The Bass Geek

High altitude and lotsa stairs kick my ass. Repeatedly. Feh. Sound and scenery were excellent, though, and it was nice seeing some great Denver natives. Now, to the music:

• Ghostland Observatory shows strong influences from both wizard rock and MC 900 Ft. Genius. And their keyboard bass sound seemed to shake the very mountain.
• Rev. Peyton managed to battle the bas sound for a solid set.
• Cat-A-Tac sounded really good, yet really loud in a really small and enclosed area.
• People liked to dance to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah when they’re close to the stage. Away from the stage, they try to take their publicity photos with the band in the background. And I don’t understand why.
• It’s impossible to have a country song include a Moog sound, “Switched-On Nashville” notwithstanding.
• Das Efx’s performance proved that the time is right for a resurgance of “iggiddy” rap. Start the comeback tour in the western states.
• Editors were loud and powerful enough to overwhelm the voice note I took to remind me of how loud and powerful they are. I think. And they like Joy Division a lot.
• The Decemberists sound quieter on the mainstage that some bands did on the sidestages. Also, it’s hard to mic accordians, it seems. Good set, though.
• It’s an excellent idea to use the song “You Are My Sunshine” as a cover to tune a guitar.
• The Mobius Band drove us from the room with their volume.
• Cake was at their sardonic best, but the cold drove us to get coffee. We wandered in on 3OH3! from Boulder, and they were good. I’m used to hippies coming from Boulder, though. These folks are not hippies.
• Flosstradamous proved how funky they are by including Steve Winwood’s “Valerie” in their set and making it work.

More tomorrow.