Didn’t Cha Know? Cycles at Zio’s Alley Bar is free, free is love, love is life #thetruth!
Amidst one of the coldest and snowiest nights of the winter season so far, Cycles fans made the trek to Zio’s Alley Bar to catch what was billed as the last Denver show “for a while”. Cycles fans have grown accustomed to shows at Zio’s consistently providing a platform for the band to try new things and, as always, fans were not let down.
Elbow space was diminishing quickly as the room filled with Cycles die-hards willing to brave the elements for a night of jams, and as the opening notes of “The Reckoning” materialized, it felt as palpable as ever before that the band was in their comfort zone. The first big highlight of the set was a seldomly elongated version of “Party Boy”, which was about twice as long as regular versions, of which we rarely see much exploration. This version, however, took fans for a ride through a hypnotic forest of different tones and energies, all held together by the abiding drum claps of Michael Wood, before seguing into “The Lone Stranger”. The next big highlight was just a tune later, as the band launched into a massive rendition of “Twilight”, which featured an incredible type II monster of a jam, rivaling all other versions I’ve heard. The different phases of this jam are an effervescent mix of soundscapes and textures that bring forth the band’s unique voice: big inspiring reverb-laden builds, thick and gritty rhythms, frenzied riffs that find their peaks with soaring guitar solos…through layering all these different textures, you get a musical mosaic that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
The “Twilight” jam eventually segued into another lesser seen number, the instrumental “The Odyssey”, a tune that shows hints of one of the band’s most endearing influences, the king of beats, J Dilla. This influence would permeate heavily throughout the rest of the show. After the first set ended, Patrick performed a DJ set, which opened with a remix of George Harrison’s “Awaiting On You” and would in time get to a remix of H.E.R.’s “U”, a mix that was refreshingly apt and clever.
After the DJ set ended, the second set began with Tucker jamming on Flo Rida’s club anthem “Low”. This bled into a Wood/Tucker Bass jam that evolved into a full blown Cycles jam, which was the exploratory centerpiece of the evening, featuring several nods to Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”. The second set itself then took on a unique persona as the band covered three Dilla-laced tracks, the Eryka Badu tune, “Don’t Cha Know?” which he produced, and then two Slum Village songs, “Untitled / Fantastic” and “Players”. The covers brought forward a new perspective and approach to Cycles’ sound that felt unique, like an evolution of jamtronica, from bands replicating the sounds of club DJs to recreating the tones of downtempo hip hop beats. Once the the tribute to Dilla was complete, the band kicked into a well-paced and high energy “Sunday Night”. Similar to “Twilight” from the first set, this rendition of “Sunday Night” stands among one of the best versions I personally have had the pleasure of experiencing. There are a few other stand-outs, see Hodi’s from 2017 or Your Mom’s House ’17 – both stellar versions. However, this one benefits from two extra years of road tested experience. The band crafts a beautifully demonic jam that benefits greatly from a patient build and a truly stand-out performance by Patrick’s ferocious and focused guitar work built on the never wavering rhythm provided by Tucker and Wood. The jam eventually segued into the opening notes of “It’s About That Time”, which featured a fat mid-song jam containing several “Black Dog” teases to the intense delight of the crowd. We then saw the resurgence of “The Key”, which contains one of my favorite Cycles riffs, as well as a fan requested “The Ruminator”. The set then closed-out with a two-part feature: “Aloe Parade” into a surprise “Chapanga”, which had been teased way back in the first set during the massive “Twilight” jam.
Another epic night of free music at Zio’s in the books brings me back to one point that seems so obvious but never fails to escape me. We’re truly lucky to live in a place like Denver where we’re constantly inundated with nightly talent with such a pure desire to create genuine music. For that, I’d brave the snow any night.
Cycles | 2019-03-02 | Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar, Denver, CO
-= Set 1 =-
01. The Reckoning
02. Toy Pony
03. Sunrise (false start)
04. Sunrise >
05. Party Boy
06. The Lone Stranger >
07. Twilight[1] >
08. Odyssey
09. (Banter)
10. Find Your Friends
11. Mean Dog
-= Tweener Set =-
12. (Patrick DJ Set)
13. Low (Flo Rida cover) >
-= Set 2 =-
14. (Jam)[2] >
15. Didn’t Cha Know? (Erykah Badu cover) >
16. Untitled / Fantastic (Slum Village cover) >
17. Players (Slum Village cover) >
18. Sunday Night[3] ->
19. It’s About That Time[4] >
20. The Key
21. The Ruminator[5]
22. The Aloe Parade >
23. Chapanga
Show Notes: Universal Sigh opened the show.
[1] “Twilight” contained a “Chapanga” jam in the outro as well as “Odyssey” teases.
[2] “(Jam)” contained “Immigrant Song” teases, quotes and jam.
[3] “Sunday Night” contained “Cross Eyed And Painless” (Talking Heads) teases.
[4] “It’s About That Time” contained “Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin) teases.
[5] “The Ruminator” and “The Aloe Parade” contained “Also Sprach Zarathurstra (2001)” teases.
Taper Notes: FOB – effectively on-stage. Vocals and samples were the only instruments going through the PA so they are the only things truly present in the board feed. Mics were PAS and raised around 6′.
Thanks to Cycles and Zio’s Alley Bar for supporting taping/trading shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/…/Cycles2019-03-02.AKG.P170.CA14.omnis.…
