Josh Blue
Seeing Josh Blue in Denver is a unique experience … until it’s not.
In his hometown, Blue is held up on a pedestal otherwise reserved for war heroes, John Elway and the mayor. The comic can do no wrong, and every joke and observation is met with thunderous applause, indecipherable catcalls and more “I love yous” and “We’re proud of yous” than you’ll hear at a high school graduation party.
The comic likely gets similar greetings in other cities – as people who are sympathetic to his struggle with cerebral palsy are indeed proud of Blue’s accomplishments. But Denver is different, and Blue talked about that in his stand-up routine July 13 at the Paramount Theatre.
The unique experience halts there, though, as Blue is still mining some of his older material – even stuff he used on national television when he won NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” reality show competition a year ago. And while these bits – sometimes about Blue’s handicap, sometimes unrelated – are very funny, they can’t help but become less funny with each rerun. |Ricardo Baca
The Chain Gang of 1974
Despite the dusty, backroads-sounding moniker, the Chain Gang of 1974 crafts dirty underground dance rock, equal parts Nine Inch Nails, LCD Soundsystem and Primal Scream. The act (a.k.a. one-man band Kamtin Mohager) kicked off the Elitist Hipster Snob party at the Meadlowlark on Saturday, a blog launch that doubled as a tongue-in-cheek Bastille Day fete.
Indeed, a horde of self-conscious fashionistas in French stereotype mustaches smoked and drank their way around the patio of the Meadowlark, perpetually shoulder-to-shoulder. Chain Gang’s first couple of songs were nearly overpowered by the chatter. But a quick sound adjustment brought the ragged, forceful electro-melodies to the fore.
Mohager, a skinny dude with a huge bass and breakneck energy, alternately bewildered and enthralled the crowd with club-appropriate songs like “New York Dressed Girl.” The borderline comical blips and beats on “The Dirt” would have worked better indoors, but Mohager gave it his sweaty all, to mostly positive results.
The Chain Gang of 1974 will release its new CD EP tonight at LifeSpot in Centennial (myspace.com/lifespotpresents).
|John Wenzel
Ghost Buffalo
Saying that Marie Litton has a powerful, almost intimidating presence is an understatement. The Ghost Buffalo frontwoman hardly stands tall, but she stands strong, as if she’s daring you to not pay attention. (Good luck.) Litton and her band don’t fit into any larger aesthetic, and their bizarrely singular music is something that has worked to their advantage.
When Ghost Buffalo headlined the Larimer Lounge on July 13, the band presented a short set of songs that highlighted their penchant for the lush ballad. The band’s compositions are dense, paying as much respect to the spirit of Gram Parsons as to the newfound discovery of Sister Vanilla.
It’s a heady package, especially considering that the musicians backing Litton seem to be on the same page as her – impressive because Ghost Buffalo, more than more bands, is its own entity.
Ghost Buffalo is on tour, but its first show back is at the 7th annual Denver Post Underground Music Showcase on Aug. 11. |Ricardo Baca
