Thankfully the music’s always free as the day becomes Friday – Check out Cycles‘ Sunday set at Beanstalk Music Festival!
For their second Main Stage appearance at the Beanstalk Music Festival – Cycles played a concise set packed with incisive jams that really honed in on their distinct style. The set also featured a lot of the newer tunes which are sounding much more polished and have truly begun to take on personalities of their own. The band opened with one of those tunes, “The Lone Stranger” which contains this reverby euro-pop interlude that crushes into the dark chorus riff which I love. I feel like that poppy section could be a launchpad for many a great jam. And even though the day was becoming the night, the refrain “Thankfully the music’s always playing as the night becomes the day” felt like the perfect introduction to the set. After a solid rendition of “Toy Pony”, Patrick invited up Justin Reckamp from Mungion for a funky take on the Cream classic “White Room”. Patrick and Justin dueling licks during the jam was one of the more impressive guitar moments of a weekend filled with stellar top-notch talent. Don’t sleep on this!
Next-up the band played one of their most consistent jam vehicles “Hang It Up On The Wall” and while this rendition didn’t reach the lengths of the Lazy Dog version from earlier this year, it had a more focused energy and soulful moments. Around the 1:43 mark, the band launches into a reverb-laden patient build. After layering a deep sonic fog, Patrick then bleeds in with the searing lead. This eventually ends in a frenzied whirlwind of looped notes before resolving into a swampy slogging outro. The band then ran through a well executed version of “The Changer”, once again showing a tune that has been road-tested and shows off the band’s unique songwriting approach.
The band then followed-up with a cover of Foxygen’s “Shuggy” off their 2013 record “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic”. Exhibiting another reason why Cycles rocks…their cover selection seems to never be inhibited by genre. From Marcus Miller to Foxygen, Ween to Madonna, Cycles seems to abide by a simple-logic of thought…just play what sounds good. The set continued with one of my favorite of the newer Michael Wood penned-originals, “Clyde”. The gazey verses, pointed chorus riff and odd-ball lyrics remind me of the best parts of the mid-late 90s alternative style, a facet of their sound/songwriting that is both familiar and new. The band then went into “Tucker’s Pet Weed” which segued into the Rage Against The Machine tune “Bullet In The Head” which was dedicated to super-fan Will Ganas who was in attendance and getting down harder than anyone there. Next the band performed another one my favorite new tunes “The Martyr”. No big jam but again, the song sounds much more polished and has instantly become a favorite in the live repertoire. Solidifying a strong catalog of songs to draw from is the most promising foundation of any great live act and Cycles appears to be doing that nicely.
After the band ran through solid versions of the title track off their recent release “Vacation” and the King Crimson tune “21st Schizoid Man” the band invited up Chris Sheldon from DeadPhish Orchestra for the final two numbers, “Wait” and “Figure It Out”. The extra percussion helped elevate both tunes, especially the latter of which due to its syncopated rhythm. “Figure It Out” also provided the final improvisational journey of the set, rousing a chugging jam with a high-paced outro that ended the set fiercely. Another solid showing for the Denver-based trio at the annual festival.
Cycles | 2018-06-30 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO
-= One Set =-
01. The Lone Stranger
02. Toy Pony
03. White Room (Cream cover)[1]
04. Hang It Up On The Wall
05. The Changer
06. Shuggie (Foxygen cover)
07. Clyde
08. Tucker’s Pet Weed >
09. Bullet In The Head[2] (Rage Against The Machine cover)
10. The Martyr
11. Vacation
12. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson cover)
13. Wait[3]
14. Figure It Out[3]
Show Notes: This set was performed on the Main Stage at the annual Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival.
[1] “White Room” featured Justin Reckamp (Mungion) on guitar.
[2] “Bullet In The Head” was dedicated to Will Ganas.
[3] “Wait” and “Figure It Out” featured Chris Sheldon (DeadPhish Orchestra) on percussion.
Taper Notes: FOB slightly right of DFC. Mics raised around 9′ PAS. Board feed thanks to Shrink!
Thank you to Cycles and Beanstalk Music Festival for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local artists and musicians! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/…/Cycles2018-06-30.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Mat…
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