The Fray’s latest feels like a natural progression from its massively successful debut. Everything that drew listeners in the first time — the piano-driven ballads, the tasteful guitar flourishes, the dramatic builds, the soaring melodies and earnest, soul-searching lyrics — is plentiful here and more refined. The magnetism of Isaac…
In the early ’90s, Gang Starr rapper Guru helped pioneer the fusion of hip-hop and live jazz with his various Jazzmatazz groups and recordings. While he might not have been the first to mix the two, he proved that they can be worthy companions, as does TheSaurus. As the band’s…
Hailing from San Diego rather than Louisiana, Delta Spirit writes the type of music that will always be lumped in with some strain of Americana. A casual listen to the band’s music reveals roots in the folk, blues and soul that is very much a part of that tradition, but…
Crowboy’s Christopher Smith and Todd Redmond classify their music as alt-country, and that’s probably appropriate. But Making Up for Lost Time avoids the pretentiousness that sometimes taints the style via a bracingly straightforward presentation that keeps frills to a minimum. The instrumentation stays simple, with fitting focus placed on Smith’s…
My Sister Outlaw once considered using the title of this record as its moniker, which makes sense; the feisty material here certainly fits. From the shimmeringly psychedelic “Aphrodesiac” to the hard-edged “Bus Stop” to the latter-day riot-grrrl rock of “Whatever,” the remarkable variety of sounds is reflective of the input…
People often ask me, “Adam, what’s the hardest part about being such a sophisticated gadabout with a head of hair that’d make a Beatle cry and the alcoholism of an Irish playwright?” A great question. The hardest part is having to put up with people who feel like they have…
Last night’s show went rather well considering that Andy and I both arrived at the station and made it up to the studio literally three minutes before showtime. (Mental note: Leave earlier next week, doofus!) That was all behind the scenes, though. Listening to the playback today, we sound like…
In less than two hours, the Fray is slated to take the stage at New York’s Webster Hall, a room which played host to a recent set from DeVotchka. No where near Gotham? No worries. Make your way over to the act’s website and you can stream the whole thing…
I just received a new track from Steve Gray, formerly of Maraca Five-O and Blue-Blooded Girls. The project, which also includes Gray’s Five-O/Blue-Blooded co-conspirator, Mike Behrenhausen, is called Codename: Carter. As far as I can tell, Codename: Carter picks up where Maraca Five-O left off, somewhere between surf rock and…
UPDATE: Just got word that the shoot is postponed until Friday, February 6, at noon. I know this doesn’t help you much if you are already there, but those of you suffering the pain of knowing you missed it just got another chance. If you’ve always wanted to watch a…
I just stumbled upon this gem of mid-90s Denver rap, Give it Up 2 Da Mile High by the Black Hole Posse, and was transported back to a time of Fila sweatshirts, Alize and tall beanies. Clearly, the Black Hole Posse was all about “regulatin’ in this Colorado sunshine” with…
Received word earlier today from Heavenfest founder Luke Bodley that the annual Christian themed summer festival has expanded the number of acts slated to appear this August to eighty. Last year’s event was well received enough to not only continue but to attract marquee Christian acts like Third Day, Skillet…
Lily Allen, whose new album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, hits the streets next Tuesday, will stop at the Ogden Theatre on Thursday, April 9, while New Zealand folk comedy duo Flight of the Conchords hit Red Rocks with Iron & Wine and Arj Barker on Saturday, May 15. A…
We started off the day talking about the Fray’s new album, which hit stores today, and posted a link to its performance on Good Morning America. So it seems fitting to end the day with another clip that Ron Patrick from Douglas County Television brought to our attention of Isaac…
Although we heard grumblings about this last week, we held off reporting anything until we received confirmation. (You know, journalistic due diligence and all that.) Well, we now have confirmation: Railbenders frontman Jim Dalton has been asked to join Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers to replace departing guitarist Steve Larson…
I recently received a hilarious email from country-folk-punk outfit Herman Gauche. The message simply said, “Make out with me.” Now, normally, I would ignore such a desperate and needy cry for attention. In this case, however, the band had already come highly recommended, so I popped over to MySpace for…
It’s here. The day of reckoning for Denver’s most high profile band. Five years ago, they were four unknown guys dreaming, wondering, hoping — hoping that their music could break out of a city that most people in this country would’ve had a hard time finding on a map. Today,…
For the second week in a row, Ludacris grabbed the number-one spot on Independent’s top seller’s list (week of Jan. 26 to Feb. 1), beating out Kanye West and Bruce Springsteen and Akon. The full breakdown is listed after the jump…
Bruce Springsteen’s latest album, Working on a Dream, nabbed the number-one spot on Twist & Shout’s top-seller list for the week ending Feb. 1, while Bon Iver’s For Emma Forever Ago album and the Blood Bank EP each landed in the top 10 as well. The full breakdown is listed after the…
After a brief hiatus, Sound Bites, our economy-sized album reviews, is back. In this first edition, Andy Thomas weighs in on five recent national releases from Ben Nichols from Lucero (pictured left), O Pioneers, Two Cow Garage, Portugal. The Man and Jessica Lea Mayfield with Blasphemy after the jump…
Gotta love the matter-of-fact nature of the Mansfields. The Colorado Springs outfit, which continues to enjoy frequent spins on Rodney on the Roq’s specialty show, Sunday nights on KROQ, took the time to fashion a list of frequently asked questions for anyone who might be interested in doing an interview…
I was shuttling between the hi-dive and the Larimer Lounge on Friday night, so unfortunately, I didn’t catch Reno Divorce and Slim Cessna heating things up for Reverend Horton Heat at the Ogden. But from the sounds of it — Jon Solomon was at the show — both acts tore…
