It was a packed evening of sold out (or close to sold out) shows in Denver, as is often the case on any given weekend. A lot of thought went into which show(s) to attend for a lot of people, but for me the decision was clear. Guitarist, Fareed Haque, would cover Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Deja Vu with his band MathGames. Leading up to the event Fareed reached out to me about needing keys for the project. There was only one person who could properly field the material and keep up with Fareed, and that person was Patrick Lee (Garrett Sayers Trio). I was also asked by MusicMarauders' client, Genetics, if they could get onto the bill as Fareed was one of their all time favorites as well. Calls were made and the gig was set.
Just prior to their opening slot, I headed backstage to let Genetics know that we were set up and ready to go. I also informed them that I would be living vicariously through them on that evening and to not fuck it up. I like to add a little pressure to an already tense situation, as it was confirmed, Fareed would sit in with Genetics. Genetics took the stage at the nearly empty Quixote's and as they began folks made their way into the main room to experience the young Fort Collins band. Genetics eased their way into the set with the energy building in a slow yet calculated manner. Solid guitar riffs soared over heavy bass and consistent drums as the music went through all sorts of flowing progressions. Adventurous musical concepts whirled around the stage in a collective and cohesive manner as the band launched into Oyterhead's "Mr. Oysterhead!" The song was well-executed and one of the highlights of the set, foreshadowing May 11th's "Genetics Performs The Music of Oysterhead" show at Quixote's! Then it happened. The true highlight of the extended opening set came with Fareed Haque's entrance to the stage. The excitement was clear on the faces of the young band, who once again worked its way into a composition, as Fareed mocked the melodies then took them to another level. Fareed glanced at the young guitarists, encouraging them to "have at it," though it was clear that no one wanted to step up. With that, Fareed tapped his pedal, leaned back and took off into ripping guitar work. The music built, the band thanked Fareed and jumped back into heavy progressive jam before concluding their set.
Up next was Fareed Haque's MathGames, who instead of playing numeric jazz, took a different approach to their sets with their take on Deja Vu! Fareed's acoustic guitar sounded crisp as he nailed every single note with larger than life tone and accuracy. Alex Austin's bass, combined with Greg Fundis' drums reflected great chemistry and the perfect platform to feature Fareed. That night MathGames welcomed special guest Patrick Lee to the mix. Patrick fit in perfectly, outputting the material like a true pro and reading Fareed like a book, keeping up with every chop. It was cool to see Fareed's excitement with Patrick's approach to the music. Songs like "Teach your Children," "Carry On," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Woodstock" and more, featured a new perspective on the material and a specific mastery that only Fareed could bring to the table. Through two set of covers and original material, MathGames blew minds, encoring with crowd favorite, "Carry On."
Though the turn out was low, the vibe and the music was fantastic. Fareed and MathGames' approach to the material of CSNY was incredible and overwhelmingly interesting. In addition, Genetics put on a solid opening performance that reflected focus, immense practice and progress from their previous performances. What more can you ask for from a young band beside constant improvement and progress? I see great things for Genetics and look forward to the next time I am able to catch them and/or my favorite guitarist, Fareed Haque!
Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) Ozric Tentacles This British group has proven innovative throughout the years offering a space-rock meets psytrance sound that remains alive to this day. Though never having a major record label, Ozric Tentacles has produced 28 albums of diverse psychedelia throughout its career. The band met at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 and truly fathered livetronica music with its use of sequencers and synthesizers. Simply put, there would be no livetronica without Ozric Tentacles. www.ozrics.com Octopus Nebula Colorado’s Octopus Nebula has certainly hit its stride as of late with its constant touring and increased festival interest. The group expands on the deep sounds of highly regarded acts such as STS9 and Shpongle but also carves a path of its own with its fresh takes on synthesizer tones and sampling in the live setting. Octopus Nebula Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 26, 2010. <--- Direct Archive Link www.octopus
Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least
Black Rock City, NV Words & Photos by Andrew Wyatt The first time I was born again, I was no more than a 12-year-old tadpole of a kid wriggling his way through chilly baptismal waters of my father’s tiny, rural Southern Baptist church. The first time I was born into the narrow confines of evangelical religion. The second time I was born again, I was a gangly young man born into the big, wide, roiling sea of the infinite universe. And it all happened on a pirate ship and a wacky dance club at Burning Man. In 2002, I was a self-doubting preacher unsure whether to continue a fledgling career calling, when a voluptuous mountain guide neighbor asked if I would join her on a week-long experience at Burning Man. “After the week is over, and you still want to preach. Then great. If not, then you’re welcome!” she piped up. Hesitantly I agreed. “Burning Man,” wrote journalist Daniel Pinchbeck in his book, Breaking Open the Head , “is more decadent than Andy Warhol’s Factory, more glamoro
Salvage Station Asheville, NC Words by Jason Mebane Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography When asked to write a review of last week's Billy Strings show at Asheville, North Carolina's Salvage Station I almost passed on it. I just wrote a review of his last Asheville show a few months ago and I thought it may be hard to come up with another set of words to describe to the readers exactly what a Billy Strings show is all about. I am sure there are a plethora of other reviews that other people have written focusing on how well he has mastered his instrument. I suppose I could recycle those thoughts and just sit here typing out a few adjectives describing each note Billy and his superb backing band played this past Thursday night, but that wouldn't be fun for me. Additionally I'd imagine a review like that wouldn't keep your attention either. Instead I have decided to focus on a few random parts of the Billy Strings show that seemed interesting to me. One: B
Levitt Pavilion Denver, CO Words & Photos by Andrew Wyatt About halfway through the first set of Shakedown Street’s fiery tribute show celebrating Jerry Garcia’s birthday, a huge roar erupted from the 9,000+ Deadhead fans as if they were watching a young King Arthur lean over and carefully pull the mystical sword Excalibur from a hulking slab of stone. Only it wasn’t a sword that lead-guitarist Josh Rosen hoisted to his chest. It was the mystical Fender Stratocaster guitar of Jerry Garcia’s called Alligator that became his favorite to play during the fabled Europe ‘72 tour, but he never played in the state of Colorado. The magical mix of history and myth swirled with the echo of cheers high above the sprawling grassy knolls of the outdoor Denver venue for what would become a legend of performances. It is no exaggeration to say that Alligator’s story is incredible and its sudden appearance at the weekend Shakedown show was equally incredible. Musician/songwriter Graham Nash reported
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