Music

Even though he has released 58 albums on his Corwood label since 1978, Jandek is probably not a name familiar to the general public. Counted among his fans, however, are the likes of Kurt Cobain, Low and Will Oldham. The first live Jandek show happened in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2004,…

Photo: Tom Murphy Married in Berdichev! My Feral Kin w/Married in Berdichev! and French Quarter Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Rhinoceropolis Better Than: Missing out on one of the most important tropical-pop bands by going to another show. The opening act, Greenery, didn’t make it for reasons unknown to anyone at…

Who’s the “Pussy’ole?” I had to ponder this question last night as I wondered why the Dizzee Rascal concert went so wrong in every way. First, he didn’t show up, which is, well, like, a problem in itself. More importantly, though, the audience at Cervantes didn’t know why he didn’t…

Photo: Tom Murphy Valet Park This The Slants w/Tornado Alley, Valet Park This and Sofo Monday, July 21, 2008 Lion’s Lair Better Than: Pretty much anything else Denver has going down on a quiet summer Monday. Since I play in Tornado Alley any commentary seems entirely inappropriate. Valet Park This,…

Photo: Jim Narcy Flobots We poured ourselves into the Mile High Music Fest with a passion, and the results filled two extensive blog posts and two slide shows. Here’s a handy guide to everything we saw, shot and wrote at the inaugural edition of this world-class musical bonanza. Live Blog…

The Police and Elvis Costello & the Imposters Monday, July 22, 2008 Red Rocks Amphiteatre Better than: Any show I’ve seen in a long time. Nearly three decades after the Police’s first Denver gig at the Rainbow Music Hall, the band finally made it up to Red Rocks for the…

Click here for a slide show of the event. Global Dance Fest July 19, 2008 Red Rocks Better Than: Drinking the juice from a glowstick Global Dance Fest is evidence that despite dance music’s low profile on the pop culture radar, it’s still a big deal. The festival easily sold…

Photo: Tom Murphy Gata Negra Gata Negra and Hot Robots Sunday, July 20, 2008 Larimer Lounge, Denver Better Than: I thought relatively straight ahead guitar rock could sound. Unfortunately I made it to the Larimer Lounge fairly late due to practicing with my own band so I missed Only Thunder,…

Wadirum Wadirum, Elizabeth Rose, Benyaro Saturday, July 19, 2008, Meadowlark Better than: The weather this weekend. First a bit of confusion; sitting at the downstairs bar, The Meadowlark, we see what could ostensibly be the stage. Granted, the show tonight was going to be of the singer-songwriter variety, so a…

Photo: Tom Murphy Valomierda Fanatics w/Valiomierda Saturday, July 19, 2008 Carioca Café, Denver Better Than: Any hardcore show that I’ve seen for nearly a decade. Finding this show really was something of an odyssey. A couple of weeks ago, Tim Vigil told me about the reunion of legendary Pueblo punk/grindcore…

Photo: Tom Murphy Andy Falconetti Andy Falconetti, Rotaree and John Porcellino Saturday, July 19, 2008 Wax Trax, Denver Better Than: Seeing a show like this at a bar. Andy Falconetti, while tall, is an unprepossessing and utterly unpretentious performer. Normally you’ll see him fronting indie pop legends, Breezy Porticos. But…

Photo: Tom Murphy Yerkish Yerkish, The Skivies and New Ancient Astronauts Friday, July 18, 2008 The Falcon, Denver Better Than: Having to wait even longer to see The Skivies again. Though this bill wasn’t touted as a D.A.R.C. gig, that’s essentially what it was and that was fine with me…

Porlolo, Bad Weather California, Wentworth Kersey, Team Firefox and Sorelina Friday, July 18, 2008 hi-dive Better than: Unicorns and fuzzy blankets. At one point in Porlolo’s delightful set, singer Erin Roberts said she was asked why her she didn’t play last since it was her CD release show. “It’s my…

It’s shaping up to be another banner day at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Today’s lineup at the Mile High Music Fest is considerably stronger than yesterday’s, with anticipated performances from Flobots, the Roots, the Black Crowes, Pinback and Dave Matthews Band, a perennial Colorado favorite. Even the under card is…

Holy mother of God! It is hotter than July out here at the Mile High Music Fest. Oh, right, it is July. Let me put this another way: Imagine being trapped in a port-o-let in the middle of a Texas inferno. Yeah. It’s like that, only hotter. I can literally…

Steely Dan Thursday, July 17, 2008 Red Rocks Better than: Singing alone in the rain. After the Joey DeFrancesco trio warmed things up, the Steely boys (and girls) kicked off their set with “The Royal Scam,” and then went into “Show Biz Kids,” where the lead saxophonist shredded his alto…

Curtis Fuller Thursday, July 17, 2008 (second set) Dazzle Better Than: Fishing with some really good bait. John Coltrane’s Blue Train was one of the most celebrated albums Curtis Fuller played on, so it seemed fitting for the trombonist to open up the set with “Maze,” a song he wrote…

Bella Morte, Torso, the Siren Project Thursday, July 17, 2008 Oriental Theater Better Than: The stuff that most of the Goths seem to be into these days. I’m not sure if they’ve upgraded the sound system or just have better sound guys or what, but last night, the Oriental sounded…