01.27.10 :: White Denim @ Larimer Lounge

The Venue & Whatnot--------------------

It’s been a fairly mild January in Denver, so it seemed fitting that White Denim rolled into town to break up the monotony accompanied by a dusting of snow. As it got closer to the start of their set, it was getting progressively more white outside, it was creepy, but very cool. A slow trickle of fans entered the Larimer Lounge throughout the evening and not a soul left early, leaving the venue not packed but definitely crowded, a good sign on a Wednesday night. Clearly these people were psyched for White Denim.

Opening Acts--------------------

Dualistics is one of those Denver bands that I had heard a lot about, but never had the opportunity to see. I quickly saw why they are so popular among local music fans. They played with a ton of energy, even for the small crowd that had assembled for the opening bands. Their radio-friendly style of rock is catchy enough to hook you and varied enough to keep you interested. They’re one of those bands that sets the bar pretty high for acts that follow. They mentioned that they have free music on their website, so I thought I should pass that along to you.

Brazos, like White Denim, is a three-man band from Austin. While their music was very well put together, the stage presence left a little to be desired. This point was emphasized by being sandwiched between Dualistics, who have probably played Larimer a thousand times, and White Denim, who were freaking insane. Brazos had the feeling of a group who started as a rock ensemble in college; very proficient and sound great, but might want to spend less time worrying about playing perfect music and more time connecting with the audience.

Headliner--------------------

I’ll admit it, I was not ready for White Denim. But I blame the band itself for that. They took the stage and went from what I thought was a sound check into an all-out assault on my ears. I had done my homework, listening to their latest record Fits a whole bunch in the weeks leading up to the show, but that did not prepare me for their live performance. They had the technical proficiency of Brazos, but exhibited it in such a free flowing, frenetic manner that I was taken aback. Also, they did not stop. When I say that, I mean they DID NOT STOP. After a few minutes of working the tempo up on their first song, lead singer James Petralli stepped to the mic to launch into the lyrics. It was out. Did they finish the song and take a technical difficulties break? Hell no. He turned around and ripped the mic from drummer Joshua Block’s set, hunched over and screamed into it. This gave the sound guy a few moments to fix the busted gear and from there White Denim played for about 25 minutes straight before taking a break for some well deserved hydration. Then it was right into another 20-25 minutes of their 70’s style hard rock.

There was no “hi, we’re White Denim.” No “that was the first song on our new album.” No, it was more like, “we’re going to rock your faces off for as long as we can, try to keep up.” It was quite a challenge and the enthusiastic crowd at Larimer had a hard time keeping up after awhile. This style exhibits just one of several reasons why this band has so much buzz surrounding it. Playing hard and fast and going from one song to another for such a long period of time requires a certain kind of musicianship and band chemistry that is rarely seen. Petralli is an absolute wizard on the guitar and if it weren’t for the bands of sweat creeping over Block’s shoulders throughout the set you wouldn’t know it was a challenge for him. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of bassist Steve Terebecki’s fingers. I could tell by looking at him that he was “in the zone.” He worked the bass so furiously that it made my hands cramp from the audience. It was one of those shows that was so loud, so intense that I left the venue a little wobbly. White Denim’s live show has a physical affect on the viewer.

Tickets were on sale for just ten bucks which was an absolute steal. Trust me, get out there while the getting is still affordable. Just remember bring a set of earplugs.

Shazz :: Have You Tried Bacon Fried In Bacon?

Shazz Cafe And Bar
4262 Lowell Boulevard
Denver, CO 80211

Certain things in life are so sublime they border on the inexplicable. Sunday brunch in general falls into that category. Indeed, who in their right mind doesn’t find comfort and warmth in a freshly brewed cup of coffee -or squeezed OJ if that’s your poison- a couple of eggs and some breakfast meats? Communists, that’s who. But even the staunchest of commies would appreciate the Sunday morning brunch at Shazz. It was such a delight, I’m tempted to simply write down the menu and wait for you to run out the door, but since I want you to read this, I’ll hold off on that method.

Tucked into an up-and-coming corner of Denver’s Highland neighborhood, Shazz shares an intersection with better known establishments like Tocabe, Billy’s Inn, and Safeway, so even though you may have driven past it several times, you might not know it’s there. Shazz is fine with this. Check out their mission statement:

If you threw out all pre-conceived notions and societal pressures and became the person you always wanted to be, you would be Shazz.

That’s pretty sweet. You can feel this vibe when you enter the restaurant. It feels upscale, but the staff is very relaxed, with everyone chipping in (hostesses bartending, cooks busing tables, etc.) and doing so very enthusiastically. It makes the whole experience feel more like going to someone’s house for a meal than eating at some stuffy cafe. There were no lights on because there was no need; the pre-noon sunlight cascading through Shazz’s giant windows facing Lowell Boulevard provided ample light for eating and conversation. We were there for about 2 hours and they played nothing but Beatles music (Mean Mr. Mustard played us out the door). Again, who can argue with that? The night before was a little rough, so we stayed away from the boozy beverages, but the “G&G” consisting of gin, muddled grapefruit, and grapefruit juice looked particularly tasty. No, just a few giant cups of coffee around the table. I’m not kidding, they don’t cheat you on the coffee. Also they use locally roasted coffee and as many locally produced recipe ingredients as they possibly can which definitely makes them worth supporting even if the food isn’t amazing, which it is.

Brunch for me was the “Benedict,” and this is not your Denny’s-style eggs benedict. Yes, it begins with two poached eggs, but that’s where the similarities end. Instead of an English muffin, you get scallion grit cakes (lighter and tastier). Instead of hollandaise sauce, you get mustard cream sauce (lighter and less overbearing). Instead of Canadian bacon, you get pork belly confit or “really thick bacon, fried in bacon fat,” as the waitress explained (heavier and more satisfying). All that was served with a handful of baby greens and roasted potatoes, both of which paired perfectly with the leftover mustard cream sauce on my plate. I finished the last of my serving just as my stomach told me “no mas.” It was a perfectly sized portion.

I also sampled the “Open Faced B.L.A.T.E.C,” which is bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, egg, and cheese on toasted sourdough and the Dutch apple pancake, which is a plate-sized, almost crepe-like pancake served with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Both of these dishes were just as perfectly tuned as the Benedict and every bit as delicious as they sound. All of the brunch dishes cost either 8 or 10 dollars, but the portions were enough to keep you full until dinner. If feel like you really want to get your money’s worth, stay around for a few cups of coffee. For any Highland dweller brunch at Shazz is a must. Even if you live in other neighborhoods, it’s a great alternative to waiting in line for hours at places like Snooze or Lucille’s.

Album Review :: Spoon / Transference

Every time a Spoon record comes out my head spins. I feel like I’m standing in the middle of a New York City intersection with traffic whizzing about, just hoping that a car will hit me and take me along into the frenzy that surrounds these indie rockers. I like indie rock. I really do! But for whatever reason I have yet to find the Spoon record that speaks to me. Are you that record, Transference?

“Perhaps, JB.”

Oh, you speak to me?!

“I’m trying to. You see, my brothers have tried in the past to convince you of the worth of our makers, Spoon. But you have been a tough nut to crack, my friend.”

Well, I’ve tried. Honestly. I have three entire Spoon records on high rotation. And I really like that song “I Turn My Camera On.” Boop-BOOP-boop-BOOP--

“—boop-BOOP-boop-BOOP. I know, it’s catchy, right?! Well if you like that song you should try ‘The Mystery Zone.’ It’s my third track, and it’s a total winner. Also ‘Written In Reverse’ is a pretty rockin’ tune. I know how you like those chord-heavy rock songs.”

Thanks, I’ll check it out. You know, most of these tracks aren’t half bad. I think I can get behind this. It sounds like a bunch of B-sides for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but instead of being shitty and half-assed, they’re slightly less produced tracks that fit Spoon’s sound like a glove.

“I thought you might like what I have to offer. Yes, it all sounds very similar to the Spoon you’ve heard before, but it’s like a ‘best-of.’ They took everything you liked from their previous albums and compiled it all into an 11 song set for you.”

Wow, that’s darn nice of them!

“Yes. Now tell people to go buy it.”

Go buy it, people.

“Rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers.”

Rubber-baby-bubby-bumpers.

“Hee hee.”

--------------------

Spoon is playing the Ogden Theater in Denver on Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5.

2009 :: Empty’s Most Favoritest

Favorite Track

 
Sunlight
Harlem Shakes

Empty Reviews is guilty as charged for following the indie/hipster media and falling in L-U-R-V-E with this album. However, unlike our fellow pontificators and list makers, we chose “Sunlight” over the more often chosen “Strictly Game” as our favorite tune from this gem of an album. Perfectly titled, the song is a three minute romp about… well, we’re not really sure, but a song like is more fun when interpreted by jumping up and down and singing the chorus.

Other favorites

• The Rake’s Song / Decemberists – One of the catchiest songs of the year. Makes you move and sing along until you punch yourself in the face for doing so to such a morbid song.
• The Field / Mason Jennings – Beautiful, touching, and angry; the best song to date about the Iraq/Afghanistan wars.
• United Stats Of Eurasia / Muse – It takes a few listens to grow on you, but it’s epic scope and movement make it more akin to watching a movie than listening to a song.
• Percussion Gun / White Rabbits – The White Rabbits at their wailing, drum-hammering best.
• Papillon / Editors – Seldom heard on this side of the pond, put it on your iPod then go for a run.

…but here’s one we don’t care if we never hear again: I Gotta Feeling / Black Eyed Peas. The BEPs have gone downhill since “Fallin’ Up,” in my opinion.

Favorite Album

Technicolor Health
Harlem Shakes

Of course we feel the need to defend this choice, as we chose a song off this album as our favorite of the year, but to say that another album was our absolute favorite of 2009 would be to lie to you, our dear readers. We shan’t do that. Instead, we will simply say that if you happen to go out there, find this album, listen to it, and not like it, well… Let’s just say it’s not us, it’s you. Some times almost too poppy and others almost too full of sound, the now extinct Harlem Shakes always seemed to perfectly toe the line between enjoyable and over-the-top. We won’t speculate (or research) on why they broke up, but if making this album had anything to do with it… Sometimes you’ve got to break some eggs to make an sonically delicious omelet.

Other favorites

• Humbug / Arctic Monkeys – A step in a different direction for the UK rockers, but a good step nonetheless.
• Hospice / Antlers – The definition of haunting. A beautiful piece of music.
• Columbus’d The Whim / Holiday Shores – Outstanding lo-fi debut from these Floridian indie-rockers.
• It’s Blitz! / Yeah Yeah Yeahs – If you keep making records like this, YYYs, we’re going to change our minds about you…
• I and Love and You / The Avett Brothers – My only qualm with this album is that it put them on the map, which might be dangerous for their future releases.

… and here’s one you liked that we hated: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix / Phoenix. Yeah, we just don’t get the hype.

Favorite Live Show

Arctic Monkeys
Ogden Theater
September 23

For regular readers of this-here rag, it should come as no surprise that we chose this show as our favorite. Not only was it rock-your-face-off, blow-your-hair-back, good ol’ fashioned rock and roll, it also happened to fall on the very special birthday celebration of one Ivyy Goldberg, Esq. of Donnybrook fame. The Monkeys conquered the Ogden stage and left it to The Airborne Toxic Event to pick up the pieces. They were unsuccessful.

Other memorable shows

• Pirate Signal / Monolith, September 13. Yonnas and about 50 of his closest friends (and The Black Hearts) bounced around for 45 action packed minutes. Maybe the best show of Monolith 2009.
• TaunTaun / The UMS, July 25. My car was broken into, my bike was stolen, and all I needed was to mosh-pit my brains out while getting my eardrums blown. Thanks TaunTaun!
• These United States w/ Lurleens (The Hollyfelds) / Hi-Dive, March 27. Billed as “The Hillbilly Prom,” this was a damn good time. Much love to the bands, Gigbot, and Donnybrook for making it so.
• Also, Bruce Springsteen, Cage The Elephant, The Bravery, Electric Six… It was a good year.

… but we’re gonna be honest, here’s one we didn’t like: White Rabbits / June, 26. It’s not that we didn’t like it, it just didn’t blow our hair back. And that opening band (The Crocodiles)… They were TERRIBLE.

Favorite Viral Video

“Press Hop”
By DJ Steve Porter

Words can’t explain just how great this video is. Finally technology has gotten us to the point where the greatest sports press conference clips of all time can be found in one place, set to slammin’ beats, and shared with millions all over the world. Ladies and gentlemen, the future is now. And it is hilarious.

Favorite Movie

District 9 
dir. Neill Blomkamp

Call us cynical, but it just doesn’t feel like film will ever again blow our minds. That being the case, the Hollywood hype machine really needs to stop telling us that “this movie will blow y’all’s minds.” However, in a year when hype machines like Watchmen, Avatar, and (500) Days of Summer (in it’s own indie, we-all-have-boners-for-the-Deschanels way) stole many of the headlines, it was the smallest of films (D9 and Paranormal Activity) that stole the show. District 9 was the epitome of good sci-fi. It unflinchingly reflected our society back at us while transporting us into a version of our world where aliens are living in South Africa. It was an exhilarating, jarring, and unforgettable experience.

Other good times at the cinema:

• Star Trek : Yes, nerd alert. What? The movie was a lot of fun! Wanna fight about it?!
• Up : Many tears were shed. We wanted to simultaneously hug our deceased grandfathers and dogs.
• Avatar : Haters be trippin’. Say what you will about James Cameron, dude can direct the hell out of a big-budget movie.

…because we care, we saw: The Twilight Saga: New Moon. ZOMG ONLY THREE MORE LEFT!!!

Your Annual Letter From The Editor

Hi.

Welcome to the 2010’s, y’all. With another year (and decade depending on your point of view) in the books, it’s once again time for the age-old tradition of making resolutions and promises that may or may not be kept. 2009 was a great year for this little upstart blog we’ve got going here. We got our first shout outs, linkage, and quotes in various publications, press releases, and EPKs. In the vast space of the blogosphere, it’s easy to assume that you’re lost in the shuffle, but it’s exciting and inspiring to know that people are reading and enjoying Empty Reviews.

What started as an idea to review anything in the world has slowly focused on music and concert coverage. Although this trend will continue going forward (because it’s the most fun for us), we also plan to delve a little deeper into books, film, and the ever-popular Angry Empty reviews. We’re going to work on getting our posting more regular as well; at least a couple of times a week. Our newest feature for 2010 will be the introduction of the Golden Thumb. When you see this logo…

… it indicates that whatever is being reviewed was/is one of our favorite things ever. We’re not going to give this stamp to just everything, so keep an eye out for it and when you see it, for the love of god, go buy/see/try/read whatever it is.

As always, we are looking for things to review. If you want our take on something – anything - send an e-mail to contact@emptyreviews.com and let us know. I hope you enjoyed the coverage provided by Empty Reviews in 2010 and continue to check back with us in the years to come.

Thanks for reading.

- jb -