After waiting out interstate closings and making a laborious drive through the Rockies, Apex Manor arrived in Denver tired, but in high spirits.  The new band teams former The Broken West frontman Ross Flournoy with Brian Whelan (also of TBW), frequent co-writer Adam Vine, Andy Creighton (The World Record), and Derek Brown (of numerous west-coast bands).  One week after the release of The Year of Magical Drinking, Apex Manor played their very first show to a Santa Cruz audience.  This week sees them road-testing the live act with a short tour.

After returning home for a few weeks, the band will once again hit the road, playing SXSW and various East Coast dates:

Feb 12 Los Angeles, CA Satellite
Feb 24 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord (Noise Pop Festival)
Mar 16-19 Austin, TX SXSW Festival
Mar 21 Washington, DC Red Palace
Mar 22 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Mar 23 Cambridge, MA TT the Bear’s
Mar 26 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge
Mar 28 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
Mar 29 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar

No shows booked in your vicinity? The new album can be purchased directly from Merge Records or at your favorite record shop.  The following live tracks, from the band’s fifth show ever, are a perfect supplement to the studio material.  In addition to songs from Magical Drinking, the setlist includes several Broken West songs and a great cover of Nilsson’s “Jump Into the Fire” (complete with Derek playing a Jim Gordon-style solo).

Apex Manor
2.08.2011
Hi-Dive, Denver, CO

Source:  [Microtech Gefell M300’s > Lunatec V3] + [SBD > 1/4″] > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Mixdown > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Under the Gun
2. I Know These Waters Well
3. The Party Line
4. Southern Decline
5. Perfect Games
6. Gwen, Now and Then
7. My My Mind
8. Down in the Valley
9. Jump Into the Fire
10. Teenage Blood

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be found via BitTorrent at Dime.

Glen Phillips played to a sold-out audience at the Soiled Dove Underground last night, touching on material spanning his solo output, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Works Progress Administration.  Glen appeared slightly nervous at first.  Several songs in, a shout-out from the crowd broke down any tension that may have existed.  The rest of the night was full of audience engagement, humor, and a perfect performance.

The audience gave Glen their undivided attention, but this is the norm at The Soiled Dove Underground.  I’m surprised at how many people have never been to the Lowry venue–it would easily rank in my top five places to see a concert in Denver.  Rhett and Casey do a great job at booking acoustic, Americana, and jazz acts for this intimate room.

Glen Phillips
1.21.2011
Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300’s > Lunatec V3 > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Always Have My Love
2. Walk on the Ocean
3. Courage
4. Train Wreck
5. Crowing
6. (Betelgeuse and teenager stories)
7. End This Now
8. True
9. Released
10. Better Off Here
11. Dam Would Break
12. Easier
13. Brothers on a Hotel Bed *
14. Thankful
15. Solar Flare
16. Rise Up
17. “Someday” (new song)
18. All I Want
19. Everything But You
(Encore)
20. Darkest Hour
21. Drive By
22. American Tune

Notes:
* = with Vienna Teng and Alex Wong
Mics were placed at head height, along the front drink rail.

A zipfile of the MP3s is available here.
FLAC files and other formats are available at the LMA.

Going through archiving some old MiniDiscs, here’s the Counting Crows 2000 summer tour opener in support of This Desert Life.   The tour was a co-headline bill with +Live+, and on this particular date included Galactic as an opening act.

Counting Crows
7.28.2000
Sandstone Amphitheatre, Bonner Springs, KS

Source:  Core Sound Cardiods > Aiwa AM-F70 MD > MD Master > Sony MDS-JE510 > TOSLINK > Hosa ODL-276 > coax > Edirol R-44 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave
Taped by: Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. intro (Magical Mystery Tour)
2. Recovering the Satellites
3. Mr. Jones
4. I Wish I Was a Girl
5. Angels of the Silences
6. All My Friends
7. Round Here *
8. Speedway
9. A Murder of One
10. Rain King
11. Hangin’ Around **
(Encore)
12. Live Forever
13. Long December

Notes:
* = w/ “She Doesn’t Exist Anymore” lyrics
** = w/ Live and Galactic, includes “No Scrubs” outro

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be found via BitTorrent at Dime.

Active Child
9.24.2010
Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300’s > Lunatec V3 > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. She Was a Vision
2. I’m In Your Church At Night
3. unknown
4. Wilderness
5. Ceremony
6. Weight of the World
7. Take Shelter
8. When Your Love is Safe

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.

Apologies on this one: It was a great show and the last of their tour, but you better like tambourine…the microphones were only a couple of feet away from Brett’s percussion!

Golden Shoulders
9.16.2010
Yellow Feather Coffee, Denver, CO

Source:  DPA 4060’s > DAD6001’s > Lunatec V3 > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. The Honey, the Power, the Light
2. Do You Know Who You Are?
3. Patience Darling, Patience *
4. banter
5. Golden States *
6. This Is a Test
7. What You’re Proposing
8. Let My Burden Be
9. I Will Light You on Fire

Notes:
* = w/ Erin Roberts on trumpet

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.