Concert Review: Deadmau5 @ Red Rocks

I don’t really listen to Electronic Dance Music (EDM) much.  I couldn’t tell you the difference between house and dubstep.  So, why was I among the sold-out crowd at Red Rocks to witness a live performance by Deadmau5?  The answer is simple: I like the mouse head.  The first time I saw Deadmau5 (aka Joel Zimmerman) was on the 2010 Video Music Awards.  There was just something about that digital mouse head and “the cube” (his stage) that enthralled me.  It’s the same principal that worked for KISS: make yourself as iconic as your music, and people will be come.  Of course, it’s a concept that doesn’t work very well on an album (even KISS’ live albums were the only ones worth listening to).  And while Deadmau5′ music can take me back to a happy place in my life where I spent my days listening to Depeche Mode and playing Nintendo, I don’t spend a lot of free time listening to his music or any other artists of that genre.  EDM gets repetitive to me.  Also, vocals are sparse which prevents me from performing for my fellow commuters.  But, live and in person?  Well, that’s a different story…

When your performance consists of little else than pushing some buttons and turning some knobs, you’d better give the people something amazing to look at.  Less than two years ago, Deadmau5 was wearing felt mouse heads and setting up his equipment on a regular old table with folding legs.  Today, he has a wide assortment of mouse heads – the most impressive being a fully digital model with over 1000 diodes capable of imitating facial gestures and which was on his head appearing to “sing along” with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”.  Then, there’s the “Cube”.  Perhaps inspired by Q-bert, it has over 2,800 LED’s and sports 1600 x 1200 resolution.  There are also three smaller cube-like structures that adorn the stage and a giant “LED curtain” behind it all, which was transparent enough to see the natural rock wall behind.  As is the case with most musical acts, Deadmau5 has some songs that are more recognizable to casual fans than others, and the crowd responded best to “Animal Rights”, “Raise Your Weapon”, “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff”, and the appearance by singer Sofi Toufa (who apparently is in the market for a ladder).  There were enough subtle changes to the music to let you know he wasn’t just back there playing a CD.  Zimmerman occasionally performed sans mouse head.  But when it was on, the kids went bat-shit crazy!  Aside from the visuals on stage, there were finger lights, glow sticks, pacifiers, homemade mouse heads, and furry boots galore in the crowd.

The opening acts were solid.  Apparently one of them was Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee with DJ Aero.  They had movie screens showing a wide range of visuals from scary clowns to insects which made  me very relieved to be drug-free.  Deadmau5’s Canadian compatriat Excision had the middle set as dusk turned into night.  He frequently dropped the bass way low and people went out of their minds.  This must be the DJ equivalent to “Hello Denver!!!”.  It also rained pretty hard for 5 minutes during his set and the crowd reveled in it, making me think of that rave scene at the beginning of the movie Blade.  Over the course of four and a half hours, things did get repetitive and my legs started to rebel against my relentless frat-boy douchebag bouncing.  But I would definitely see Deadmau5 (or Excision) again, because it really felt the place to be.

For more of my pictures from the show, check out my Facebook photo album.

Highlights from the MTV Video Music Awards

It’s that time again!  Time for MTV to look back and honor the best music videos that were played on the channel between 1 AM and 4 AM.  Now, I realize the VMA’s aren’t really targeted to white males in their late 30’s (cough).  But, as a music junkie I still feel obligated to watch.  Here’s what I saw:

• I stand corrected: Lady Gaga really is a dude.  This show opener was so awkward, not even the god-like presence of Brian May could save it.
• I guess if Lady Gaga can dress up as a man, Justin Bieber can dress up like an old lady.
• Kevin Hart – Dude, you are not funny.  Not to mention, we’re only 10 minutes into the show and his belt buckle is already the 2nd Yves St Laurent accessory I’ve seen on a guy.  WTF?
• Katy Perry puts Kanye West on blast by suggesting their award-winning collaboration is his first VMA win.
• Adele makes it look effortless.
• Chris Brown is an amazing dancer.  He is also the world’s worst lip-syncer.
• Gaga: You’d better hope that if you ever win a Video Vanguard award, some up-and-coming fame whore doesn’t hijack your moment the way you did Britney’s.
• Unless I completely misinterpreted what was happening, Beyonce announces to the world that it’s OK for a girl to have a beer belly.  You go, girl!
• Young the Giant sounded great!  Can’t wait for their show at the Bluebird.
• Ah, the cast of the Jersey Shore.  Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the one on the right is transgender?
• Good performance by Young the Giant.
• I love Russell Brand.
• Adele is in the house, but you get Bruno Mars to sing the Amy Winehouse tribute?!?  Mars is very talented, but still – odd choice.
• Autotune is not, and never will be, “gangsta”.

Well, that’s it.  Not great, but it sure could have been worse.

Album Review: Eldren Volumes I & II

Eldren is arguably the “buzziest” band in Denver right now – an amazing accomplishment considering they played their first show less than 9 months ago.  But, their brand of psychedlic rock pop music and theatrical performances are picking up new and loyal followers at every turn.  That’s not to suggest that Eldren came out of nowhere.  At the center of the group is the songwriting team of Nasir Malik and Tyler Imbrogno.  Malik honed his singer/songwriter/guitarist chops with Denver bands Falls Ruin and Death Hickey Blues (alongside singer/songwriter Sam Lee and current Eldren violinist/guitarist Josh Lee) before meeting Tyler Imbrogno in the Summer of 2010.  Prior to that, Imbrogno was busy writing and performing in Dayton, Ohio – evidence of which can be found on MySpace and clearly foreshadows the musical style from which Eldren’s music would be born.

Eldren I was released in June 2011 and Eldren II just two months later.  Each EP features four tracks – many of which are mini-suites within themselves.  The music deftly combines the eclectic and spacey weirdness of  The Flaming Lips with the keyboard-driven pop sensibilities and vocal harmonies of Supertramp.  Eldren I’s opening track “Sunrise Spectacular” is as intensifying and bombastic as any Styx opener between The Grand Illusion and Paradise Theater, while its closing track “On The Fence” finds Eldren at the height of their Flaming Lips worship, with a rhythm guitar part that is immediately evocative of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1”.  Eldren II ‘s “Best Friends” is good enough to be on MGMT’s last album, and “Space Day” is a Syd Barrett inspired trip through the cosmos that takes a brief pit stop through Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California”.

This isn’t to suggest that Eldren is derivative. They are talented enough as composers and musicians that it feels more like homage than grand theft.  Their compositions are as unique and diverse as the band members themselves (currently rounded out by bassist Steve Holloway, drummer Rick Walker, and flutist/vocalist Susie Renee Quinn), who deliver confident performances that belie their short time together.  When a song kicks into high gear, it’s as glorious as any performance by more experienced bands – Arcade Fire comes to mind – largely due to the wide array of instruments and vocalists Eldren has at their disposal.

Eldren’s lyrics mainly focus on innocence, love, hope, and friendship.  Eldren I’s “Oh My God” takes the listener on a quiet journey of self-awareness, where the thoughts of a boy and a girl seamlessly flow from the mundane (the length of your hair) to the serious (life and death) and ultimately find solace in the idea of growing old together.  The lyric “Look at your face/It’s so hairy/Your name should be Larry/Hairy Larry” is a representative example of the child-like wonderment that runs through many of their songs.

By all indications, the best is yet to come.  The band has a romping song in regular rotation at live shows called “Cabaret” which sounds like an entire Broadway musical performed over a span of five-and-a-half minutes.  Word on the street is that “Cabaret” is part of another set of songs that the band is readying for release.  A source close to the band described Malik and Imbrogno as being totally in sync during the process of writing new material, and that they know how to bring out the best in each other.  The collaboration has already yielded so much in so little time.  “Where do we go from here?” – I’m anxious to find out.

Eldren’s music can currently be downloaded free from their website at http://www.eldrenmusic.com, and you can find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EldrenMusic.

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t I?

Yep.  It’s another blog.  What makes mine better than the billions of other blogs out there?  I never said it was – so BACK OFF!

Seriously, I’ve become pretty addicted to the Denver scene – mainly the music and the people who make that music – and I want to do whatever I can to promote the artists that deserve a wider audience.  The shared sense of community and mutual support and admiration I’ve experienced is really inspiring.  I also like to eat and Denver has a wide variety of food options.  From five-star restaurants to brewpubs to diners, dives, and food trucks, Denver has a vibrant foodie scene.  So, occasionally I’ll blog about food.

One post per day is the goal.  It may not be world-changing or even topical, but hopefully you will find it witty and informative.  I’ll do my best to be honest and not blindly gush over everything.

Thanks to Cobraconda for inspiring the blog title, and thanks to indiebitches.com for inspiring me to blog about the scene from a male perspective.