You just won…A BRAND NEW CA…erm..I mean A Cycles RECORDING AT Beanstalk Music Festival!
After the sun had finally set over Rancho Del Rio, it was time for Beanstalk veterans, Cycles, to perform their first of two sets of the weekend, this first one being the coveted precursor to the Magic Beans’ first set of the weekend as well. This would also be drummer Collin O’Brien’s first time performing in the band, while Michael Wood took some needed time-off. While it was his first time performing with Cycles, Collin seemed right at home with the band’s shifting dynamic attack and undulating jam style. Songs like “The Store” and “Game Show” kept their rumbling character, and he was able to keep the band in the pocket for several key moments in each, navigating the peaks with assertive pose.
On his first day, Collin got the Cycles experience. During “The Clock”, Patrick broke a string which led to a drum and bass jam where he was able to stretch his legs a bit as he framed the manic bass assault of Tucker’s bass mastery. This eventually led to a surprisingly smooth transition into “Square Peg”, as Patrick returned and teased the opening riff. “Get Up Out Of Your Head” got the true jam treatment this set, featuring locked-in playing and several peak moments, putting this rendition up with some of the best highlights of the weekend.
After the craziness of “Get Up Out Of Your Head”, the band took the intensity down a bit with the blissful instrumental “Green”. The band then amped things up with a jam based around samples from Disclosure’s “When A Fire Starts To Burn”, which sent the song off with a fiery outro. This formula is replicated in the following tune, “Sunrise”, which starts off as an ethereal reverb-laden chord progression before erupting into a peak-filled outro, driven by Patrick’s furious guitar leads.
The last quarter of the set closed out with some fan-favorites. They performed a fitting rendition of “The Lone Stranger”, which coincidentally contained the line “Thankfully the music’s always playing as the night becomes the day”. Patrick then incorrectly asserted they only had one song left, which led to an especially funky take on “The Aloe Parade”. This was followed-up by the second best jam of the set, a stirring version of “The Mess”, which featured an even funkier extended intro and a completely off-the-wall type II breakdown. The set then closed out with another fan-favorite, “Music For Free”, which contained a compact and dark jam, borrowing the themes from the previous jam in “The Mess”.
It’s never a dull moment when watching Cycles live. Between spontaneous drum and bass jams, new samples to spice up beloved originals, jams with direct narratives that seem to pop-up organically, and a deep catalogue to choose from, it’s no wonder they’re always given multiple sets year after year. The people want to see what they’ll do next, and Cycles is always happy to conjure up something new.
Cycles | 2019-06-27 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO
-= One Set =-
01. The Store
02. The Clock[1]
03. (Bass & Drum Jam)
04. Square Peg
05. Game Show
06. Get Up Out Of Your Head
07. Green[2]
08. Sunrise
09. The Lone Stranger
10. The Aloe Parade
11. The Mess[3]
12. Music For Free
Show Notes: This set was performed at the seventh annual Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival. Collin O’Brien sat-in on drums for Michael Wood for the entire show. This was his first time performing live with Cycles.
[1] Patrick broke a string during “The Clock” which led to the drum and bass jam.
[2] “Green” conatined a jam based around samples from “When A Fire Starts To Burn” (Disclosure).
[3] “The Mess” contained samples from “When A Fire Starts To Burn” (Disclosure).
Taper Notes: FOB DFC Mics raised around 10′ DIN. Thanks to FOH engineer Andrew Waltman for the board patch and mix!
Thanks to Cycles and Beanstalk Music Festival for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local artists! #spaceatpes
LINK: https://archive.org/details/Cycles2019-06-27.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.flac16
