I'm going to the Larimer Lounge to check out Glo Fi State of Mind, but if dreamy techno isn't your thing, there are a couple other bands I've seen before playing around town tonight. There's a good show going on at the Hi-Dive with a couple indie rock groups and local electronic act ManCub. Or if you like tribute bands, Herman's Hideway will have two tribute bands with local band Firemouth closing out the show.

ManCub

The show at the Hi-Dive starts at about 9:00PM and tickets are $12 at the door. ManCub will play the middle set, with WATERS starting the show and Mister Heavenly doing the headlining work. Check out "For The One" by WATERS, "8 Bit Crush" by ManCub, and "Pineapple Girl" by Mister Heavenly.

Firemouth

The show at Herman's Hideaway begins at 7:30PM and tickets are $6. The two tribute bands are The Spirit of Rush (Rush Tribute) and Mr. Knowitall (Primus Tribute). Firemouth will be playing their own material (but maybe a cover or two) to finish the evening. Watch The Spirit of Rush cover "Distant Early Warning", check out Mr. Knowitall's cover of "Sgt. Baker", and then listen to "As You Are" by Firemouth.

There's a lot of music out there and local music needs your support. If you're looking for good live music tonight, try one of these options!

WATERS - For The One by NYLONmag
ManCub - 8 Bit Crush - 06 8 Bit Crush by Mancub303
Mister Heavenly - Pineapple Girl by subpop





Sgt Baker - Mr. Knowitall 010711 by THE Rick Thompson
As You Are by Firemouth

I returned to the Larimer Lounge last night for another great concert showcasing up and coming local and national talent. The lineup was a pretty eclectic mix, which is right up my alley. They all shared rock music as a common denominator, but the lineup offered a little bit of psychedelic-sludge-garage rock, some dreamy-indie-pop rock, and some blues-funk-ska rock. There was definitely a little bit of something for everyone.

Claire Connolly of Number Station

The night started off with Number Station, a local Denver band that kicked off the night with a bang. As I mentioned in my preview, compared to the rest of the lineup, these guys had a very dark, sludge-metal-like sound that melted my face and kept my head banging. Claire Connolly's vocals had just the right attitude and her stage presence was remarkable. These guys were enjoyable to watch and I can't wait to see them in a packed venue. They will be performing again on Friday night, headlining Bender's Tavern. I'm supposed to work, but I just might have to find a way to be there!

Maren Parusel

Next up was the headlining band from San Diego, Maren Parusel. It was a bit strange at first going from sludge to something more pop, but before they finished their first song all that was forgotten as this band commanded the stage. During the band's tour, much of their gear was stolen, so the band was forced to continue on with mostly borrowed instruments. Ariel Levine, pictured above on the far left, talked about how hard it was using foreign gear, and amazingly, they were still able to perform without skipping a beat, despite the challenge of trying to replicate a certain sound using slightly different tools.

The band's namesake and lead singer, Maren Parusel, came from Germany to California just a couple years ago with the dream of writing songs and performing in a band. Although she studied English growing up, she admitted that she didn't come to really know it until being immersed in an English speaking environment. I find that remarkable. I have a hard enough time trying to write songs in my native language, so I can't imagine the challenge of trying to do so in a second tongue. Maren and her band had a certain earnestness about them I found very appealing and I came away from their performance truly wanting to see them succeed. They are wrapping up their tour of the US for their new album, Artificial Gardens, heading back west with a few more stops on the way. Give their album a listen, and be sure to check them out the next time they come to Denver!

Mike Keesler of Firemouth

To close the night, Firemouth, more Denver locals, finished with a set that was upbeat but a completely different sound than the prior two bands. These guys had a lot of energy and brought a fun mixture of blues-funk that kept the faithful remaining crowd dancing. Lead singer and guitarist Mike Keesler had a lot of presence and energy that was very easy to feed off of. I especially enjoyed their cover of Warren G's "Regulate" and how somehow in the middle of one of their songs, they managed to splice in some of Sublime's "Garden Grove". I could see these guys easily commanding a large crowd.

The show was great. The only thing lacking was a large and boisterous crowd. I would think it was because it was a Wednesday night, but walking home from the Larimer Lounge to Capitol Hill I must have passed at least a dozen packed bars. I'd have to guess people aren't willing to seek out music they aren't already familiar with and/or they just don't know good live music is happening right under their noses. Instead, it seems they'd rather hang out in the same spaces listening to the same tired songs coming out of the jukebox. Why not seek out the next new thing? Hopefully more people will realize there is a lot to be discovered out there and there is no better feeling than sharing that experience with a crowd of people wiling out in front of that new discovered band.

I'm still working on trying to be more on top of concert updates, as in not discovering bands the day they will play their show and then trying to tell you about them but instead doing my research more ahead of time. But until then, I suppose this will have to do. In today's search for musical happenings around Denver, I discovered this show at the Larimer Lounge, and although I haven't been feeling well lately, I think I just might make it out tonight.


Maren Parusel comes from San Diego, California, and they'll be bringing a dreamy form of indie pop-rock with to Denver tonight. Like I said, I just found out about these guys, so I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on this band. Instead, I'll recommend you listen to "Ordinary Day" and "Don't Take Your Eyes Away". They will start playing at 10:00PM.


Before Maren Parusel plays their set, Denver locals Number Station will kick things off at 9:00PM. If you think Maren Parusel has a tinge of darkness to their sound, Number Station might as well be cave creatures that have been in darkness so long they have evolved without eyes. At least that's what I can tell from the small sampling of music I could find. They are by no means the darkest band out there, but in this lineup they are obsidian. Listen to "Cinnamon and Cherries" and "Riverbed" to get an idea of their slightly sludge-like psychedelic garage sound.


Interestingly enough, Firemouth, another local Denver band, will be playing after Maren Parusel, despite not actually being the headliners. I suppose the idea is to get you to leave the venue feeling a little more upbeat. These guys play a blend of funk-tinged garage blues-rock and seem to have a good amount of energy behind their sound. Check out "All That You Needed" and "Hard to See".

I don't usually go and check out unknown bands the day I find out about them, but there are worse things I could do on a Wednesday night. Plus, I like going out and supporting local bands and hearing new things. Best of all, it's at a small venue and entrance is cheap - $10. If you don't have anything better to do, come join me!

Maren Parusel - Don't Take Your Eyes Away by Concerted Effort



Number Station - Cinnamon and Cherries by Concerted Effort
Number Station - Riverbed by Concerted Effort

All That You Needed by Firemouth
Hard To See by Firemouth