It’s a Weird World

After the fiasco I described last time at the Larimer Lounge, I decided I wasn't going to see the Willowz there the following night and was going to catch 45 Grave at the Bluebird instead. And that show was…cancelled, no doubt due to the snowstorm. Since then, however, spring feels like it has arrived. After what's felt like a dry spell for live music, things are starting to pick up. Here's the latest rundown:

Blowfly - I'm not sure why I was compelled to catch "the original dirty rapper," I was kind of surprised to see him in the club listings. I decided to give it a try, and overall it was pretty fun. The man himself hit the stage in what could be best described as a masked wrester costume, backed by a 3 piece band. The band was pretty good, alternating between a classic soul groove and more revved up punk numbers. If you're not familiar with Blowfly, let's just say that the majority of his songs deal with the female anatomy - definitely not for the politically correct! When he ended the set, audience members rushed up to help him down from the stage. He had taken off his mask, and he looked like a kindly old grandfather - he's got to be at least 60. I saw several people give the man a hug; it was actually kind of sweet.

Japan Night - This was a lineup of sixJapanese bands at the Bluebird. I wasn't really familiar with anyone who was playing, but bands from Japan are always fun to watch (if not overly original music-wise). Six bands were a bit much for one night, here's what I can recall:

Rodeo Carburetor - The music started a little earlier than advertised, so they had already started when I arrived. An energetic rock trio, what I saw was pretty good

The Emeralds - Another rock n' roll trio, but not nearly as revved up. I thought it was funny how they came out, tuned up their instruments, and then all put on leather jackets before starting their set - the jackets were then removed after the first song. The singer also put on a pair of sunglasses, which he removed in a dramatic fashion halfway through the first song. I think the drummer yelled "Hello Denver!" more times than all of the other bands I've seen in this town combined. Pretty decent, overall.

Stance Punks - Pretty standard punk rock, with a singer that jumped around constantly - he spent as much time in the air as he did on the ground. Their bassist looked like an Asian Dee Dee Ramone. Not too original, but still pretty cool. A friend of mine yelled "you're very adequate!"

Pe'z - After seeing three rock bands, it was kind of strange to see a jazz group. They sounded similar to Herb Alpert, but with a rock drummer (to my ears, at least, but I really don't know anything about jazz). Not really my thing, but I enjoyed them for what they were.

Ellegarden - Ugh, these guys didn't do anything for me. Boring emo rock, it sounded like something they'd play on ads for The OC (I've never seen the show, just the commercials!). They band played well, and the singer had a decent voice, but they just about put me to sleep. Is this the kind of influence our pop culture is having on other countries now? How sad.

TsuShiMaMiRe - A female trio, these ladies were far and away the highlight of the evening. They had the chirpy-happy pop thing down that you'd expect from a Japanese girl group, but at times veered into a much hasher sound (I joked that they were channeling their inner Babes in Toyland). A blast to watch (especially the bassist, who hopped and skipped around like an excited child), with great songs to boot, I'd go see this group again in a heartbeat - they provided a perfect ending to a fun night out.

So, after a night of six Japanese bands, what did I catch next? More Japanese bands!

Gito Gito Hustler - Another Japanese all girl band, who I caught less than a week later at the 15th Street Tavern. Pretty standard poppy punk tunes, but played with that infectious spirit that always characterizes the best Japanese bands. The members were ultra cute, and had cheat sheets of English phrases to say between songs! Too funny - when the drummer ran out of things to say, she held up her pint glass and exclaimed "this is beer!" to great applause. Warming up was another partially Japanese band (they had an American drummer), The Spanks, who played pretty average punk tunes. They did have one funny tune, We Love Wok n' Roll. They were a damn sight better than locals Fuckin' Orange, who opened with a set of crappy metal that went on for way too long.

Soledad Brothers - I caught these guys the next night. As usual, a great set from this bluesy Detroit garage band. In the past I've seen them as a duo, then a trio, and nowadays they're playing as a four piece. A real energetic performance this time (especially drummer Ben Swank, who's a kick to watch), maybe the best I've ever seen them play. I've seen these guys close to ten times, and I realized that I had never actually bought one of their records. So I picked up their latest after the show, The Hardest Walk. It's good - it has a bit of an early 70's Stones vibe. The Soledads were opening for the Heartless Bastards. They were okay, but they didn't do a whole lot for me. The woman who sang had a terrific voice, but she was so uptight (she yelled at the soundman a few times) that it kind of put some people off. I would have rather seen the Soledad Brothers play a little longer!

The Orangu-Tones with Burlesque As It Was - We caught this last Saturday, and it was pretty fun. Local garage rockers the Orangu-Tones provided the backing music for a two hour old fashioned burlesque show. So you had rock and roll, and half naked girls. Not a bad combo! The show dragged a bit in spots when the guys would be waiting for a costume change, but that's a minor complaint seeing how much fun the whole evening was. This was in the newly renovated Oriental Theater, which is just a few minutes from our house. A very cool venue, hopefully they'll be more shows there in the near future.

Sunday morning at work was a bit harsh - what with the time change, and the zoo's extended summer hours starting, I felt pretty worn out by the end of the day. As a matter of fact, I still do!