The Highlights (The Tunes)

Not too long ago, I posed The Highlights (not the painting hairs kind). In it, I highlighted several posts from the early days (because many of you haven't been around for the entire year, and you wouldn't want to be left out on the early stuff, would you?).

This post is the follow-up to that post, and highlights some of the writings around bands, concerts, and music I've encountered over the past year.

For some of you, this will be like a stroll down memory lane. For others, you may find new love... or something like that... or nothing like that at all.

In fact, it's quite likely you've already given up and moved on to something else by now. But I'm going to continue anyway. I'm a survivor like that.

So, here it is - enjoy!


-- In 30STM and The Moment, I wrote about how music can be liberating, how it soothes the soul, and how it can create what I call 'The Moment' - a time when you realize that man is good, and that all is alright. Read more about it here.

-- I wrote a follow-up piece a few days later, which actually was written on my phone shortly after the show, and talks about how the music that night inspired a new generation of musicians. It's kind of inspiring (at least I think so). Read on.

-- Here's a piece detailing how I (possibly) saved someone's life at a concert.

-- I wrote how Shinedown and vanilla (the flavor) are an unfortunate combination in this one.

-- I wrote about an unlikely experience with FaceMan here, and then another time about FaceMan's First Waltz here.

-- Somehow hula hoops and Jesus ponies made their way into a post about a music festival here.

-- And here's one about Peter Steele from Type O Negative and Ozzy Osbourne (and how Ozzy's continued existence may be due to some type of artificial life... because somehow he's still alive).

FaceMan’s First Waltz

Four hours of music, plenty of note-taking, a few drinks, and overall a good time: that’s what my Friday night looked like.

(Note: The following is not meant to be an all-encompassing review of all musicians who graced the stage; it is but a highlight of the music that hit me.)

FaceMan’s First Waltz: an eclectic showcase of local talent; a true compilation of the variety in Denver’s local music scene. It was a welcomed change from the norm of one-band/one-stage/one-type of music for an hour or two. If you weren’t familiar with Denver’s music, this was the event to see. 30+ local musicians sharing one stage. Not all at once, of course; they mixed and mingled throughout the evening on each other’s songs, creating an event that is now difficult to portray to those who were not there.

The first song hit with true emotion in FaceMan’s voice. It was clear that the music Steve sings is true to his heart and something he really feels. Poppy? No. Real? Yes.

Martin Gilmore, previously unknown to me (much like all others on stage) surely impressed the crowd with an absolutely awesome voice and great storytelling lyrics. Why he’s not touring nationally, I have no idea. But that’s the kind of voice he has.

Players from The Outfit and The Knew rocked the house and livened the crowd a bit, while the Boulder Acoustic Society leveled the field as they offered grace and added soul to the stage.

Chadzilla from Slim Cessna’s Auto Club added a some vocals and a few drum tracks, and Bonnie and The Beard brought the female vocals to the stage with lively, swinging guitar sounds.

Medicine Man… what can I say. Dare I offer: “the greatest harmonica in Denver”? I said it once before and I’ll say it again: FaceMan and Medicine Man should play more music together. If not formally, then Medicine Man should at least make a cameo during FaceMan’s future shows.

Panal S.A de C.V hit the stage late in the night, brining a touch of instrumental rock of the heavier nature to the gig which was unlike any other on the stage that night – a nice addition to the folk/classic rock/indie sound of the event.

A duo from Bop Skizzum brought along a definite surprise of funk to the show, playing some of the best funk I’ve heard in the area. My notes say, ‘funk act that was pretty darn good!’, which sums up their time on the stage accurately.

I wish I had a playlist to call out specific tunes of the evening, but it was either the third- or fourth-to-last song that had me saying “wow”. And there were plenty of catchy lyrics throughout the night that still repeat today.

Of course, I can’t forget a few words about FaceMan: their music was well-received by the crowd, and at times the audience joined in by singing along and often cheered when a favorite song began to play. Their folk-rock sound and sincere lyrics seem to resonate with listeners; perhaps FaceMan sings something that we all tend to feel from time to time.

Even though it was not a true FaceMan show where the audience was surrounded by their music only, the playlist allowed for FaceMan to become the underlying bond of the night’s varying music. Playing that role in an event like this brought with it the potential for disaster. Rest assured, FaceMan, disaster averted: the format went well. Bravo!


It was clear there had been a lot of energy and time put into the event. I appreciated it… we appreciated it.

FaceMan set out to put on a party, a CD release event much like no other seen in the area. It was clear the members of FaceMan enjoyed it, along with all the other musicians who appeared on stage.

So did we.


‘Great job’ to all, congratulations on the new CD, and ‘thank you’ from the crowd.

Now let’s hear some more music!

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*Follow me on Twitter @WrkspcWrtngs

*Here’s Westword’s review of the night.
_

In support of their Waltz on Friday: FaceMan

Originally posted a while ago (5/24/10):

I ended up at Pete’s Monkey Bar (formerly Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey) Saturday night for a few drinks and some live music. I love going to Pete’s, it’s a very comfortable place and I feel at home there – good people, good atmosphere, and good music. I was a little hesitant to go Saturday because Pete’s doesn’t usually post who is playing, and I like to do my research on the bands ahead of time to make sure I’m going to enjoy them. I ended up going anyway, and wow, what an experience.

FaceMan was playing that night. Who (or what) is Faceman? FaceMan is a band with a very interesting gimmick: the singer/lead guy comes walking through the front door after the music has started wearing a silver/grey suit with a contraption on his shoulders which fashions a box around his head that has vents on all sides and spinning lights on top (which he turns on and off throughout the show). Needless to say, I was surprised by what I saw, and honestly, I was a little apprehensive of what was going to follow.

And so the show went on, silver-box-with-spinning-lights-over-some-guy’s-head and all. They also had a special guest, a harmonica player called Medicine who added serious depth to the music – who should always play with Faceman from here on out. Oh, and there were two projector screens near the ceiling, and a silver robot looking thing centered in front (something like you would find on Mystery Science Theater 3000)… with a light that kept changing colors (what I thought to be an eye), and a mouth with fiery-orange teeth… fun right? It was.

You see, the projectors played snippets of video along with the music (think Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz, but with different videos). And although the music and video weren’t in perfect synchronization, it was still pretty damn cool. Every now and then the video would become two eyes, and that’s when you could see it: two eyes, a nose and a mouth of a giant something (see below).

As the music went on and the videos kept changing, it began to make sense… this wasn’t about the band members; Faceman is about the music, the show, and the experience.

FaceMan, I have to hand it to you – you did a great job. Your music was surprisingly good and your gimmick worked very well with the crowd. I definitely look forward to seeing you again.

And Pete – thanks again for another great night. You guys are awesome.

Pete's Monkey Bar: http://www.petesmonkeybar.com/

Pete's on Facebook: www.facebook.com/petesmonkeybar

FaceMan: http://facemanmusic.com/
FaceMan on Myspace: www.myspace.com/facemanmusic

_

FaceMan. …What?

I ended up at Pete’s Monkey Bar (formerly Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey) Saturday night for a few drinks and some live music. I love going to Pete’s, it’s a very comfortable place and I feel at home there – good people, good atmosphere, and good music. I was a little hesitant to go Saturday because Pete’s doesn’t usually post who is playing, and I like to do my research on the bands ahead of time to make sure I’m going to enjoy them. I ended up going anyway, and wow, what an experience.

FaceMan was playing that night. Who (or what) is Faceman? FaceMan is a band with a very interesting gimmick: the singer/lead guy comes walking through the front door after the music has started wearing a silver/grey suit with a contraption on his shoulders which fashions a box around his head that has vents on all sides and spinning lights on top (which he turns on and off throughout the show). Needless to say, I was surprised by what I saw, and honestly, I was a little apprehensive of what was going to follow.

And so the show went on, silver-box-with-spinning-lights-over-some-guy’s-head and all. They also had a special guest, a harmonica player called Medicine who added serious depth to the music – who should always play with Faceman from here on out. Oh, and there were two projector screens near the ceiling, and a silver robot looking thing centered in front (something like you would find on Mystery Science Theater 3000)… with a light that kept changing colors (what I thought to be an eye), and a mouth with fiery-orange teeth… fun right? It was.

You see, the projectors played snippets of video along with the music (think Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz, but with different videos). And although the music and video weren’t in perfect synchronization, it was still pretty damn cool. Every now and then the video would become two eyes, and that’s when you could see it: two eyes, a nose and a mouth of a giant something (see below).

As the music went on and the videos kept changing, it began to make sense… this wasn’t about the band members; Faceman is about the music, the show, and the experience.

FaceMan, I have to hand it to you – you did a great job. Your music was surprisingly good and your gimmick worked very well with the crowd. I definitely look forward to seeing you again.

And Pete – thanks again for another great night. You guys are awesome.

Pete's Monkey Bar: http://www.petesmonkeybar.com/

Pete's on Facebook: www.facebook.com/petesmonkeybar

FaceMan: http://facemanmusic.com/
FaceMan on Myspace: www.myspace.com/facemanmusic

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