The Indie 500 Jam | 2019-02-15 | Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Well the comedown here was easy like the arrival of a new day. But a dream like this gets wasted without listening to The Indie 500 Jam at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom(Other Side)!

The Indie 500 Jam, a collaborative brainstorm between Cycles’ manager Evan Marks and Cycles’ drummer Michael Wood, brought together local front-range jamband all-stars to pay tribute to the DIY music scene. The band, which consisted of members of Cycles, Tiger Party, and Mama Magnolia, did an excellent job executing well-known songs with an appropriate mixture of imitation and originality, as they added elevated improvisational moments to several tunes.

If you’re a fan of the indie genre, many of your favorites and big hitters are here. From the opening take on My Morning Jacket’s “I’m Amazed” to the encore, which featured a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”, the set list is a well-crafted mixtape of the genre’s most influential artists.

Playing covers is fun but like anything musical, it’s often more fun with friends. The set’s featured sit-ins were definite highlights, and each fit the artist well. Tiger Party’s Ashley Niven was featured on several tracks, delivering an especially fierce and impassioned vocal performance during their take on LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends”. #TeamBean was well represented, as Magic Beans keyboardist Casey Russell sat-in for a cover of Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber Of Secrets”, and guitarist Scott Hachey sat-in for a take on one of my favorite indie tunes, The War On Drugs’ “Under The Pressure”. Cycles guitarist Patrick Harvey also came out to support his bandmate and sat-in with Banshee Tree violinist Nick Carter, as well as Kessel Run saxophonist Alex Cazet to help out with a rendition of TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age”, a song that has transcended its genre possibly more than any other song played that night, thanks to Phish covering the song fairly regularly. Each artist brought their own style to blend in with the authenticity of the performance, curating covers that were both true to the originals while still injecting the various styles that make the jam scene so eclectically diverse.

The biggest jam of the night didn’t feature a sit-in, however, as the band rode The Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1” as the biggest jam vehicle of the evening. The jam itself was a dub-influenced vamp that broached psychedelic peaks and carried itself into a blissful space before dissipating into the solemn opening chords of “Gravity Rides Everything”. And throughout the performance, the crowd seemed emotionally invested in the song. For many, it’s become more than a song about fighting pink robots; it’s about where they were and who they were with when this was the soundtrack to their lives. Among many thoughtfully selected songs, this pick certainly served the set list well.

The Indie 500 Jam provided a new lens to experience some of indie-rock’s brightest contributions to music while enjoying the supreme level of musicianship that the front-range is so entrenched with. A night to celebrate what inspires us and what engages us, as well as a reason to play “Weird Fishes And Arpegi -> The National Anthem”…sign-me-up!

The Indie 500 Jam | 2019-02-15 | Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO

-= One Set =-
01. I’m Amazed (My Morning Jacket cover)
02. All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover)[1]
03. Handshake Drugs (Wilco cover)
04. Hot Thoughts (Spoon cover)
05. Yoshimi Battles Pink Robots Part 1 (The Flaming Lips cover)
06. Gravity Rides Everything (Modest Mouse cover)
07. (Banter I)
08. Chamber Of Reflection (Mac DeMarco cover)[2]
09. (Banter II)
10. The Less I Know The Better (Tame Impala cover)[1]
11. Under The Pressure (War On Drugs cover)[3]
12. (Banter III)
13. Golden Age (TV On The Radio cover)[4]
14. Weird Fishes And Arpeggi (Radiohead cover)[5] ->
15. The National Anthem (Radiohead cover)

-= Encore =-
16. (Encore Break)
17. Wake Up (Arcade Fire cover)[1]

-= Line up =-
Michael Wood (Cycles) on Drums
Blake Mobley (Tiger Party) on Keys
Zach Jackson (Mama Magnolia) on Bass
Jonah Wisneski (Other Worlds) on Guitar

Show Notes: This was billed as The Indie 500 Jam. Rush Hour Train opened the show, and Cris Jacobs performed a late night set.
[1] “All My Friends”, “The Less I Know The Better” and “Wake Up” featured Ashley Niven (Tiger Party / Analog Son) on vocals.
[2] “Chamber Of Reflection” featured Casey Russell (Magic Beans) on keys.
[3] “Under The Pressure” featured Scott Hachey (Magic Beans) on guitar.
[4] “Golden Age” featured Patrick Harvey (Cycles) on guitar, Nick Carter (Banshee Tree) on violin and Alex Cazet (Mama Magnolia / Kessel Run) on saxophone.
[5] “Weird Fishes And Arpeggi” contained “The National Anthem” (Radiohead) teases.

Taper Notes: Slight stage-right of the board, mics raised around 8′ PAS. Board patch thanks to FOH engineer Shrink!

Thank you Evan Marks, Michael Wood and the entire Indie 500 Jam as well as Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/TheIndie500Jam2019-02-15.AKG.P170.AUD…