Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wrong. Send your problems to her –…
In a world where you can buy a Dead Kennedys T-shirt at Urban Outfitters, the “punk” label has lost some of its ability to describe anything at all. We spent the past couple of months going to the shows that still embody the genre’s original spirit, the ones that now…
Last week, we held the first of three Westword Music Showcase social hours. Times were had. I’ve spent the week listening to new music I discovered there, and I hope to find a bunch more at round two, which we’ll hold tonight. You’re welcome to join us from 5 p.m…
After 28 years at 7699 West 88th Avenue, Hoffbrau Colorado moved to a new 15,000 square-foot space at 9110 Wadsworth Parkway. It’s about twice as big as the old location and features an expanded stage and more ambitious concert calendar. The grand opening is tonight, May 15 with live music…
For the past 25 years, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Englewood has been owned by the Museum of Outdoor Arts and operated under a single lease, most recently controlled by Live Nation. Last year, that lease expired, and AEG Live signed on to operate the venue for the next fifteen years…
Jordan Leone just turned nineteen, but she’s already a veteran of the behind-the-scenes world of music. She was so adept as an intern for a record label in Australia that they offered her a job, but she returned to Denver to pursue a degree and a burgeoning career as DJ…
Metal music is a genre that transcends all parts of the world and breaks all cultural and language barriers, from North and South America to Europe and even Asia. From the early days of metal, and Judas Priest’s classic 1979 live album Unleashed in the East (recorded in Tokyo), the…
Now rolling out the sixth edition of its local music and comedy compilation, ZetaKaye House’s This Ain’t No Cowtown is more than just a labor of love — it’s like a second job. Sorting through hundreds of submissions for the 2014 edition of the compilation, ZetaKaye House’s John Baxter says…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his sunny outlook with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work and even buy it on his website. • BACKBEAT’S GREATEST HITS • – The fifty best rap lyrics of all time – The ten…
It’s 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday in April, and the main room at Beta Nightclub is nearly empty. But upstairs, in the back of the club, there’s a much smaller, much more brightly lit room, where a handful of kids are congregating even though it’s still early. The scene resembles…
Riot Fest has just announced its 2014 lineup, and it features Slayer, The Cure, Wu Tang Clan, Die Antwoord and more. The festival will make its second appearance in Denver (well, technically Byers, where the host May Farms is located) from September 19 to 21. A limited number of early…
In his song “CTW (Change the World),” from the just-released Force of Nature Vol. 1, local rapper Plat Maravich questions the stereotypical rapping paradigm. “Got money, got girls, but can you change the world?” he raps. It’s a lofty goal for any artist, but one that Maravich hopes to work…
The last time the Black Keys played these parts, it was a two-night stint at the 1STBANK Center two years ago. They’ll be playing much bigger digs on their Thursday, November 13, stop at the Pepsi Center in support of their brand-new album, Turn Blue, which hits stores today. Pre-sale…
Itchy-O Marching Band announced its signing to Alternative Tentacles last Thursday, May 8th. It becomes the latest in a roster of creative weirdos on Jello Biafra’s long-running imprint. Those not familiar with the band in Denver should make an effort to catch it when you can for the sheer spectacle…
As the mercury drops and a light drizzle starts to fall at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the emcee of the Spark Run can’t stop reminding us of how much fun we’re about to have. “This is not your ordinary night!” he shouts from the top of the scaffolding that overlooks…
These days, shows are pretty easy to find out about if you want to and relatively easy to get to. There is rarely true mystique surrounding a concert anymore. But over the weekend, Thug Entrancer played a show at a secret location, and it felt like something from the ’90s,…
The throngs of metal-heads at Slayer’s sold-out Fillmore appearance may have been more excited for the show than Slayer’s own front man Tom Araya. It was Slayer’s first Denver stop since the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman and the well-publicized split with drummer Dave Lombardo, both in the last year…
It’s close to midnight on Friday night, and the crowd at the Bluebird is enraptured by the singer on stage. There’s something of Buddy Holly in him, and he’s tearing through a cover of “Valerie” that would make Amy Winehouse proud. The singer is Brent Cowles, here for the CD-release…
Planet Bluegrass is a place that holds special significance, not just to fans — who line up days ahead of time for the ranch’s annual RockyGrass festival — but to the artists who play there. Partly that’s because of its setting: Tucked beside a cliff wall and the St. Vrain…
Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wrong. Send your problems to her –…
You know gamelan music?” asks Michael Stein. “The instruments are tuned slightly differently, so that’s how they get it to shimmer. They play slightly out of time, so it has an organic delay to it. [Canadian musician] Mac DeMarco’s guitar is shitty and the neck’s really loose, so when he…
Pan Astral has been on the rise in the Denver music scene, partly thanks to their commitment to incorporating visual art with their musical talents. They have found the RiNo District to be the perfect home base for that combination. “The RiNo District is blowing up for sure, and the…
