February
Date: February 22, 2014
City: Denver, CO
Venue: The Marquis
Band(s): Royal Teeth, Chappo & Parade of Lights
This month, we decided to go see bands we had never heard of, because we love to discover new bands. There were a ton of other shows we could have picked, and we pretty much picked this at random, so fate decided that we should go to this show; I would just like to say, thank you fate. Here’s the run down in the order the bands played.
Parade of Lights:
Parade of Lights is vocalist/guitarist, Ryan Daley; drummer, Anthony Improgo; keyboardist, Michelle Ashley; and bassist, Randy Schulte. Self-described as an “alt-electro” band, they bring plenty of both genres to the table, or the stage, as it were. They bear a close resemblance to Passion Pit, but with more energy and better vocals. If you are fortunate enough to see them live, they will definitely keep you dancing through their melodic, catchy, and downright fun-filled set. We had the opportunity to meet them after the show and, for us, meeting a band and seeing who they are as people is a major part of whether we will continue to support them or not. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that with this band. They are total sweethearts! They are so nice and very polite! They asked us our names, introduced themselves, shook our hands, and talked with us for a while. I (Jess) actually “stole” their setlist, and when I told them that and asked them to sign it, they were almost surprised that I even wanted their setlist. There’s nothing better than a humble band. All in all, Parade of Lights are amazingly talented and genuinely good people. We can’t wait for them to come back to Denver so we can see them again.They are going on tour with X Ambassadors soon, so if you have the opportunity to go to that, DO IT! They’re easily one of our new favorite bands.
Chappo:
Chappo is vocalist, Alex Chappo; guitarist, David Feddock; keyboardist, Chris Olson; and drummer, Zac Colwell. I would describe their musical style as psychedelic, acid trip rock. With the combination of their lights, projections, and overwhelming abundance of distortion, you’ll definitely feel like you’re on an acid trip. Alex’s vocals have a classic rock sound to them, almost a mix between Geddy Lee of Rush and just a touch of Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. And I’d be doing the world a great disservice if I didn’t mention how great of a guitarist David is. When all is said and done, seeing Chappo is an interesting experience you’ll never forget. Literally.
Royal Teeth:
Royal Teeth is Gary Larsen(vocals/guitar/percussion); Nora Patterson(vocals/percussion); Joshua Wells(bass/percussion); Josh Hefner(drums/percussion); Stevie Billeaud(guitar/programming); and Andrew Poe(keys, programming/percussion/vox). If I could use only one word to describe this band it would be “energy”. Rachel and I both agree that we have never seen a band perform with more energy than Royal Teeth. During the first song, Gary brought out a party popper and showered confetti over the crowd. Later, he disappeared backstage and emerged with a large garbage bag full of balloons and threw them into the crowd. Definitely one of the most fun shows we’ve been to. Aside from all the little things they did to make it fun, Royal Teeth is a band full of extremely talented individuals. Gary and Nora’s voices are so unique and complement each other so well, it’s almost like magic. The whole ensemble has such a unique, fun and energy filled sound, I dare you to go to a Royal Teeth show and not enjoy yourself. Besides being insanely talented and loads of fun to watch, Gary and Nora are amazingly nice. We had the opportunity to meet them after the show and got to talk to them for a few minutes and they are just so kind. We talked about how much we liked the show and I even talked to them a little about Mardi Gras, since they’re from Louisiana. Overall, just a great band, and we will definitely catch them next time they are in Denver.
- A Year of Concerts, Jess & Rachel