“No Hold Barz” showcases the Power of Wordz

So we’re thoroughly anticipating the release of the new Spoke in Wordz collaboration, Power of Wordz, (slated for release on Friday, January 21, at Casselman’s). From the cast of characters (take a look at the cover in the above clip) and from the snippets we’ve heard thus far, this comp…

Havok prepares to release second album on Candlelight

We’ve just received word that Havok, Denver’s thrash-metal flag-bearers, are set to continue wreaking, well, havoc in 2011. The act has reportedly finished work on its follow-up to 2009’s Burn. Recorded by James Murphy (Death, Testament), Time Is Up, the new album, the outfit’s second for Candlelight Records, is slated…

Brace yourselves: 12th Annual Juggalo Gathering dates announced for 2011

In defiance of Tila Tequila’s seemingly idle threats that she would single-handedly bring down the cultural juggernaut that is the Juggalo Gathering after last year’s melee, in which she endured flying dildos and urine bombs, Psychopathic Records and ICP have announced the dates of this year’s Gathering. Once again, the…

Top 10 music documentaries currently streaming on Netflix

Netflix’s instant streaming service is quite possibly the most amazing service in the history of mankind. Combing through its offerings, however, is no easy task. Fortunately, we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time watching music documentaries (so you don’t have to) and have narrowed down the ten best offerings. Click…

Janet Jackson, Jethro Tull, OMD shows announced. Tix on sale this weekend.

Janet Jackson visits the Wells Fargo Theatre on Wednesday, April 6, as part of her Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour, during which she’ll be performing music exclusively from her album, Number Ones. Jackson’s new book on self-esteem, dieting and exercise,True You, hits stores February 8. Reserved tickets ($64.50-$149.50)…

Dashboard Confessional at Summit Music Hall, 01/10/11

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL John Jefler, Lady Danville and Chris Conley Summit Music Hall | 1.10.11 View the full slide show. Unsurprisingly, a huge amount of people waited outside Summit Music Hall last night to witness the ten-year anniversary of Dashboard Confessional. Chris Conley, the sole remaining member of Saves the Day,…

Shenandoah Davis at the Mercury, 01/08/11

SHENANDOAH DAVIS With Pee-Pee, Laura Goldhamer and Princess Music 01.08.11 | Mercury Cafe The Mercury Café was looking sexy on Saturday night. Candle-lit tables topped with roses, a swooping network of lights above, fine wines, hearty beers and delicious food, all coming together as a unique, exotic venue in the…

Enough with Kickstarter, already

Kickstarter has proven a remarkably popular tool for, er, kickstarting all different sorts of projects. Nonprofits have used it with great success. So have filmmakers, video-game designers, artists and musicians. Crowd-sourcing your fundraising efforts is a very 21st-century idea. At this point, though, it seems like musicians are skipping necessary…

Tonight: Peter Wolf Crier at the Hi-Dive

It’s like Mother Nature wanted to set the perfect scene for Peter Wolf Crier’s first date of it’s 2011 tour. The snow dump Colorado has been waiting for finally came last night, effectively creating a wintery backdrop for the Midwest duo’s cuddle-by-the-fire-inducing songs of nostalgia and love…

Jeff Tweedy at Boulder Theater, 1/8/11

JEFF TWEEDY With The Handsome Family 1.8.2011 | Boulder Theater When Jeff Tweedy opened the second show of his sold-out two-night stand at the Boulder Theater with “Sunken Treasure,” the venue was amazingly quiet except for a few cheers during high points of the song. With an achingly stunning take…

BLKHRTS Ball at Glob, 01/08/11

BLKHRTS With The Pirate Signal, Lust-Cats of the Gutters Flashlights and PDRBLK 01.10.11 | Glob Yonnas Abraham has often referred to BLKHRTS as a “gang” and flippantly pointed out how formidable and imposing the crew — which also includes King FOE and Karma — is. From only minor cameos, though,…

Brewski’s is coming back

After 45 years in the bar business, seventy-year-old Chuck Persichetti is ready for one more round: He’s resurrecting Brewski’s, a bar at Highway 36 and Pecos Street that he ran for ten years and sold a decade ago. “Once you get something in your blood, it seems like it just…

Critic’s Choice: The May Kit, January 16 at the hi-dive

Clearly there are some nods to Nick Drake in the way that the May Kit’s Max Winne puts a song together. It’s there in his ability to conjure images of flights of fantasy — the kind that strike you during your workday in a moment of reprieve from the prosaic…

Jackie Greene

You can’t throw a vintage Western shirt these days without hitting another Americana revivalist — and few are worth the faded plaid they’re dressed up in. Then there’s Jackie Greene. Nimbly sidestepping the inherent corniness of too many contemporary twang-mongers, Greene has used his association with the jam scene —…

Zoo Animal

Based in Minneapolis, Zoo Animal has sometimes been identified as a Christian band, but you’re not going to get vapid Songs 4 Worship fare or the sort of thing that gets featured at a Cornerstone festival from this act. Instead, Holly Newsom’s plaintive vocals and the group’s introspective, minimalist pop…

Lissie

Lissie is what Taylor Swift claims to be. It’s going to take the rest of this to dig out of that analogy, because she’s nothing like the Taylor Swift you know. What she is: A singer with country roots and pop leanings, singing about youthful love and loss. But there…

Darwin Deez

Darwin Smith, like certain prominent musicians on the indie circuit of recent years, once attended Wesleyan University. Either there’s an alien virus on campus that imparts a knack for an inventively catchy pop song, or it’s pure coincidence. As part of the band Darwin Deez, Smith and his Deez-surnamed compatriots…