Although this blog only existed for half of this past year so far, it was a great year in music. At this point there have been countless amounts of 'best of' lists put out there, and now it's my turn to add mine to the mix. There is so much I want to talk about, but I'm narrowing it down to the top concert experience and band performances that I saw. I will also include a separate list that includes shows that I did see over the year but did not write about because either they were before I started this blog or for some other reason. I saw a ton of shows over the year, so narrowing them down was extremely tough, but without much further ado, here is the first part:

I've lived in Colorado all my life but I can't say that I've been to Fort Collins very often. I have nothing against the place, in fact, the few times I've been there I've always had a good time. But Tuesday night I found a really good reason to make another trip, and even though I had to drive back late at night through a treacherous snow storm, it was completely worth it. I had the opportunity to check out a band I've been a fan of for a long time but haven't yet seen live. The band has two upcoming shows near me; this Friday Oct. 28 at the Ogden Theater and Saturday Oct. 29 at the Boulder Theater, but Tuesday's show best fit my schedule so I happily made my way up north. It was my first trip to the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, and I found it to be a nice medium-sized venue with good views of the stage all around and good sound - a place that can have larger crowds but still maintain an intimate feel.

Bonnie and the Beard

The show started with a local Denver gypsy-rock band that I was also checking out for the first time. Bonnie and the Beard is a three-piece band - Bonnie (Megan Fong) plays guitar/keyboards/percussion and Beard (Tony LoVerde) plays guitar/banjo. The two share vocal duties and are backed by drummer Alex Ferreira. The trio created a gypsy influenced southern rock sound that was a combination of folk, blues and country. Their songs conjured up images of the wild frontier and sounded like what you might hear traveling gypsies play as they performed in an old western saloon. Their songs all have a fun feel, enhanced by the dynamic presence and energy from Bonnie and Beard, and they got me bobbing my head and stomping my feet the whole time they were on stage.

Alex Ferreira of Bonnie and the Beard

They played mostly songs off of their self-titled album Bonnie and the Beard as well as a handful of other new fun songs. To set the tone and introduce the crowd to what this band was all about, they started their set with the song "Lonely Hills", a tale about a zombie cowboy. From there they played songs that covered a variety of related subjects. There were the gypsy life songs "Money Honey", and "Lost Tribe" delivered with almost carnival-esque instrumentation. There were even odes to booze with songs like "Flask In Pocket", "Sweet Devil Whiskey" and "Beer, Beer. Beer". They deliver their songs with such a charming playful seriousness it's hard not to get sucked into the fun. If you're looking for something bluesy but a little different, check out Bonnie and the Beard.

DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa took the stage next, and as soon as they were in place the energy level in the whole room was instantly ratcheted up - the four members of this band exude such a confidence about them that before they even play a note they will capture the audience's attention. DeVotchKa had an incredible amount of instruments on stage to create their folk-rock/gypsy punk sound. Depending on the song, each band member would grab one of the different available instruments. Lead singer Nick Urata had two different acoustic guitars - a nylon classical guitar and a steel-stringed acoustic, an electric guitar, a bouzouki (sort of a lower pitched mandolin), and a theremin. Tom Hagerman handled the keyboard, accordion, violin and electric bass. Jeanie Schroder had an upright bass, sousaphone (marching version of the tuba), flute, and also provided backing vocals. Shawn King was mostly behind the drum set, but would handle other percussion and play the trumpet. It's no wonder that with all these tools at their disposal DeVotchKa can create such an intricate combination and variety of sounds.

Jeanie Schroder of DeVotchKa

They began their set with the first track from their newest album, 100 Lovers titled "The Alley". The initial combination of classical guitar, keyboard, drums and upright bass created a song with a sort of atmospheric and somewhat ambient introduction that exploded into DeVotchKa's unique brand of indie folk-rock, instantly pumping the Aggie Theater venue walls with scintillating energy. In order to treat the crowd with gems from across their enormous catalog, DeVotchKa included "Head Honcho" originally from their first release Super Melodrama and "Basso Profundo" from A Mad & Faithful Telling. Just three songs into their set, they already had the sweat beading off my head as I couldn't help but dance to the entrancing rhythms of their gypsy-rock songs.

Shawn King of DeVotchKa

I loved how their set list was a great mixture of their entire song repertoire. They made sure to include my favorites from the new album, like "All the Sand In All the Sea" and "The Man from San Sebastian" around songs from Una Volta and How It Ends. Nick Urata wowed the crowd with the magic of the theremin with "C'est Ce La" and then had the entire crowd sing along to "We're Leaving" as Shawn King emerged from behind the drums to play the trumpet. Nick Urata conducted another sing-a-long with "How It Ends", making the slower piece extra powerful and creating a very strong connection with the crowd.

Nick Urata of DeVotchKa

The live versions of every song sounded absolutely phenomenal, flawless and fluid, making it all that much easier to draw more energy from the crowd. If the crowd wasn't singing along or showing off their dance skills, they were clapping along to the beat while screaming wildly. They kept the audience on their toes by mixing up fast paced and slower songs, like transitioning from the more solemn "How It Ends" into the dance-fest inducing "Contrabanda", back to the whistling of "Exhaustible". I like how this band showed local pride by performing their cover of local musician Ted Thacker's "I Cried Like a Silly Boy" to their home state crowd. It's as if DeVotchKa new all the right buttons to push to get the best out of the audience, which in turn drew the best out of the band themselves.

Nick Urata of DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa wrapped up their regular set with two of their older songs. "The Clockwise Witness" showcased the unique ability of DeVotchKa to meld a more solemn, mellow sounding song with a rhythm that still has a lot of danceability, and I liked the pizzicato violin in place of the toy piano sound that is present in the recorded version. Then they finished their regular set with one of my all time favorites, "The Enemy Guns", a song that brought out the true essence of gypsy punk with its fast paced rhythm and driving guitar riffs.

Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa

Although I was not familiar with the way crowds in Fort Collins would react to DeVotchKa, judging by the palpable energy in the room I couldn't imagine they would let the band leave so easily. I was glad to be right, as immediately an intense rumble from stomping feet shook the room like an earthquake among chants of "Encore! Encore!". Soon thereafter, DeVotchKa returned to the stage to loud cheers to perform a little more. The encore began with the title track from their new album, "100 Other Lovers", showing the bands ability to to work with more modern sounds coming from a drummable sample pad and synthesized keyboard. Then DeVotchKa tore the whole place down with an extended version of "Such a Lovely Thing" to end the night. There was a whole lot of amazing that happened in that finale, but if you didn't see it, you can find out how astounding DeVotchKa can be by seeing it for yourself this weekend.

Jeanie Schroder of DeVotchKa

After seeing Tuesday night's show, I almost wish my schedule would allow me to see them at their other two dates this Halloween weekend. The music of the show was absolutely incredible, and should not only appeal to fans of folk-rock but general fans of indie rock as well. Plus, I know that the Denver and Boulder crowds will dance so feverishly they will probably redefine the word 'energetic'. Then to top it all off, those shows will have a theme that will take everything to a whole new level - zombies versus vampires. Choose a side, get dressed in costume, head down to one of those two venues, and get ready to dance the night away. DeVotchKa will handle the rest, and from what I've already seen, it's going to be epic.

Tickets to the Oct. 28 Ogden Theater show are available at the box office and online, and DeVotchKa will be joined be Denver locals Churchill. I've seen Churchill live before and they blew me away with their live performance, so it should be an incredible show from top to bottom. Tickets to the Oct. 29 Boulder Theater show are also available at the box office or online. DeVotchKa will be joined by special guests Ending People for the Boulder show. Check out one (or both!) of the shows, because they are sure to be an incredibly good time.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page and stay updated!

It's time to branch out of the Denver area and take a short road trip up north. There's a town up there known for a certain state university and brewers of fine local beer, but it turns out Fort Collins knows a thing or two about live music as well. I'll be traveling to the Aggie Theater, who will be hosting a couple of Denver based gypsy punk bands. One of these bands is new to me, but the other has been around for quite some time and I'm very excited to finally get the opportunity to see them live.


The headliner is Colorado's own long-time gypsy punk/indie folk extraordinaires DeVotchKa. DeVotchKa started as a backing band for burlesque shows back in the late 1990s, but shortly thereafter became a full fledged band. This band is made up of four talented multi-instrumentalist who create a gypsy folk inspired rock sound with a staggering plethora of instruments: piano, guitar, trumpet, accordion, organ, theremin, trumpet, melodica, violin, sousaphone (tuba), upright bass, drums and bouzouki.

Since the year 2000, they have released five studio albums, including their newly released album 100 Lovers. Their unique sound has taken them to perform around the world, and they have even been called to score films, most notably for the Academy Award winning Little Miss Sunshine. They have so much material now that just a couple song previews probably won't cut it, but check out one of my old favorites "The Enemy Guns" and a track off of their new album "All The Sand In All The Sea".
Devotchka-The Enemy Guns by ENDIT! Management
DeVotchKa - All The Sand In All The Sea by antirecords


Denver locals Bonnie and the Beard will open up the night, bringing a unique blend of gypsy inspired southern rock 'n' roll with a touch of country swagger. Originally an acoustic two piece, Bonnie and the Beard is now a trio that features both Bonnie (Megan Fong) and Beard (Tony LoVerde) on vocals and electric guitars backed by Alex Ferreira on drums. They should open up the night with a good collection of foot stompin' music. Check out "Money Honey" and "Lonely Hills".
Bonnie and the Beard - Money Honey by Suburban Home Records
Bonnie and the Beard - Lonely Hills by Suburban Home Records

The Aggie Theater doors open at 8:00PM. The show is all ages and tickets are $20. If you can't make it to Fort Collins DeVotchKa will be playing in Denver and Boulder this weekend!