Pete Wernick began his long career as one of bluegrass’s most accomplished purveyors in the most unlikely of places: New York. Since moving to Colorado in 1976, “Dr. Banjo” has gained renown with the legendary group Hot Rize and demonstrated his plucking skills with such groups as Phish, Leftover Salmon…
Before Argentinean Federico Aubele began working on his latest release, Panamericana, he realized that most of the music that influenced him, particularly reggae, hip-hop and tango, came from the Americas. So the Pan-American Highway, a network of roads that runs from the tip of Argentina to Alaska, became the ideal…
Listening to the ridiculously accomplished, hyper-speed, eardrum-melting deathcore/grind on Job for a Cowboy’s debut full-length, Genesis — blast beats, demon-growl vocals and mauling razorwire riffs galore — you figure these have got to be some burly, bearded Scandinavian metal vets who’ve wallowed in the shit of life for years. Somewhat…
Why was Paramore the breakout band from this year’s Warped Tour? As its appearance at Warped’s Denver stop demonstrated, the Tennessee-based outfit (currently touring with the Starting Line and Set Your Goals) has plenty of appeal, albeit of the gender-specific variety. While the group didn’t deliver a powerhouse set, singer…
While Amy Winehouse mined the albums of ’60s girl groups and Phil Spector for inspiration on Back to Black, the three gals in the Pipettes take a much more playful approach to that era. On its debut, We Are the Pipettes, the British group takes a few vocal cues from…
Why did My December, Kelly Clarkson’s latest CD, cause such a stir? Because it was better than anyone anticipated. Clarkson, of course, smooched fame thanks to American Idol, and while many of her subsequent recordings — particularly “Miss Independent” and “Since U Been Gone” — were mighty catchy, they remained…
Over the course of twenty years, eight studio albums and one live offering, Prong has shared musicians with Swans, Danzig, Ministry, Killing Joke and, uh, Madonna. While copping to backing that last artist is probably a confession best left to the dance floor, consider that bassist Monte Pittman also provided…
One of the last places you’d expect atmospheric and uplifting music to emerge would be Montrose, Colorado — but that’s where Cody Crump resided until a recent move to Denver. The First Movement is his debut solo release. As a member of post-rock band Edison Gale, Crump honed his ear…
“Prescription Kills,” one of the catchier tunes on the Daily Afflictions’ new CD, Dive On In, pivots on the phrase “blah, blah, bullshit.” And while these words can’t be applied to the disc itself, production woes prevent the al-bum from making much of an impression. Lead singer Timothy Ott’s voice…
A more accurate title for Carrie Underwood’s latest effort would be Kiddie Coaster, because this is one boring ride. The sophomore release from country music’s favorite Idol provides few thrills as it mechanically runs around in circles, all the while showing just how little Underwood has matured as a vocalist…
Eagles Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit may all love music, but they don’t make it collectively unless there’s a mammoth payday involved. Maybe that’s why this set, which is being released through a profit-maximizing deal with Wal-Mart, seems more inspired by commerce than art. The…
60 Watt Kid, 60 Watt Kid (Absolutely Kosher). On their eponymous debut, San Francisco Kids Kevin Litrow, Derek Thomas and Garrett Pierce strike an appropriate balance between the twisted past and the unknowable future. On cuts such as “Every Day” and “Time of Mad Scientists,” the three pit retro keys…
The term “art rock” has fallen out of favor in recent years, largely because of its close association with certain pretentious and tedious ’70s-era acts. (Can I name one of the worst offenders? The answer is…Yes!) Last year, however, a gaggle of enterprising locals decided to resurrect the descriptor by…
So I’m driving up that hill on McCaslin Boulevard just before South Boulder Road, and this guy in a station wagon is merging into my lane, only he’s not really merging — he’s speeding up when he should be putting on the brakes and letting me pass. I move over…
There’s something innately impressive about being the DJ with the most releases in the Global Underground series, arguably the best known and best respected series of DJ mix albums. And Nick Warren (due at the Church on Thursday, November 1) has six excellent releases in the collection. Those mixes, coupled…
Update: Click here and here for live blog coverage of the entire event. Chuck Morris is an icon. His legacy in this town has already been firmly established, and he’s really got nothing left to prove to anyone — except, perhaps, himself. And since he’s successfully promoted concerts here for…
The mini-profile of Northern State that appears in the November 1 issue of Westword springs from the following maxi-Q&A with Julie Potash, one of three MCs in the sprightly hip-hop act. It’s her second interview with the paper, but the first one to actually appear in print; a previous article…
The conversation with Northern State’s Julie Potash found in this blog isn’t her first chat with Westword. She spoke with the paper in the fall of 2003 in advance of a planned performance in the Denver area, and the interview formed the basis of a full-length profile – but when…
Nick Hutchinson recently had the chance to chat with legendary bluegrass purveyor Pete Wernick about his influences, how he got his nickname and the difference between playing with Hot Rize and with Flexigrass. We ran a few highlights from their conversation in the November 1 issue, and here, in the…
“Back to My Old Ways” Dr. Dog We All Belong Every time I hear the tinkly piano into to this song – the only one I like by this band – I think of Bobby Bare Jr. Bare is my favorite live performer touring these days, and I caught up…
Minus the Bear, the Helio Sequence and Grand Archives October 29, 2007 Gothic Theatre Better than: Flying to the Northwest to see each of these bands. When it comes to concerts, sometimes it’s better to go in blind but with open ears, where you hardly have any expectations and just…
Blackalicious took much of their set from Blazing Arrow. Crown City Rockers, Mighty Underdogs and Blackalicious October 27, 2007, Fox Theatre Better than: Dropping a grand on tickets to the Museum of Contemporary Art opening. There were only a handful of people in the building for the all-ages show when…
