Father John Misty brings humor and hard topics into balance

Until this past January, Josh Tillman was the drummer for Fleet Foxes. When I meet him at Good Luck Bar in Los Angeles, it’s two weeks after the announcement of his departure from the band. Slumped over the bar, beer in hand, the bearded, 6′ 4″ singer-songwriter stands out; through…

Doo Crowder’s show at West Side Books will not be boring

Doo Crowder (due at West Side Books on Sunday, November 4) first gained renown as a member of indie-pop outfit the Dinnermints. But he’s most well known for his tenure as frontman of the anarcho-orchestra Pee Pee. Since Pee Pee went on indefinite hiatus a few years ago, Crowder has…

Sera Cahoone

Sera Cahoone grew up in Colorado — Littleton, to be exact. By the time she was in middle school, she was playing drums for gigging bands, and in the early ’90s, she formed the experimental-rock band Idle Mind with her friend Roger Green. Although one of the more promising local…

Robert Hood

Considered the originator of minimal techno, Robert Hood is also regarded as one of the style’s most influential producers and is a highly accomplished album artist. As an early member of the staunchly anti-mainstream Underground Resistance musicians’ collective and record label (founded by Jeff Mills and Mad Mike Banks in…

Matt and Kim

If Matt and Kim had never made it as a musical duo, they probably could’ve found success as therapists. The indie-punk band is sickeningly sweet and happy, putting just as much emphasis on their perma-smiles and interaction with fans as on the music they play. They dance on their instruments,…

Heidi

Heidi is one of the few acts in recent years to rise to the upper echelon of the dance-music world through deejaying alone. While most DJs today initially make their names producing original tracks, Heidi secured her reputation as a top-notch jock with her infectious energy and obvious talent. She…

PrettyMouth

Momentarily abandoning her rock roots, former Ghost Buffalo singer Marie Litton leads her dark-folk three-piece PrettyMouth on its debut album, Satan in Clothes. Here Litton lays bare the personal gloom she’s endured over the years, packaging all of it in songs with a ’90s acoustic simplicity wrapped in musically rich…

Bizarre Learning Center

Kicking off with the bubbling and feisty “Bigger,” this EP finds the mostly instrumental Bizarre Learning Center channeling the distorted, glittery melodies of the Pastels or Black Tambourine, only at double speed. Robin Walker’s soothing vocals are mixed at a level comparable to the rest of the instrumentation, resulting in…

Jaden Carlson

Not yet in her teens, Boulder-based singer-songwriter Jaden Carlson already has three albums under her belt. Even more impressive, the gal started playing guitar at age six; since then, she’s developed some fine picking and songwriting chops and has shared the stage with major acts such as Michael Franti and…

Calder’s Revolvers

It’s still a bit early to start engaging in any album-of-the-year type of discussion. Just the same, Steady by Your Side, which offers one of the most exhilarating listening experiences of the year by far, warrants inclusion in any such conversation. Yes, Andy Schneider’s burnished vocals and the band’s blend…

Damian Lazarus will bring range and experience to the Jet Hotel

Damian Lazarus has plenty of experience in the music industry — not just as an artist, but also as a writer and an A&R executive on the City Rockers label, where he helped sign some major talent. Lazarus, who’s been searing dance floors around the world since he was invited to…

Halloween in Denver: Where to go, what to do

While a lot of people began celebrating Halloween this past weekend, there are still a ton of parties to check out, where you can show off whatever clever costume you dreamed up this year (we’re going as either King Diamond — or one of the baseball furies, depending how our…

The Afghan Whigs at Ogden Theater, 10/30/12

THE AFGHAN WHIGS @ OGDEN THEATRE |10/30/12 Probably the biggest surprise of the Afghan Whigs show last night at the Ogden came right before the end of the set when Greg Dulli revealed that his band had a Colorado connection. He told us how more than two decades ago, the…

The 25 creepiest metal album covers

Halloween is the time where it’s acceptable to wallow in the creepy, the crawly, the dark, and the macabre. Sounds like the themes of heavy metal, year-round! Here then, are those most spine-tingliest metal album covers, for your All Hallow’s Eve viewing pleasure. Step inside… See also: – The 25…

Kung Fu Vampire sinks fangs into the rap game

Kung Fu Vampire brings its blood-curdling hip-hop to the Mile High City just in time for Halloween. Formed over a decade ago, the San Jose-based act is lead by the group’s namesake, who’s ferocious, rapid-fire rhymes drive the outfit’s hard-hitting hip-hop, which is delivered with live drums of Chris Paxton…