Strong and sultry, Fox Rodemich’s vocals are the root of ‘ sound. And as the Hot Congress band continues to refine and build upon its moody indie-pop, surely Rodemich will be the confident, driving-force to any eventual success. The three-piece headlined an all-locals show at the on Friday night to kick of the Elders’ tour through the west over the next few weeks. Rodemich undoubtedly also won more than a few hearts with that voice.
But itap not only her voice. Shady Elders sports jangly guitars, reverb and rough rhythms, draped with dream-pop sensibility and strong songwriting. Sometimes approaching the sweeping depth of Victoria LeGrande’s signature Beach House lead, Rodemich led her band through just about an hour of dreamy tunes that echoed the best parts of Denver’s old local heroes Hot IQs.
Sadly, the other two Denver bands didn’t fare quite as well as Rodemich’s Elders. — with their late-’60s persona and apparent fascination with the Elephant 6 sound — ducked into a monotonous rhythm that the band couldn’t quite shake. They’re definitely skilled musicians, they just failed to generate interest with their all-too-familiar sonics.
With only part of the band on stage, didn’t live up to the complex soundscapes of its recorded product. On record, this group has a full, beautiful and intoxicatingly lush sound. Unfortunately, on stage and minus Emily Gray and Edith Frost, the sound fell flat. David Obuchowski tried to fulfill the band’s recorded genius with his own vocals, but there’s really no comparison. A partial showing by band members exposed some of Distant Correspondent’s live weaknesses.
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
Juli Williams is a Denver-based photographer and new contributor to Reverb.
