It feels like this exact thing happened just last year…check out KingFriday the 13th opening things up at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom(other side) to celebrate Rob Compa’s Birthday!
The last time I taped KF13 was on Friday the 13th, pretty much the same day except this time the Friday fell on the 12th. Pretty cosmic. King Friday must have channeled that energy because they delivered a rager of a set to kick-of the night of celebration.
Starting things off the band played “Mountain Mamas”, a nod to the wonderful state we all have the pleasure of calling home and the beautiful women that live in it. The band was a bit restructured since the last time I saw them. Minus one guitar player and up one mandolin player, their sound began to take a new shape as new member Michael Blasius fit the group like a glove, seizing the moment and driving jams with intricate leads akin to Michael Kang’s distorted mando-tone. Armed with a new weapon, the band swaggered out the first tune with confidence and helped set the mood for the evening.
The party only continued as the band took a complete left turn with their take on Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass”. Their rendition was much more jamtronica but still the song loaned itself perfectly to the new interpretation. The jam in the middle turned the room into a full-blown dance party, solidifying that the celebration had begun.
After the jovial cover the band was all business with the heavy and lyrically somber “Symmetry”. The tune bounced between several different movements before flying out on the heels of two solos from the snyth and mandolin. Next up the band performed the Billy Cobham standard “Red Baron” which was a spot-on interpretation of the jazz classic. With watery-jazz-funk tone and powerful lead work the band fearlessly took on the tune with brilliant execution.
The last couple of songs of the set took each for a more exploratory journey than any of the previous songs in the set. “Turn” was a dreamy number that slipped through each verse with steady beat and reverberating rhythm. The song eventually bled into an equally gaze-like jam that was one of the most connected moments of the set. By the time the band segued into the String Cheese fan-favorite, “Shine”, they were fully locked-in. With the new addition of their mandolin player and his immense talent, the take through a String Cheese tune is the musical equivalent of taking out a new car to see how it drives. This one drove like a professional driver getting into a new Lamborghini. The influence in the band’s sound is unmistakable and the self-awareness to rock a SCI tune served the crowd and band equally well. The set closed as it had started, with a feeling like the celebration had begun. .
King Friday The 13th | 2018-10-12 | Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO
-= One Set =-
01. Mountain Mamas
02. Heart Of Glass (Blondie cover)
03. Symmetry
04. Red Baron (Billy Cobham cover)
05. Turn >
06. Shine (String Cheese Incident cover)
Thanks to KingFriday the 13th and Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom for supporting taping live shows. Go see live music tip your bartenders! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/details/KF13th2018-10-12.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.flac16
