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Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Westword Review of Our Mile High Music Festival Set
John Common and the Blinding Flashes of Light at Mile High Music Festival, day two
By A.H. Goldstein, Sun., Aug. 15 2010 @ 2:41PM
John Common & Building Flashes of Light
John Common and the Blinding Flashes of Light didn't let the early hour or the high temperatures derail their sense of decorum. The band emerged for their early afternoon set decked in suits and dress wear, a touch that added a degree of formality and theatricality to their set.
As far as the music, the group delivered a well-honed performance, one marked by the ensemble's trademark blend of soaring vocals, blues and folk structures and rich contours. Common's vocal approach and powerful guitar work seems designed to fill an amphitheater, but it works just as well in an outdoor, open-air venue. The frontman's philosophical lyrics and novel chord structures find their real power in the work of the ensemble, a group that features bright Moog work, refined cello and clarinet lines and a compelling female vocal complement in the form of backup singer Jess De Nicola.
Its the combination of these elements that make songs like "Go to Hell With Me" more than the sum of their parts. The bluesy, minor-based plaint expands with the addition of a clarinet, bright keyboard lines and forceful drum accompaniment.
Indeed, the sound feels downright epic at times, and the effect makes for a forceful and ambitious start of the Mile High Music Festival's second day.
Posted By John Common at: 3:08 am
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