Atomsmasher @ Bluebird Theatre, Denver CO, 2001-09-13

 

There is something exquisite about look of horror, revulsions and disgust you will see on a persons face who encounters a noise or power electronics act for the first time when they were seeking out. It's a mix of stepping in dogshit and unexpectedly seeing a corpse at the same time.  As they say it's not for everyone.

James Plotkin (aka Atomsmasher on this night) is an American musician and engineer and is probably best know for his involvement in O.L.D. and Khanate.  He also has some new more ambient electronics releases.  Atomsmasher was a mix of those worlds.  I was looking up the credits for the one CD that I knew about and saw on Discogs that Dave Witte of now Municipal Waste fame played live drums that James Plotkin sampled for 2001 CD.    Dave has been in a ton of bands so not a total surprise.

At this show Atomsmasher was opening for Fantomas.  A good fit I thought but not for everyone.  Mr. Plotkin sat at a table with a laptop for his set.  You can't really hear it on this recording but this asshole up front keep hollering "ctrl alt del" during the set.  Code for rebooting a computer.  Haha.  He also would occasionally flick coins towards James and his laptop.   What a fucker.  James didn't react during his set at all.  At the very end though he pushed his table out of the way and jumped off of the stage and punched the guy in the face.  Totally had it coming.

Atomsmasher

Bluebird Theatre

Denver CO (USA)

2001-09-13

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: Coresound CSB's - Sharp 722 minidisc

Transfer: Sony MDS-JE330 (Analog) - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (28:34.69)  

Very beginning of set missing starts about 5 minutes in

01 Phantom Smasher

02 Gilgamesh

03 Skull Shot

04 unknown title

05 unknown title

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Planning for Burial @ Hi Dive, Denver CO, 2025-07-03

 Here is one for scary October posts.  What is more terrifying then contemplating your eventual demise?

So today I present Planning for Burial from Pennsylvania.  This is a one man act fronted by Thom Wasluck.  He has shirts that says "LOUD / QUIET / LOUD / QUIET" and that is a pretty good description.  He gets labeled gloomgaze, post-metal, shoegaze.  

Audio is sounds good I think.  Vocals are a little low but it was loud as hell in there.  Just look at his stage rig in these pictures.  One of the cooler shows I have seen this year.  Enjoy.

Planning for Burial 

Hi Dive

Denver CO (USA)

2025-07-03

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: MBHO KA-200N - JK Labs DVC-V12 - M10 

Transfer: M10 - USB - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (39:53.07)

01 Farm Cat, Watching

02 With Your Sunglasses On Like A Ghoul

03 Warmth of You

04 A Flowing Field Of Green

05 Threadbare

06 (continued)

07 You Think

08 Movement Two

09 (blueberry pop)

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Murder City Devils @ Bluebird Theater, Denver CO, 2001-03-08

 

Unsure on photo credit.  I scrapped these off of the web back in 2001.  

Going into October I figured I would post some more "scary" bands and shows.  This one is a triple threat,  Murder is scary, and Devils are scary, and people that don't live in the city are scared of cities.  Boo!!

Today is a show I know I traded on CDR back in the aughts but it doesn't have a full listing on setlist fm so maybe not very many trades.  I had seen the Murder City Devils 2 or 3 time in 2000.  Then twice in 2001.  They toured a lot those years.  This March 2001 show still had Leslie on keyboards.  She quit the band after this tour I think.  When MCD came back in October of 2001 with Botch she was gone. I recall they announced that that was their last tour ever.  The final Seattle show was going to be it. There is an official live album of that October show called R.I.P.

Out of the gate at this show they play a brand new song "That's What You Get" that ends up on the Thelema EP.  They play every song on that EP except for 365 Days this night.  Some of the lyrics are still in flux.  Not sure when the recorded those songs but Thelema didn't come out until September of 2001.  Spencer apologizes before every new song.  

They still play a lot of the "hits" off the 1st two albums and I think the sound is pretty good on this one.

Enjoy.

Murder City Devils

Bluebird Theatre

Denver CO (USA)

2001-03-08

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: Coresound CSB's - Sharp 722 minidisc

Transfer: Sony MDS-JE330 (Analog) - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (47:56.36)  

01 That's What You Get

02 Idle Hands 

03 One Vision Of May

04 I Want A Lot Now (So Come On)

05 Bear Away

06 Grace That Saves

07 Midnight Service At The Mutter Museum

08 18 Wheels

09 Rum To Whiskey

10 Bride of the Elephant Man

11 Left Hand Right Hand

12 Dance Hall Music

13 Press Gang

14 I Drink The Wine

15 Broken Glass 

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Castle Rat @ The Underworld, London UK, 2025-05-18

 

Here is another set I captured at Desert Fest London this year.  This time the mighty Castle Rat.  They are a fantasy metal band from Brooklyn NY.  The music is on point for the style but an audio recording doesn't really give you the full experience.  This band puts on a show with costumes and sword fights.  It's quiet a fun spectacle.  If you get a chance to see this band live do it.

Castle Rat

Desert Fest

The Underworld

London England

2025-05-18

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: M10

Transfer: M10 - USB - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Run time: (54:06.07)

01 Dagger Dragger

02 - back story 1 -

03 Feed the Dream

04 Resurrector

05 Red Sands

06 - back story 2 -

07 Cry for Me

08 WIZARD

09 Fresh Fur

10 - back story 3 -

11 Nightblood

12 Realm

13 SIREN

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Dashboard Confessional @ Tulagi's, Boulder CO, 2001-11-16

 

I went to this show at Tulagi's in 2001 to see Rival Schools mostly but had never seen Dashboard Confessional so I stuck around and caught their set too.  Not my cup of tea exactly but no doubt Chris Carrabbaj is a talented singer and songwriter.  At this show Chris is joined by Dan Hoerner from Sunny Day Real Estate .

I think I recorded this mostly because I thought I could get some good CDR trades for it.  I don't think that ever happened. I know it was on my trade list but I never transferred it from the MD master until a year or so ago.  And I only just fully listened to it this week.  24 years later.  Too many recordings and not enough time.  

Parts at the start of this are a little chatty and He-urricane Bro Dude blows in at about cat 3 and starts yelling out loudly for a song from another Florida band Further Seems Forever.  Chris was involved with that band but only briefly it turns out.  Bro yells out for a song called 'The Moon Is Down" multiple times until Chris very politely tells him that it is not going to happen.  He settles down after that.   It's a sing along crowd but they don't over power the PA.  An enjoyable listen I think.  

Dashboard Confessional

Tulagi's

Boulder CO (USA)

2001-11-16

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: Coresound CSB's - Sharp 722 minidisc

Transfer: MD-722 (Analog) - SBLive - Cooledit - CDWave - FLAC

Time: (44:03.27)

01 The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most

02 Saints and Sailors

03 The Sharp Hint of New Tears

04 Knock'Em Dead

05 Road Rules Apply

06 The Brilliant Dance

07 So Impossible

08 Ender Will Save Us All

09 - interlude -

10 Screaming Infidelities

 - encore -

11 The Good Fight

12 Again I Go Unnoticed

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John Moreland @ Three Kings Tavern, Denver CO, 2014-11-07

 

I had his 2nd album In The Throes for a while and was lucky enough to catch the amazing Oklahoma singer songwriter John Moreland twice in 2014.  1st in March of 2014 at Illegal Pete's on Broadway in Denver.  Which was great but not a full set.  He came back in November and headlined at Three Kings Tavern.  Killer set and a meh crowd.  It is what it is.

John Moreland

Three Kings Tavern

Denver CO (USA)

2014-11-07

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source : MBHO KA-200N - Niaant Little Box - M10

Transfer: M10 - USB - Adobe Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (61:49.14)

01 Hang Me In The Tulsa County Stars

02 Blacklist

03 Your Spell

04 You Don’t Care Enough for Me to Cry

05 I Need You to Tell Me Who I Am

06 Break My Heart Sweetly (with Kierston White)

07 Oh Julia

08 Cherokee

09 Avalon

10 God’s Medicine

11 Sweat & Cigarettes

12 - interlude -

13 Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore (with Kierston White)

14 3:59am

15 - encore -

16 Gospel

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Flipper @ The Eagles Lodge, Thornton CO, 1984-12-07

Bruce Loose from Flipper passed away recently.  That inspired my friend Jim Hucks to send me a WAV of this recording he made of Flipper when the played at the Eagles Lodge in Thornton Colorado back in December of 1984.  He recorded this on his Sanyo boombox so the audio fidelity is not amazing but pretty decent considering the source.  This has never seen wide circulation or any before this.

It starts off a little rough but the sound evens out as it goes along.  I've enjoyed listening too it this weekend.  It's loud and fuzzy but the vocals are pretty clear.  Neat document of the time.  Enjoy.

Flipper

The Eagles Lodge

Thornton CO (USA)

1984-12-07

Recorded by: Jim Hucks

Presented by: SxPxDxCx

Source: Sanyo boombox - cassette 

Transfer: cassette - WAV - Adobe Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Run time: (57:16)

01 Way of the World (fades in)

02 Sacrifice

03 In Life My Friends

04 In Your Arms

05 Life

06 Shed No Tears

07 unknown title

08 The Lights, The Sound, The Rhythm, The Noise

09 Love Canal

10 Sex Bomb (fades out)

11 The Old Lady That Swallowed The Fly

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LINK TO YOUTUBE STREAM