Category: National

Live reviews of act traveling through Denver, many published originally on Denver Post Reverb

. . . And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead w/Future of the Left, Bluebird Theater, Tues., 10/20/09 – Reverb
October 22, 2009 Off

. . . And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead w/Future of the Left, Bluebird Theater, Tues., 10/20/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

You couldn’t ask for a more apt pairing of bands than Tuesday’s Bluebird Theater lineup of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Future of the Left — particularly in size. Both feature overwhelming avalanches of pure volume, corrupted beautifully by strong melodies and ferocious rock rhythms. And both have a stage sound that can never be replicated on record.

Yo La Tengo @ the Ogden Theatre, 09/10/09 – Reverb
October 15, 2009 Off

Yo La Tengo @ the Ogden Theatre, 09/10/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

Now in their 25th year together, the Hoboken trio have a cache of music that crosses and re-crosses genres but always remains within their own style. Their show featured Ira Kaplan’s signature reverb and tremolo-drenched guitar and overloud keyboards supporting his often sparse vocals, backed up by wife Georgia Hubley on drums and vocals and James McNew on bass and guitar.

Butthole Surfers, Psychic Ills, Circle # Dot @ the Ogden Theatre, 10/09/09 – Reverb
October 14, 2009 Off

Butthole Surfers, Psychic Ills, Circle # Dot @ the Ogden Theatre, 10/09/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

If you’d never seen Butthole Surfers before last Friday night’s show at the Ogden, then you were treated to a mild spectacle. On the other hand, if this show was a chance for you to revisit the band after their many years away from stages (as it was for me), chances are you found yourself more than a little disappointed. After existing almost entirely upon a reputation for wild, often violent and over-the-top live shows and a general band attitude that matched, their somnambulistic performance that night just didn’t cut it.

Sian Alice Group, Gangcharger @ the Hi-Dive, 10/06/09 – Reverb
October 9, 2009 Off

Sian Alice Group, Gangcharger @ the Hi-Dive, 10/06/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

Sian Alice Group filled the Hi-Dive last Tuesday with a resplendent sound that coaxed visions of quiet, snow-filled night streets as easily it did hot, tribal raves in the desert. Unfortunately, their tremendous performance was about all that filled the venue, as the crowd was far smaller than it should have been, even for a school night.

She Wants Revenge, Kill Hannah @ the Bluebird Theater, 10/4/09 – Reverb
October 8, 2009 Off

She Wants Revenge, Kill Hannah @ the Bluebird Theater, 10/4/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

The band’s show at the Bluebird Theater last Sunday night turned out to be a perfect place to show off their emulative prowess, featuring a playlist of songs heavily influenced as much by old school bands like Joy Division, Bauhaus, the Cure and Soft Cell as Interpol and Nine Inch Nails, and with more than a bit of Rick James’ funk.

New Releases: Lisa Germano, Elvis Perkins In Dearland – 10/06/09
October 6, 2009 Off

New Releases: Lisa Germano, Elvis Perkins In Dearland – 10/06/09

By Billy Thieme

Germano: The first time I heard the ethereal, esoteric and often terrifying music of Lisa Germano on her CD “Happiness” in 1994 (through oversized headphones attached to my DiscMan), I was immediately addicted.

Perkins: Elvis Perkins’ musical genre falls somewhere between dixieland jazz and “freak folk,” between Hollywood and Bourbon Street. He and the other members of ” Elvis Perkins In Dearland” are about to release the new 6-song “Doomsday EP,” a perfect melange of their sound, October 20.

Clutch @ The Fillmore, 09/30/09 – Reverb
October 5, 2009 Off

Clutch @ The Fillmore, 09/30/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

Clutch is heavy. Heavy enough to pull in all the roots of punk, metal, funk and grunge and bundle them into the perfect musical explosive. Their performance at the Fillmore last Wednesday proved it, as they pummeled a more than willing, near capacity audience with over 90 minutes of material from all over their musical history.

Revolting Cocks @ the Gothic Theatre, 09/13/09 – Reverb
September 16, 2009 Off

Revolting Cocks @ the Gothic Theatre, 09/13/09 – Reverb

By Billy Thieme

The feeling behind songs like “Cousins,” “Robo Bandidos,” and set-ender “I’m Not Gay” seemed to fall flat. . . . the type of industrial punk they were pawning, infused with a cheap strip-joint aesthetic is more worn out, old and embarrassing than the strippers one might find at said strip-joint.