Who’s Playin’ What, Where? This Week – Katy Taylor, Salesman, Ideal Fathers

Katy Taylor at Trios Enoteca, Friday April 23

With a beautiful, lilting voice delivering delicate and passionate songs that recall a younger, more relaxed Suzanne Vega, local troubadour Katy Taylor will be gracing Trios Enoteca this Friday night, to accompany the restaurant’s well-made cocktails, beers, wines and foods. Taylor fits well in the smooth, low-lit atmosphere of Trios – though she would also fit impeccably in a larger venue – with her powerful, folky compositions and accomplished acoustic guitar. As delightful as her sets tend to be, she’s also quite a vision on stage. Her easy humor between songs keep the entertainment at a high level, with the right amount of laughter to hide your eyes as you wipe back a few tears, and then try to wash down the huge lump in your throat with a martini.

Local scenester Jardin Briels (special to DenverThread) provided the following review of a recent Taylor performance at Trios:

“. . .Taylor started at 6 pm [at Trios], in front of an impressive crowd that had come straight from work. A nearby fellow mentioned he was still shaking the tension from the day, which, he would find, would soon be readily accomplished. While Katy’s angelic presence glowed under the stage lights and her songs filled the room, troubles seemed to melt away as you realized your gratitude, merely from being there. Her calm, easy charm worked the crowd like soft clay, persisting in a cheery mood, overall. Taylor is a master of love songs, pulling at your heart strings, even while you laugh at her demeanor. . . .“

Salesman, with Magic Cyclops, Veronica and Juliette Mission at the Meadowlark, Saturday, April 24

Salesman started out as a duo in Boulder in 2007, and wowed more than a few people before relocating to Austin soon after. Core members Devin James Fry (vocals, guitar) and Clayton Guns Lillard are now joined by bassist John Houston Farmer (who also plays for  indie darlings What Made Milwaukee Famous), and about half the time by violinist Patrick Patterson, to round out the band that recorded their latest record, “Skull.” If you have yet to hear Salesman, take advantage of the MP3 below to get a taste of their Gun Club-infused, bluesy, roots-rock style. Fronted by Fry’s powerful vocals and masterful guitar, swirling with his obsessions with ghosts, UFO abduction, sex and death, the stories on the record are as powerful as they are fun and cathartic.  Bonus – while they last (and for this tour only): they’ve had the latest record cut by an antique record lathe onto the surface of 40 old school 12-inch laser discs. Collector or not, this item is reason enough in itself to come see them.

Live, the band is even more vital, and their impact comes across almost hallucinogenically. You’ll likely find yourself immersed in Fry’s world as he croons and howls about sex and bondage during “Three-Legged Stool,” or tasting old cigarettes and desert roads during “Skull,” as they easily coax you into long, out-of-body experiences.

The Meadowlark is a perfect setting for Salesman, and their coupling with a lineup that includes fantastic groups like Veronica, Juliette Mission and the inimitable Magic Cyclops makes this night absolutely necessary. If you’ve got tickets to the sold out Yeasayer at the Bluebird, skip the encore to get to see this one – it’s worth it.

[wpaudio url=”https://www.denverthread.com/wp-content/themes/mimbo/sounds/Three_Legged_Chair.mp3″ text=”Salesman – Three Legged Chair”]

Solar Bear with Ideal Fathers, St. Elias and Colors at Hi-Dive, Thursday, April 29

All-local lineups are often sketchy at best, turning even a small cover into an inspiration to stay home and hug the couch, awash in the blue light of free entertainment. But the Hi-Dive on south Broadway has pretty much made it a crusade to offer the best, and the best mixed, lineups – which makes a cover of a few hard-earned dollars seem like nothing. The Thursday night, April 29th lineup, featuring the noisy Solar Bear and Ideal Fathers, as well as St. Elias and Colors, is no exception. And the cover for this one is a mere $7, to boot!

Solar Bear has consistently generated a buzz about themselves around Denver over the past few years with their complex post-hardcore aural attack. The group jumps from one obscure time signature to another and on to another, and back again, even as they try to slay the audience with sheer volume. In a few words, not everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re still a strong addition to the Denver musical landscape.

Ideal Fathers will bring their Big Black meets Wire meets Dead Kennedys dance punk to the stage before Solar Bears. The four piece, which includes Adam Rojo on guitar (a virtual mind-meld between Dead Kennedys’ East Bay Ray and Gang of Four‘s Andy Gil), Mike King on bass, Mike Perfetti on drums and Jesse Hunsaker on vocals, promises to clean out not only your ears, but your arteries and cobwebbed grey matter with their set. Hunsaker’s wild antics are matched well by his David Yow on Devo scream. They’ll have your heart rate up to an anaerobic rate through their entire set.

St. Elias and Colors will fill out the rest of the bill that night.

Check out this sample of what Ideal Fathers has to offer, and then head out to Meadowlark!

[wpaudio url=”https://www.denverthread.com/wp-content/themes/mimbo/sounds/Unbearable_Lightness_of_Being.mp3″ text=”Ideal Fathers – The Unbearable Lightness of Being”]