat singing.

Wolff joined the two for a song that featured a blistering set of exchanges between the tuba and guitar. This took the classic call-and-response form into a warped carnival sideshow space.

The set wrapped up with a cover of Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka) leading into Bolt On Neck. The Led Zeppelin inspired crunch of the rhythm line worked the crowd into a final frenzy.

More photos on my Flickr.

Concert review - Funkma$ter, That 1 Guy

29 April 2009 (Hodi's Half Note, Ft. Collins CO)
Another pleasant surprise. I happened to be looking at Hodi's calendar and the description for That 1 Guy sounded so interesting that I had to check it out. I am so glad I did. The short and sweet review? If possible, see That 1 Guy live!

Funkma$ter

The opening act was a local one man band calling himself Funkma$ter. He also happens to be the percussion player for local band Euforquestra. He spent his set fenced into a tight cockpit of equipment, creating loops incorporating drums, keyboards, bass, guitar, percussion, and vocals. Most of his songs were covers, like James Brown's Get on the Good Foot and Dr. Dre's Let me Ride. Since he makes it a point not to use any samples, he even recreated the P-Funk sample of Star Child that Dr. Dre uses on that tune. He also played a couple of Cuban percussion-centered pieces.

Funkma$ter is a competent musician who's adept at more instruments than I am. But his looping approach reduces to a technical exercise in assembly and mixing. So, it misses out on much of the show that an looper like Keller Williams or Arthur Lee Land can create.

That 1 Guy

When it comes to That 1 Guy's show, you really have to see it to believe it. From the moment he took the stage and unveiled the Magic Pipe, I knew this was going to be special. Almost immediately, we were all baptized into a techno-tribal/modern primitive rite that lasted for the rest of the night. About the pipe...That 1 Guy got his start as an upright bass player. Eventually, his experiments in percussive playing and solo performance motivated him to get really creative. Creative enough to envision and build this unique instrument that features two long sections of pipe, each with a bass string, linked together with a series of movable joints. The pipes are also festooned with synthesizer triggers that he can hit to get drum sounds or play samples. The pipes themselves can be played with the hands, a bow, drumsticks or whatever else he can find.

Watching him play the Magic Pipe was astounding as he capered around, grimaced, and frenetically attacked the pipes. But that wasn't enough for him, he was also surrounded by a set of kick-drum pedals wired to additional sample triggers. So, sometimes the beat was synthesizer based and other times he drummed on the pipe. He also had a few other tricks up his sleeve, like his Magic Cowboy Boot and his amplified musical saw.

Musically, this all fit together to cover a range of styles. At one point, we'd be in rave mode, feeling the bass and percussion beat through our bodies, then things would shift into more of a Primus/Beefheart jerky syncopation. A bowed bass sound might get transformed by a ring modulator into a distorted metal guitar grind. Over the Rainbow on musical saw and then Black Sabbath's Iron Man. Despite the random nature of this, it all flowed.

The cool toys, incredible stage energy, and wild music could have been enough to make a memorable show. "But wait, there's more", as he often tossed out during a brief lull. That 1 Guy has the natural instinct of a true entertainer. Aside from his expressive physique, he incorporated a lot of wonderful touches that kept the crowd rapt. He'd gesture with one hand (while the other was tweaking the pipe) and you'd swear his shaking free hand was making the sound on its own. He threw in a number of minor magic tricks that fit together with the music (glowing lights appearing and flickering, making cards appear and levitate). He had a street performer's sense of how to "play big" and keep even the back of the crowd engaged.

That 1 Guy's vocal style drifts from Stan Ridgeway (Wall of Voodoo) irony, through Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) gothic moan, to Iggy Pop growl. You can hear musical influences from Captain Beefheart and Primus. Some of the material also reminds me a lot of Mike Kineally's work in terms of meter and absurd lyrics that sound more than they mean. He played a lot of songs from his most recent album, The Moon is Disgusting. The title track was a high point point in the show, with it's free association rhyming:

The honey tastes sweeter when you anger the bees,
The moon is disgusting, it's made of cheese

Other high points included Weasel Pot Pie and Buttmachine. As you can see from the videos, watching him work the Magic Pipe is hypnotic. I'll let you search for Rainbow to track down his musical saw work. The show was full of surprises and originality. Most of the crowd was already familiar with him from his last tour with Buckethead, so their energy combined with his. The bass and drums beat through my body, the floor shook beneath my feet from the dancing, and the lunacy filled my heart and head with joy. I'd pair this up with absinthe and try to figure out That 1 Guy's lyrics.


I also picked up The Moon is Disgusting and gave that a spin. Rather than write a separate review, I'll just mention a couple of notes. Overall, the CD presents the songs well. Although it can't begin to capture his live energy, it's a great listen. Oddly enough, it's not mixed to be as bass heavy as I would have expected. The title cut is fun, as is Buttmachine, but the peak experience is the raga-like psychedelic trance of Rainbow.

More photos on my flickr.

Concert review - That 1 Guy with Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club

25 April 2013 (Hodi's Half Note, Ft. Collins CO)

It's a safe bet that Hodi's offered the most interesting bit of entertainment in the whole city Thursday night. Both acts offered distinctive performances far outside the normal fare, which is exactly what the crowd was looking for. The two have a history of collaboration dating back to a band, The Billy Nayer Show, led by Captain Ahab's Cory McAbee. Mike Silverman (AKA That 1 Guy) was in the band when they provided the soundtrack for McAbee's film, The American Astronaut (2001).

Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club

When Cory McAbee took the stage, it looked like Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club was just a fancy name for a solo act, but he immediately clarified that the band is a musical collective and we had all been inducted. On its surface, it was a cheesy act: a guy who looked like an insurance salesman singing karaoke with pre-recorded backing tracks. But McAbee's stage persona -- a mix of P.T. Barnum, Andy Kaufman, and Anthony Hopkins -- transformed it into performance art.

As each song kicked off from the playlist on his phone, McAbee braced himself, then invested himself into the right character with rabid intensity. Whether channeling the sad love interest "Penny Jane", the braggart "20th Century Man", or the quirky "Man Who Swore at a Rainbow", he shifted his body language with an actor's zeal and dove into melodramatic interpretation. While there were moments of true madness or at least unaffectedly strange mannerisms, the overwhelming feel was campy fun. The biggest crowd-pleaser was his cover of A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)", which he pitched as the world's oldest "space-cowboy" song.

While the musical collective idea seemed like a fine conceit, McAbee was serious. The project's website includes downloads of all of his tracks and pieces and requests remixes and other contributions. During his set, he even identified whose remixes he was using when it was relevant.

That 1 Guy

Honestly, if you don't already know who That 1 Guy is or haven't seen his custom instrument, the Magic Pipe, take a moment to research his solo work and Frankenstein Brothers, his project with guitarist Buckethead. Last night's performance demonstrated that his showmanship continues to be top notch as he transformed his strange collection of hardware and computer tech into a musical extravaganza. Sleight of hand flourishes, pantomimed sound effects, and butt shaking grooves continue to be the mainstay of his act, but he must not believe that he's blown his audience's minds enough.

For this tour, he's expanded into multimedia, adding two screens to his stage setup. In keeping with the playful nature of his music, he didn't settle for passive video accompaniment. Instead, he integrated the animations with his playing. Early in the set, the screens just presented music visualizations. Then, he upped the ante by letting the music distort a web-cam video feed of himself. Soon enough, he showed off the full interactive behavior, using trigger buttons on the Magic Pipe to control the animations. This let him play peek-a-boo with cartoon characters in one song and make his puppet image dance in another.

That 1 Guy hit many of his classic tracks, from the silly trippiness of "The Moon Is Disgusting" to the wicked, greasy funk of "Buttmachine". Throughout the set, it was a participatory rite as we all joined in to sing, dance, and echo his rising wolf howl punctuations. The flow of his setlist showed off the range of his material, where the electro-groove of "Mustaches" flowed smoothly int the acid-bluegrass sound of "Step Into Striped Light". His encores continued the mutating drift, from Tuvan throat-singing "acapella dubstep" to a stunning cover of Cameo's "Word Up".


It was also nice to see how well he connected with his audience outside the main show. At the end of the night, he warmly greeted the long line of people at his merch table, dispensing almost as many free hugs as CDs. This tour also offered another new feature, a pre-show for "Magic Mustache Club" VIPs.  The package included a private close-up magic show, a tour tee shirt, and download of his full discography as well as time to hang out with That 1 Guy. I ran into a couple of people who bought the package that really appreciated the time and effort that he took with them.

More photos on my Flickr.

Recording review - That 1 Guy, Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends (2014)

A nautical concept album, orchestrated with absurdist flair

That 1 Guy's latest album is all wet. The first release in a projected four-part "Magicland" series, Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends is a concept album anchored down in the ocean depths. The individual songs are all connected through that nautical theme, although the continuity ebbs and flows. But even if the narrative is a bit disjointed, That 1 Guy (Mike Silverman) keeps listeners engaged with his usual mix of Frank Zappa-style absurdism and storytelling flair.

Silverman's fans are already familiar with his showmanship and technical chops on his self-designed instrument, the Magic Pipe. Something like a high tech diddley bow, the pipe combines two bass-string shafts and a collection of synthesizer triggers. Silverman performs as a one man band, bowing, plucking, and tapping his way to a wide range of sounds. Although his act is best appreciated live, his recorded work is plenty entertaining, even without the visual impact. Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends continues that with catchy songs and full arrangements.


The album sets sail with "The Great Navigator", with the Magic Pipe providing the creaking sway of ropes, wood, and canvas. Ambient sounds back the cello-like tones, contributing to the mood. Silverman gives this instrumental prelude a rich, cinematic sound, full of grandeur. With this send off, the adventure really begins with "Infinite Depths at the Bottom of the Sea". Here, Silverman summons the post-rock excitement and optimism of early Styx and Rush, with staccato arpeggios and windmill chords and an undercurrent of electronica. His voice is deep and resonant like the mature Iggy Pop as he begins, "It used to be the greatest tale that's ever been told/ And it can't compare to what we're gonna see and where we're gonna go." He continues to set up a mythology of mystery under the ocean. The music feels adventurous as it melds Indian/East Asian electro beats with a progressive rock aesthetic. His wordplay here is really fun, "And we'll never get away to infinity/ Because the infinite's only in its infancy/ And when the infants all swim away to infamy/ At the bottom of the sea..." He relates the tale of a crew lost in lateral motion on the sea's surface, but it becomes clear that they were destined to head in a different direction

This leads to the arpeggiated excitement of "Poseidon", where Silverman portrays the underwater god with a fathoms deep pitch-shifted voice. The verses create a sense of expectation, but they're punctuated by a crunchy rock vamp. That heavy sound is revisited in the driving grind of "Electramafied", which also recalls Geddy Lee's work with Rush.

Silverman closes out the album by returning his adventurers to the land in "The Breakers and the Brine". All in all, the story itself is relatively shallow; his characters had some interesting encounters and they take stock during this tune, but it's not particularly linear. That 1 Guy makes it explicit that this is only "the first of four seasons," so more clarity may be forthcoming. Rather than get hung up on the narrative, though, it's probably best to just enjoy the songs and their shared context. The music hangs together well, with a stronger sense of Indian rhythms and electronic grooves than his earlier releases. He's always incorporated synth beats in his work, but they're more pervasive here, perhaps because he's moved away from the butt-shaking funk feel he's often favored in the past. I miss some of that visceral thump, but Silverman is pushing himself artistically. The pieces on Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends feel more orchestrated but still retain his unique musical voice and vision. I'm glad to have joined him on this outing and I'm looking forward to the next installment from Magicland.

Front Range - Recommended shows, 4/23

It's a busy week with some great music. My current plan is to catch Todd Snider and Frankenstein Brothers at the very least.

25 April (Hodi's Half Note, Ft. Collins CO)
26 April (Boulder Theater, Boulder CO)
Todd Snider

Todd Snider's latest album, Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables (review), takes on economic inequity (New York Banker), strangely successful pairings (Brenda), and pigheaded optimism (The Very Last Time) among other themes. They're all good stories and Snider is the master narrator. His albums make for fun listening, but his live show captures the real lightning.

25 April (Gothic Theatre, Denver CO)
26 April (Fox Theatre, Boulder CO)
27 April (Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins CO)
Frankenstein Brothers (Buckethead & That 1 Guy)

I know that Buckethead and That 1 Guy have been collaborating for a while, but this show will be my first time to see them live. I'm excited to hear how That 1 Guy's frenetic, one-man-band style will fit with Buckethead's shred-meister guitar work. Both of these guys are talented musicians with unique perspectives.

26 April (Hi-Dive, Denver CO)
28 April (Surfside 7, Ft. Collins CO)
Alone at 3AM

I'll warn you now that Alone at 3AM's upcoming album, Midwest Mess, is already in my review queue. Their bluesy country rock sound is well grounded. A first listen gave me a taste of Replacements, X, and maybe a hint of Roger Clyne's more earnest side.

27 April (Gothic Theatre, Denver CO)
Real Estate

I mentioned Real Estate's Easy in my January Singles post earlier this year. They have a cool, Fountains of Wayne style relaxed indie rock vibe. Assuming you're not on an irony-free diet, this show should be great.

Favorite reviewed concerts of 2013

This last year, I didn't review as many shows as I have in past years. That said, I still managed to find plenty of memorable moments in 2013.

# 10 - Sleepy Sun, with Glowing House and déCollage

22 November (Moe's Original Bar B Que, Englewood CO)

Glowing House played well, but their moody folk sound made them an odd choice as a supporting act for this show. Fortunately, déCollage had a surrealistic sound that meshed well with Sleepy Sun's heavy fog of distortion. Sleepy Sun had already passed through Denver as a supporting act the previous month, but Moe's proved to be the perfect intimate location to enjoy the band's cathartic chaos and poetic intensity. It was noisy ritual of feedback, but the acid-etched reflections satisfied us all. (full review)

#9 - Immortal Technique & Brother Ali with various openers

18 September 2013 (Gothic Theatre, Denver CO)

Like any hip-hop show, there was no real concept of down-time between acts. The bill was packed with performers, each of which put their own spin on things. My favorite of these was Hasan Salaam, who had a tight, rapid-fire delivery and a well-informed, socially conscious message.


Immortal Technique and Brother Ali negotiated co-headlining responsibilities with Brother Ali going first. This worked well because his low-key delivery and intense presence had time to build up the room. He adroitly balanced personal revelation with socio-political themes, delivering everything with an effortlessly smooth flow. Immortal Technique had a similar political perspective, but he was fiery and confrontational where Brother Ali was grounded. He whipped the crowd into a frenzy and fed off their zeal. (full review)

#8 - That 1 Guy with Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club

25 April 2013 (Hodi's Half Note, Ft. Collins CO)

The evening started with performance artist Cory McAbee in his persona of Captain Ahab's Motorcycle Club. It was a strange mix of madness and karaoke, undercut with a serious layer of cheese, but he proved quite entertaining while he made That 1 Guy seem much less eccentric. That said, although I've seen That 1 Guy a several times, he was still adept at creating a full blown performance as a one-man band. His music was quirky and a bit untethered as usual, but for all the odd twists and turns, the beat remained insistent and the showmanship was topnotch. If you've never seen him and his musical invention, The Magic Pipe, you need to check him out. (full review)

#7 - The Pimps of Joytime, with Mlima and Funkma$ter

31 August 2013 (Cervantes Other Side, Denver CO)

Local live-looper Funkma$ter expanded his one-man band with a line up of talented rappers to kick off the evening's festivities. The second act, Mlima, was more of a distraction. Their jam band approach built on their guitarist's remarkable chops, but their set was weak on personality and performance. This brought down the energy a little bit, but fortunately The Pimps of Joytime were so over-the-top, that they had no problem resetting the mood once they took the stage. Tight funk grooves, shift on a dime dynamic changes, and wickedly catchy tunes laid the foundation, but Brian J and the rest of his band dressed it up in pure pimp finery. They played a remarkably long set that never surrendered to formula or got boring. (full review)

#6 - Whiskey Blanket CD release party

2 November 2013 (Cervantes Other Side, Denver CO)

Whiskey Blanket celebrated their new CD, From The Dead Of Dark with a full night of music. Their opening acts served up hip hop, funky blues, reggae beats, and an intriguing blend of DJ mixing and live music. I appreciated the wide-ranging mix of approaches because that meshed well with Whiskey Blanket's natural scattershot style. While they favored material from the new album, they still managed squeeze in plenty of older songs and concert showpieces, like Funny Biz's classic beatbox/cello duet. All the members are consummate performers, both on their instruments and as stage personas. Their three way rap arrangements recall The Beastie Boys or Run-D.M.C., but they manage to incorporate humor, heart, and braggadocio that transcends their choreography, polish, and technique. (full review)

#5 -Vieux Farka Touré with New World Citizen Band

Tuesday, 6 August 2013 (The Walnut Room, Denver CO)

Local opener, New World Citizen Band, provided a great start to the evening. Composed of a soulful singer (Venus Cruz) and a subset of the Greg Harris Vibe Quintet, the group celebrated African musical roots, centering most of their arrangements around Harris' Ghanaian wood xylophone. It was very unique and well-executed. As much as I enjoyed their set, they didn't begin to eclipse Vieux Farka Touré, the son of famed Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré. Touré's guitar work was amazing. He could shred like a metal master, build up a hard rocking expressive riffs like Jimi Hendrix, and lose himself in the hypnotic sway of African syncopation. (full review)

#4 - Surfer Blood with Team Spirit and Andy Boay

16 October 2013 (Larimer Lounge, Denver CO)

No disrespect to Surfer Blood or Andy Boay, but this slot is all about Team Spirit. In this particular show, they played in the middle before Surfer Blood's headline spot. Surfer Blood weere a solid band; their music had a pop foundation, but they brought a new wave sensibility that shadowed the tunes and gave them depth. Their tight, twin guitar attack matched Team Spirit's set in a way that I missed when Team Spirit opened for Peace earlier in the year.

I ended up seeing Team Spirit four times over the course of the year: twice at SXSW and twice at Larimer Lounge in Denver. All the shows were centered on the songs from their EP, but even though they had played these tunes repeatedly, they had lost none of their exuberance. All four performances took these thrashy gems and pumped them way past the suggested maximum pressure. Frontman Ayad Al Adhamy rode the crest of that energy and fed it back to the audience every time. What's most amazing about this show in particular is that the Al Adhamy's backing band had completely turned over since the previous tour. The new band brought the same ecstatic flail to the set but still let their personalities shine through. (full review)

#3 - Reel Big Fish with Pilfers and DanP

12 January 2013 (Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins CO)

This was a solid show, starting with the humorous Dan P (MU330) performing an acoustic set, followed by the hip-hop flavored ska-punk of Pilfers. The openers provided a nice ramp up for Reel Big Fish. I've seen the band a few times over the years including back in their heyday. Fortunately, they can still bring it on and recreate the qualities that made them so much fun. Aaron Barrett's sarcastic persona was in full effect and the set covered a good mix of old and new material. The stage banter, tight arrangements, and great humor added to the natural fun vibe of ska party music and created a memorable show. (full review)

#2 - String Cheese Incident with Bootsy Collins and the Funk Unity Band

28 December 2013 (1st Bank Center, Broomfield CO)

Ahh, this one is still fresh in my mind. String Cheese Incident lined up a phenomenal run of shows leading up to their New Year's Eve extravaganza. The big show has the Del McCoury band opening; Sunday's show featured the Flaming Lips. But Bootsy Collins was the pick for the first night. To be fair, I wasn't completely sure about the combination, but the crowd had no problem accepting Bootsy's generous gift of The Funk, embracing the full, spaced-out experience and dancing along.

String Cheese Incident took the party atmosphere and ran with it. Like any other SCI show, the band pulled selections from across their full career, but since they were celebrating their 20th anniversary this time around, it emphasized their roots and deep connections. The encore made this explicit, with a short run of songs that walked through the band's evolution. While they didn't manage to get Bootsy to sit in, they did have the legendary Karl Denson sitting in on sax and flute for several tunes. (full review)

#1 - Steven Wilson

6 May 2013 (Boulder Theater, Boulder CO)

Steven Wilson is a perfectionist control-freak and some aspects of his show reinforced that image: he insisted on a ban on cameras and cell-phones, he started precisely on-time, and even told the audience whether to stand or sit. At the same time, that focus and obsession probably had a lot to do with how he assembled his band full of virtuosi talents; Nick Beggs on bass was particularly fine. This show breathed with the musical flow as each song demanded its focus. In contrast to his tightly wound sense of control for the production, Wilson proved to be a much more relaxed and engaged performer than he used to be. (full review)

Honorable mention: 

SXSW

Austin TX

I've wanted to make it to South By Southwest for quite a while and 2013 turned out to be my year. I saw so many shows from famous acts -- Camper Van Beethoven, Richard Thompson, Billy Bragg -- to undiscovered gems like Some Dark Holler and Kao=s. It was also the first time I saw Team Spirit, who ended up on my official list above. Read the full report for more details.