Mr. Specific | 2022-06-25 | Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Everybody (yeah, yeah) rock your body, Mr. Specific is back (for the first time) at Beanstalk Music Festival, all right!

On the final day of Beanstalk, the Platform Stage played host to some of the most fun-filled sets of the weekend, all kicked off by Math-Rock super-trio, Mr. Specific. Outfitted with Kessel Run drummer Kirk Larson on the kit, the band was ready to take on their first set at the legendary Colorado festival.

The party kicked off with the band’s “Mountain Roads”, an appropriately titled track for a band trekking their way to Beanstalk for the first time. Never ones to shy away from crowd-pleasing moments, Mr. Specific interspliced an instrumental take on the ephemeral Backstreet Boys hit, “Backstreet’s Back”, cradling the millennial crowd with a blanket of welcome nostalgia. This was followed by their original, “Cactus”, another possible nod to Colorado’s desert climate. The tune’s dance beat got heads bobbing and feet stomping as fans began to fill the Platform Stage area for the final day of the festival. The band then played a new tune, called “Tower Of Knowledge”, which is a dichotomy of ethereal and misty tones parallel to deep sludging guitar riffs, creating a beautifully tense number that ends with an epic rumbling outro.

Next up the band performed “Odd Association”, a newer song that guitarist Will Ganas mentioned features Nobahdee of Ramakhandra filling in on drums for the studio version. This segued into the syncopated melody of fan-favorite “Jealous Ghost”, a song that feels like one punctuated attack after the next, featuring a segment that reminds me of an “error message” with bassist Collin Smith delivering its low, intermittent bass riff. This was followed by one of the oldest Mr. Specific tunes, “Smile Attack”, which featured a solid lead from guitarist Will Ganas. The band then went into a cover of The Police’s “Message In A Bottle”. The instrumentations lent themselves well to the Mr. Specific sound, and the band even allowed space for a jam, which was one of their most interesting of the set, building a solid tensive moment before erupting back into the original riff and outro of the song. The set then closed with another newer song, the oddly titled “Worlds Are Windows”, a dynamic tune that flowed through its various movements with a flush cadence that filled the room and overflowed out into the valley.

Mr. Specific are masters of dynamics. Their songs shift oftentimes in stark contrast to the moments before them with a refreshing burst of melody or an intriguing amended rhythm. Each song is a profound journey through its various changes that leaves listeners with a true sense of expedition. They are the tour guides pointing out the majesty of each of their instrumentals on a trip that once you return from, you’ll want to revisit again and again. They’ll bring a world to your window; all you have to do is take it in and enjoy.

Mr. Specific | 2022-06-25 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO

-= One Set =-

01. Mountain Roads[1]

02. Cactus

03. Tower Of Knowledge

04. Odd Association >

05. Jealous Ghost

06. Smile Attack

07. Message In A Bottle (The Police cover)

08. Worlds Are Windows

Show Notes: This set was performed on the third day of the Beanstalk Music and Mountains Festival. This was the festival’s ten year anniversary. This set was performed on the Platform Stage.

[1] “Mountain Roads” contained a segment of “Backstreet’s Back” (Backstreet Boys).

Taper Notes: Mics setup on-stage DIN formation around 3′ DFC. Board patch & mix thanks to FOH Engineer Trea. 

Thanks to Mr. Specific and Beanstalk Music Festival for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local musicians! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/details/ms2022-06-25.StudioProjects.C4.MKII.cards.AUD.SBD.Matrix.FLAC16bit