The Orangu-Tones
All great empires eventually meet their demise. And so it was with great sadness that a crowd at the Skylark Lounge said goodbye to The Orangu-Tones – the self-proclaimed “Rocky Mountain rajahs of R&B” – as the frat rock band played its last Denver show on Saturday.
The band’s annual Christmas toga bash was more about beers than tears, and as always, the added lubrication only enhanced ‘Tones tunes such as “Twist at the Tavern,” “Little Lil,” “Good Lovin’ ” and more. The band played three fast and loose sets in their typical fashion – casual, brash and increasingly drunker as the clock crept forward – and while it wasn’t the most attentive crowd, the band didn’t seem to care.
This was their Denver send-off, and while they deserved a grander bash with embroidered togas, a ’60s-styled gymnasium and a fat Santa twist contest, the modest show was befitting a group of guys who have always put the emphasis on the music, the silliness, the good times, the booze and the friendliness that always made them so approachable.
The band’s last shows ever are at Austin’s excellent Continental Club on Feb. 16-17. If you have friends in the Lone Star state, direct them The Orangu-Tones’ way. They’ll thank you later – when they’re done catching their breath from the ’60s dance party. | Ricardo Baca
Tom Waits Tribute
Despite his sharp sense of humor, Denver songwriter John Common is an earnest man, and nowhere was his sincerity more on display than at his Tom Waits tribute show at the Mercury Cafe on Saturday.
Common welcomed a solid slate of local musicians to open with their own Waits favorites as he held court with a drink and wry grin. While awful, high school- quality poetry shrieked downstairs, the lushly appointed stage upstairs rang with Waits covers, the audience perched at candlelit mini-tables. Each performer had an obviously different level of familiarity with our grizzled hero’s material, but brought idiosyncratic perspectives to the songs.
Dewey Paul Moffitt tackled a new composition from the sprawling “Orphans,” to mild effect. Jed Marrs and Kevin Meyer, from Common’s band, nailed the shaky energy of “Bone Machine.” Hot IQs lead singer Eli Mishkin was the high point of the opening set with “Make it Rain” and a roiling “Filipino Box Spring Hog.”
Common and his band took over to perform “Rain Dogs” in its entirety, Commons stumbling onto stage dramatically. They completely transformed some songs into lush, if self-indulgent, rockers that bore little resemblance to the originals (the feedback- laden “Singapore” and “Clap Hands”). Still, even when it wasn’t pitch-perfect, the night was a refreshing change of pace. | John Wenzel
Bad Luck City
Dameon Merkl’s left-for-dead vocals filled the Larimer Lounge with a queasy uneasiness. Bad Luck City, his band, created disparate pictures of sorrow, pain and depravity.
It’s not always pretty in the traditional sense with Bad Luck City, but it was beautiful seeing the moody gothic country band paired with like-minded cohorts Reverend Deadeye and Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots on Dec. 22 at the Larimer. Starting with Bad Luck City, the evening’s mood was born – sullen and morose and driving and sometimes grand. As the night progressed, the mood evolved into something even more darkly triumphant and celebratory.
It was the bar’s Christmas party – and an unusual celebration. But this inspired pairing, including openers Painted Saints, was particularly fascinating. While you might lump these groups into the same loose family, the bands share little beyond mood and aesthetic. And it made for a thoroughly engrossing night of listening. | Ricardo Baca
