I got a hefty #TaperTuesday for you – it may have worked better as a #MuiscMonday due to the alliteration but #FreeMusic is better than no music, no?! Check out my pull from Mihali at Globe Hall!
Some of you may not know this, but I code uTwiddle which is a fan site dedicated to the band Twiddle. However, I have never seen a solo Mihali show and hadn’t listened to much of his solo work so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Starting things off Mihali seemed genuinely happy to be in Denver, cheerily greeting the crowd and constantly engaging the audience as they shouted requests or made comments. The set started with a newer song called “Curved Lines” which was about coming to terms with aging; the curved lines referencing wrinkles. Most Mihali songs feature him looping acoustic rhythm tracks over beats he beat-boxed coalescing in incendiary guitar solos or harmonic vocal jams. Many solo acoustic shows excel in the stripped down simplicity and vulnerability of the performer and while all that is true with Mihali, the loops helps show off his speedy guitar playing and add a depth to songs in places you wouldn’t always quite expect a la Keller Williams or Zach Deputy.
The next song was “Round Here” by the Counting Crows which started steady as Mihali laid down the main chords to the song and the beats that he would later punch in beautifully during the next verse. It was dedicated to his father in-law who was at the show. After a solid version of “Blind And Mute”, Mihali hit the crowd with a 1-2 punch of crowd pleasers in the form of “River Drift” and “Lost In The Cold” – the latter of which had the entire room singing in unison from almost start to finish. The loop in “Lost In The Cold” was especially polished and really hit the crowd right. Up next was the topical “Fading State” which commented on the state of division we currently exist in. The chorus a rallying cry for change. Never one to take things too seriously, Mihali then treated the crowd to his rendition of Live’s early 90s hit “Lightning Crashes” which begged another sing-a-long from a crowd that was more than happy to oblige. Next up was a version of “Juggernaut” which really surprised me in how different it came across in it’s acoustic form. I actually left liking the song more a bit more than before; the clarity in Mihali’s voice during the chorus sounds much more direct and aggressive. After a heartfelt rendition of “Stubborn Smile” came the Twiddle tune “Every Soul” which took full advantage of the looping pedal, immediately catching a groove and showcasing some fiery guitar work both in the intro and the outro. Mihali then played the Dave Matthews song “Gray Street” which was a treat to here as a fan of both Dave Matthews Band and Dave Matthews’ work with Tim Reynolds. Similar to “Round Here” and “Lost In The Cold”, the loop Mihali created framed the song beautifully in a sonic landscape that couldn’t be achieved with just an acoustic guitar and singer.
Next up was my highlight of the evening when Mihali called up Sean Kelly of the band The Samples to sit in on a few songs on both guitar and vocals. They started with the often Twiddle covered “Did You Ever Look So Nice?” which is originally by The Samples. This song has a special place in my heart because I used to play it with my friend and fellow uTwiddle staffer Daniel Cheesman. You could tell Sean had a huge amount of respect for Mihali, constantly encouraging him and lauding his playing ability. After they covered The Samples tune he said “man I just thought of a tune you could absolutely shred over” and started playing one of my favorite Neil Young songs “Cowgirl In The Sand”. The Sean sit-in then ended with another sing-a-long as they powered through an inspiring version of “When It Rains, It Pours” complete with early “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” teases from Sean and then full on quotes from Mihali. Of course, the crowd happily sang every word.
After that, I figured it would be all down hill but Mihali immediately surprised me by taking on a solo version of the Kitchen Dwellers tune he sat-in on “Visions Of Mohr”. I absolutely love everything about this song and was pleasantly surprised to see him have the gusto to take it on by himself, and it was fantastic! The set ended with a straight-up version of “Over Land And Sea”, a beautiful song about how priorities change as you get older. A poignant way to end the set that started with a song about aging and wisdom. The encore first featured a completely different musician on stage as Mihali’s friend Oliver Adams came on stage to perform one of his originals as Mihali solo’d over it using opener Luke Mitrani’s electric guitar. The set then closed with an apparent audible to “Invisible Ink” right after Mihali stated “This is a song I wrote with Matisyahu” referring to “Storm Tossed”. This was a great rendition of the song and indulged the sing-songy crowd one last time as Mihali broke into a rendition of “Country Roads” by John Denver. A perfect way to leave the crowd smiling, many of whom spoke of going to the show the following night in Fort Collins where I’m sure they were treated to another unique performance.
Mihali Savoulidis | 2017-12-15 | Globe Hall, Denver, CO
One Set: Carved Lines, Round Here (Counting Crows), Blind And Mute, River Drift, Lost In The Cold, Fading State, Lightning Crashes (Live), Juggernaut, Stubborn Smile, Every Soul, Gray Street (Dave Matthews Band), Did You Ever Look So Nice? (The Samples)[1], Cowgirl In The Sand (Neil Young)[1], When It Rains It Pours[2], Visions Of Mohr (Kitchen Dwellers), Over Land And Sea, Georgia’s Song[3], Invisible Ink[4]
Show Notes: This was Mihali debut performance at Globe Hall. Luke Mitrani opened the show.
[1] “Did You Ever Look So Nice?” and “Cowgirl In The Sand” featured Sean Kelly (The Samples) on vocals and guitar.
[2] “When It Rains, It Pours” featured Sean Kelly (The Samples) on vocals and guitar and contained multiple “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” teases and quotes.
[3] “Georgia’s Song” was written and performed by Oliver Adams while Mihali played lead on Luke Mitrani’s guitar.
[4] Prior to “Invisible Ink” there was a “Frankenfoote” tease. “Invisible Ink” also contained a “Country Roads” (John Denver) segment.
Taper Notes: DFC FOB mics raised around 9′ and PAS. Thanks to Jones for the soundboard patch!
Thank you to Brandon Kent who got me tickets to the show. Without him, this recording would not exist. Thank you to Mihali and Globe Hall for being cool with taping/sharing shows and thank you to Sound Engineer Jones for hooking up the patch. Go see live music! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/de…/Mihali2017-12-15.AKG.P170.SBD.Matrix
