Fall Wrap-Up: Pixies, the Fray

Holy s&*t it's been a month since I've posted (damn snow, job, illnesses, ennui). In the interest of keeping the record complete, the following post will be a short re-hash of what happened but did not get posted here in November.

Firstly, and most importantly, I saw the Pixies play all of Doolittle at the Fillmore. While it may be true, as some young bloggers pointed out, that the Pixies are a bit long in the tooth, as are their fans, let us not understate the magnificence of Doolittle as an album top to bottom. How rare for every track to resonate, for even the short romps like Crackity Jones to stick in your brain for all time. I shan't list here the many "firsts" of my life that occurred while listening to Doolittle, but imagine for yourselves how much happened since I first heard it in 1990.

So hearing it now, live, along with choice tracks from Surfer Rosa and my beloved Come on Pilgrim in the encore, made me remember how great rock and roll can be. If I heard Doolittle for the first time today, I would fall in love with each and every minute all over again.

Secondly, the Fray came to Laramie. Which is kind of awesome as Laramie rarely hosts big name shows. Less awesome: me stranded at home under H1N1 quarantine. I think the folks who used my ticket and snapped these photos enjoyed the show more than I would have.

And so ends 2009. With any luck the roads will stay open for some great shows coming up this spring down Denver-way...

Monolith Festival needs your help

Sad news from the folks at Monolith this week... unless they can scrape together a good chunk of cash over the next two weeks there will not be a Monolith Festival 2010.

Make your pledge now! I am willing to pledge money to maintain a local, small-scale, awesome lineup, indie rock fest at the crazy beautiful Red Rocks... are you?

Miley Cyrus ruins my indie cred

You knew it would happen...

I went to see Miley Cyrus live. Jealous?

Let me be clear from the start: No Hannah Montana wig, no "Best of Both Worlds," just straight up Miley with 18,000 screaming fans in Phoenix, Arizona.

Miley's brother Trace opened with his band Metro Station. Their music was execrable. This blogger was especially horrified to hear, in an introduction to their song Japanese Girls, "this song was written in Toke-ee-yo Japan, it's about Japanese Girls. This song is pretty much what electronic music is all about right now!" Really? Please don't tell the children that electronic music sounds like s&*tty rock/pop/country.

But of course Metro Station served their purpose: allowing the children to grow accustomed to the concert setting while the moms purchased more wine. Bless them.

Miley Cyrus took the stage via a giant Spinal Tap-esque pod (hers opened properly). All you indie fans out there, consider what kind of stage show a Wal-Mart/ Disney sponsorship can provide. Pods! 10 dancers! Flames! Costume changes! Flying motorcycles! Take a moment to think what the Flaming Lips could do with this budget. I'll wait...

And now to Miley: girl can sing. No Ashley Simpson behavior here. She sang it for real, she sounded great, she jumped into the crowd, she connected. She communicated how much she really really wants you to work hard and believe in something and do things that are meaningful to you.

Fan favorites included Party in the USA, Girls Night, and the Hoedown. And of course, the sound of a billion 6 year olds singing along with encore The Climb will give you goosebumps (or make your hairs stand on end, same thing right?)

The Fray playing in Laramie

If you're into it...

The Fray will perform in the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences auditorium Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

Student tickets, limited to two tickets per valid student ID, go on sale Thursday, Oct. 8, for $25. Tickets go on sale to the public Monday, Oct. 12, for $35. Tickets can be purchased at the Wyoming Union information desk, the Fine Arts box office, by phone at (307) 766-6666 or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

"We encourage students to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the public," says Michael Lange, coordinator of Student Activities Programs.

The Denver-based band achieved national prominence with hit-singles such as "Over My Head (Cable Car)," "How To Save A Life" and "You Found Me."

Monolith Day Two: fun fun with a little sun

Sunday at Red Rocks started with friendly Scotsmen We Were Promised Jetpacks. Despite technical difficulties, the Jetpacks charmed the overflow crowd at the woxy.com stage with witty banter and blew us away with a fantastic set. Probably my favorite of the three talented FatCat bands at the festival.

Next up, the much hyped Neon Indian for their first live performance ever. I'm channeling Simon Cowell here (ugh) but keeping one's eyes open during at least part of the performance would aid in forging a connection with the audience. I'm just sayin'.

I jammed up the stairs to catch part of the Monotonix set during Neon Indian. The always energetic Israelis did not disappoint, playing wildly within the crowd, stealing hats and drinks and sharing glimpses of parts best left covered.

We caught part of the Dandy Warhols on the main stage and while I harbor fond memories of some of their tunes, the attitude of that band brings me down. Seeing them in person did not change my feelings.

Later in the day, back downstairs for the Twilight Sad, another Glasgow band. This involved skipping Health (I'm too old for that action) and Passion Pit (not willing to risk the disappointment after Sasquatch).

Last minute illness from MSTRKRFT put Phoenix on the main stage bill, snuggled nicely between the quite entertaining Redman and Methodman and headliners Mars Volta. The French pop masters took the bump up to the main stage with panache, fully owning Red Rocks and filling the place as full as I saw it all weekend. They sounded fantastic!

After all that fun, we left the photographer to the Mars Volta and headed for the beer and cheese sticks hiding in the parking lot cooler. Au revoir until next year, Monolith!

More Day Two photos follow:

Monolith Festial 2009: Girl Talk & Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Despite constant drizzle and wet socks, Saturday night offered some of the best energy of the entire festival.

The main stage filled with rain-soaked dancers for Girl Talk's set. I may never understand how Gregg Gillis can make me dance to Fergie but I think I love him for it. Also! Is the official Girl Talk Tivo set to record the Disney Channel? How else would he be thinking about Pilot's 70s classic "Magic"? This man blends the musical superego and the id over and over again until you forget you don't really "appreciate" Journey and find yourself singing along at full volume.

After we all caught our breath and swept away the confetti, Karen O and company took the stage, starting their set with one of my favorites from the most recent LP, "Runaway". Mid-way through their 16 songs of awesomeness, the YYYs played "Date with the Night" and I need to be perfectly clear that not 24 hours prior I had demanded of the universe that I hear the lyrics "we're sweatin' in the winter" live. Thank you, universe.

Encore "Y Control" cemented their place in my heart as one of the best live bands working today. The visuals of Karen O in couture striking kabuki poses across the stage while Nick Zinner and his hair represent the stoic side of punk are a spectacle worthy of your ticket dollars.

And while we're talking about the silent Mr. Zinner allow me to postulate a long-simmering theory... a lot of people, a lot of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' most fervent fans especially, and I include myself here, embrace Karen O's lyrics, loudness, broad smile and sexual lyrics. Her guttural groans and moans remind me of Prince, a decidedly womanly barbaric yawp. And yet. Consider this: without Zinner's guitar there is no Yeah Yeah Yeahs. His shrieking strings cut past the vocals, the grunts, the synth to get down to the true bump and grind that makes rock and roll great. Almost a call and response of the loins, her lyrics, his guitar. That is all.

Please enjoy more photos below...

Monolith Day One: the small warm stages and the cold rainy ones

Saturday started off chilly, with me hurrying to don leggings before the sweet strains of Stars of Track and Field. (p.s. is it just me or do these guys sound like they should be on the soundtrack for a CW show?)

Also playing in the cozy warm basement of Red Rocks: Antlers. They sounded ah-mazing. Too bad it was too packed to see them, but I've vowed to spend more time with their album after hearing the live show.

Then we were off to see Frightened Rabbit on the main stage. These Scots delivered the songs we wanted to hear, plaintively and somewhat plainly. I love this band, but they're a bit tentative for a venue like Red Rocks. More shows, more songs, and they'll be ready to bring the crowd to their feet.

Next up, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Again, I love this band and I love Thao's energy and her giant guitar and her cowboy boots, but the drizzle and the chill and the giant stage brought her down a bit. This set did not exude the same joie d'vivre as the one I saw from her at Sasquatch in 2008. The folks exuding during these main stage sets were the delightful troupe of Grand Teton National Park workers - shout out to that Wyoming drive!

At this point, my rain-soaked body required food, shelter, and a glass of wine, causing me to miss Pains of Being Pure at Heart, one of my most anticipated acts of the day. Sheesh, how can a librarian/ music fan not love a song like Young Adult Friction? Next time, PoBPaH, next time.

Replenished with string cheese and hooch, we made our way back out into the rain to see The Walkmen. Dang these guys always sound good. The Rat remains a modern classic. Their set, their black and gray outfits, the mist over Red Rocks, all delivered the indie rock goods. They left the Wyoming fans craving digital watches and sexy gloom.

As for the big guns on Saturday night, Girl Talk and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, more to come... and more photos from Day One below.

Chromeo DJ set @ Monolith pre-party

We caught a portion of the long DJ set from Chromeo at the pre-party. Fun fun, dance dance, but what was up? Texting? Tweeting? A lot of handheld device usage onstage.

The Grates @ Monolith pre-party

The Grates brought loads of Australian energy to the Gothic Friday night. Frontwoman Patience is a human tornado who charmed the entire crowd, comparing fans to adorable puppies and taking a ride on shoulders. Absolutely fun and a must-see Sunday at Monolith if you missed them at the pre-party.

Sugar and Gold @ Monolith pre-party

You know I'm a sucker for all things Prince, and Sugar and Gold make a fine tribute to the purple one. Singing original material with a definite debt to Prince, they shimmied up the stage of the Gothic.

My Monolith schedule

You can make your own schedule for the Monolith Festival at Gigbot. What am I missing on this list? Will I see you at any of these bands?

Monolith daily schedule now up!

Check out the 2 day schedule for the Monolith Festival and tell me... any major conflicts breaking your heart? So far none of my favorites overlap that I can tell, but I need to give this schedule a full perusal.

Devotchka Halloween pre-sale

Denver darlings and Halloween fans Devotchka are slated to play two nights at the Boulder Theater October 30th and 31st. See below for pre-sale links, password = pumpkin.

DeVotchKa will return to the Boulder Theater for the Halloween 2009 Extravaganza on October 30th and 31st. We want to welcome our fans to a very special Fans First presale.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, August 7th at 10am. Online presale only. Public on-sale begins on Saturday, August 8th at 10am. Click below to buy your tickets. The password is pumpkin.

Click HERE for October 30 (18 & over)
Click HERE for October 31 (21 & over)

Everything Absent or Distorted: Cheyenne Frontier Days

It was not an official CFD stage but it was a Frontier Days-style party. Bonfire, fireworks, cowboys and EAoD.

The band sounded great in the warm air of the tennis courts. A short set, but a welcome venture to Cheyenne. Sadness here to learn that the band is breaking up. I was glad to see them while the getting was good and glad to leave the compound with no burns.

Tennis court stage:




The bonfire:


The compound: