LEFTOVER SALMON @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | FRI & SAT, 3/29-3/30 Leftover Salmon has graced the the bluegrass scene with their talents for 23 years and counting. With the passing of Mark Vann in 2001, the band hasn’t produced an album in eight years. The addition of Andy Thorn, carried over…
THUGFUCKER @ NORAD | SAT, 3/30/13 The duo collectively known as Thugfucker doesn’t take themselves very seriously, despite collaborating to form the Life and Death brand — a name you might remember from assorted showcases and live shows last year, including a stop at the AfterHours Anonymous anniversary party. Although…
The 2013 Best of Denver issue is on stands now, and in its 196 pages you’ll find Westword’s picks for the best people, places and services in Denver. Along the way, we asked you to nominate and then vote for your favorites online, via paper ballots and through text messages…
SAGE FRANCIS @ FOX THEATRE | THU, 4/18 When evaluating an artist like Sage Francis, the question inevitably arises: Should a musician be cherished for the values they hold and their loyalty to said values or their ability to make enjoyable and listenable music? If it’s the former, then Sage…
KVELERTAK @ LARIMER LOUNGE | TUES, 4/30/13 Kvelertak formed in 2007. Completely disregarding a line between metal and punk, the Stavanger, Norway-based act brings the sonic intensity and violent and frayed dynamics of bands like Breather Resist. The band’s song “Mjød” appeared in the end credits for the 2010 film…
Before Yoko Ono even met John Lennon, she was an active and influential figure in international avant-garde art and music. In the 1950s, she went to school at Sarah Lawrence College, during which time she rubbed shoulders with the likes of La Monte Young. Her mentor was the godfather of…
MATT SKELLENGER GROUP @ DAZZLE | SAT, 4/6 Fusing jazz with Indian rhythms and percussion, bassist Matt Skellenger follows up his 2009 release, Parentheticals, with his outstanding new disc, The Owls Are Not What They Seem (yes, the title is a nod to Twin Peaks), which he’ll be issuing at…
Winter is officially in the books. Spring is finally here, and we’ve got a whole new batch of shows to look forward to. Before we forge ahead, we thought we take a look back at all the shows we made it out to in the past few months and single…
Our annual Best of Denver issue hits stands today. It’s a painstaking issue to put together each year, but one that everyone looks forward to. This edition is even more significant, however, as it’s the thirtieth edition. It’s also a minor milestone for Backbeat, as it marks the tenth edition…
Our annual Best of Denver issue hits stands today. It’s a painstaking issue to put together each year, but one that everyone looks forward to. This edition is even more significant, however, as it’s the thirtieth edition. It’s also a minor milestone for Backbeat, as it marks the tenth edition…
Update, 3/28/13: HARD has released the lineup for HARDFest at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Page down to see the poster with the full roster of acts. Good news! We just got word from HARD Events, the producers behind the HARD Haunted Mansion, HARD Summer and Holy Ship!! cruise, that the massive…
Feuds, tantrums, threatening to kill the president: If you’ve been following rock music for the past few decades, you know that dickish behavior comes with the territory when your job involves a stage and adoring fans. Here we’ve assembled the reprehensible cream that has risen to the top, highlighting the…
Led Zeppelin was already a record-setting global powerhouse when Atlantic Records released the band’s fifth album, Houses of the Holy, on March 28, 1973. The English quartet had laid down the basic tracks for the record in the spring of 1972 at the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording studio at Stargroves,…
As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it’s not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: “What are you listening to right now?” Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn’t you know it, off…
Wow! We haven’t seen this mesmerizing mural in the flesh yet, but Danielle Lirette, our photo intern, did, and she brought us back these great photos. The piece, which is painted on the side of Bubba Chinos at 160 Federal Boulevard, is the handiwork of PJ Sierra (aka Stale Art)…
The battle-rap scene has grown tremendously over the past few years, thanks to video battles like Smack DVDs and Fight Klub, and leagues like King of the Dot, Grind Time and the UW Battle League springing up everywhere. Dizaster — in town this weekend to battle Detour as part of…
Getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha freak on! We all know that there are lots of ways to become immortalized at a massive outdoor music gathering like Ultra Music Festival, such as, oh, I don’t know, humping a tree, or maybe dancing naked while getting arrested. But Mom would probably prefer…
The biggest show announcement this week actually came last week — talking about Prince at the Ogden, of course — but there’s a whole bunch of other new shows to let you know about this week, including Keith Urban at Red Rocks, Lamb of God at the Boulder Theater, John…
Oh, man! What a spring concert season you have in store. We originally set out to assemble a list of the 25 best concerts this spring, and we found there were so many great shows, we had to expand it to the fifty best shows, from hot buzz bands like…
Photo by George Martinez There’s something so liberating about going to an event like Ultra Music Festival. Although the looks change every year, there is a lax unity, an agreement, that you can get away with wearing whatever you want. Even so, there are things that uniformly trended this year…
Victor Gonzalez Ultra Music Festival is a zoo. From land sharks to killer whales, pink flamingos to African zebras, UMF 2013 is starting to feel a lot like a World Wildlife Foundation fundraiser, complete with endangered species and cuddly critters. Sure, they’re inflatable, but just the same. These are some…
It took a long time for the South to be recognized as a major player in the hip-hop scene, and it still has a ways to go to be held in the same regard as the East and West coasts, but with the emergence of a new breed of countrified…
