Tag Archives: funk

New songs to listen to this week

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Blitzen Trapper- photo by Leslie Simon

Blitzen Trapper- photo by Leslie Simon

New music to listen to this week- the sun is shining, spring has arrived, and I’m really feeling sunny, dreamy songs with the occasional dance beat to get down to. Here are some of my favorite songs that have been released recently that you should check out:

King of Prussia “Your Work is Magic”- uptempo indie tambourine pop out of Athens, Georgia with unexpected and fantastic horns that remind me of a less political King Khan. Available for stream or download here at Stereogum:
http://www.stereogum.com/1673969/king-of-prussia-your-work-is-magic-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

Yann Tiersen “A Midsummer Evening”- Toy instruments mix with acoustic to create a warped, gorgeous song complete with angelic backing vocals. Psychedelic church.

Medeski, Martin and Wood + Nels Cline “Bonjour Bese”- mixing wild spacey reverb noise with the heavy hitting sounds of MMW is a dream come true. If you don’t like dissonant noise fast forward three minutes (but really you should embrace the noise, it’s beautiful). Exclusively at Esquire here:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/mmw_nels_cline

Alpha Consumer “Ms Positron”- taking cues from 80’s art rock and adding mega fuzzy guitar riffs and catchy hooks, this Minneapolis group has collaborated with everyone from Andrew Bird to Brother Ali and are releasing their new album April 15th.

Thee Oh Sees “The Lens”- yet another awesome track from the upcoming release. Monty Python-esque psychedelic videos that are done well are always a treat.

Allah-Las “Had It All”- california psych pop with a delicate touch and throwback as hell

Chain and the Gang “Devitalize”- some of my favorite garage rock that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Plus, I’m a sucker for really bratty vocals.

Horse Thief “Little Dust”- psych tinged roots rock from Oklahoma City with theatrical fascinating Cameron Neal’s quirky pretty vocals taking the lead.

Driving Mrs. Satan “Hells Bells”- when I got an email about this band and saw “acoustic heavy metal” I put it on thinking I would get a laugh. Instead, I found they have beautiful arrangements, gorgeous vocals, and I like it better than the original.

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers at the Fillmore – PHOTOS

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Last night at the Fillmore I got a chance to shoot a big show with lots of lights; such a treat when you aren’t fighting for every little bit of light in the hopes of one clear shot. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers opened, bringing that Grateful Dead country funk sound together with her clear as a bell powerhouse vocals; it was my first time seeing them and I thought they were incredible, authentic and fun. More in-depth review Monday at Westword.

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Bisco Inferno a.k.a one of the cooler photos I’ve taken

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Disco Biscuits at the Ogden

Disco Biscuits at the Ogden

I mistakenly brought my 50mm instead of my wide angle lens, was kicking myself and realized that I really was only getting one shot out of the night, so it better be a good one. Luckily, I was in the best seat in the house in the balcony’s front row, so I got the pleasure of lasers both above and below me. The white spotlights came down just at the right moment, and the print will be available for purchase soon on my website (I’ll update this post). Great weekend, great music, great friends, thanks, Disco Biscuits.

Hangar-51

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Hangar-58

My Westword review of the Ogden show:
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2014/01/review_the-disco-biscuits_ogden-theatre_denver_january-24-2014.php

My Westword review for the 1st Bank show:
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2014/01/review_disco-biscuits_1stbank-center_january-25-2014.php

Don’t miss Robert Walter’s 20th Congress Tonight at Cervantes!

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Robert Walter’s 20th Congress is blowing their way through Colorado with a stop in Denver tonight at Cervantes. This Greyboy Allstars player is so talented, heavy funk just doppling out of the Leslie as it whirls around faster and faster. They are playing The Otherside, so get there a little early, it will probably sell out.

My All Time Favorite Austin Musicians Have a New Single!

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Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are my favorite Austin-based band, as well as one of my favorite bands ever. With a full horn section and the best scream in the business, Black Joe can tear the roof off a venue. My husband pretty much only likes Talking Heads and the Grateful Dead, and even he never misses their shows, it’s like going to the funkiest church built. He has a new album coming out and just dropped the first single, and it’s quite a departure from the old sound. Like a punk rock James Brown, he commands the stage while giving his fantastic band time to shine, and I can’t WAIT to hear the new album. Bummer there are no Denver dates on this tour. Maybe next year!

New single “Electric Slave”

And for comparison, Black Joe’s former sound that is still there at his live shows (and also a ridiculously catchy song): Sugarfoot

Page McConnell tonight with the Meter Men plus Phish Chicago Stage!!

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Page McConnell, master of the keys for Phish, is playing tonight at the Ogden in Denver with the freaking Meter Men. He played here last night too, heard it was hot. This concert might set off my Phish obsession too early, but I’ll try to remember there are other bands out there since this is not a Phish blog. Some people air guitar, I air keyboard, arms are going to be exhausted. Come find me on the right side balcony.

Below is the stage on Northerly Island for the 3 day Chicago Phish run. The lawn is sloped, so it won’t be bad at all. I’ll be in these here stands,looking at Soldier Field and the skyline with Kuroda exploding over it. This is going to be a really good summer.

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New Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu is Funky!

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First time I had ever even heard of Janelle Monae was when she opened for MGMT at Red Rocks. I stood there floored watching this beautiful tiny James Brown-esque woman dance and strut and sing her heart out, and I’ve been crazy about her ever since. She just changed record labels, teamed up with Erykah Badu for her new single off her sophomore album, and it’s a tasty funky treat. On sale at iTunes at midnight, her record label just released it on soundcloud:

click here, shake booty