Cycles | 2018-11-09 | Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

SENSATION! The music Cycles plays will ease your mind….check out their recent benefit performance at Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar!

Cycles shows at Zio’s always have a certain special feel to them that shows at more conventional venues don’t always capture. It’s a closeness both in literal proximity and the loose feel the band has when they take the stage (often times announced under a thinly veiled pseudonym). This particular time further amplified by a cause, a benefit for a friend and fan who’s mother was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. All proceeds going to the best of causes, the band slayed another performance at a venue that has become an instrumental part in the Cycles journey.

Each set started with Tucker playing the role of “one-man-band” as he clutched his bass and drummed out rhythms to jam along with. The band would later join and help transition into the sets. The first go-around shifting into “The Mess”. From the introduction the band felt collected, maneuvering their oft-played original with ease. After solid takes on “Aloe Parade” and “Its About That Time” the band launched into “The Lone Stranger” which had a very dark octave-wah jam which teases “Oye Como Va” likely a nod to Patrick’s recent Phish-Vegas excursion where Trey teased the Santana classic in “Twist”. Next up was the first big improv journey of the show in “The House”. The jam was a multi-layered excursion that peaked with a soaring outro solo. A definite highlight of the evening. Following “The House”, the band played a new cover tune, The Dixie Chicks “Ready To Ride” which was performed entirely instrumental. A completely random cover selection, if you weren’t at a Cycles show. One of the most endearing things about Cycles is their cover selection. Never does a tune feel off-limits due to a genre restriction. If it sounds good, Cycles’ll play it! What then followed was one of their classic covers, Les Claypool’s “One Better”. Once again, the band made the trip into jam territory, playing around with the tempo to make a dynamic outro which shifted with ferocity. The set then closed out with a new Patrick song called “Lose”, a slower number during the verses before erupting into blissful guitar work. A nice change of pace to end the set.

The second set opened similar to the first set with Tucker jamming on both drums and bass. Afterwards the first song of the set was a new Wood tune called “Best Foot Forward”. Another alt-rocker with introspective lyrics and melodic hooks. The line “I swear I’m good enough” hits you right in the self conscious feels. Polarizing the somewhat weighty content of the tune, the band briefly went into a song from the popular adult swim characters Tim & Eric before going into another new song, this time by Patrick, named “Sunrise” which featured one of the most explosive solo-peaks of the night. Maybe Tucker put it best…”Kinda like The Smashing Pumpkins mixed with the Dixie Chicks”. The following was my personal jam of the evening, a deep-dive into the nostalgia of “Jade”. The outro featured the band fully locked into a start-stop jam that showed off their stellar communication. The set closed out with a painful “Sunday Night” fake-out (always love hearing that song) which transitioned into “Game Show” which then in turn had one of two stellar transitions of the evening as it segued into “The Martyr”. The second of which would come in the second encore, but we’ll get there…

The first and second encores might as well have severed as a third set, clocking in at about an hour. The “Party Boy” and “Chapanga” combination were the party tunes but the second encore is where the real rager lies. “A Million Miles” started as just a duo-performance with Wood and Tucker taking the song for a ride just as Patrick strapped in for the end, Tucker transitioned into the Blind Faith song “Chase & Status”. The slow dark pace was then lifted by a high-tempo “Bullet In The Head” jam that then shifted into the second incredible transition of the evening, a senseless melt into “Wait”. The show then closed out with the last yet arguably best jam of the evening “Something In The Water”. The band went out in a blaze of whirling guitar solos and fast paced punchy bass riffs, completing the Zio’s experience with the venue turning the lights on during the outro. Cycles left it all on the stage, throwing-down a highlight riddled show where the venue curtain-called the event. A special evening indeed. Enjoy!

Cycles | 2018-11-09 | Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar, Denver, CO

-= Set 1 =-
01. (Tucker’s Drum & Bass Jam) ->
02. Music For Free[1]
03. The Aloe Parade
04. It’s About That Time
05. The Lone Stranger[2]
06. The House
07. Read To Run (The Dixie Chicks)
08. One Better (Les Claypool cover)
09. (Banter)
10. Lose

-= Set 2 =-
11. (Tucker’s Drum & Bass Jam II)
12. (Banter)
13. Best Foot Forward
14. (Tim & Eric Jam)
15. Sunrise
16. Jade[3]
17. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson cover)
18. (Tucker’s Joke Time)
19. Sunday Night (fakeout) ->
20. Game Show [4] ->
21. The Martyr
22. (Evan’s Bluebird Announcement)
23. The Mess

-= Encore 1 =-
24. (Tucker’s Drum & Bass Jam III)[5]
25. Party Boy
26. Chapanga

-= Encore 2 =-
27. (Encore Break)
28. A Million Miles Away[6] ->
29. Chase & Status (Blind Faith cover) ->
30. Bullet In The Head Jam (Rage Against The Machine) ->
31. Wait >
32. Something In The Water

Show Notes: This was a benefit for Phil Jude’s mother Denise. The lights were turned on during the end of “Something In The Water”. After “The Martyr” Cycles announced their first headlining show at The Bluebird Theater. “Chapanga” was dedicated to Phil Jude.
[1] “Music For Free” contained a “Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin) tease.
[2] “The Lone Stranger” contained “Oye Como Va” (Santana) teases.
[3] “Jade” contained “Goliath” (The Mars Volta) quotes.
[4] “Game Show” contained “Divided Sky” (Phish) teases.
[5] “(Tucker’s Drum & Bass Jam III)” contained “Genie In A Bottle” (Christina Aguilara) quotes & teases.
[6] “A Million Miles Away” started with just Tucker and Wood with Patrick joining near the end before the transition. It was also unfinished.

Thank you to Cycles & Zio’s Alley Bar for support live music taping! Go see live music and tip your bartender!

Also please consider donating to Denise’s cause – they’re incredibly close to their goal!: https://www.gofundme.com/denisesarmy…

LINK: https://archive.org/…/Cycles2018-11-09.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Mat…