:: Assembly of Dust / Floodwood ::
:: Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom ::
:: January 17, 2014 ::
Photos and words by Derek Miles
The first thing that came to mind when reflecting on this night was the incredible amount of talent that was jam packed into one building. It’s lucky that Cervantes didn’t implode on itself due to the magnitude of great musicians. It was one of those nights at Cervantes’ where everything fell into place. When the lineup of groups is as good as it was on Friday night, it’s hard to imagine wanting to be at any other venue. Cervantes put on one heck of a variety show; essentially a one-night music festival starting with the new super-group of local proportions known as The Great Guys, featuring members of The Congress, Yamn, and The Whales. This band was uncompromisingly tight. Power, dynamics, chops, and great songwriting fuels a soulful rock sound from this group. Their performance was bold, heavy, and loud, all key ingredients of rock. It may have been said best by Jerry Garcia to David Grisman that “on this planet, louder is better.”
Floodwood made the average acoustic band seem like a visit to the petting zoo by comparison. These guys may have even had more fun than the crowd. Mandolin player Jason Barady was in motion the entire performance. Animated is an understatement. At one point he jumped off stage to play in the front row. If he had any less fun, he wouldn’t be able to pull off the braded pig tails look. During their set they played many originals as well as a smattering of Dead covers like “I Know You Rider” and “Cumberland Blues.” Floodwood delivered a raucous rendition of the bluegrass standard “Nine Pound Hammer” while their original tune “Chilicothe Clouds” presented itself as a lush and inspired composition.
Assembly of Dust doesn’t come to Colorado all that often. Having them play Cervantes’ is certainly a treat. They kicked off their set with a blues tinged song called “Samuel Aging”. Guitarist Adam Terrell really tore into the solo with piercing tone and feeling. “Weehawken Ferry” raised the energy higher with its rollicking drum beat and pentatonic melody. Jason Crosby in particular rose to the occasion with some serious keyboard chops. Now I confess that I’m not incredibly familiar with the band but the dichotomy seems to be that you either love Assembly of Dust or you’ve never heard of them. Most people knew the lyrics to their songs and frankly, the fan adoration for this group was palpable.
