The Elegant Plums | 2018-12-01 | Globe Hall, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

‘Aint nothing wrong with a little Produce Aisle Jamboree! Check out The Elegant Plums doing it for the kids at Globe Hall!

What better way to start the month of gift giving than by holding a toy drive? Well, by holding said toy drive at Globe Hall and including some great music to motivate people to come out and support a great cause. The Elegant Plums got together with their friends Morsel and Lavender Juicebox to perform at the first annual Produce Aisle Jamboree, a toy drive for the Denver Children’s Home.

Getting things to a funky start, the Plums kicked things off with their original “Tofu 4 2”. The outro provided an especially biting guitar solo that helped set the gear for the evening. Wasting no time, the band quickly segued into the tribal sounds of “She Runs”, a waltzy original with a tropical vibe that stood in contrast with the cold Denver December weather going on outside. Next up was one of my favorite Plums tunes, “Bad Habit” – a surf punk tune about doing bad things. The crowd was in full swing at this point, fully engaged as frontman Taylor Stevens made his prophetic speech about the lord granting five elegant plums. The song slowly seeps you into a blissful reggae lull before reminding itself “Oh yeah, I’m a surf punk song!” and kicking into the outro.

Following “Bad Habit” was one of my favorite moments of the night, a mash-up of Destiny Child’s ode to skepticism “Say My Name” and the best reason to shred a guitar, The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. I’ll say, Beyonce they are not, but really who is? The vocal lines were definitely on point, they got the bumpy feel of the super rhythmic verses. The way they traded vocal lines during the pre-chorus was perfect. The tune then seamlessly segues into the first verse of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. After one run through the chorus, the fiery lead came through. This song always has certain expectations…basically, this solo always has to bring the heat. Luckily the Plums delivered a scorcher before landing back into chorus medley of both tunes. One of the most well executed tunes of the evening.

Stretching out a bit the band played “Soggy Tots”, a proggy instrumental that then segued into another one of my favorite Plums tunes, the salsa-tinged “Amamos”. Afterwards the band invited up their back-up vocalists Whit Carmichael and Rachel Davis, affectionately known as The Pits, to perform a song that clearly had a special meaning to the band. I did not know this, mainly because I always assume they came from somewhere in SoCal, but apparently the Plums are originally from Northern Virginia and relocated to Colorado. This song “Summer Rain” was performed in Colorado for the first time that evening. The song was a slow bluesy number that is entirely spearheaded by Taylor Steven’s emotionally wide vocal performance. The song then takes an equally soulful turn with another fierce guitar solo.

Speaking of soul, Whit Carmichael then took center-stage to lead the band through a strong rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s ode to female empowerment “I Will Survive”. Similar to “Say My Name”, the crowd was more than happy to sing-a-long to a song that still resonates so powerfully decades later. I wonder if “Say My Name” will have the same staying power as “I Will Survive”? Time will tell.

The set then closed with another Plums staple “Funky Day” which found the band joined once again by The Pits. A lovely closer on any ordinary night but this night was no ordinary night. The true Jamboree was just getting started as The Plums began to invite up members of Morsel for a set of covers. From David Bowie’s “Fame”, Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, Billy Strings’ “Dust In A Baggie”, The Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House” and The Grateful Dead’s “Tennessee Jed” – there was quite the array of musical tastes represented in what would prove to be a highlight-ridden set busting at the seems with creative nu-grass-esque jams. A truly fun night of music supporting a great cause. Here’s to what hopefully will be a long-running tradition!

The Elegant Plums | 2018-12-01 | Globe Hall, Denver, CO

-= The Elegant Plums Set =-
01. (Intro)
02. Tofu 4 2 >
03. She Runs
04. Bad Habit
05. Say My Name (Destiny’s Child cover) / While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
06. Soggy Tots >
07. Amamos
08. (Banter / Pits Intro)
09. Summer Rain[1]
10. I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)[2]
11. Funky Day

-= Produce Aisle Jamboree Set =-
12. (Banter II / Produce Aisle Jamboree Intro)
13. Fame (David Bowie cover)[3]
14. No Diggity (Blackstreet cover)[4]
15. (Banter III)
16. Dust In A Baggie (Billy Strings cover)[5]
17. Tennessee Jed (Grateful Dead cover)[6]
18. Burning Down The House (Talking Heads cover)[7]
19. The Weight (The Band cover)[7]

-= Encore =-
20. Feelin’ Alright (Joe Cocker cover)[7]

Show Notes: This show was billed as the “Produce Aisle Jamboree: Toy Drive for Denver Children’s Home”. The Elegant Plums were billed as the headliners with support from Morsel and Lavender Juice Box (who opened the show). The final set was billed as the “Produce Aisle Jamboree” and featured various collaborations between the members of The Elegant Plums and Morsel.
[1] First time “Summer Rain” was performed in Colorado since the band moved to the state. Also featured the Pits on vocals.
[2] “I Will Survive” featured Whit Carmichael on vocals.
[3] “Fame” featured all of The Elegant Plums, Scottie Bolin (Morsel) on mandolin and Alex Zieve (Morsel) on percusion.
[4] “No Diggity” featured all of The Elegant Plums, Scottie Bolin (Morsel) on mandolin, Alex Zieve (Morsel) on percusion and Jack Kotarba (Morsel) on acoustic guitar and vocals.
[5] “Dust In A Baggie” featured all of Morsel, Mike Tynan (The Elegant Plums) on bass, Paul Davis (The Elegant Plums) on lead guitar and Devin Galloway (The Elegant Plums) on keys/harmonica.
[6] “Tennessee Jed” featured all of Morsel, Mike Tynan (The Elegant Plums) on bass, Paul Davis (The Elegant Plums) on lead guitar/vocals, Devin Galloway (The Elegant Plums) on keys/harmonica and Rachel Davis on vocals.
[7] “The Weight”, “Burning Down The House” and “Feelin’ Alright” featured all of The Elegant Plums & Morsel.

Thank you to The Elegant Plums and Globe Hall for supporting live music taping/trading. Go see live music adn tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/TEP2018-12-01.AKG.P170.CA14.cards.AU…/