X & James Intveld 7.20.23

-


Washington's
Fort Collins, CO

Words & Photos by Mike Sherry Photo

X has been thrilling audiences across this planet for almost five decades and counting. Last Thursday Fort Collins got its turn and packed into Washington's. So choice to see this fledgling venue attracting the legends from L.A.

Kicking off the evening was singer-songwriter James Intveld, fronting a solid band with a warm country sound. A veteran of The Blasters, James charmed the early audience with tunes like “All the Way from Memphis,” its rollicking beat demonstrating why X invited James on tour. After mentioning how X bassist John Doe encouraged some setlist tweaking from James' lengthy catalog, John was welcomed onstage to sing the Hank Snow classic “Fool Such as I.”

X wasted no time elevating the pulse, opening with the rocker “Water and Wine” from 2020's Alphabetland. A non-stop set of nearly two dozen career-spanning songs commenced, peppered with a few new tunes that are as yet unrecorded. The crowd couldn't have been more attentive and appreciative soaking in punk, rockabilly and nostalgic ballads. Speaking of, “Come Back to Me” sounded especially sweet! It's always a favorite spotlight for drummer DJ Bonebrake to work the vibraphone while guitarist, Billy Zoom, melts hearts with a sax serenade.

Peeling the pick from his forehead, Billy resumed his seemingly effortless tsunami of guitar work, from the thrashing classic “Los Angeles” to the surf-twang of chestnut “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes.” While maybe not as animated as Doe these days, we still get those grinning flashes with those choice Gretsch tones. Not to overstate how grateful Fort Collins was to earn a date on X's tour following Denver just 55 miles south, I saw so many happy reactions going through the stuffed dance floor – some fans' first opportunity seeing them live. (Was that a little moshing there?)

Debut tune “Smoke and Fiction” hit especially well, iconic X all the way. Likewise for “Free” and “Alphabetland” from the 2020 album, the crowd stayed enthralled with new and classic numbers. Exene Cervenka and Doe trade lead vocal duties, complimenting so well during duets. “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” mid-show was just one of many spotlights for Exene's marvelous charisma.

X shows are like boarding a roller coaster:  you know it has a conclusion, but once aboard the ride is a time warp. There's only a beat to catch your breath between songs, a manic memory-drenching, then suddenly they're saying goodnight. The audience begs them back and after gifting still another debut “The Way it Is,” the staple "Soul Kitchen" does the rest.

Mike's Photo Gallery

www.xtheband.com

www.jamesintveld.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Livetronica Sampler 3.22.11

-
Image
Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) Ozric Tentacles This British group has proven innovative throughout the years offering a space-rock meets psytrance sound that remains alive to this day. Though never having a major record label, Ozric Tentacles has produced 28 albums of diverse psychedelia throughout its career. The band met at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 and truly fathered livetronica music with its use of sequencers and synthesizers. Simply put, there would be no livetronica without Ozric Tentacles. www.ozrics.com Octopus Nebula Colorado’s Octopus Nebula has certainly hit its stride as of late with its constant touring and increased festival interest. The group expands on the deep sounds of highly regarded acts such as STS9 and Shpongle but also carves a path of its own with its fresh takes on synthesizer tones and sampling in the live setting. Octopus Nebula Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 26, 2010. <--- Direct Archive Link www.octopus
Read more

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

-
Image
Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least
Read more

Billy Strings 4.18.19

-
Image
Salvage Station Asheville, NC Words by Jason Mebane Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography When asked to write a review of last week's Billy Strings show at Asheville, North Carolina's Salvage Station I almost passed on it. I just wrote a review of his last Asheville show a few months ago and I thought it may be hard to come up with another set of words to describe to the readers exactly what a Billy Strings show is all about. I am sure there are a plethora of other reviews that other people have written focusing on how well he has mastered his instrument. I suppose I could recycle those thoughts and just sit here typing out a few adjectives describing each note Billy and his superb backing band played this past Thursday night, but that wouldn't be fun for me. Additionally I'd imagine a review like that wouldn't keep your attention either. Instead I have decided to focus on a few random parts of the Billy Strings show that seemed interesting to me. One: B
Read more

Shwarma, Cloud Catcher & Kaepora 6.21.24

-
Image
Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Words & Photos by Pavel Gábor Kaplan Two weeks ago, Denver locals Shwarma graced the stage at Cervantes’ Other Side for the second time as headliners, with support from other Denver locals Cloud Catcher (stoner metal/power metal) and Kaepora (metal/funk/fusion). Coincidentally, both this year’s Summer Solstice and the Strawberry Full Moon transpired around Shwarma’s Album Release show, with the full moon falling on the night of the show. Certainly strong energy to power up the night of dancing and raging - from appropriately cosmic occurrences for a cosmically cool bill. It’s rare to have a full moon actually fall on the same day as a solstice. However, something not very rare is an unforgettable performance from Shwarma at Cervantes! I totally enjoyed photographing their Otherside shows last February when they opened for Lespecial to perform to a sold-out Ballroom-side, as well as their performance last Halloween at ‘Oogie Boogie’ alongside Dopapod,
Read more

Yarmony Music Festival 6.28 & 6.29.24

-
Image
Rancho Del Rio Bond, CO Words by J. Picard Photos by Scott Seifert Gratitude and appreciation have been the foundation of our time at Yarmony Music Festival (formerly, YarmonyGrass). Gratitude for the beauty of the space, Rancho Del Rio, and the mighty Colorado River that flows through it. Appreciation for the experiences, friendships and memories created. Over the span of the fourteen years that we've attended, we have seen firsthand a bonding of a core group of people who have become great friends, characters in each others' stories and in some cases, life partners. Following the incredible energy of the 2019 festival it was announced that Yarmony would be put to rest, to the dismay of many pirates. Though times got strange and folks were pushed apart, there was still a low, slow, pulse beating in the background. We did what we could to keep the spirit of the memory alive until one unsuspecting day, a long five years later, promoter Andrew McConathy announced that from its re
Read more