Armoury
Denver, CO
Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel (Opti Mystic Outlooks)
In the world of music, few holidays have created such excitement as Halloween. Cover sets, audience participation, costume contests, and pranks have become expected pieces of the Halloween show experience. After debating the local offerings, I decided to go to the Armoury and watch Tiger Party play the music of LCD Soundsystem. I have not had a whole lot of experience with LCD, but I've liked a lot of what I heard. As I entered the bar, the live Phish stream from Atlantic City was just ending and Tiger Party was bound for the stage. One of my favorite things about Tiger Party has been the unpredictable nature of the shows. From the rotating lineup to the changing themes and styles, Tiger Party has always kept me guessing. Sometimes I get a funk-heavy scorcher, sometimes a rocker, sometimes a womp-session... But I typically enjoy the material and the players.
Thursday's Tigers were mostly people I've seen before, but this particular lineup was a little different. Covering LCD Soundsystem was brave in my opinion. If you're not familiar with LCD, they have always reminded me of a contemporary Talking Heads. Awkward dance music, eccentric lyrics, and boundless creativity. James Murphy was the creative lion, writing, producing, singing, and largely playing the instruments on the albums. LCD's unconventional rhythms, vocals, and composition made for a frantic party that was equally daring and danceable. Somehow, the Tiger Party seemed to nearly replicate almost every LCD song I know. While a few hardcore Soundsystem fans were not impressed, the majority of the room (including this writer) were dancing, smiling, drinking, and being silly.
Ashley Niven did a good job imitating Murphy's bizarre and unique vocals through most of the show. When team captain Blake Mobley took the mic, it was typically for the narrative songs, and he was equally convincing. I felt the band did a really good job integrating turntables and live instruments to recreate the material, especially considering the revolving cast of the band. Once again, Blake really stood out as a phenomenal key player. His chops, tones, energy, and presence were professionally casual, much like his Halloween costume (Richie Tenenbaum). Frederick Reisin (bass) and Tanner Bardin (drums) were synced up, with precision and vitality and kept the floor moving all night. DJ Craig Heneveld and guitarist Ryan Ebarb rounded out the ensemble, and added a lot of the melodic adornment and sampling that served as the icing on this musical cake.
Though it was a Thursday, I blissfully ignored my impending demise... work Friday morning. I soldiered through last call, missed the last train home, and tracked down a cab back to Lakewood that got me home around 3:00 am. Through a pounding headache, queasy stomach, and heavy eyelids, I battled to the weekend with a hazy recollection of a downtown dance party and a tab I'd wished I didn't have to pay. Ah, Halloween.
www.facebook.com/blakes.tigerparty
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