Summer seems to beg for grandiose open-air concerts and sprawling arena tours, the air warm and thick with potential, the light lingering on the horizon.
The modest environs of small to midsize clubs also reap the spoils of the heavy touring season, nabbing emerging artists along with established road warriors and popular local acts.
The next few months offer a diverse selection of affordable club shows and intimate gigs. Here are some of the best, in chronological order.
Josh Kelley: A poppy singer-songwriter who splits the difference between John Mayer and Jack Johnson, Kelley has been burning up the airwaves lately with songs from his new disc, “Just Say the Word.” You’ll likely hear a lot more from the smooth-voiced acoustic devotee in the coming months. Catch him at this intimate venue while you can. Tuesday, Soiled Dove Underground, $15-$22.50.
Andrew Bird: This multi-instrumentalist and folk archivist inspires such fervent devotion it’s easy to forget his stint in the fantastically annoying Squirrel Nut Zippers. The Chicago-based songwriter and violinist impressed crowds when he opened for DeVotchKa on New Year’s Eve, and his stop in Boulder next week promises to do the same. Wednesday, Fox Theatre, $18.
Shad K: Like Lupe Fiasco, this Toronto MC’s talent is painfully apparent in every one of his songs. But it’s not just Shadrach Kabango’s smart flows that deserve attention, it’s his overall approach to his songs, which are stuffed with clever samples and backside-movin’ beats. Almost as impressive is the fact that he can rap and play guitar simultaneously. Enough said? I think so. May 3, Oriental Theater, price to be announced.
Cloud Cult: Bands don’t get much buzzier than this Minneapolis maelstrom. After slaying crowds at South by Southwest in Austin this year, the beat-heavy indie rock group will hit Denver armed with songs from its excellent new disc, “The Meaning of 8.” Expect a swarm of propulsive melodies and rhythms strong enough to derail a train. May 10, Larimer Lounge, $7.
Thee More Shallows: This San Francisco group would appeal to fans of Death Cab for Cutie or Grandaddy with its patient, biting indie melodies and Elliott Smith-quality lyrics. A forthcoming record on Anticon should help raise its profile, which remains low but firmly on the radar overseas and on the blogosphere. May 11, Larimer Lounge, $11.
The Hollyfelds: This local country-folk quartet always enlivens the subterranean cool of the Meadowlark with its crisp autoharp, guitar, dobro, electric bass and traps. If you’ve never seen one of the band’s spirited sets – which straddle traditionals and originals – you’re in for an energetic treat. May 19, The Meadlowlark, free.
The Queers: Don’t misinterpret this punk band’s messy, juvenile songs as endorsing the things they sing about. Any true punk fan knows this New England group is in it for the right reasons. With a new album, huge back catalog and spate of reissues promised for 2007, you can bet the Queers are hitting the road like a lightning bolt. June 2, Black Sheep, $10; June 3, Marquis Theater, $11.
The Rosebuds: Despite the chilliness of their new album, “Night of the Furies,” this husband-wife duo, along with whatever percussion(ist) they’re towing, performs some of the most achingly beautiful pop-rock this side of Roy Orbison or Buddy Holly. This show is not to be missed since Land of Talk, a thrilling Montreal trio sporting one of 2006’s best mini-albums, will open the show. June 5, Larimer Lounge, $8.
George&Caplin: Much ambient music fails to rise above background noise, but Denver’s George&Caplin creates engaging soundscapes that invoke electro-pioneers John Cage and Brian Eno and latter-day saints Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada. If recent live shows can be trusted, George&Caplin has upped the sonic propulsion in its complex compositions. The band’s CD release show should provide an attention-grabbing example of expert knob-twiddling and keyboard plinking. June 8, Hi-Dive, $6.
D. Biddle: Duncan Barlow is a busy man, playing bass in Lion Sized, sitting in with other local luminaries and fronting this satisfyingly dark indie-folk/country act. This summer, his group D. Biddle will release a new disc, and you can bet the local scene will turn out in force to support it. July 13, Hi-Dive, price to be announced.
Yonder Mountain String Band: This local jam favorite headlines Red Rocks Amphitheatre the night after this show, which makes its small-club vibe all the more appealing. The centers of the jam band and contemporary bluegrass worlds will undoubtedly be in Boulder this night. Sept. 1, Fox Theatre, sold out.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
