Black Diamond Heavies, the Knew, the GetDown! @ the Larimer Lounge

By aaron collins | October 10th, 2008 | No Comments »

Black Diamond Heavies flattened a sparse but appreciate crowd at the Larimer Lounge on Sept. 19. Photos by Jason Claypool.

(Editor’s note: Due to an e-mail mixup, this September review is just now being posted. I know, I know… late, but better late than never. -JW)

Despite the toll on my liver and utter lack of sleep, going to shows five nights a week has irreplaceable rewards every once in a while. Sept. 19 at the Larimer Lounge was one.

The sparsely-occupied room was jumping from the first note the GetDown! played. It’s great to see a local band progress through the adolescence of their music, which is exactly what is happening to the GetDown! Every show they play tighter and get closer to finding the space that is their sound. The duo of bass and drums melds dance, blues and a little noise into seriously fun music. On this night Carrie Beeder, of virtually every band in Denver, joined them for a few songs and added a surprisingly raw sound for a violin.

After the GetDown!, the Knew took the stage. The Knew is another band that has grown by leaps and bounds since I first saw them. They’ve found a sound that is a little garage, a little country and, just when you thought you figured them out, the drummer busts out a harmonica. The band plays with intensity and passion, sliding guitars and dance-infused beats. They have proven to be one of the best up-and-coming rock acts in Denver.

The first thing you realize when headliners the Black Diamond Heavies start their sound check is the odd lack of any guitar. A blues-punk band without a guitar. How is this possible? The genre is based on heavy-handed, loud guitar right?

Not so with the BDH. The band is a two-piece, with Van Campbell on the drums and John Wesley Myers on keys. That’s right. A keys player! For the most part keyboards are the stepchild of rock. They’re usually pushed to the back of the stage, somewhere near the drums, low in the mix and with about as much sex appeal as an alternative percussionist.

Myers makes the keys a full-contact instrument, complete with distortion pedals and wailing solos. Using a Fender Rhodes for the high end, and a Hammond organ for the bass lines, Myers smashes through the set with head-banging, boot-stomping abandon that is on par with any guitarist out there.

The music is blues-punk with an ability to infuse slow songs with a sound that’s soulful rather than sappy. Myers has been criticized for sounding too much like Tom Waits, and that rings true on the recorded stuff, but live he seems to sound just right for the dirty music he plays. The band is on Alive Records, the label run by the Black Keys, and Dan Auerbach of the Keys produced the new disc. However, the BDH is much more dark and guttural than any thing the Keys have ever made. It would be pointless to polish this band; they thrive on the exposed nerves of the music.

The Heavies set was loud fast and without explanation or apology. You either keep up or fall by the wayside. The band sprinkles covers throughout, like Pink Floyd’s “Biding My Time” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love” by Van Halen. This may sound weird but it works live. Since the set up is uniquely BDH’s, they own the sound completely. While the genre is full of unoriginal pitfalls, the Heavies maneuver around them with the novelty of such a talented, wailing keys player.

The meager crowd did not let up for one moment, and you could tell by their faces this was a show that they where going to tell friends about for weeks. This may sound a little strange, but I think I found myself a Keyboard Hero.

Aaron Collins is a Denver musician, writer and Reverb contributor.

Jason Claypool is a Denver photographer and regular Reverb contributor.

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