Opening bands that steal the show make for an exhilarating ride, one that is as unexpected as it is rewarding. I remember a modest and then-unknown TV on the Radio opening for a lame and self-absorbed Ladybug Transistor. TV on the Radio was epic and fresh; Ladybug Transistor was stale and tired.
Similarly, Tuesday’s Ponys/Gris Gris show at Benders Tavern was proof we always should show up early to support the openers. The local Hot IQs was expectedly tight and full of the indie rock rage that dominates its music. But then Oakland’s Gris Gris masterfully threw down a feedback-drenched set.
Frontman Greg Ashley overcame the room’s troubled sound system and was fierce in his ever-evolving presentation, changing instruments for each of the first three songs. Feedback was everywhere, but seldom drowned out the melody, which ran through the music like a manic bull.
Gris Gris was rooted more in psychedelia than garage, although the two often were married throughout the set. And while The Ponys played a respectable set, it just couldn’t overcome the electricity generated by The Gris Gris.
– Ricardo Baca
Premieres by John Heins
Nothing revolutionary. Nothing revelatory. Just solid, largely effective music-making.
That was the story of a May 11 concert at the Broomfield Auditorium featuring nine Colorado Symphony members and other local musicians performing six new works by noted area composer John Heins.
His pieces often are placed in the loose category of neo-romanticism. “Retro-romantic’ might be a better label, since they often seem more like extensions of the 19th-century style, with little evidence that the 20th century even happened.
Heins knows how to sculpt melodies and create truly beautiful moments in his music. But he often struggles with the architecture of his works. Transitions can be too obvious, movements too repetitive.
This was especially true in his String Quartet No. 1, which at nearly 45 minutes in length was way too long. A 10-minute cut to the first movement alone would have done much to sharpen its impact.
The concert’s highlight was arguably the Romance for Flute, Clarinet, Harp and String Quartet, featuring typically expressive solo work by Boulder flutist Alexa Still.
Another standout performer was Allegra Wermuth, the symphony’s assistant principal second violinist. She powered the string quartet as first violinist and showed herself to be a forceful, compelling artist.
– Kyle MacMillan
Junior Boys/Caribou
The electronica act Caribou may have been the headliner Tuesday at the Bluebird, but dream-pop duo and fellow Canadians Junior Boys stole the night.
Performing material from “Last Exit,” Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark unleashed sophisticated, tempered synth music with shades of Pink Floyd, Erasure and early Deee-lite. Unlike the latter, these compositions dismiss the stereotype that techno music requires a sweaty nightclub crowd to connect. If anything, this crowd was sparse and mellow.
Their stage littered with instruments, there was not a DJ in sight. And the Boys eloquently underscored their sexy, subdued songwriting with ethereal cloud photography flickering behind them. With its disco rhythm, popping bleats and emotive lyrics, “Bellona” was a favorite.
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
