For Joseph Pope III, who’s played in a number of local acts like Born in the Flood, the Wheel, Fairchildren and is now the front man of Miss America by Wheary, songwriting is like falling in love. “It’s like you’re in this honeymoon period, and you’re just so infatuated and…
Beginning September 27, Colorado music lovers can get a listen and look at some of the state’s best musicians as they come through Colorado Public Radio’s OpenAir Studios via a new television show, OpenAir Live & Local. A collaboration with the team behind local television station CPT12’s Sounds on 29th,…
Outkast, now just a handful of shows away from what looks a lot like the end of its performing career, has made something of an art form out of cleverly describing its own level of “cool.” Though the Atlanta duo is far from the first rap group to do so,…
First of all, whoever decided to present Drake and Lil Wayne in a staged performance competition was fucking brilliant. Taking two radio hip hop stars and giving them equal stage time by weaving their sets together meant the energy during a two-hour set last night at Red Rocks never dissipated;…
The Mishawaka was homesteaded in 1916, which makes it one of the oldest venues in Colorado. It sits 23 miles from Fort Collins, in Roosevelt National Park, nestled between the raging Poudre river and a canyon wall. It has hosted legends such as Leon Russel, George Clinton, Bela Fleck and…
Coloradoans will have the chance to watch Governor Hickenlooper play banjo with the Infamous Stringdusters, drink beer, and celebrate a year of rebuilding and volunteer efforts this Saturday at Viva Lyons, a fundraiser hosted by Oskar Blues. The fundraiser and party, which is about more than just Hickenlooper showing off…
Goldrush Music Festival has always featured a meticulous lineup of local and national artists working with unusual sounds and approaches. This year is the biggest in the four-year history of Goldrush, with headliner Wolf Eyes joining a slew of other exceptional noisemakers on three stages at Larimer Lounge and the…
9NEWS had a nice little segment earlier this week on how to overcome Fear, the classic LA hardcore band. Psychologist Dr. Max Wachtel stopped by the morning show to talk to Corey Rose about how they hate spiders and whether Lee Ving was being offensive or simply antagonistic in his…
The Mishawaka is tucked between a mountain face and a river in a canyon west of Fort Collins, where it has stood as a music hall for 96 years and an outdoor amphitheater for close to thirty. Despite its storied history, the venue often referred to as the Mish has…
Though the Denver Public Library’s local-music catalogue Volume Denver launched this past summer, the well-received program is getting some extra love in the form of an official launch party happening this Thursday, September 11, at the McNichols Building. Overdue: Beer, Books & Bands will celebrate this latest addition to the…
Internet Pinball DatabaseI am a devoted video-game fan and a constant cheerleader for them to be considered art, but honestly, I would give up most of the compelling stories and high-definition graphics in the world for simple pinball machines. They’re crafted and mechanical, and when built with a loving hand,…
Yesterday, Linkin Park headlined Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater. That band has aged surprisingly well, as rap-rock goes, but it brought a mighty opener in AFI. No one’s following that band and coming out looking good. Photographer Aaron Thackeray, however, was able to capture some incredible shots of AFI, particularly front man…
Wolf Eyes is among the most well-known bands to have come out of the world of noise music. But the act was never strictly noise; its music, even early on, included experiments in texture and atmosphere that could terrify and inspire. What started as Nate Young’s solo project now also…
Usher brings his UR Experience to the 1STBANK Center on Tuesday, December 2 with August Alsina and DJ Cassidy opening. Tickets ($39-$154) go on sale on Monday, September 15, at 10 a.m. Chrissie Hynde visits the Paramount Theatre as part of her 25-city North American tour in support of her…
Kind of a quiet week, as week’s in Denver’s live music scene go. There are a few good shows before the weekend, though, including Drake and Lil Wayne’s co-headlining tour and Midge Ure at Soiled Dove. Rest up: The weekend’s a doozy, with big shows from Rubedo, Miss America and…
Reviewing music is, at best, an inexact science. You may say, “I don’t like The Mountain Goats because John Darnielle’s voice is annoying.” I would respond with, “Fuck you, his voice isn’t annoying at all, you just don’t get it.” That’s pretty much divisive music discourse in a nutshell. But…
Siblings are the best. Siblings are people who understand your weirdness because they too, are usually a product of the same upbringing. They are often the only people to agree with you when the rest of the world seems not to. They are also often the best partners in both…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. Rufus Baxter: Part Nine Rufus Baxter:…
Critics do their best to ignore Blink-182. After all, it’s not easy to get scrunched up with deep opinions about lip-ringed, occasionally naked SoCal troublemakers hawking pre-YouTube music-video softcore on early-morning MTV rotation. Pitchfork didn’t even bother publishing a flogging (a la 21st Century Breakdown) of Blink’s 2011 comeback album…
The Disco Biscuits will play in Denver next weekend. That much isn’t news, but late last night, the band announced a venue change — again. Originally, the shows were going to take place at Sculpture Park. They were moved to Ruby Hill Park when that didn’t work out, and the…
Megan ArseneauxArseneaux shows off how to smoke out of her handmade Secret Smoker Bracelet. Even though recreational marijuana is now legal in Colorado, you can’t smoke it in public, and most private operations still ban its use. So how are you going to sneak your drugs into music festivals while…
The difference between learning to play an instrument and learning to play an instrument within the context of a band can make all the difference for young musicians. Global company School of Rock was founded on this idea, and Denver’s own branch of the school is going strong today, teaching…
