Headlining a sold-out 2010 Westword Showcase, Ghostland Observatory lived up to the hype!

Ghostland Observatory
6.19.2010
Main Stage, Westword Music Showcase, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 > digi-coax > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave

Setlist:
1. intro
2. Piano Man
3. Ghetto Magnet
4. Stranger Lover
5. Vibrate
6. Sad Sad City
7. Midnight Voyage
8. Move With Your Lover
9. Opening Credits > Heavy Heart
10. The Band Marches On
11. Darling Nikki
12. Silver City
13. Rich Man

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be found via BitTorrent at Dime.

Here’s the first of (hopefully) many sets from Titwrench, held over the weekend at Glob.  There was no end to the genres crossed during the festival’s three days, and Amy Annelle was one of the few straight-up singer-songwriters to grace the stage.  Sandwiched between some crazy techno-storytelling by Aubrey Heichemer and the one-two punch of noise presented by Baby Shampoo and Caldera Lakes, Amy’s mix of traditionals, country covers and panhandle-inspired originals were a much-welcome opportunity to just sit back and listen to some folk music.

Amy Annelle
7.10.2010
Titwrench Fest, Glob, Denver, CO

Source:  [DPA 4060's > Lunatec V3] + [SBD > 1/4"] > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Mixdown > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. intro
2. E. Tejas Son
3. Pretty Boy Floyd
4. Star’s Memory
5. Buckskin Stallion Blues
6. Wake Up, Little Dark Eyes
7. Let Me Be
8. Coat of Many Colors
9. The Hellhound’s Address
10. The North Country Maid
11. Texian Boys
12. outro

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.

(Photo by Julio Enriquez of Cause=Time.)

Yet another welcome surprise for me at this year’s Westword Music Showcase was Neon Indian.  Like the Dirty Projectors set,  I was afraid this one would lose some of it’s steam in a mid-afternoon outdoor setting.  While there’s no question their music would go over better indoors, the band’s prismatic layering of sound drew a large and responsive crowd.  The trick was getting up close and submerging yourself in the sound.

Neon Indian
6.19.2010
Main Stage, Westword Music Showcase, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 > digi-coax > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. intro
2. Local Joke
3. Terminally Chill
4. Mind, Drips
5. Psychic Chasms
6. Should’ve Taken Acid With You
7. Sleep Paralysist
8. 6669
9. Deadbeat Summer
10. Ephemeral Artery

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be found via BitTorrent at Dime.

Last weekend’s Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers show at the Gothic was kicked off in style by The Mother Truckers out of Austin.  They won over the RCPM crowd, often fickle toward opening acts, with a set of (mostly) original country and blues tunes, which culminated in Steve Larson trading licks with Josh Zee on “Love Me Like a Man“.

The Mother Truckers
11.22.2008
The Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO

Source:  Microtch Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > Firewire > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Streets Of Atlanta
2. Dynamite
3. No Mercy
4. Can’t Sleep In Tucson
5. Van Tour
6. When I Get My Wings
7. Let’s All Go To Bed
8. I’ll Meet You There
9. Save My Soul
10. Love Me Like A Man *

Notes:
* = with Steven Larson on guitar

(As usual, here’s a link to a zipfile of the show.)

Here’s another band from the Lone Star State, McKinney’s Little Birds.  Brooke Opie started the project as a solo pursuit, and in an attempt to fully realize her vision, assembled a group of great local Texas musicians to back her.  Thankfully, the full band was able to make it out to GA for PopFest performance!  Athens Exchange still has a short writeup chronicling the afternoon.

Little Birds
8.14.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. A Song For You
2. New All Time Low
3. Is It Getting Better?
4. The Fall
5. Now I’m Two
6. New Fake Beard
7. I Was Struck By Lightning
8. Paper Skin
9. Moths and Musk

(Here’s a zipfile of the full set.)

Sitting around this evening watching the election coverage, I’m finding a little time to get more PopFest material out.

When Fishboy took the stage, Eric announced that this would be the last time the band would play their rock opera, Albatross: How We Failed to Save the Lone Star State with the Power of Rock and Roll, straight through.  (Last year at the 40 Watt, Fishboy performed the same set, anticipating the upcoming release of Albatross on HHBTM.)  We’ll see if this “final performance” claim holds up under history, but PopFest was a fitting farewell….if you missed the show, go grab the CD!

Fishboy
8.15.2008
Athens Popfest
40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Lunatec V3 >
Firewire > WAV > Adobe Audition > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Minus Two
2. Parchute (Using The Ghost Of Buddy Holly As A)
3. Taqueria Girl
4. Hard Earned Money
5. Race Car
6. Blackout/Flashback
7. Half Time At The Proper Name Spelling Bee
8. The Details Of Our Trip
9. Thought Balloon
10. Minus One
11. Farewell Albatross

Notes:
Final performance of the full rock opera.

(Full show is available here as a single zipfile.)

I posted Hi-Dive sets from Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit a few weeks ago, and wanted to introduce the opening act of that evening, San Antonio’s Hacienda.  These guys were a great addition to the lineup, and their flavor of psych-pop fit in perfectly with the other two acts.

Their debut album, “Loud as the Night” (produced by Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach), just hit the streets in September.  To be honest, I didn’t have a chance to pick it up at the show, and have only listened to the myspace tracks.  But based on the live set in Denver, I’m looking forward to checking it out!

Hacienda
9.27.2008
Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtch Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com)

Setlist:
1. unknown
2. unknown
3. Shake Ya
4. Officer
5. Useless and Tired
6. Hear Me Crying
7. Angela
8. Sun
9. Little Girl
10. Baby Don’t Go
11. She’s Got a Hold On Me
12. unknown
13. unknown
14. unknown

(And as always, the link to a zipfile of the show.)

Here’s the South San Gabriel set from the Hi-Dive Tuesday night.  I’d seen Centro-Matic several times, but quickly discovered I like this project even more.  Against expectations for them to rely on material from “Dual Hawks” (released in June), SSG managed to cover their full catalog.  It was great to see so many people coming down early, filling up the room before The Broken West and Centro-Matic hit the stage.

South San Gabriel
9.09.2008
The Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtch Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com)

Setlist:
1. Emma Jane
2. Glacial Slurs
3. Smelling Medicinal
4. St. Augustine
5. Trust To Lose
6. I Feel Too Young To Die
7. From This I Will Awake

(Full zipfile availabe via megaupload.)
(FLAC files available on dime.)