Dawes. Say no more.

This specific post turned out to be harder than I thought...and thus, actually easier. It all started when a group of friends and I went to see Delta Spirit at the Hi-Dive in Denver last week. There I am, next door living the high life, this time with a Budweiser in hand. Whitney (we'll get to her later) pulls herself away from the opening act, grabs me and makes me listen to the opening band that is rocking her face off. Dawes. Now if you recall my history on this blog, I have a history with opening bands I aim to miss. Delta Spirit was such an example - a band I once aimed to miss, who have now been on my top-played list for quite some time. Here I go again...and have not learned my lesson yet. I get next door for one final song where I witness some yahoo on stage belting out similarly to Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses. Nonetheless, the rompin' drums and the echo-filled voice of Dawes treated me well. I came to find out their last song was the worst of the night...which is good news for them.

Dawes - When My time Comes

Dawes. That's it. That's really all there is about them. Ok, I'll give you a bit more, but don't try and dig up the information yourself. You'll either be disappointed or on a self-acknowledged goose chase. All I can really summarize is that Dawes, the BOH spin-off is from Malibu/Northridge, played in Denver the other night and if it wasn't for Whitney mandating my cameo, I would have dis/missed them completely. They MAY have started off as the band, Simon Dawes, a fictitious name that is "named after no one." After reforming under the name Dawes and dropping a few members and adding a few others, they have released their self-titled album from the label, Record Collection. That's about it. No public bio that my sleuth-like ability could sniff out. Oh yeah...word to a band...if you're getting started in this biz...maybe you should post your bio, or band info or, ummm, ever think of a building a site or something of that nature? Bueller? I do know their songs are growing on me, but treat me much better in a live performance setting. They have released a fun video which seems like it pulled some inspiration from The Wonder Years, Nirvana's Nevermind and an American Apparel catalog.

Dawes "Love is All I am"

Is it ironic that they also cover this tune too?

Wonder Years Troubadour

Moral of the story: don't miss the opening band. And when Whitney tells you to get your ass over to the venue "like, now," well then, get over to the venue.

What's Your Summersong?

I'm going to put this out there and if you like, take it. And if you don't, you can send it right back: By the looks of it, I'm guessing no school or parent would let any member of the band Eels near their children. Looks are only skin deep, but I think their skin is pretty thick.

I was asked at work the other day what my summersong was and Eels' "Fresh Feeling" was the first thing that popped to mind. Why? This song seems to pop up almost daily during my 4-mile morning bike ride to work, creating the perfect soundtrack to the rolling fields, streams, llamas, horses, sheep, cows and bridges I pass each day en route to my music industry job in Boulder.

Birds singing a song,
old pain is peeling,
this is that fresh
that fresh feeling.
Words can't be that strong,
my heart is real,
this is that fresh,
that fresh feeling.

Without taking the time to write-out, ponder and second guess a list of my top 5 Summersongs, here they are in no particular order apart from #1:
1. Eels - Fresh Feeling
2. Apostle of Hustle - My Sword Hand's Anger
3. Delta Spirit - People, Turn Around
4. Josh Ritter & Hilary Hahn - Girl In the War (live)
5. Frightened Rabbit - Backwards Walk

Why else do I love this song?
1. A friend recently put this on a mix and though I'd heard it before, this seemed to be one of the songs that needed a re-introduction to my playlist.
2. Yet another song originally introduced to me by Braff and Scrubs

The Mountain Tempo #1 - Delta Spirit

Ok, it’s the first post and this one may be a bit long as I want to include a brief introduction so you all are on the same (ish) page. Speaking of…

Introduction: At times I may preface too much (example #1, right now), at times I may not say as much as you want, at times I may ramble on (example #2, right there) and sometimes I may just be reiterating what you already know. But, I hope to introduce you to a song you may have overlooked, unveil a new song you may learn to love, or maybe shed light on a song you may have not liked at an earlier time. That being said, if any of you can ever introduce me to song information or meaning for ANY song penned or written by the Police, Sting or Steely Dan, a generous reward and gasp will be offered.

I was pondering what I should do for my very first post this morning while at coffee before work. I immediately thought of my concert experiences in the past decade from when I used to arrive well before the opening act and never leave until the house lights came on. Now, it almost seems rare that I see the entire opening act and stay until the encore concludes. Why? I can certainly tell you that I am not jaded by the politics or general scene within the music industry. Each day I learn or discover a fascinating aspect within my line of work which enthralls me to continue having fun and work hard. I think it comes down to hearing similar music day in and day out. In addition, after having seen numerous artists multiple times, you can definitely notice the nights they are sick, off kilter or unhappy with the crowd. In addition, after seeing hundreds of concerts, it’s natural to start picking apart talents and peripheral influences (no, not drugs) such as basic practice, lighting, production, song-writing, etc. A performers attitude and energy show and whether you can blame them or not is a topic for another discussion. Sure you paid to see their show…but when it comes down to it, it is THEIR show, their set list and how you respond will dictate their longevity as a performer.

I was sent to see Matt Costa at the Fox Theater just a bit ago. I timed the evening to show up after one of the “lesser known” openers were finished so I could enjoy the main opener who I had heard about through multiple blogs (Everest) and then Matt Costa. Immediately after entering, the sound blew me away and I knew I made the right decision by arriving late. I came to find out that the schedule of the two opening bands were swapped due to travel problems and I was actually being blown away by the band I had aimed to miss. I’m an asshole.

The previous night, I was one of very few to leave early from one of the most beautiful and sought after venues in the country after not fully enjoying the show. Rogue Wave was fantastic but Death Cab for Cutie (a band that I follow fairly close, enjoy numerous tunes and also sold around 8,000 tickets for their Red Rocks debut) didn’t make a great impression on me. Then, last night, along comes Delta Spirit (I thought they had to be from Boulder, Arcata, or Athens with a name like that), an unheard of band that I dismissed, who ended up completely mesmerizing me for the next half hour. I don’t really enjoy when bloggers try to do a play-by-play of a concert…so I’ll just tell you that their attitude, showmanship, precision and sound were very well constructed, loud and overall, fun. I wasn’t outside watching the sunset over Denver, listening to a high-profile band in the most beautiful amphitheater in the U.S with 8,000 other stagnant spectators. I was in a cramped venue staring at an Americana, funky, foot-stomping band with 500 other participants clapping, waving their drinks, and dancing along. Did I leave their performance early? No, I waited until Matt Costa was halfway through his set.

Delta Spirit, a band from California that recently re-released their album, Ode To Sunshine, through Rounder Records (Yes, the label that supports bluegrass and released Alison Krauss and Plant’s hit album). It was their last song of the evening before relinquishing the stage to Matt Costa.

This is similar to what I saw:

(wait till 1:15 in).

Delta Spirit - People, Turn Around

If you like this song, you’ll probably love: The Felice Brothers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cold War Kids, Wolf Parade, and Bright Eyes.