Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the patio shows at Velo Garage and Tap House? Oh, I have? A lot? Well, then I'll move on. But really, it's just a great way to spend a summer night.

Just after eight o'clock, when the evening started to set in and the shadows began to creep and the temperature dropped to a simmer, Matt Hamer and Mark Ronning took the stage. Mr. Golden Sun is usually a quartet, but anytime Hamer plays, it is Mr. Golden Sun. This duo form delivered a long, 50-minute opening set that muted some of the band's rambunctious indie pop leanings and played up its sensitive coffeeshop side. Hamer began the set on electric guitar and finished with three songs on an acoustic to hammer that point home. On either form, his songs are sophisticated, and his lyrics poignant and literary. The set's acme came in the form of two new songs delivered in the middle of the set ("Till the Glow Disappears" and "What We're Doing to Ourselves".) They're the sort of pop songs one might expect from Ron Sexsmith or Rufus Wainwright – just presented with less schmaltz. The later song was highlighted by Ronning's keyboard work. He offered warm electric piano from one keyboard and ringing low synths from a second. Afterwards Ronning announced that this was "the end of the saddest part of the set." Later Hamer would elaborate, explaining "A lot of our songs are about people just doing their best to get by." Hamer tells their stories well and his sung vocals hugged the courtyard. Although he warned of a lingering illness that impacted his throat, his performance didn't suffer beyond a few coughs delivered off mic. Ronning offered support with a few well-placed backing vocals. Near the end of the set the band played a cover of "Virginia" by David Bazan, introducing another songwriter comparison that might be more apt. Then the set ended with "Denver Omelet." Like many of the songs played, it has been kicking around for years, but remains unreleased. I expect it will eventually turn up on the band's long-rumored and oft-promised debut album.

After a fifteen-minute pause, the polarity was swapped allowing Teri Quinn to take the stage. If Matt Hamer brings stories to light in Mr. Golden Sun, Quinn and their backing band (dubbed "the coyotes") bury them under the shadow of the moon. Quinn's music is defined by both their folk-informed vocals, and their banjo. The latter is sometimes played in tumbling three-finger rolls and other times frailed in a spooky limp. The combination of their voice and banjo is categorically witchy, yet with the addition of the rest of the band, other moods are revealed. Guitarist Landon Hambright amplifies Quinn's instincts with washes, accents them with solos, and transforms them with echoing dub hits. Sometimes his backing vocals allow Quinn to shift theirs higher, creating a new sonic ceiling for the band. Bassist Carly Atwood commands the slinky lines that inspire movement, despite her own stationary post at the rear of the stage. Drummer John Goss has a big job. He plays shuffles with the bass, tumbles with the banjo, and crashes with the guitar. For some reason the first song was rough, but Goss synced up quickly afterwards. For the final three songs of the night, Quinn traded their banjo for an electric guitar. These songs were the most languid and atmospheric, welcoming in the night that had now settled onto the courtyard.

Throughout the 45-minute set Quinn engaged the audience, explaining song origins, shilling their custom jewelry, sharing stories of depression, and cursing not entirely under their breath when tuning. While the crowd remained seated (as is the comfy custom at Velo Garage), it happily howled along when Quinn spurred it into action. It's fun to literally bark at the moon. I don't know why it has such a bad reputation. Like the opening act, much of this band's set featured unreleased music scheduled for an upcoming album that is in the works. Until it is finished, 2023's Deafening Silence EP is a good example of Quinn's songcraft, their tumbling banjo, and their striking vocal timbre. You should be able to find it wherever fine music is streamed.