photographed by Meesh Deyden
Two months into her 2018 headlining tour, Phoebe Bridgers played Englewood's Gothic to a near sold out crowd. The show, which moved from Larimer Lounge, featured tracks from her record Stranger in the Alps, and an encore cover of Sheryl Crow's 1999 hit "If It Makes You Happy."
Last Saturday night, Denver got a taste of southern rock from the most unlikely of sources: an Icelandic rock band with a knack for rhythm & blues. If you’re looking for some new music to get you through your week, look no further than Kaleo’s dynamic new album A/B. Although the band played Denver before their debut album was available to the masses, it didn’t stop fans from dancing along beginning to end of the set.
press image courtesy of Atlantic Records.
Kaleo's show at the Gothic Theatre kicked off with the same opening track as the record, “No Good”. A foot-stomping, hand-clapping sing along, the raucous crowd didn’t hesitate to let the band know how happy they were to have them on stage. The band's first record, self-titled Kaleo, featured six songs, five of which went to number one on the charts, leading to a slew of performances across Europe in 2013. Their latest release, A/B feels just as promising, and the radio single “Way Down We Go” is already burning up the charts. The album is an eclectic yet fluid mix of sounds and feelings, guiding the listener through a journey with vocalist and lead guitarist JJ Julius Son. Tracks like “No Good”, Glass House”, and “Automobile” pay homage to the band’s American home of Austin, Texas with southern-style guitars, bluesy solos, and soulful lyrics reminiscent of the “good ol’ days”. The tracks “All The Pretty Girls”, and “Vor í vaglaskógi” (a unique take on a traditional Icelandic ballad) showcase the bands diversity in style and sound, as well as lead vocalist Son’s haunting precision with his falsetto. The high note towards the end of “Vor í vaglaskógi” seems impossible to hit live for someone with such a low chest voice, but when it came time on Saturday night, JJ Julius Son hit it with ease, and the Theatre fell silent in awe.
Since the album had not been released prior to their Denver performance, the crowd was very different than your typical performance. Without the ability to sing along, it felt like much of the audience continued to chat together throughout the set, but although they were talking, it was clear they were listening as well. The audience clapped along as the band commanded, hollered at all the right moments, and respected the intensity that came along with ballads. This feeling of respect met with unfamiliarity was reminiscent of a fantastic house band playing at a bar (albeit with much, much better material than i’ve ever stumbled across at a local dive), creating an exuberant atmosphere enjoyed by all, without creating the dividers often felt by performers with diehard fanbases or more experiential set. Now that the record is out and I’ve become more familiar with the tracks, thinking back on the show makes it even more enjoyable, realizing that the strength and power felt in the moment by certain songs has translated into the recording. Creating a record that captures the same energy as a live performance is a feat not easily accomplished, and Kaleo has done just that. The anticipation for my next chance to see them live has only grown with each listen. We yet know the next time Kaleo will be in Colorado, but you can prepare yourself by listening to A/B, which is now available on iTunes, Spotify, or from your favorite local record shop.
We first laid eyes on Ashley Frangipane at SXSW back in March. At the time, the artist more commonly known at Halsey was slowly beginning to build her brand based around her debut release Room 93. Her performance was quick, and although we saw the potential in her music, her live show was typical of SXSW: too quick to get a good feel for the artist we were seeing for the very first time, unsure of what to expect in the upcoming months.
Halsey at SXSW 2015 in Austin, TX (photo credit: Maddie Casey/Ultra5280)
Here we are, nearly nine months later, and Halsey has become the queen of the scene. With over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Halsey's full-length debut Badlands landed in the #2 position on the Billboard charts during it's debut just a few weeks ago, but that sits at the bottom of an already impressive resumé. After being signed based on the success of one single, Halsey secured a coveted position opening for Imagine Dragons during their summer 2015 arena tour. Her feature on Justin Bieber's upcoming record, not to mention selling out her first headlining US tour without issue, are only continuing to move her forward. A whirlwind six months to say the least, this young pop artist has been making major waves, and we don't see it stopping anytime soon.
Her show here in Denver this past Friday was edgy, dynamic, beautiful, and perfect for her fan base. Fans arrived as early as 10:30am to sit and wait in the parking lot of The Gothic, and by our judgement? They were not let down. Her dark lyrics were complimented beautifully by the stage's dark, enticing lighting. LED panels surrounding her on stage played a variety of images, slideshows, and patterns, bringing the music to live. Moving from side to side of the stage, you could watch the audience mirror her movements as she went. Her genre of grungy, glittery, sugar-coated sadness is unique, different, but fills a void we didn't even knew existed in the music world. She may be young, but Halsey's grasp on her artistic vision is defined. Her lyrics are uniquely poetic, bringing to life the dark, and sometimes heartbreaking stories she chooses to tell. Taking a moment before breaking into the song "Roman Holiday", Halsey shared a moment with her fans to remind both them and herself that "damn Ashley, it's not that serious", bringing a new light to the show.
Halsey performing at the Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO on 11/9 (photo credit: Maddie Casey)
Nine months certainly seemed to be enough time for Halsey's live show to grow as strong as her lyrics. Her vocal control and command of the stage was that of a tenured performer, not a 21-year old who released her first EP barely a year ago. So much has changed for this young star in 2015, and it seems that her hair color isn't the only thing continually getting brighter. Halsey will close out 2015 with the end of her Badlands tour, and continue on to Australia and Japan at the beginning of 2015. We don't know when we expect to see her back in Denver, but we can promise it will not be a performance you want to miss.
by Maddie Casey
photo credit: Maddie Casey
I arrived at the Gothic Theatre on Tuesday night anxious and excited. I've listened to Vance Joy's record at least a dozen times since its release and was curious to see how it translated into a live setting - a difficult task for many in the singer/songwriter genre. The quiet, thoughtful lyrics of songs like "Georgia" and "Best That I Can" bolstered my faith in the Australian-born James Keogh, but like your first time seeing any act live, I still felt unsure of what was to come. As the lights dimmed and the show began, the crowd erupted, masking the opening chords of "From Afar". The show moved incredibly fast from that point on, with Keogh and his band cutting into "Mess Is Mine" by track 5, "Georgia" by track 8, and "Riptide" by track 11.
And then it was over.
Just like that.
I watched the band walk off stage after their 60-minute set, and I couldn't quite place my emotions. The show had happened - it was over, no encore to be had - yet I'd barely been drawn into the emotions of the set. Keogh took little time to dally or talk with the crowd which certainly played a part in it's speediness, but that wasn’t quite it. There was something just...missing. I wasn't the only one who seemed to feel this way, as the entire room seemed a bit confused when the house music came on and the crew began disassembling the stage despite their cries for "one more song".
It took me until I got home to finally place it the exact reason for my feelings, but once I realized it, it was hard to ignore. The band had simply played the record. Maybe not in the same order, and maybe not the whole thing (a whopping two songs were skipped), but there was nothing that set apart this performance from me sitting down and listening to the album at home on my couch. Sure, Keogh's voice sounded spot on, and sure, the band sounded good, but live performances are meant to allow the musician to dig deeper, present another part of themselves to their fans to help grow the emotional bond one has with the music into a bond with the musician themselves. I left the show that night with as much of a connection to Vance Joy as I had arrived with...nothing had changed, and that felt disappointing.
Vance Joy sound good when they perform, there's no denying that. I respect the boundaries that come with being young musician, but what bothered me is that I've seen acts in this same situation work to truly connect with their fans in ways that Vance Joy did not. I hope that this skill of showmanship grows in the performer during his time with Ms. Swift this summer, but unless Vance Joy begins to present something unique to his live audience, I fear he will stay stuck in the lalaland of radio shows and opening slots for longer than he'd like. A talented musician and lyricist, Vance Joy has 2/3 of what it takes to truly "own" his shows - I hope that last 1/3 has kicked in when he comes back through Denver in July.
by Maddie Casey
photo credit: Maddie Casey
José González is not a household name. The Swedish-born artist of Argentinian heritage was studying to complete a degree in Biochemistry when his quiet, hauntingly melodic songs filled with guitar and vocal melodies began to catch attention of other musicians across the country. Within a matter of two years, his music was being heard across the world whether you knew it or not, and biochem was put on the backburner so he could focus on his art. Some tracks off of his first record, Veneer were featured in shows like The O.C., One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights and Bones heavily throughout 2008. The mass of new fans he’d garnered through these placements were left to assume that these quiet, introspective melodies were all we would get out of González, yet he continued to enthrall his audience by choosing to collaborate with electronic groups like Zero 7, Massive Attack and The Knife throughout 2009. He’s toured Europe and Canada on and off over the past seven years, but this past Monday we welcomed the talented José González back to Colorado for his first visit since his innagural US tour in 2008.
Joined on the road by Icelandic songstress Ólöf Arnalds, Monday’s show at The Gothic was a perfect showcase of European singer/songwriters. Arnalds’ adorable personality was complimented by her interaction with the crowd: asking for us to sing the bass line to certain songs, or “la la”ing with her during a chorus. Her Peppy soprano showcased a flawless vibrato while she sung about her friends, her children, and her homeland all in her native Icelandic tongue. A quick, 30 minute set of her playing her guitar and a lute was a great ice breaker for the unassuming audience, not entirely sure what we’d be in for once the elusive Mr. González took stage.
photo credit: Maddie Casey
Touring in support of his first release since 2007, I think many (including me) were concerned that González would focus solely on his new material - a heartbreaking potential for the many who had only discovered his music since his last visit to the States. By the end of track three, González and his band has quickly calmed those nerves opening with “Stories We Build, Stories We Tell” from his February release Vestiges & Claws but then quickly dipping into fan favorite “Killing For Love” by track three. The four-piece band accompanying González on stage were a fantastic fit for the performer. A keys/percussionist player and a guitarist accompanied the singer to produce his now trademark harmonies, and both a drummer and another percussionist kept a driving beat without overpowering the all-important finger picking coming from González’s beautiful Alhambra guitar. Hearing much more fleshed out versions of familiar tracks was a welcome change to the assumed course of the evening; a full band compared to just a solo performer on stage gave new breadth to the songs that many in the audience were already very familiar with. The lighting, the accompanying instrumental pieces, the performance, and the ambiance in the room could not have been more perfect. I don’t feel like I could describe Monday’s show more accurately than by saying that it truly gave life to the music González creates. It felt as if everyone in the room was all perfectly, equally entranced in the moment together - there were no people talking and disturbing others, no one dancing too intensely, no nothing that one comes to expect from a typical concert setting. Everyone was strictly there to be in the moment and let the music take them over, making this possibly the most sublime concert experience I’ve ever had. Ending the show with the song “Leaf Off/The Cave”, the band faded into a progressively slowing chant of the chorus as the backing lights faded to black, perfectly mimicking the feeling of a summer sunset over González's mountainous backdrop.
If you’ve never taken a listen, I highly encourage you to find some candles and a pair of speakers during the next rainstorm, and just lay back and let José González’s music lead you into a musical meditation. If he ever comes back to the states, I recommend doing everything in your human ability to see him play. That show was everything a singer/songwriter performance should be - hand down one of my favorite performances of 2015 without question.
It’s been ten years since crazy-haired Justin Pierre first posed the question “Are you feeling fine?” to fans of the Moog-riddled pop-punk that is Motion City Soundtrack. Despite all the changes the years have brought to us, we all stood together on a snowy night last Saturday answering that same old question with the answer of “Yes, I feel just fine” in chorus at the top of our lungs. Fans new and old filled the Gothic Theatre despite the snow to help the midwestern band celebrate the tenth anniversary of their most critically acclaimed album, Commit This To Memory. In the past ten years the group has continued to create: releasing three more albums with another on the way later this year, but the passion surrounding the tracks of their Sophomore release has been proven to be insatiable. Accompanied by recent radio darlings Brick & Mortar, as well as another familiar face of the past, William Beckett (formerly of The Academy Is…), Saturday’s show was a beautiful mix of new and old from beginning to end, mixing nostalgia and passion with excitement and forward progress.
Motion City Soundtrack. Photo credit: Maddie Casey.
Opening the night was the two piece Brick & Mortar based out of New Jersey. This band has seen an absurd amount of love from the local alternative radio station 93.3FM (KTCL), and it seems to be paying off. The band played at the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs last week and will be back in another three weeks to play as a part of KTCL’s annual St. Patrick’s Day “Kegs and Eggs” lineup at Lodo’s on Friday, March 13th. Making use of tracks and drum pads to accompany the strictly bass-and-drums duo, their live sound was surprisingly full for their small stage presence. Lead singer Brandon Asraf’s interaction with the crowd was unique from anything I’d ever seen before: quirky, quiet, yet deep and connected. He took time to speak with fans about the meaning of each song, and his personal belief that success can come from anyone and anywhere. Coming from humble beginnings themselves, it’s fabulous to see such a passionate group working their way into the touring community so quickly. The band’s discography currently only contains a 7-song EP, which gave them just enough material to fill their 40-minute set. Opening with “Keep This Place Beautiful”, the group’s radio singles like “Locked In A Cage” and “Hollow Tune” certainly got the most applause, but fans were bobbing and moving throughout the set. Although their songs sound great live, their show leaves room to be just as exciting as the music they’re performing, which can only really be perfected by playing live more and more. You can bet we’ll be there the next time they come through Denver, excited to see the progress and change.
Brandan Asraf of Brick & Mortar. Photo credit: Maddie Casey.
After a quick changeover, the duo on stage morphed into the one-man act of Mr. William Beckett. Known best for his days as the frontman for Fueled By Ramen darlings The Academy Is…, Bill Beckett has been touring as a solo act for the past few years, using his full name as a stage handle and performing much more pop-centric songs compared to the alternative sounds of his past. Although the focus of the evening was the celebration of Motion City Soundtrack’s album anniversary, it was hard to neglect that this year also marks the 10yr anniversary of The Academy Is…’ debut release Almost Here. I hadn’t really thought much about how much old vs. new material I expected out of Mr. Beckett until he opened his set with a beautifully reimagined version of “The Phrase That Pays” and was immediately sent spiraling into what he referred to as “Nostalgia City”. Seeing Beckett’s name on the bill was certainly a nice addition to a show I was already excited for, but I hadn’t realized how happy i’d be to hear his music until his set started, really making it the unexpected highlight of the night for me. Like Brick & Mortar, Beckett took time to talk about the history of each track he was playing during his set. Reminiscing about his time touring with Fall Out Boy, and working with Cobra Starship’s Gabe Saporta on a music video idea, it was amazing to realize how much time has passed since all of those bands ruled my musical conscious. Playing acoustic versions of his new tracks, Beckett’s new music reflects growth and experimentation for the artist. Mixing fun harmonies and unique instrumentation with his recognizable writing style, it was really great to hear so much progress and change in the music he’s creating. I haven’t seen him perform his new material with a fully fleshed out band yet, but after playing only three of his new tracks, it’s certainly been added to my “to-do” list. Playing old hits like “Down and Out”, “About A Girl”, and the fan favorite “Attention”, he ended the last song of his set with the line “let’s get fucked up and die” - sparking an uproar from the audience, proving just how ready they were for what was to come next.
William Beckett. Photo credit: Maddie Casey
Charging onto stage to kick off the evening’s highlight, Motion City Soundtrack didn’t hesitate as they kicked off the night with the chords of “Attractive Today” - the crowd was going insane, belting along every word as Justin Pierre attacked the microphone. I’m a huge fan of the anniversary tour “fad” that’s going on right now (especially since I personally credit the music produced from 2003-2006 as the reason I chose to pursue a career in music), but there are certain pieces to this concept that can be problematic…like when the hit single of your record happens to be the second song of your album. Although fans were ecstatic to hear “Everything Is Alright”, it did feel a bit odd to hear the group’s hit so early in the evening. While it made for an electric beginning to their set, anyone who wasn’t a diehard fan of the group didn’t have as much left to look forward to after the first ten minutes. It might have made things a bit weird for the passive listeners in the audience, but again, playing the album front to back is kind of the point of anniversary tours. I back the group’s choice to stay true to the record, and even though some may have seen it as a speed bump in the show’s set list, the rest of the night was a dream set for any serious fans of the group. Group crowd sing-alongs to “Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die” and “Together We’ll Ring in The New Year” gave way to an encore filled with B-sides and fan favorites like “Invisible Monsters”, “A Life Less Ordinary”, and second encore including “Last Night”, “Capital H”, “This Is For Real” and “The Future Freaks Me Out”.
Although the band’s live dynamic has certainly shifted in the past decade, their passion for performance and the enthusiasm of their fans has certainly stayed the same without fail. A true treat for those who choose to treasure these older records, the Commit This To Memory anniversary tour was all that it should have been: a fabulous homage to times past, and a great celebration of the shared love of music that keeps us all going to shows no matter how much snow falls in one single day.
-Maddie Casey
