Flight of the Conchords

These guys are hilarious. I can't even describe it. I'll just list some of my favorite lines of the night:

• "I think you've mistaken us for New Zealand."
• "Congratulations, bitches!"
• "Jesus is our drummer."

The new songs they're cooking up are great (look for "Angels" on YouTube sometime), and we got to hear a lot of our favorites. Bret singing the female vocal parts was pretty funny. The ongoing banter and the willingness of the crowd to heckle these two are probably the best parts about seeing them live. And they forget the words to their own songs even more often than I do. Sweet!

Où est la piscine? Splish splash?

-Jon

Pink Martini with the Colorado Symphony

Kate was the first to introduce me to Pink Martini, and after a great appearance at the Boulder Theater a couple years ago, we've seen them virtually every time they've been in town since. We finally got a chance to see them perform with the Colorado Symphony this month, and it was stellar. Pink Martini is a "mini-orchestra" that normally tours with 10-12 members, performing elaborate arrangements of tunes from old movies and some outstanding original compositions. The Cuban influence is the most outspoken in my rhythmic opinion, but the variety of styles present (not to mention the variety of spoken languages) is mind-boggling. I just plain love this band.

The show was at Boettcher Concert Hall (whose curvy walls I have only been inside a handful of times since the obligatory elementary school field trips of my youth), and the sound was rather impressive. We sat directly above and behind the wonderfully flamboyant and insanely talented pianist Thomas Lauderdale, whose hands were usually hidden from our view on the keys (that is, when they weren't up in the air during a dramatic gesture). Fortunately I could see inside the piano from my perch, and the way the hammers were pounding away on the strings I wouldn't have been surprised if he turned around and had a couple of extra arms. Hearing the pipes on China Forbes always leaves me speechless, and holy freakin' hell, they have three percussionists, and they all ROCK. They have so many sweet percussion toys, but I found a new favorite to drool over that night: machine castanets. They are a pair of castanets mounted to a base so you can hammer on them with your fingers, and they made quite the slick addition to the conga setup (hint hint, Mark). I believe the trombonist was absent from their last trip here, which was unfortunate, because he is crazy talented. He played an amazingly intricate piece with the symphony that was all over the place. Really amazing player.

Having a symphony backing up the band was quite the experience as well, though I didn't feel they were utilized to the fullest extent. They were only used as occasional accents for several songs, and they even sat out completely on a couple. (The vibes in particular could have been featured more often, in my opinion.) The difference in volume level when the symphony was full blast vs. them sitting out was a tad jarring too, though I suppose this couldn't be avoided. The conductor even provided a bit of comic relief during Thomas' unique rendition of Rhapsody in Blue--after the intermission, the drummer apparently forgot to release the switch on his snare, and it was vibrating horribly to the bass notes of the piano. The conductor went to go save the day during a piano solo, and he couldn't figure out how to to fix it! He gave up to get back to his duties, then went back for another attempt on the next solo. After a few nervous glances to the percussion section, he finally figured it out. Containing my laughter was almost too much for me... this guy is setting the tempo for an entire symphony, and he looks like he's never seen a snare drum in his life! But anyway, the quiet humor was welcome and it didn't kill the piece too badly (for me, at least). Definitely not something you see at the symphony every day!

So to sum up, the performance was great, conductors can be hilarious, and Mark needs to buy some machine castanets. I was also exceedingly happy to be joined in attendance by my favorite sister, my favorite brother-in-law, and my favorite girlfriend. Can't beat that!

Next up: Flight of the Conchords

-Jon

Broken Halo IPA (bottled) - 3.6

Broken Halo
India Pale Ale
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Portland, OR
ABV: 6%

Jon:
Lots of hops, nicely bitter. Got a weird bite to it, almost gives it a sort of metallic quality. It feels lighter than it tastes in terms of body, if that makes any sense.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 3/5 7/10 4/5 3/5 7/10

Mark:
Hoppy--with a lemony zing to it. Very crisp and clean with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Tastes like lemon peel beer.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 3/5 7/10 4/5 3/5 7/10

Jere:
I like it, and I don't know why. It's a good though, for sure, I just can't put my finger on it.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 5/5 8/10 4/5 3/5 7/10

Juanes!

Summertime is concert time, which means that little local musicians like me get a chance to see what the big boys have to offer when they come to town. Kate and I saw Juanes at the Magness Arena last Friday, the latest stop on his "La Vida" tour. I don't know many Juanes songs, and I haven't even been a fan for that long, but it seemed like a great concert to start out the summer with, and we weren't disappointed.

As we all know, arena concerts are tough. The bad acoustics are generally handled by turning up the volume so loud you couldn't hope to hear an echo if you're anywhere near the stage. Kate and I were ten rows back, in front of a massive array of speakers, and we really got our heads blown off. The bass rattled my rib cage (the drummer sure loved his kick pedal) and the vocals were explosive, but the screaming fan behind us somehow took the cake as far as overbearing noise goes. Two pairs of emergency toilet-paper ear plugs and some minor hearing damage later, we got used to the volume and were able to enjoy the show. I guess we just didn't know that we were getting into full-blown Latin pop star territory, otherwise we would've been prepared with proper earplugs.

If you've been to a Mestizo gig, you've probably heard our cover version of "A Dios Le Pido" featuring the mangled-Spanish stylings of yours truly. Since it took awhile to get accustomed to the volume level, it was a tad unfortunate that the band started with this song. I was, however, grateful for one song that I knew the lyrics to, as my Spanish comprehension is at the sub-toddler level and Juan's ample between-song banter was entirely in Spanish. The Spanish-ignorant among us did get thrown a couple bones--a "thank you very much" and one bit about how he plays his guitar in English so we can understand him. One part of the show needed no translation--a slideshow of land-mine victims played on the sides of the stage during a slow ballad. It was cool to see a world-class performer who is so passionate about people and about music, which was the only thing that made the all-Spanish presentation a tad disappointing (other than my own lack of comprehension).

The music was really great--rockin' guitar licks, hip salsa beats, and lengthy vocals that just plain make me jealous. Let me tell you, this Columbian is real rockstar. There was a stage extension in the middle of the arena for Juan to strut on, and more than one female fan braved her way on stage to get up close and personal (one even wrestled her way out of a security guard's grip). I'm also the type that loves to watch a hand percussionist with an extensive setup, and this guy was busting out some complex rhythms. Expect some new Mestizo knock-offs in the near future if I'm ambitious enough to attempt any more of these impressive songs.

Next up: Pink Martini

-Jon

Fire Rock Pale Ale (bottled) - 3.3

Fire Rock
American Pale Ale
Kona Brewing Company
Kailua Kona, HI
ABV: 6.0%

Jon:
Honey-brown hue, appropriate for the mild honey flavor that is present. Adequate hops, but not too bitter. Great for spring.

3.6	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 4/5 8/10 4/5 3/5 7/10

Mark:
A velvety-smooth pale ale with a balance of malt and hop flavor, but with a sweet, almost nutty aftertaste. Very nice.

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 4/5 8/10 4/5 3/5 7/10

Jere:
Nutty, eh? I don't know if I'd agree with that assessment, but I like the fact that it's from Hawaii, so I'll give it some merit there. I'm guessing this will be a one-time-only drinking experience--unless we get to Hawaii someday on our world tour!

2.8	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 2/5 5/10 3/5 7/10 3/5 2/5 6/10

Long Hammer (bottled) - 3.0

Long Hammer
IPA
Redhook Ale Brewery
Woodinville, WA
Alcohol Content: 6.51%

Jon:
This is the only draft IPA at our favorite pool hall, but unsurprisingly my memory is too poor for a good comparison to this bottled version. Anyway, this beer is copper-colored with little aroma, and as far as taste goes, it barely teeters on the edge of the definition of IPA. It seems very lightly hopped, almost to a fault. Still, the crispness of this beer is refreshing. Not a bad value, but should be reclassified.

3.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 3/5 6/10 3/5 4/5 5/10

Mark:
More like an extra pale ale than an IPA, it is very refreshing and seems to be on the lighter side, even with the 6.5% ABV. It's a little better on tap, although the last two pints I had seemed a little skunky. Could have just been a fluke, though.

3.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 6/10 3/5 6/10 4/5 4/5 6/10

Jere:
My memory is flawless, and the draft version is definitely superior... If Mark would just get a kegerator then all our problems would be solved! It just goes to show that you can't take it with you, as the bottled Long Hammer loses something in translation.

2.8	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 5/10 2/5 4/10 3/5 3/5 6/10

Old Guardian Barley Wine (bottled) - 3.7

Old Guardian
Barley Wine
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA
Alcohol Content: 11.26%

Jon:
The least sweet barley wine I've tried--and sweet is why I didn't like some of the others. There is sweetness there, of course, but more honey flavors than the weirdly intense figgy flavors I was expecting from past experience. A lot of depth--plenty of hops, and a bitter tea finish. Every sip yields something new.

3.7	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 7/10 3/5 7/10 3/5 5/5 7/10

Mark:
Old Guardian is a beautiful honey-colored ale. Surprisingly, there wasn't a strong aroma, but the taste is definitely intense. It starts out sweet, but balanced with bitter and spice. Definitely for sipping only!

4.1	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 7/10 4/5 8/10 4/5 5/5 8/10

Jere:
Tastes like beer with wine poured in it. Also, be careful how much you consume--half of a 22oz bottle knocked Mark on his ass the first time he tried it. Luckily I just had a fourth of that (bottle, not Mark's portion). Anyways, good for getting drunk fast.

3.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 6/10 4/5 6/10 2/5 5/5 6/10