Amoramora | 2018-12-22 | GOAT Soup & Whiskey, Keystone, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

What could 2018 have used? More love! What’s better than love? Love and then love again! Check out my last tape of 2018 – Amoramora and GOAT Soup and Whiskey Tavern!

Let me preface this by saying, I freaking love Amoramora. Since this is the last recording of 2018 let me digress a bit…When I first started taping, the second show I ever recorded was Judo Chop at Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple. During set break I met Tyler Hobbs who invited me to tape his then band Good Touch which would end up being my 4th show taping and the first time an artist ever asked me to come out to tape a show. At that show, I met Danny Evans, we exchanged numbers and I ended up taping his band Amoramora a few weeks later. Tyler is now the drummer for Amoramora and it feels incredibly fitting to be taping a band with both of them to close out my second full year taping shows. This will now be my 8th time recording Amoramora and I really just want to thank the entire band for being so supportive of tapers and always having us out. I always love taping your shows.

Now…on to what turned out to be the best Amoramora show I’ve seen…so far.

Shows in Keystone have become one of my new favorite parts about the Colorado music scene. Bands that normally play venues such as Summit Music Hall or The Boulder Theater will play on the much cozier confines of the The Goat Soup & Whiskey stage, a tavern at the base of Keystone mountain. The shows are usually $4 (no fees!!!!) and the venue is about as laid-back as they get, spawning sets where bands can test out new material in the embrace of a resort town crowd looking for a reason to dance.

Amoramora took the venue’s vibe and ran with it, starting things off with “Rafiki’s Expedition”. The song immediately dove into an aggressive funk groove that immediately felt locked-in. It began to break-down, briefly teasing a full deconstruction before winding back around to the song’s structure. Michael on the EWI was an immediate crowd pleaser (as always) as he hopped up and down with such conviction, at times I thought he might just launch into the crowd. The expedition had a blissful outro jam that fluttered along before landing into the rocking bluegrass licks of “Step Outside”. The song landed well with the crowd ready to get down, kicking up their heels and doing their best hoedown moves. Next up was “22 Tattoos” – an immensely fun rocker with a chorus that’s as catchy as it is funny. The outro contained a particularly shreddy solo before breaking down into a whale-call type jam then blending into the Peanut’s classic “Christmas Time Is Here”, a nod to the upcoming holiday. The band received some “assistance” from either the crowd or some dying cats during this renditon. After wishing us all a “Merry Christmas” the band crashed into the opening chords of “Chemical Homebrew”. The tune featured a space funk jam that galloped along as it patiently shifted through each phase of contribution from each member.

After a quick shout-out to my less-than-graceful self for fracturing my elbow earlier in the day snowboarding, they launched into another nu-grass song called “Oh Brother”. This one featured a segment for each member to take a ripping solo, ending with the EWI, delightfully dubbed the disco kazoo. It was then time for Tyler to take the mic and cover the SECOND south park tune I’d seen at this venue from a band. The Magic Beans had performed there a few weeks prior and did a take on “I’ll Do A Line You Do A Line” from the Season 8 Episode 4 episode of South Park. Taking a more contemporary angle, the band performed “On A Colorado Farm” from the recent season. The vocal harmonies were especially on-point and did justice to the great Randy Marsh. The set then closed with one of my favorite jams of the year, a 15+ minute “Hooper’s Hotel” that featured a full break from structure into Type II territory. From the start, the jam was a dark beast; palm-muted riffs over a persistent organ wallow drove the narrative as the tempo shifted and became ever more frantic before landing in a more break-beat space then pure rock before circling back to the melodious chorus the delight of the entire crowd, especially myself. I freaking love this song.

The second set started as funky and committed as the first, with the tune “The Loot”, who’s jam contained a jam inspired by the Santana tune “Oye Como Va”. This eventually shifted into a more pointed jam with deep rhythms that coalesced in the triumphant four chord outro jam. Again, similar to the first set, the band wasted little time before launching right into the second song of the set “(I Have Seen) The Saucers”. Another stage for Michael to flex his EWi skills to an avid following building on his side of the stage. Next up the band paid tribute to Frank Zappa with his tune “Camarillo Brillo”. The song’s melody and structure fit well with Amoramora’s style and Danny’s voice. A solid cover choice to pay tribute to the fallen guitar legend.

The band then performed a heartfelt rendition of their original “Window To The Stars” before going into the longest jam of the night “Diamond Phillips”. The jam never seemed to let off the gas; a constant barrage of whirling guitar solos and rolling piano lines, intermingling in a musical tapestry that continually grew over the room. The band then performed “Little Spoon” which contained an atmospheric blissful jam section that lightly floated above the crowd before revving itself up into exploratory outro.

Tyler and Eric began to jam while the rest of the band took a quick break before returning to give way to one of the more interesting intro to “Ultimate Entropy” I’ve seen. A mystically psychedelic conglomerate of looping vocal quotes and ambient thickness. The show then closes out with a quick version of “Spirit Of Adventure” that while brief does feature a quick take on “In The Street” made famous by that 70’s show. The show then closed out with a quick reprise of the song “Oh Brother” appropriately ending the show with the line “Oh brother I bid you good night”. Good night, indeed.

Amoramora | 2018-12-22| GOAT Soup And Whiskey, Keystone, CO

-= Set 1 =-
01. Rafiki’s Expedition
02. Step Outside
03. 22 Tattoos
04. Christmas Time Is Here >
05. Chemical Homebrew[1]
06. Oh Brother[2]
07. On A Colorado Farm (South Park cover)
08. Hooper’s Hotel[3]

-= Set 2 =-
09. The Loot[4]
10. (I Have Seen) The Saucers
11. Camarillo Brillo (Frank Zappa cover)
12. Window To The Stars
13. Rock ‘n Roll Pt. 2 (Gary Glitter cover)
14. Diamond Phillips[5]
15. Little Spoon[6]
16. Drum And Bass Jam >
17. Ultimate Entropy[7]
18. Spirit Of Adventure
19. In The Street (Big Star cover) ->
20. Oh Brother (Reprise)

Show Notes: This was a headlining show at GOAT Soup And Whiskey. There was no opener.
[1] “Chemical Homebrew” contained a “Streets Of Cairo” tease.
[2] “Oh Brother” contained “Portapotty” (Keller Williams) and “Poor Heart” (Phish) quotes.
[3] “Hooper’s Hotel” contained a “One Of These Nights” (The Eagles) and “The Simpson’s Theme” teases.
[4] “The loot” contained a “Oye Como Va” (Santana) jam.
[5] “Diamond Phillips” contained a “Meet The Flintstones” and “Frère Jacques” tease.
[6] “Little Spoon” contained a “The Simpson’s Theme” tease.
[7] “Ultimate Entropy” contained a “Skywalker Theme” (Star Wars) tease.

Thank you to Amoramora and GOAT Soup and Whiskey Tavern for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/AM2018-12-22.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.…