The Clock: Denver Blues - Left Lane Cruiser, Scott H. Biram, & Bob Log III At The Larimer Lounge

I recognized Scott H. Biram ("the 'H' is for 'Fuck you!') sitting at the bar when I walked into the Larimer Lounge (rated two stars at maps.google) wearing my Deep Blues 2007 t-shirt, and struck up a conversation, telling him what a great show he'd put on in Lake Elmo. He would have none of it, apologizing profusely for how drunk he'd been (as if it were the exception), and promised a much better show this night.

I moved outside to the patio and drank beer with a Denverite friend, and Joe and Brenn, of LLC, strolled up. We talked about the Deep Blues Festival, and how all the bands had performed for cheap due to their love and admiration for Chris Johnson. A DBF in 2009 will definitely happen, Brenn assured me, and he told Chris that they'd play for free if that's what it took to keep the festival ball rolling. The genre was just starting to catch traction, he claimed, and the Festival just needed better marketing.

After setting up their equipment, Joe started the show: "We've been touring for three weeks now with Scott Biram and Bob Log, and I tell you, man, we could go another three years. Those guys are the best!" They continued with an awe-inspiring set, replete with all their "hits". [BTW, Stoner, I don't agree with you that their success is due to playing "black-man's music, but faster"; they've forged their own mojo. Also, Joe confirmed that he used to play a semi-hollow body guitar (as I had claimed to you) until he blew his amp head and lacked the funds to replace it. "I loved that guitar, man, but I had to sell it to buy a new amp." I guess that why they call it "the blues"]

Scott Biram arrived on stage fairly lucid, but over the course of an hour he received, and downed, about four or five glasses of whiskey from admirers in the audience, and the act soon devolved into a tirade of drunken ranting like we witnessed at Lake Elmo. He was funny as hell, but his merciless heckling of one girl in the crowd caused her to run out in tears. I shouted to him, "Scott, you promised me you weren't gonna get drunk tonight!"

"I said I wasn't gonna get AS DRUNK, motherfucker!"

I don't know how he did it - not only did he remain conscious, he played his ass off, delivering a flawless performance.

Up to this point, I had been front-and-center at the stage riser, but after another of my Denverite friends arrived, Friday and I took him out to our rental car and shared our cooler-full of Dogfish Head ales. Hearing some commotion back at the bar, we returned to find that Bob Log III had begun his set, the bar was packed, and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage. Worse yet, the batteries in my camera were a hair away from dead.

But, by cycling the camera on-and-off, I did manage to squeeze off a few shots of his performance, including his crowd-surfing in an inflatable raft, and "performing" with a very-willing volunteer for "Boob Scotch".