The Heavy Pets 3.8.13

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Larimer Lounge
Denver, CO

Words By J-man
Photos By Carly Marthis

Our car cruised through the upper twenty blocks of what may be best described as Denver's warehouse district. Our destination was the Larimer Lounge, for the first time in my relative short time in Denver. We found easy parking and made our way into the small yet interesting venue. Where as the bulk of this review will focus on The Heavy Pets, I want to take a second and pay a few compliments to the Larimer Lounge. The venue was clean, the staff was courteous and the sound was great! We arrived as The Pets wound up their first song of the set and we jumped into the action with high expectations. glancing around the room it quickly became clear that we knew a good portion of the crowd, and through brief conversation, most eluded to spending limited time at Larimer, as well as having a great appreciation for The Pets. It was clear that they had a following of loyal fans that evening. Tight compositions, opened to focused solos and fantastic instrumentation as the band smiled and conveyed a much more polished product than previous tours.

A few minor blips reflected a human characteristic to the finely tuned band. The near full venue felt like sort of a private party for those who braved dyer warnings of a potentially deadly snowstorm. It was clear that The Pets' fan base was not going to be detoured. On stage Jeff Lloyd led the charge with ripping guitar work and a certain presence that was complimented by his guitar counterpart, Mike Garulli, who alternated lead and matched vocals with Jeff. The rhythm section of Jamie Newitt on drums and Tony D'Amato created such a heavy groove and deep pocket, leaving no choice but to get Down. Last year's Heavy Pets show at The Highland Tap marked one of Tony's first with the band, and in the year since that show, he's meshed so well with the band. Though he is not as flashy as a couple of The Pets' previous bass players, he may fit best into what the band does. On top of it all Jim Wuest wailed on keys, making faces as he himself could barely stand how dirty his output was. The fans seemed to agree.

As MusicMarauders gets more into booking and promotion, these are the types of bands that we focused on. The Heavy Pets have wandered on and off of my radar, but the two shows that I have seen of theirs in the past year have secured this band a place within' the realm of my continuous focus. Keep an eye on this band. Whether it involves making room within' your plans on a summer festival, or making a drive to see them in a near by town; you won't be disappointed. From Fort Collins, to Breckenridge, to Denver, The Pets' Colorado tour rolls on to Boulder for a final gig at The Fox Theatre. We're looking forward to seeing these guys back in Colorado!

Setlist: The Day the Sun Forgot to Rise, Played Again, Girl You Make Me Stupid, So Thank You Music, Last Babies, Slow Down, Travel, John Galt, Hedi Sigismondi, How Would I

Encore: Bibbles

www.theheavypets.com

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