There's nothing quite like starting over.
You once knew them as Meese--the Denver pop/rock band who went national with their album Broadcast last year. After a 5-year stint that landed them a run with the majors, the Meese brothers have reinvented themselves, returning to the indie music scene with an all-new band. Friday night at the Hi-Dive, on Day 2 of the Underground Music Showcase, Denver got to witness the first public appearance of The Centennial.
The faces are familiar, but this is definitely not the Meese we once knew. For one thing, gone are the drums and bass, at least for the time being. Frontman Patrick Meese now covers lead vocals as he plays an electronic drum pad, relinquishing keyboard duties to his wife Tiffany while brother Nathan covers the guitar parts. The sound--and the songs--are also completely different, trading the melodic rock for a more electro-atmospheric sound. The band's new vibe, however, was not lost on the crowd who packed the Hi-Dive to see them; the new band, new sound, and new songs, were all received enthusiastically.
The band's unveiling was without hype and hoopla; in fact, if you hadn't been following along, you'd probably not have known The Centennial used to be Meese. The set carried quite an informal tone for a (re-)debut. The band got a late start due to some technical difficulties, but they seemed to know they were among friends. Patrick addressed the audience as though they were in his living room. "Thanks for your patience," he said to the crowd. "This is the first time we've done this setup outside our basement." He went on to say that the songs they were playing were set to be recorded starting next week.
It was apparent that The Centennial is green, in its seedling stages, and is very likely to evolve as days go by; but it felt like a privilege to hear the new band fresh "out of the basement" for the first time--unpolished, raw, organic. It will be interesting to see where they grow from here.
There's still time to catch the last two days of the UMS. Day passes are $20 at the UMS box office, now located on Archer just west of S. Broadway in Denver, right in front of the outdoor stages in the Goodwill parking lot.
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