Fate and Favourites

As some of you may have noticed, I am continually suggesting shows I reckon to be worth the while to attend over at The Donnybrook Writing Academy's regular Friday feature The Problem of Leisure. My favourites tend to appear a lot, but since the folks running things over there haven't complained about my continual recommendations of Bad Luck City, Bad Weather California, Bela Karoli, Overcasters, and Porlolo, I will keep recommending them, as I deem apt.

This week was no exception:

The Truth: The Mercury Cafe.
Porlolo, Joseph Pope III and Ian Cooke. 9 PM

I’ve never been to the Mercury Cafe. I realize that might be hard to believe. This place has been around longer than many interesting Denver places and it’s often talked about by an eclectic and large set of people. One look at it’s calendar will evidence that this is an involved and community-minded place. And you can eat very healthy sounding food there too. So, why wouldn’t I have been there at least once? I can’t explain.

The eternally hip Radio 1190 presents an all-ages show at the Merc this Saturday. That means youngsters can come. The always lovely Porlolo, the ever charming Ian Cooke and the equally endearing Joseph Pope III will all perform. And it is only $7. I am tempted to ferry myself and my little entourage over there for a listen. According to the calendar, if you get there too early you’ll run into a Green Party benefit…is Ralph Nader really still running for president?

I thought this would be a good show to take the kids to, they love Porlolo and Ian Cooke and I think they'd like Joe Pope's music too. But then I remembered that $7 means per person. With my little entourage, that gets outta my current budget for an evening. So I decided, well, I guess not. But then, fatefully, my rental car wouldn't start. Why fatefully? And what does that have to do with the show? I'll tell you.

This is the story of how I got stuck in a Chevy Cobalt listening to Radio 1190 late Thursday morning and ended up with a plus one to the show.

Wednesday I took my none-so-gold-as-mine minivan for a major tune up. I was overdue. Oh, I mentioned, could you check the brakes? They seem a little off. I guess that happens when all the brake fluid has drained out of the rear drums. They weren't working at all the auto repair place told me. Oh and the transmission solenoid is leaking. And the front axle something. And something, something. I couldn't take listening anymore than to find out I could get it all fixed for a little under 2K. But, they would put me in a rental car for the next day no charge. Okay. That's how I got the Chevy Cobalt. It was the only car they had.

Besides feeling a little like the Yugo I learned to drive manual in, it was okay. At least it was getting me around to places I needed to go. Until I was in the parking lot of that assisted living center, needing to get to a lunch appointment. The key wouldn't turn. I called the rental place and they said, um, yeah that's happened before. Try jiggling the steering wheel. Do you have your foot on the brake? Take the key out and put it back in. No? Jiggle the wheel again. Near to ten minutes of this in the sun, and finally it starts. And at that very moment the dj was giving away tickets to the show. Third caller. I called. You are the second caller. Oh no I said. But you can call back he said. So I did. And I won. Now I only have two tickets to pay for and that is much better.

As for that Cobalt...when I got home, the key wouldn't turn again and all the jiggling and finessing of the key was for naught. I had to call the rental car travel club rescue service. The tow truck driver tries the same to the same effect and says, Oh, I know how to fix this. He jogs back to his truck and comes back with a hammer, smiling, It just needs a little TLC. My eyes bugged out as he starts hammering on the key in the ignition. And you know what? Yeah, it fixed it.

dpums 2008: a couple lists

Too tired to write in sentences. Mostly. So, lists:

Who I managed to see at least some, and in some cases, all of:

American Relay. Reverend Deadeye. Bad Weather California. Overcasters. Bad Luck City. Orangu-tones. Rachel Pollard. Jason Cain. Aaron Collins. Ellison Park, George Inai, Blue Light. Joseph Pope III. Andy Tanner. Married in Berdichev. Andrea Ball, Jen Korte, Jack Redell. Cowboy Curse. Hearts of Palm. Bela Karoli. Hot IQs. Porlolo. And a few others bits here and there walking up and down Broadway. I didn't get to listen to everything I wanted to hear, but I listened to all I was able.


Some of the worst parts:

People talking louder than Porlolo’s set in the Skylark,
then the jukebox starting up.
Sketchy sound systems.
House music playing at Blue Ice during Cowboy Curse,
and American idol on a wide screen TV.
Trying to see two bands at once.
Not trying to see two bands at once.
Leaving in the middle of a set.
Just missing someone you really wanted to see.
Griping about this stuff.
Blisters on feet.
Being hungry and thirsty.
The hot hot sun.
Sitting on the itchy grass.
Forgetting to bring earplugs for the kids.
Being overwhelmed and overtired.
Sweaty and over-packed Hi-Dive.

Some of the best parts:

I hate being packed in, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show.
Friday night, appreciating what a great club the 3 Kings Tavern is.
The Overcasters and Bad Luck City back to back.
Not being able to stop smiling.
All those fabulous all-ages venues.
Being able to bring my kids Saturday.
My kids thanking me (so much) for taking them.
The people who stopped chatting and started listening to Porlolo.
Roger Green learning a Porlolo song on the stage,
and it still sounding amazing.
Cowboy Curse playing a great set in spite of the club.
Listening.
My daughter napping on a stack of carpets
Mellow singer/songwriter round sets.
Volunteering. Really.
Just the right-sized outdoor stage.
Nathaniel Rateliff pushing his gear around in a K-mart shopping cart.
Cold drinks.
Aaron Collins child-like-playful solo performance in Rock the Cradle.
Marching my children into the Skylark to hear Porlolo
and nobody stopping us.
Inviting people who don’t usually come out to the shows
and seeing them there.
So many creative and diversely talented folks doing their stuff.
Feeding my kids those yummy Sputnik french fries
one order sweet, one order white.)
Feeling the genuine and impossible-to-fabricate good-will vibe.
All the cool stuff I actually caught.
Realizing some festivals are not so bad.
And all this in Denver.

show review: Porlolo cd Release!

Porlolo CD release party with: Bad Weather California, Wentworth Kersey, Sorellina and the dancing Team Firefox.
Friday 18 July 2008, Hi-Dive, Denver

by Linda Ruth Carter

Cd release shows are always hold a little more excitement than any other. It’s kind of like a birthday celebration. (New songs are born and here’s this shiny document to prove it.) Friday at the Hi-Dive was definitely a celebration of Porlolo’s second full length release, Meadows.

This show was fun. If you read no further, just know that much is true. I’ve not kept it a secret that Porlolo is one of my all-time favorites, inside or outside of Denver, and I’ve been looking forward to the release of this cd for the past year or so, ever since I started hearing the first versions of the songs on it being performed. And Friday I got to be there.

As the rainbow unicorn cake on the merchandise table read: Porlolo believes in you. And from the people spilling in the door of the Hi-Dive, lots of people believe in Porlolo too. Present were not only the usual crowd of Hi-Dive regulars, but people who’d made a four hour drive from Gunnison just to be there.

Opening the evening was Sorellina, who is the Anna half of the duo cellists of Matson Jones. Though I couldn’t make out a great deal of the lyrics, I’d characterize Sorellina’s songs as being of the feminine singer-songwriter sort. Even the buzzy and a little too bright sound of a cello turned up loud at the Hi-Dive couldn’t hide that this girl has a lovely voice, and can play that cello to pieces. I’d like to hear her in a place where the sound is more conducive to what she is doing, but I was glad for the introduction.

Next up was the eight member dance troupe known as Team Firefox. Donning spandex, leg warmers, and glow sticks as necklaces, bracelets and anklets, Team Firefox danced a coordinated choreographed number to “Never Let Me Down” by Depeche Mode. The stage was too small for this performance so they used the whole floor from the half-wall back to the wall and from the stage almost back to the little stage in the rear. It was fun to watch, though I had to stand on a chair to see. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in the Hi-Dive. I mean, they were really dancing. But they had the crowd watching, smiling, clapping, and perhaps trying to remember some of those dance moves too.

With smiles on faces from the cheerful dancing, next came the debut of Wentworth Kersey. I was one of the fortunate early kids to get a copy of their disc along with my new Porlolo (and a copy of Roger Green’s newest too.) Pretty awesome.

If Wentworth Kersey sounds oddly familiar for a debut band, it should. This is the musical project of Joe Kersey Sampson (A Dog Paloma) and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens (George and Caplin) and if you like either or both of these people’s prior musical releases, you will likely dig this new collaborative set of songs. I did. After a couple songs Wentworth Kersey retired from the stage and joined the crowd to listen to featured band of the evening.

Porlolo said they chose to go on before Bad Weather California so they could sit back afterwards and enjoy hearing their friends play. Having heard a few of the pre-released songs off Meadows already, people were already calling out requests, many of them for “Animals” an extraordinarily catchy poppy sounding song sung with the saddest most tear-jerking lyrics, simultaneously hitting your emotions in two places at once. It’s fabulous.

No two times I can recall have I seen the exact same set of musicians accompanying Erin Roberts, though I believe I’ve seen her solo more than once. The cast of supporting players have many amazing repeat performers and whomever of her friends that accompany, I’ve always heard an enjoyable set. Whatever the line-up, the songs always seem to sound just right. On this night, accompanying Erin were: the overall-wearing guitar-sorcerer Roger Green; the ever consistent and copacetic drummer, Xandy Whitesel; the lovely and heart-stirring stringed sounds of Bela Karoli: Julie Davis on upright bass and Carrie Beeder on violin; and the talented songstress Kate Magnus (Placerville) on guitar, electric bass, and a hand-held keyboard. They played a few songs from Storm and Season, but mostly performed a nice long set of songs from Meadows. Song after song, the listeners smiled and cheered. Did I already say it was fun? I’m writing these words two days later and I’m still smiling thinking about it all.

Bad Weather California took the stage to send off the night. Chris Adolf is another Denver songwriter that has been known to take the stage either solo or with a different arrangement of musicians from show to show, but for some time now he’s had the stable line-up of Xandy Whitesel, Joe Sampson and Adam Baumeister making Bad Weather California an identifiable group. But things haven’t gotten stuck in any rut. Indeed there is always a vibe of unpredictability with a Bad Weather California performance. Lyrics are elastic and verses change from show to show, like the songs have a life of their own and have to be wrangled somehow to get them out in the air. But the chorus is familiar enough that the crowd is often chanting along in communal song. That might sound corny if you haven’t been there, but it is pure fun. Believe it.

Monday, Pretty Songs, Some About Animals

The best part about local artists opening for bands touring from places yonder is that, when paired with knowledge and thoughtfulness, it can turn you on to one or the other that you might not have otherwise given a listen.

It's no secret that I love Porlolo, so when they open for another band, I'll make time to give them a listen. With the convenience of MySpace, it's hardly a time commitment, but as it is, I gave a click and a listen and decided I do indeed like Blitzen Trapper. I thought they sounded a lot like they'd been listening to a lot of Big Star, but since I've loved Alex Chilton's band ever since I heard Paul Westerberg croon the name, this is all good with me.

I recommend:

At the hi-dive
Monday 14 April 2008
Radio 1190 presents

Blitzen Trapper



Fleet Foxes



AND

Porloloville
(Porlolo and Placerville)



Wish I could be there, but Mondays are a no show night out for me. Maybe you can go and tell me all about it?

show review: Porlolo / A Dog Paloma

20 September 2006

Oriental Theater

Porlolo, A Dog Paloma - The super-group versions.

Porlolo is a rubber band. One person, six people, or any number in between and it sounds like an exact fit around the music. I'm always amazed at how that works out. And although hearing Erin Roberts solo with her Harmony is a pleasure, I like the bigger version of Porlolo even better. Last night's line up was about the same arrangement as appeared up at the South Park Music Festival a couple weekends ago; the only missing parts were Carrie Beeder on violin and Joe Sampson, who would follow up later in the evening with A Dog Paloma. Although I think there was only one new song performed last night, that was cool with me because I think could probably listen to Porlolo songs everyday for years and not get tired of them.

In case you haven't caught the new arrangement, I'll explain it for you here. Avoiding the argument of whether double or electric is better, Porlolo takes one of each by having both Julie Davis (Bluebook) and Jonathan Till (d. Biddle, Nathan & Stephen) brilliantly tending to the bass section. Steve Brooks (Nathan & Stephen) keeps the rhythm together while Tom Mohr and Erin Roberts (the central core of Porlolo) tend to the rest with grace and style. I recommend giving a listen soon. They've got shows coming up this month on the 26^th at the Marquis and the 30^th at the Hi-Dive. Go on, you'll be so happy you did.

Before last night I'd only heard A Dog Paloma's songs on the myspace. I love the myspace for checking out music, but you have to keep in mind that finding music this way is like looking at pictures postage-stamp size. That is, you can get an idea of what to expect, an index reference if you will, but it's only a partial representation of the whole thing. So, what I knew already was that Joe Sampson wrote pretty songs and that I wanted to listen to him sing them for real. And last night he sang them with Nathaniel Rateliff (The Wheel/Born in the Flood) to great effect. Very mellow and chill. The harmonies were on. And although Nathan McGarvey (Nathan & Stephen) and Ben DeSoto kept the rhythm together on bass and drums, poor Justin Croft had to give up on his out of tune keys. But even if all the parts didn't come together as perfectly last night as one might hope for in a performance, there was still plenty enough goodness in the songs and voices themselves to make me very glad I stayed to the end.

Thanks!