Skeleton Key @ Fox Theatre, Boulder CO, 2003-05-10

 

For today's scare on thatsthethingaboutthat.  Skeletons are defiantly scary.  Skeleton's with keys terrifying!!!   BOO!!  Skeleton Key was a band from New York City that started in the mid 90s. Erik Sanko started the band and was the only constant member over the years.  He described Skeleton Key as using antique microphones, primitive guitars, and unconventional percussion to create a sound that was luxurious, yet affordable.  They remind me a bit of Soul Coughing a little bit.

They released an album on Capital Records in 1997.  In 2002 they released an album on Mike Patton's label Ipecac which is how the ended up on tour opening up for Melvins and Tomahawk.  I've shared the Tomahawk recording before but never the Melvins.  I'll have to get that up at some point.

I missed the beginning of the set for some reason and the last song on the recording fades out.  An incomplete capture but what I did get is pretty entertaining.  Enjoy.

Skeleton Key

Fox Theatre

Boulder CO (USA)

2003-05-10

partial capture

Recorded and Presented By: SxPxDxCx

Source: Coresound CSB's - Sharp 722 minidisc

Transfer: Sony MDS-JE330 - UAC222 - Audition - CDWave - FLAC

Time: (27:12.61)

Kerosene *

01 Little Monster

02 Everybody's Crutch

03 Roost in Peace

04 Sawdust

05 Panic Bullets

06 Gravity Is the Enemy

07 Big Teeth (fades out)

* played but not on my recording

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Spirit Possession @ Bluebird Theatre, Denver CO, 2022-07-15

 

Today's scare on thatsthethingaboutthat.  What would the Halloween season be without some spirits and possessions?  Put them together it's even better.  Spirt Possession from Portland OR live at the Bluebird Theatre back in 2022.  The describe themselves as "raw schizophrenic angular spiraling black metal explodes with razor thrashing guitars, blistering drum violence, commanding torturous vocals, and apocalyptic harsh noise".  BOO!!  

Their 1st album hadn't been out very long at the time of this show so they play mostly songs off of it but at the end they play "Practitioners Of Power" which ends up on the 2023 release '...Of The Sign".

All available on bandcamp.  Go support independent music anyway you can.  

I ran my mics on a tall stand for this one so I think it captures that night pretty well.  Spirit Possession was part of a killer bill with Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Body Void, Jarhead Fertilizer, Indian, and Primitive Man.  Bonkers show.  Enjoy.

Spirit Possession

Bluebird Theatre

Denver CO (USA)

2022-07-15

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

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

Transfer: M10 - USB - Cooledit - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (26:09.15)

01 Deity Of Knives And Pointed Apparitions 

02 Spirit Possession

03 Amongst Inverted Castles And Holy Laughter

04 Swallowing Throne

05 Practitioners Of Power

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"Demons" @ Lion's Lair, Denver CO, 2002-03-02

Today's scare on thatsthethingaboutthat.  Demons are scary to a lot of people.  Demons are not real though so maybe the scariest thing about this post is Mathias Carlsson's sick guitar tone blasting of the Lion's Lair stage.  "Demons" are from Sweden and came up out of the that rock scene and pre date Hellacopters by a few years.  They are mining that same rock vein.  Loud, fast, punk edged Rock N Roll.

They toured the US heavily in the early aughts. I think mostly due to the fact that American label Gearhead was putting out their albums.  I saw them with New Bomb Turks a couple times.  At this show the opened up for The Dragons along with Land Of El Caminos.  Fun show.

They were still touring behind their LP "Riot Salvation" but they do play a couple songs from the then upcoming LP "Stockholm Slump".   We get a couple choice covers of The Pagans and Misfits.

RAWK!!

"Demons"

Lion's Lair

Denver CO (USA)

2002-03-02

Recorded and Presented By: SxPxDxCx

Source: Coresound CSB's - Sharp 722 minidisc

Transfer: Sony MDS-JE330 - UAC222 - Audition - CDWave - FLAC

Time: (28:24.62) 

01 Degeneration Hotel

02 Voodoo Charm

03 Some Days

04 Riot Salvation

05 Sparkle

06 Devil In Me

07 Clock Strikes 13

08 What's This Shit Called Love? (The Pagans)

09 Undertaker's Lament

10 She (Misfits)

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Tombs @ Three Kings Tavern, Denver CO, 2019-06-15

 

For today's scare on thatsthethingaboutthat.  What is scarier than graves?  Tombs of course.  Boo!!

Tombs is a blackened metal with some post-punk tendencies.  They hail from Brooklyn New York and are Mike Hill's band.  They have been around since 2007.  A lot of their early releases are on Relapse so I know I would have heard some of those but I forget what I heard first.  I had never seen them before so I was excited to see them as part of the 2019 Electric Funeral Fest.  

In a total coincidence, while I was getting this post ready, I see Tombs has a brand new album coming out tomorrow called Feral Darkness.  The preview tracks sound sick so check that out on bandcamp.

Maybe we will see some live dates behind it.  Good stuff.

Here is their short but sweet set from Denver.  Enjoy.

Tombs

Electric Funeral Fest Vol.IV

Three Kings Tavern

Denver CO (USA)

2019-06-15

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source : MBHO KA-500N - JKLabs - M10

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

Time: (38:12.73)

01 Monarchy of Shadows

02 November Wolves

03 Obsidian

04 Deceiver

05 Necro Alchemy

06 The World is Made of Fire 

07 Thanatos

08 Path Of Totality

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Smashing Pumpkins @ Balch Fieldhouse, Boulder CO, 2000-05-16

For todays October scare.  What strikes terror in the mind of almost all who hear it?  It's an icy shriek that pierces right to the bone in it's presence.  Is it a Banshee?  Is it a Siren? No it's more terrifying than that.  The one of a kind howl of a young female person.  Are they in danger? Is something horribly wrong?  No it's just excitement to see Billy Corgan.  I descreamafied this as best I could but there is no fully escaping the the creatures of the night.  The tag team of shriekers mostly attack in-between songs so steal yourself for that.  

This was called The Sacred and Profane tour and it was to promote the Machina album.  Jimmy Chamberlin was back in the band but Darcy was out and replaced with Melissa Auf der Maur from Hole for this tour.  The band seemed in a pretty good mood compared to other times I had seen them.  No fighting between James Iha and Billy on stage.  Lots of songs from Machina and a bunch of older classics.  Nice acoustic interlude in the middle.  Bullet With Butterfly Wings is played in a heavy doom style and it goes into the oddest cover of Talking Head's "Once in a Lifetime".  Billy announced less than a week after this show that the band was calling it quits.  That lasted until 2007 when he started playing as the Smashing Pumpkins again.

Balch is a big auditorium and sounds wasn't amazing but for that room I think they did a pretty good job and this is an enjoyable listen.  Minus the shrieking of course.  Enjoy.

Smashing Pumpkins

The Sacred and Profane tour

Balch Fieldhouse

Boulder CO (USA)

2000-05-16

Recorded: Bill Tatina

Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: MBHO KA-200N - JK Labs DVC-V12 - DAT - CDR 

Transfer: CDR - EAC - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Time: (109:54.52)

01 Age of Innocence

02 Glass and the Ghost Children

03 The Everlasting Gaze

04 Heavy Metal Machine

05 - banter 1 -

06 Blew Away

07 Stand Inside Your Love

08 Blue Skies Bring Tears

09 I of the Mourning

10 To Sheila (acoustic)

11 Muzzle (acoustic)

12 Disarm (acoustic)

13 - banter 2 -

14 Ava Adore

15 Rock On (David Essex)

16 Zero

17 - banter 3 -

18 Today

19 Snail

20 With Every Light

21 Bullet With Butterfly Wings 

22 Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads)

23 - encore -

24 Raindrops + Sunshowers

25 Cherub Rock

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Wormrot @ HQ, Denver CO, 2025-05-13

 Here is another for "scary" October posts.  Worms and Rot and Grindcore!!  Oh My!!

Its been 15 years since I last saw the scary good band Wormrot. It was back in 2010 at Blast'O'Mat.  

You can see that here.  WORMROT at Blast'O'Mat 2010

They are from Singapore so it's a big undertaking to even get to the US these days so I wasn't going to miss them when they came to Denver earlier in 2025 with NO/MAS.   They delivered with a catalog spanning set.  We even got an encore with a song from Abuse.  Enjoy.

Wormrot

HQ

Denver CO (USA)

2025-05-13

Recorded and Presented: SxPxDxCx

Source: AT933 C - SP-SPSB-1 - M10

Transfer: M10 - USB - Audition - CDWave - FLAC 

Run time: (40:25.30)

01 No One Gives a Shit

02 The Darkest Burden

03 Behind Closed Doors

04 Fallen Into Disuse

05 Buried the Sun

06 Oblivious Mess

07 Forced Siege

08 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Grind

09 Public Display of Infection

10 Outburst of Annoyance

11 Left to Rot

12 Loathsome Delusions

13 Principle of Puppet Warfare

14 Vicious Circle

15 Murder

16 Breed to Breed

17 Evolved Into Nothing

18 Grieve

19 Pale Moonlight 

20 Seizures

21 Voiceless Choir

22 When Talking Fails, It's Time for Violence

23 Glass Shards

24 - encore -

25 Fix Your Broken Mind

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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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