Show Review

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I must say, I was looking forward to this show. Although there were only two bands (basically) playing, I was extremely excited to see both of them. The show far exceeded my expectations, and the intimacy of the small club setting and small attendance was interesting, but only added to the overall enjoyability of the show. Watashi Wa and Copeland are two bands who write driving, serious rock of different styles but both seem to compliment each other with their equal amounts of sincerity.

"Last Chance Diaries," a local Colorado band who have been playing around here for awhile now, seemed to rock, but I only caught the very end of their set. You could tell they still are at that "local" level, as the guitars were a little messy, but nonetheless the band had an obvious amount of potential.

I was insanely excited to see Watashi Wa take the stage. After many years of playing, the band has honed their skills to an outstanding level, and their performance was far above anything I expected to see. They opened with the soon-to-be hit, "All Of Me," and it sounded just as brilliant as on disc. As I listened intently, I was pleased to hear "I'm Not You," from their most recent full-length, "What's In The Way," come blasting through the speakers. The set rolled from each beautifully perfect song to the next; "With Love From Me To You" and "Smoke Signals," as well as the tranquil balladlike "Everything" all sounded brilliant. I was especially impressed with Luke (guitar)'s solid rendition of the delay on "Smoke Signals," and Seth's singing was consistently aligned with the CD almost too perfectly. They closed with their current LP's closing tune, "Look," and it sounded like a recording of the CD it was so brilliant.

Their set was unbelievably on-target with the upcoming full-length, "The Love Of Life," (out June 24th), and they played smoothly and with an easily-noticed charisma as singer Seth exhibited with his constant smile. Watashi Wa displayed an obvious affection for the music they love and, excuse the pun, the love of their lives, and I couldn't help but absolutely love their set--regardless of the inactivity (lack of movement from the 20 kids) around me.

Copeland is a band I have loved forever, and I was anticipating their set, but was slightly afraid Aaron might have trouble pulling off the falsettos and vocals when I saw he was a little sick the night of the show. My worries were demolished when they blasted "When Paula Sparks" and Aaron crooned as if it was the best day of his singing career. The guitar work solid, I was also excited to notice the band's constant energy on-stage, regardless of the sometimes tranquil music they performed. They played a combination of songs from their newest release, "Beneath Medicine Tree," and their split EP with Pacifico, and all the songs sounded accurate to the disc.

The band also had a great on-stage charisma, and all seemed to get along together really well. Their sense of humor added an edge you rarely see in bands these days, and the drummer chimed in often, so you really got the feeling that the band was very tight. The closer was insane and touching, with "May I Have This Dance" transforming into "California."

It's not often that you can see a band and genuinely, absolutely know they are having a great time onstage, and from Watashi Seth's smiles to Copeland's laughs, it was vividly apparent that both bands have an affection for each other and for the music they were playing. They performed brilliantly, as if in front of a huge crowd, when in fact were playing in front of only about 20 kids, and that's when I knew positively that these bands were doing it for the music. Please, please go to a show if it comes through your town, because you will absolutely love it.

review by Andrew Martin