Westword Music Showcase ::: 06.18.11

The Westword Music Showcase came and went another year, and I had the pleasure of attending some of the shows at venues that I had never stepped foot in and always wondered what were like. My favorite was the furthest one, Opal, that was more than a hop, skip and jump from 11th and Acoma. I wish I would’ve gotten my bike fixed a couple of days ago because the hike proved to be costly on the timing side of things. Another thing I learned over the weekend is the inner beauty of the Curious Theatre. The quaint venue is mysteriously roomy and breathtaking ; doesn’t feel like it belongs in Denver, and yet it does. Mental note, must check out a show very very soon here. The afternoon was painted with new local acts that I’ve been meaning to catch and some older acts that I’ve hadn’t seen in a long time. Luengliss performed to a sizable crowd a with a jubilant energy not often seen at this time of day. It was 2 PM and the natives were visibly restless. Their restlessness died down thanks in part to the one man show that showed flashes of glitch brilliance. I would love to see more remix/production work from Luengliss in the future. Flashlights was one of those bands that I had seen last year when I first caught wind of their existence. Vocals and cohesiveness have come a long way and the duo seem comfortable in their own skin/success and ready for their first tour to hit the best coast. Good luck, dudes! Murder by Death identified well with the Denver crowd, seizing the main stage to fill the air with their ballads of love and strife and everything in between. The Indiana crew set the stage for Austin stoner rockers, the Sword. The guys came out like a band of mercenaries prepped for war. Metal is not my thing, but there’s a tact and style that the long haired monsters of rock possess that is rarely seen nowadays. Dovekins played to a packed theatre to perform their brand of “cute” folksy music. The guys are fresh off of their release of their Daytrotter session from last week. Their set played exactly how I expected it to sound. Folk music down by the river while sitting barefoot in a panoramic forest and a majestic mountainside close by. The most pleasant surprise of the afternoon came in the form of Hot Congress stalwarts, Hindershot. The collective put down one of the best sets of the afternoon. Their no frills brand of shimmery pop is likened to early Spoon. I loved the fact that each member appeared to contribute the same as their neighbor with no superstar in the mix. I’m eager to get to know their catalog extensively this week. I’d like to give a shout out to Luke for the recommendation.Force Publique are given a bum rap when compared to Crystal Castles. I say this because unlike Alice from CC, you can actually understand the somber vocals(the tone works well with the style of ominous music). The energy is unmatched and the duo have been churning out an impressive amount of music in their short time of existence. Panal S.A. de C.V. hulked their way through their set and the size of stage at Opal wasn’t nearly as big as it should’ve been. I’m appalled that the glass stayed in one piece after their shattering performance Saturday afternoon. The last show of the day I was FINALLY able to see Night of Joy . I walked in mid-set to the room rumbling of Peter Hooky-esque bass strumming from bassist Bree Davies and howling from lead vocalist Valerie Franz. Their set culminated a perfect day of local music and made me damn proud of the current music landscape.