Joe Pug – February 20th – Swallow Hill

Photos by Tim Dwenger

Last Thursday night offered me the opportunity to do several things that I haven’t done in a while. First, I hadn’t been to see a show at Swallow Hill in several years. In fact, it might have been since I saw John Moreland there back in . . . woah . . . 2016??? Is that possible? Anyway, amid all the din that is dominating the news cycle these days, it was nice to be back in the cozy confines of Denver’s Folk music Mecca. It’s a place where you can bump into old friends, rub shoulders with the artists you have come to see, and perhaps most importantly, listen to them perform the songs that they and their fans hold so dear. You see, I spend a lot of time going to shows at places like The Mission, The Ogden, The Bluebird, and Globe Hall and, quite frankly, for a lot of people, it’s not all about listening in most of those rooms. I’m not throwing stones here as I’ve been known to chomp away with the best of them, but it is nice when you can sit quietly and just . . . listen.

Second, I got to hang out with my buddy Ty. Ty and I met back in 2011 at an Other Lives show at the Hi-Dive, bonded over live music and photography, and he has contributed a ton to this site over the years. He is one of a select few of my friends that shares my love for Folk music and as soon as I saw that Patrick Dethlefs was going to be opening for Joe Pug on this night, I knew he was the guy to call. Ty introduced me to Patrick’s music and I think that one of the very first times we hung out together was at a Joe Pug show at The Bluebird way back in 2012. It was great to catch up and spend some time listening to music together.

Third, I haven’t seen Joe Pug live in a bunch of years. I’m not really sure how many, but if I had to guess I’d say it’s been at least 10. Sorry Joe! He’s aged a bit since I last saw him (haven’t we all), and he’s classed himself up a bit as he came out mustachioed, wearing a suit, and looking a bit like an ATF agent (his words not mine). It was good to see that the years haven’t worn the sharp edges from his brilliantly written songs as lyrics like “I’ve come to test the timber of my heart” from “Hymn #101” and “I was born into a circus / But I ran off to join a home” from “How Good You Are” still struck home as he delivered them to the extremely attentive crowd. Pug got some laughs when he told us the stories behind “I Do My Father’s Drugs” and “I Don’t Work In A Bank”. The latter of which he described as a song about “Domestic Reality” that he had written after a fight with his wife, but had yet to play for her. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.

Pug dropped a few other of my favorite songs into the setlist including “Hymn #35” and “Veteran Fighter” but an unexpected cover of John Prine’s “Sam Stone” may have stolen the show. He delivered the poignant ballad after singing the praises of Swallow Hill and it’s place in the dwindling list of venerable Folk clubs in the country. As the show wound to an early conclusion just about an hour after it started (maybe due to the Thursday night snow storm outside?), Pug opened the floor to requests and “Speak Plainly To Me Diana” rang out. It was a clear and obvious choice, but I found myself wishing that maybe a deeper cut from Messenger like “Unsophisticated Heart” or “Bury Me (Far From My Uniform)” had made the cut.

All in all it was a great night out with great friends and good music at a wonderful venue. If you haven’t been out to Swallow Hill in a bit, grab a friend and catch a show sometime soon!