The Magic Beans | 2017-11-24 | The Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

You probably thought this would be some normal Sunday without music…well fuggggg that – #SonicSunday is here and I got some Magic Beans from last November to help you crush the week!

The Magic Beans threw down one of my favorite shows of 2017 and I was fortunate enough to tape it! Local favorites and my personal “most taped act of 2017” Cycles opened the show and set the crowd up for what would be two massive improv-heavy Bean sets.

Starting things off was “Mr. Scientist”; an infectious jamtronica groove that proved a launchpad of epic proportions. I have a personal fondness for this tune because the first Beans show I ever taped was at Knew Conscious where they debuted an entirely improv set (https://archive.org/de…/TheMagicBeans2017-07-22.AKG.P170.AUD) – Listen to the main riff of the “Knew Conscious Jam” and you see the birth of “Mr. Scientist”. The Beans love to jam and that is one of the big reasons I love the Beans. The psycho-nautical pursuit of new musical spaces intrigue me to an endless extent. The “musical slot machine” so-to-speak. A band that appreciates the journey always garners my utmost respect and the Beans love to travel. Led by the ying/yang sonic balance of Casey Russell’s soulful keys and vocals intertwining with Scott Hachey’s jamtronica guitar riffs, the beans are a constant surprise to me. The moment I think I know how to describe them, they take a turn that shows me how truly versatile each member of the band is in what they add to their sound. The Magic Beans are music, in that, they are everything.

The next tune shows off some more of this versatility; “Sucka Blues” opens up with a beautiful neo-soul/jazz intro before sizzling into a more straight blues-funk area. Even lyrically the song is a classic, espoused by the classic hook in the chorus “I’m just another sucker for your blues”. A poignant statement that resonates across genres. Adding another ingredient to the band’s blended sound, “Powder” starts off a pretty straight-forward bluegrass number, complete with Scott brandishing an acoustic guitar. The ode to one of Colorado’s most sought after commodities is a jovial ditty that I could see sung in the depths of log cabin bars in the snowy Colorado ski-towns trying to conjure up some ideal conditions for the following day’s runs. After the main portion of the song it immediately found itself in funky territories. Cody Wales and Chris Duffy can carve a groove out of anything and after some funky interplay with Casey’s keys, Scott switched guitars and the song evolved even further, launching into another jamtronica epic. After seguing into a tight funky version of “Always Cool” the band performed “Here On Out” with the anthemic chorus “Last night got a little bit crazy…” once again the band finds ground that transcends genres. This night didn’t disappoint. Set closed out with a ripping version of the Scissor Sisters “Take Your Momma” which featured Cycles guitarist Patrick Harvey shredding up the song from all angles.

The second set started off with two massive jams in the form of “Mission -> As You Like It”. We’re talking 50+ minutes of Beansy improv. “Mission” road the “Mario Kart on Rainbow Road”, “Silver Surfer traversing the galaxy”, galactical fractical space jam wave through a multitude of peaking segments, each building with incredible tempo shifts courtesy of Cody Wales’ flawless drumming. Eventually the tune segued into the funky “As You Like It” which brought us the other half of this improv journey. The song does what the Beans do best, blends pieces of soulful funk and electronica into a danceable jam vehicle. Maybe my favorite moment of the night was during a breakdown towards the end of the jam, the band got very low and you can hear the buzzing of the Bluebird crowd thoroughly enjoying the music. This leads to an organic build which peaks over the cheers of the crowd. It was a great moment to see the Bluebird so engaged and invested into the jam, and you can feel it dictate the shifts thereafter After a super funky Chris Duffy bass solo the band transitioned into a crowd pleasing version of the Cee-Lo tune “Fuck You” which featured Cycles drummer Michael Wood on tambourine and dance moves. The set closing “Lost & Found” reminded me of Röyksopp and treated the crowd to one last rendez-vous with improv territory. The encore “Hanky Panky” gave the audience one more dance party before having to cut them off for the night. Throughout the entire set the Beans never let up on the gas, showing up and throwing down with everything they had. Super happy I get to share this incredible set with everyone. Thanks to Scott Hachey for having us out to tape the show and thanks to Tim Farquhar for the impromptu taper section and fantastic lighting!

The Magic Beans | 2017-11-24 | The Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO

Set 1: Mr. Scientist, Sucka Blues, Powder -> Always Cool, Here On Out, Take Your Mama (Scissor Sisters)[1]

Set 2: Mission -> As You Like It -> Fuck You (Cee-Lo)[2], Lewd -> Lost & Found

Encore: Hanky Panky

Show Notes: Cycles opened the show. This was a headlining spot at The Bluebird Theater.
[1] “Take Your Mama” featured Patrick Harvey (Cycles) on guitar.
[2] “Fuck You” featured Michael Wood (Cycles) on tambourine.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC PAS mics raised around 10′. Board patch was only one channel so mono board feed. During “Mission” the bass drum mic fell and caused some slight clipping but was eventually fixed and isn’t very noticeable.

Thanks to The Magic Beans and The Bluebird Theater for being cool with taping/sharing shows. The lights looked incredible! Go see live music and tip your bartender! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/TheMagicBeans2017-11-24.AKG.P170.SBD.…