Kiltro at Seventh Street Entry (07/07/2023)

07/07 Kiltro at 7th St Entry Kiltro Setlist If I Lead Curico Mi Capitan Cuchito Crazy Pastor Time Errasuriz Softly Underbelly The Drunk The Hustle -- Encore -- Kiltro (Unreleased) Ouray (?) (Unreleased) Guanaco Read More Kiltro Denver’s Kiltro will be headlining out on tour in support of their forthcoming album Underbelly. Kiltro was formed by Chilean-American singer / songwriter Chris Bowers Castillo when . … KFAI Update: KFAI's Radio Pocho DJs to open. Kiltro US Tour June 21 - Detroit, MI - Lager House June 22 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands June 24 - Bethlehem, PA - Sabor Festival …

On my way downtown I caught on the radio a Fresh Air interview of Ringo Starr from 1995. The reason for the replay? It was his birthday (07/07/1940); he turned 83 and it seemed an appropriate moment to listen to the Beatle drummer tell Terry Gross how he first discovered the love of percussive instruments while convalescing in an English countryside greenhouse after a year-long battle with tuberculosis.

Listening to this interview was a bit of foreshadowing for when I arrived at the Seventh Street Entry, the stage had two full drum kits arranged like sectionals of a couch. And as the crowd gathered, KFAI’s Radio Pocho spun records with an international flavor before Kiltro took the stage.

The name kiltro is a Chilean word for stray dog or mutt. Based out of Denver, Colorado, the band is comprised of Chris Bowers Castillo on vocals and acoustic guitar, Will Parkhill on bass and Michael Devincenzi and Fez García on drums. Their sound is informed by ambient neo-psychedelia meeting the South American folk sounds that Castillo listened to as a youth when spending his summers as a child in Chile; then working four years as a tour guide in the port city of Valparaiso after college.

Kiltro’s sophomore album Underbelly is an ode to the port city as Castillo explained to Paste Magazine: “Will and I very much intended for it [Underbelly] to sound like a loud, clanking, cacophony of a city, complete with steam sounds and tires and discordant clattering.”

Much of the album is loops upon loops upon loops and Castillo and Parkhill did a remarkable job translating that sound in a live venue as Devincenzi and García propelled the group with a percussive beat that at times stirred the crowd into random shouts and applause.

This is the second time Kiltro has been at the Seventh Street Entry and it would be nice to see them in a bigger venue where they could spread out and give the audience a full appreciation of their sound. Still, there was quite a bit of love from the crowd that seemed to surprise Castillo and delight Parkhill. When Castillo said he didn’t bring enough setlists on stage, someone quickly shouted out three requests. And after playing a song on keyboard, Parkhill noted that it was the first time that Castillo had played the instrument on the road. Castillo said it was also the first time Parkhill played the bow on bass. Then someone from the crowd shouted: “F*ckin’ drums! Let’s go!”

It was a funny moment and hard to disagree that two drummers behind two drum kits in such a small venue would be leading the charge. And as I listened to the percussive music and danced with the crowd, only one question kept coming to mind: “Why don’t more bands do this?”

Remaining tour dates:

July 8 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
August 9 - San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
August 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold-Diggers
August 11 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy's
August 13 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
August 16 - Austin, TX - Ballroom
August 17 - Houston, TX - WOMH Upstairs
August 18 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
August 19 - Oklahoma City, OK - Resonant Head
August 25 - Denver CO - VORTEX 2023
September 14 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
September 16 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt
September 17 - Seattle, WA - Barboza

Kiltro at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 July 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com