If you have not yet made it out to a Music With A View performance (on the NIST plaza at the 29th Street Mall in Boulder), you have one more chance. Two weeks from tonight, Miniskus will play. For free. On the flagstones. Right there between Borders and Laudisio’s. You don’t wanna miss it, I’m-a tellin’ you.

I’ve been to all three so far. On June 8, I think it was, the series kicked off with three hours of Henry Butler. Henry freakin’ Butler…

…The New Orleans piano legend who played two, three, I dunno, let’s just say a bunch of sets at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. I was privileged to hear his solo show on the first Saturday and then his contribution to the New Orleans Social Club set (Doctor John, Irma Thomas, a couple of Nevilles, oh my Gods what a show). And then I come back to Boulder and Mr. Butler is holding forth free on the flagstones like it ain’t no thing. Shaking everybody’s hand between sets. Cracking jokes about driving to Denver and “raise your hand so I can see you” (he’s blind). Bringing Boulder on a tour down Bourbon Street and into the Marigny.

Two weeks later it was 8traC, “The Motown Experience” (not to be confused with 8 Track All Stars, who are playing right here at Cafe Play at this very minute). I went with my husband and a friend to Laudisio’s for that show, had dinner out on their patio, and discovered that this is not actually conducive to conversation. The show was a little loud for that. But they were good! Motown flavor, yes; also modern pop, hip-hop-ish-stuff, and (I kid you not) keyboards reminiscent of Yes circa 1974. We didn’t stay for the whole show ’cause we did want to try socializing a bit where we could hear ourselves think, but it was a pleasant way to be conversation-deafened for an hour.

And tonight there were two bands: FACE (pop a capella) and Quemando (salsa). Of the two, I was mainly into FACE, because pitch-perfect all-voice replications of ’80s (and other) pop totally makes me happy-happy. FACE did not disappoint. When I showed up, they were performing “If You Could Only See,” and then soon after that it was a medley of “You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three” and “Jump, Jive ‘n Wail” with full compliment of skat. When they did “Safety Dance” I just about laughed myself to tears.

I had my laptop and all its accessories with me, including a small mike, so I started recording. It’s not a quality recording. It’s not even bootleg quality. It’s “oh my God listen to this isn’t it freakin’ cool they’re doing all that with their mouths” quality. You’ll have to turn your sound all the way up for this. Headphones best. (If you’ve got WinAmp, use the “Live” EQ preset.) Ladies and gentlemen, I present… the drum solo.

No, there are no drums involved. Yes, it’s solo. Yes, that is one guy’s mouth doing all that. (That one guy also does a mean Steve Perry sound-alike, too.)

If you want to hear more, FACE have made pretty much every track they’ve recorded available here, although I can’t swear to how long each clip is. You can buy the CDs, too. Which I’ve done. Yay!

So, like I said, Miniskus on July the 20th. Be there!