In the Company of Thieves and there is honor amongst them.

On Thursday night we were at the Marquis, playing a show with a band called Company of Thieves. Like everything awesome, they're from Chicago. And, boy, are they good. The front-lady is named Genevieve, and her passionate cute engaging fired-up style left me feeling that not only was I in the company of thieves <3, but greatness also. If you weren't there I'd recommend a two part course of action beginning with being a bit sad about it, and secondarily vowing not to miss them next time.

I like the way we played too. Cheers to the sound man who had everything sounding quite nice for our audience and on stage likewise. The set we're playing right now goes some really interesting places and does some really interesting things, and I thoroughly enjoy playing it. The songs feel polished, probably due to them being played countless times as work continues recording our first full length record, and it's just so much fun to play them to new and long-time fans alike.

Look forward to information flowing about our show on the 29th at the hi-dive with Lion Sized. I'm personally super-psyched for that night.

We love you,

-Harold

This Saturday (May 30), Larimer Lounge, Us, The Rouge, and Curious Yellow

Hello friends.

This Saturday (May 30) we're playing a show at the Larimer Lounge with The Rouge and Curious Yellow. I know you're going to come and I can't wait to see you there. I heard the Larimer Lounge has a new sound system, and the shows we play with The Rouge are always my favorites.

Come support local music, it's going to be a blast.

Also, two other quick things.

 - Vote for us in the Westword: 

http://polls.westword.com/polls/den/musicshowcase/ 

 - I know you know you want to.

 - Check out our Tour (!) dates on myspace or facebook. Make plans to follow us around or at least let your out-of-town friends know that we're coming through so that we can give and get maximal love.

As always, thanks for reading,

-Harold

Two shows in 8 days

I've been slacking on my blogging duties, and I'm sorry.

The last two weekends have brought us two shows, and two of our best. I'll recollect them in chronological order for you.

Saturday May 9th 2009 - Hi-Dive:

My gracious, how do I love the Hi-Dive? Let me count the ways.

1) Curious Yellow - Proving once again that just one drummer may not be enough. On top of that the vocal harmonies were working especially well, as well. I'm starting to think it's not a coincidence that the nicest people are at the Hi-Dive for Curious Yellow shows, causality, my friends.

2) Us - Brian singing "it speaks in sparks", Brandon percussing beautifully, Ryan shredding through fuzz, Adam standing in admirably, and me throwing t-shirts at you. Does a good night make.

3) Youth Group - I got a chance to chat up the lead singer of this band for a bit at the end of the night, and I'll be damned if he's not just the nicest guy. Their cover of Forever Young was lovely, as expected, and it was really a pleasure to chill and play with such a class act. Safe travels to them for the rest of their tour.

...

Now, in the second half of this blog post I'm going to tell you about a show that you're sad you missed. Well, unless you're Jes, or someone else who was in attendance.

Sunday May 17 2009 - Marquis:

This band mae has about the best possible group of fans. These kids are heroic, every last one of them. Lined up outside 2 hours before the show starts, telling jokes, giving high-fives. Smiles all around. Simply amazing. So honored to be in their presence.

Here's who played:

1) Us - By my numerically retarded estimation there were something like 250-300 people at the Marquis when we went on. At 8. Did I mention that mae's fans are the best? My new best friends in the world were up front from the very beginning and their beaming smiles literally made my day, no, week, no, month. So precious few show-goers are genuinely with it and Having Fun, to see so many at once was warming, to say the least.

Also, shout out Jeff Wiencrot, our new bassist. Man can he play.

2) Barcelona - This band was down at SXSW this year, and wow have they got some talent. Really nice singing and instrumentation. I really enjoyed this set. Keep your eyes out when they make it back through town.

3) Person L - Another plainly sweet singing voice, and another nice guy to boot. The drumming on this band was just rad too. Some nice subtle musical movements that really got the crowd moving. I'm happy I got to see this as well.

4) mae - That this band has the best possible fans is not in the least surprising. They're in it for the right reasons, and it's just obvious. They were telling us a story about how the proceeds from this tour are being used to build a house for a single mom in their home town, and about how they've dropped their label in favor of starting their own, and about how they're moving their enterprise online in clever ways. Oh, and they had custom anaglyph 3D projected visuals to go with their set too. A rocking experience brought straight from The Future to downtown Denver. What luck.

All right. That's a long post. Tune in next time when I implore you to vote for us in the westword music showcase, and ask politely that you attend an upcoming show.

-Harold

This Saturday (May 9) - A Show!

Peep this evidence:

http://www.hi-dive.com/show/detail/19422

We're playing with a band from Australia called Youth Group which, despite a name that suggests otherwise, is not a Christian band. What I've heard of these guys sounds great, and I'm personally excited to hear them live. Also, Australia is not near-by, and after traveling that far, they're going to want you to hear their music.

Tell you what, I'll throw in some Curious Yellow which, despite a name that suggests otherwise, has nothing to do with an intriguing color for snow. (:

Come down to the hi-dive. I'll have Brian sing you a song, or 10.

-Harold

Look a show! (Thursday April 9)

Late notice, but here's one for the faithful daily readers of this here blog. A show, this Thursday, details can be had from this link: http://www.sodajerkpresents.com/show/detail/20543

The Marquis is a swell place, and the fine folks putting this show on (Max3) are lovely, bright, clever, and wholly capable of showing you a good time. We've sharpened the set to a thumbtack like point, don't get caught sitting down on this one. Ha!

-Harold

Show Summary (Black Sheep - Feb 28)

We got busy last night at the Black Sheep. First, a summary of the goings on, followed by the musings of a pleased player of the keys.

The show was opened by Hudson Grace, a gang of youngsters who are clearly better than you were at their age. Now it’s everyone’s job to motivate them to move up to Denver, and start recording stuff. Go.

The next act was The Chain Gang of 1974. You’re simply not ready for this. I’m talking about a Punk Rock banana split smothered in futuristic Electro chocolate sauce with a cherry of psychosis on top. Failing to enjoy yourself while this is being deployed is indicative of serious damage, I’m not kidding.

Then we played, and we played well. There is a palpable lack of pretense down in the springs, which is warming. The kids that came out were clearly just looking to have a good time, and we did our best to oblige. Ryan shredded serious soaring solos, and Brandon’s play was impeccable. Apparently, the trick is to fill the venue with godlike drummers, and then goad him. Our new material is going over well too, which is especially exciting. You're learning the words, right?

The Photo Atlas capped off the night correct. It’s obvious that these guys are excited about their new recorded material (which is blatantly amazing, we got the EP last night) because they’re playing with a hitherto unseen fervor. Again, everyone at the show was just eating it up. Everyone was dancing and having a great time.

 

Now, bear with me as a ramble for a moment:

There is a continuum that extends from, on one side, merely “playing a show”, to the other side, which I’d call “throwing a party”. Together we’re heading in the right direction. Homegrown Colorado rock music is thriving right now and the opportunities for fun are just tremendous. I implore everyone to soak this in, assimilate and cherish it, and participate. Come out! Eat, drink, and be merry! Clap and sing along, dance, shout, and take pictures.

Whatever you do, don’t miss these days and nights, because it’s on.

-Harold

Show this Saturday (Feb 28)

Yo.

We're playing a show with the Photo Atlas this weekend at a place called The Black Sheep. You can read about it here, on another different part of the Internet:

http://www.sodajerkpresents.com/show/detail/18786

Fact, the last time we played The Black Sheep everybody had a great time. (Shout outs to Young Coyotes, Eyes Caught Fire, and Hudson Grace) Fact, the last time we played with the Photo Atlas (which was at The Fox, I'll remind you) everybody had a great time. Now, the two in combination? Well, I know I'm excited to see!

Free high-fives for out of town attendees!

-Harold