Concert Recap: "Candy Claws" at Hi Dive

I love Hidden Lands, the new Candy Claws album. I love letting it spin slowly on my record player when I need to completely zone out. Its sounds are defined by their ability to transport the listener to otherworldly places like mystic rain forests and alpine lakes. My favorite concerts are defined by guitar-heavy danceability. Because this is far from Candy Claws palette and my worries about sound mesh, I did not expect sweaty gratification when Lizzie and I set out for the Hi Dive last night.

Truthfully, I was prime for a great experience. Not only did I have low expectations, I had spent several hours oiling up with Stone IPA and Fat Sully's Pizza and another drink at the Hornet. I had that slightly intoxicated, upbeat energy that makes concerts a lot more fun.

My slight worries about a line at the door or even a sell out were badly mistaken. The Hi Dive crowd was just better than sparse. This still surprises me, because Candy Claws has been blog buzzing and playing Denver a lot. Maybe anyone that wanted to check them out already did, or maybe, as Lizzie said, just because the blogs love a band doesn't mean a lot of people do too. Or maybe word got out that this was a "special" show according to their front man. At any rate, we arrived just before they came onstage and had no trouble procuring drinks from the lone bartender who was cleaning glasses surrounded by a heavy air of boredom. We took our places in the cave.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of instruments on stage. I did not give this as much thought as I should have, because I was transfixed by the generic laptop sitting on the little stand. I did not realize musicians used computers other than Macs. Then two guys came out wearing humdrum masks with weird beards attached. The front man was polite enough. "Most of our band couldn't be here tonight. We're going to play a special early Candy Claws set," or some such is what he said. Him and his friends proceeded to play a somewhat catchy, wordless drone of rock sound. According to their twitter page, it was a "Two Airships / Exploder Falls set!" I have no idea what that means, but it should stay in the basements of Fort Collins. Lizzie and I lasted half of her drink and then skedaddled.

It's fine for bands to play DJ or PA sets, but the Hi Dive made no such notation on their website. The Hi Dive manager seemed as surprised as we were that there weren't keyboards and drums onstage. Not cool Candy Claws, not cool. You're still cool though, so hopefully we have a chance to make up soon. The thing is that if I don't like a bands live show it makes it hard for me to listen to them and I don't know where I will find another record that takes me as far away as Hidden Lands does.

Concert Preview: Candy Claws at the Hi Dive

Candy Claws sounds like drinking absinthe in an inner tube on an alpine lake.



A show at the Hi Dive is the closest thing Denver offers to seeing a band inside a cave.

After albums based on forests and oceans, a caves album might be the next step for Candy Claws; may I suggest At the Edge of the World: Caves and Late Classic Maya Worldview.

Because their sound is somewhere between headphones dilettante and high country soundscape, I am worried that a performance at the Hi Dive might sound like the juice boosted blares of a five year old unleashed upon a Casio for the first time.

My hope is that after months of hard touring, they've reined in their sound and found a way to make it fit in the boxy interior of our countries Pabst friendly clubs.

Portland produces more than indie rock

At a party last night I was talking with a friend about Radiohead. She said that when you are lucky enough to see Radiohead you want to be as sober as possible so that you can thoroughly absorb and retain their music. I will keep this in mind if they ever come Stateside again. I am guessing sober states of mind will not be the case for patrons at the Hi Dive when The Builders and the Butchers play Wednesday night.



Obsessed with supernatural obstacles and the magic hiding behind mundane masks, the Builders and the Butchers create folk grooves that make me think of whiskey on the rocks and arms around my friends shoulders howling along with the chorus. If you are a fan of groove folk, drunken dancing, or just need a break from drum machines and laptop bands, they will cleanse your palette and refresh your faith in organic instrumentation.

After the Hi Dive show, the Builders and the Butchers will serve as the perfect opener on a lengthy tour with Heartless Bastards playing basically every city east of the Mississippi. Also, here is a fun and silly fan video.

Devil Town - Music Video - The Builders and the Butchers from Victoria Cook on Vimeo.