Mr. Specific | 2019-12-14 | Your Mom’s House, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Denver based power-trio, Mr. Specific, brought a packed crowd to their set that supported a group of jamtronica rising stars, Space Bacon. Fresh off the release of their debut album, “Going Out Swinging”, the band was anxious to show off their new material and performed five tracks off the new album, which composed about half the set, while also finding time for older material and a spattering of covers to round out their time.

The set itself opened with the fierce riffage of “Chaffed Nipple”, a composition that bellows technical prog-metal grooves through a flurry of frantic movements. Next-up was the more atmospheric “Mountain Roads”, a reverb-drenched melody overlaying the steadfast drum beat, which drives the song through its various blissful segments. After a spacious, reggae-tinged jam, the band blended seamlessly into their first single, “Floppy Hat”, a tune with all the signature markings of the Mr. Specific style, featuring melodically upbeat riffs that inevitably morph into more complex song structures that traverse a variety of styles and tempos before crashing back into the reconciliation riff. It keeps their songs accessible and engaging without compromising technical structure. The band continued with another tune off the new record, a much jazzier tune named “Purple Turtle”. This was followed by the one-two punch of “Full Crimp > Posturtute”, a jamtronica venture that bounced between the classic 120 bpm house beat and a more condensed, Dilla-esque breakbeat, in a delightful juxtaoposition that lends itself well to the transition into the bright opening chords of “Posturutute”. The final segment of the set was the mightiest, as the band went into another amalgam of jazz and prog with the opening parts of “C Monster”, which would remain unfinished as the band transitioned into an instrumental take on the popular Green Day tune about masturbation, “Longview”. The cover resonated well with the fans and brought some familiarity to any first-time listeners; it also contained one of the heftier jams of the set, as the band played around in the drum and bass led space. Eventually this transitioned into the final but longest composition of the evening, “The Sky Is Made Of Blueberries”, which (appropriately) closes out the band’s debut record. The epic composition also featured teases from Rage Against The Machine and jamtronica pioneers, Lotus, another juxtaposition of genres showing how fluid music taste has become.

Mr. Specific’s instrumentals are packed with melodic riffs, aggressive riffs, blissful riffs, and everything in between. Stylistically they find themselves wherever they want to be, tinting everything with a bit of a prog-rock groove and, ironically, never getting too specific. A musical hodge-podge for the modern fan.

Mr. Specific | 2019-12-14 | Your Mom’s House, Denver, CO

-= One Set =-
01. (Intro)
02. Chaffed Nipple
03. Mountain Roads >
04. Floppy Hat
05. Purple Turtle
06. Full Crimp[1] >
07. Posturtute
08. (Banter)
09. C Monster[1] >
10. Longview (Green Day cover) >
11. The Sky Is Made Of Blueberries[2]

Show Notes: This set was performed in support of Space Bacon. Slidewok opened the show, followed by Mr. Specific, then Space Bacon performed two sets, followed by a late-night set by Moon Radish.
[1] “Full Crimp” and “C Monster” were unfinished.
[2] “The Sky Is Made Of Blueberries” contained a “Killing In The Name Of” (Rage Against The Machine) tease and “Sid” (Lotus) tease.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC Mics raised around 7′ PAS. Soundboard mix and patch thanks to Kevin Mackinnon.

Thank you to Mr. Specific and Your Mom’s House for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/details/ms2019-12-14.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.flac16