Who: White Denim with Clear Plastic Masks
When: February 5, 2014
Where: The Fillmore/ San Francisco, CA
With: My head cold?
Of Note: Breaking news: Cowboys might be the new lumberjacks
So, Wednesday, I stayed home from work because I was dripping snot all over the place and now that we're in an open office, I didn't want to snot all over my co-workers. When my boss called to ask if she could drop something off at my house for me to transport to San Antonio the following day, I consulted my calendar and said, "Oh, crap. I have to go to the Fillmore tonight," then confirmed that she could drop off some very exciting Composition correlations (I think) for me to hand carry to Texas the next day. I figured a night where I had a raging head cold and a 6am flight to prepare for was the perfect night to take in some rock & roll. As it turns out, I was right! (Plus, props to the bartender at the Fillmore who served me a giant glass of ginger ale without making me feel weird.)
The opening band was Clear Plastic Masks and they were solid - very throwback rock & roll, which, as we know, is a sound I'm into. I liked their bluesiest number, 'Baby Come On', best of all. Some other things to note: their drummer played with his whole body and it was kind of fascinating to watch. Like, he stood up a little, like, once every measure (quads of steal?) and was just really animated. I was also fascinated by the bassist because he had some serious Cousin It hair, only dark & curly. I'm pretty sure he was not able to see anything at all while he was playing. Impressive. They were super solid, modern sounding almost meat & potatoes rock & roll. You should Spotify their EP.
I "discovered" White Denim through some sort of streaming service - a Spotify recommended artist? Something played from The Sheepdogs' Pandora station? I don't quite remember, though I do know that I immediately listened to their entire catalog and then took to the internet to say how much I loved it. Then I checked their tour dates, saw they were coming here, and bought a ticket.
Also, props to my friend Tristan (of ACL fame) for taking the recommendation!
Okay, White Denim. I can't talk about White Denim without first talking about their guitar player. Homeboy looked like a legitimate cowboy. Like almost too tight Wrangler jeans, belt buckle, boots, chambray shirt, the works. Nobody else in the band was a cowboy, just him. And it was glorious. Like, I could not take my eyes off him (and his playing was incredible, so that was fine). Between that and my trip to TX the next day, I'm almost ready to declare that cowboys are the new lumberjacks. Almost.
I'll be honest and say that most of what I recognized was off their most recent (and my most listened to) album, 'Corsicana Lemonade'. I really liked 'Cheer Up/ Blues Ending' - the lilt of the opening bars seemed more pronounced live and the way James sings "put a dime in your pocket" was quite riveting. I adored 'At Night in Dreams', all pulsing beat and what seems like at least fifteen words per measure.
Oh! Speaking of things 'per measure'... You know how the first time you hear Duke Ellington's 'Caravan', you lose your mind because the shift between samba and swing is so brilliant that you can't even handle it? (Just me?) And then it happens again and it's even more mind-blowing? I feel like the entire White Denim set was a constant state of flux between straight and swing and samba, different drum feels being passed back and forth on a measure by measure basis within each song while keeping a tight beat and never sounding out of place. I, kind of, don't understand how it all worked but it was a treat for the ears wrapped in an enigma.
I always like to see moments in the process - rocks stars with a bit of heart, maybe? Anyway, after a particularly cool jam, at the end of the song, James, the vocalist/guitarist, kind of took a deep breath and said, "Wow. We just got to jam at the Fillmore." Not being from here and having it less than two miles from my house, I think I take for granted how much of a legend that place is. But, it was cool to see someone so appreciative of the opportunity? So excited to be a part of it? It was just a really cool moment.
Other set highlights were 'Come Back' which felt almost like the R&B portion the show and 'Pretty Green' which is just such a great song. I could spend a lot more time talking about how great this show was - how the vocals were on point, how the jams were the perfect length (long enough to get into, not long enough to get bored), how much I am in love with the rash of "modern southern rock meets jam with a little bit of indie" bands that are getting attention right now... but, I'm not going to. Go listen to 'Corsicana Lemonade'. Check out a White Denim show. You'll thank me.
When: February 5, 2014
Where: The Fillmore/ San Francisco, CA
With: My head cold?
Of Note: Breaking news: Cowboys might be the new lumberjacks
So, Wednesday, I stayed home from work because I was dripping snot all over the place and now that we're in an open office, I didn't want to snot all over my co-workers. When my boss called to ask if she could drop something off at my house for me to transport to San Antonio the following day, I consulted my calendar and said, "Oh, crap. I have to go to the Fillmore tonight," then confirmed that she could drop off some very exciting Composition correlations (I think) for me to hand carry to Texas the next day. I figured a night where I had a raging head cold and a 6am flight to prepare for was the perfect night to take in some rock & roll. As it turns out, I was right! (Plus, props to the bartender at the Fillmore who served me a giant glass of ginger ale without making me feel weird.)
The opening band was Clear Plastic Masks and they were solid - very throwback rock & roll, which, as we know, is a sound I'm into. I liked their bluesiest number, 'Baby Come On', best of all. Some other things to note: their drummer played with his whole body and it was kind of fascinating to watch. Like, he stood up a little, like, once every measure (quads of steal?) and was just really animated. I was also fascinated by the bassist because he had some serious Cousin It hair, only dark & curly. I'm pretty sure he was not able to see anything at all while he was playing. Impressive. They were super solid, modern sounding almost meat & potatoes rock & roll. You should Spotify their EP.
I "discovered" White Denim through some sort of streaming service - a Spotify recommended artist? Something played from The Sheepdogs' Pandora station? I don't quite remember, though I do know that I immediately listened to their entire catalog and then took to the internet to say how much I loved it. Then I checked their tour dates, saw they were coming here, and bought a ticket.
Also, props to my friend Tristan (of ACL fame) for taking the recommendation!
Okay, White Denim. I can't talk about White Denim without first talking about their guitar player. Homeboy looked like a legitimate cowboy. Like almost too tight Wrangler jeans, belt buckle, boots, chambray shirt, the works. Nobody else in the band was a cowboy, just him. And it was glorious. Like, I could not take my eyes off him (and his playing was incredible, so that was fine). Between that and my trip to TX the next day, I'm almost ready to declare that cowboys are the new lumberjacks. Almost.
I'll be honest and say that most of what I recognized was off their most recent (and my most listened to) album, 'Corsicana Lemonade'. I really liked 'Cheer Up/ Blues Ending' - the lilt of the opening bars seemed more pronounced live and the way James sings "put a dime in your pocket" was quite riveting. I adored 'At Night in Dreams', all pulsing beat and what seems like at least fifteen words per measure.
Oh! Speaking of things 'per measure'... You know how the first time you hear Duke Ellington's 'Caravan', you lose your mind because the shift between samba and swing is so brilliant that you can't even handle it? (Just me?) And then it happens again and it's even more mind-blowing? I feel like the entire White Denim set was a constant state of flux between straight and swing and samba, different drum feels being passed back and forth on a measure by measure basis within each song while keeping a tight beat and never sounding out of place. I, kind of, don't understand how it all worked but it was a treat for the ears wrapped in an enigma.
I always like to see moments in the process - rocks stars with a bit of heart, maybe? Anyway, after a particularly cool jam, at the end of the song, James, the vocalist/guitarist, kind of took a deep breath and said, "Wow. We just got to jam at the Fillmore." Not being from here and having it less than two miles from my house, I think I take for granted how much of a legend that place is. But, it was cool to see someone so appreciative of the opportunity? So excited to be a part of it? It was just a really cool moment.
Other set highlights were 'Come Back' which felt almost like the R&B portion the show and 'Pretty Green' which is just such a great song. I could spend a lot more time talking about how great this show was - how the vocals were on point, how the jams were the perfect length (long enough to get into, not long enough to get bored), how much I am in love with the rash of "modern southern rock meets jam with a little bit of indie" bands that are getting attention right now... but, I'm not going to. Go listen to 'Corsicana Lemonade'. Check out a White Denim show. You'll thank me.
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