“It’s been assumed I’m soft or irrelevant/’Cause I refuse to downplay my intelligence.” So raps Dessa on “Bullpen,” from her debut album, A Badly Broken Code, released earlier this year on the Doomtree imprint. Although her inherent “hardness” has yet to be tested, it’s clear that Dessa is an intelligent…
Sesame Street couldn’t handle mixing kids’ programming with Katy Perry cleavage, but Yo Gabba Gabba! gets it right every time. Perhaps it’s because one of the show’s creators, Christian Jacobs, is MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. After becoming a father, he and a friend created Gabba, which began to…
The Eames Era was a promising indie-pop band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with songs appearing on commercials and TV shows when it broke up in 2008. Out of the ashes of that project, Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner formed Generationals with Tess Bruneh. With a retro-’60s sound element being just…
Crimes of Passion comprises five songs of melodic hardcore that sound like they draw inspiration from Hot Water Music and that ilk — you know, that kind of anthemic, fist-pumping punk rock that plays well with people who missed out on the silver age of hardcore nearly a decade in…
If this, her sophomore album, was meant to spark a tour playing snack time at preschools nationwide, then Jenn Cleary hit the nail on the head. She doesn’t sing so much as baby-talk, occasionally to a melody and more often not. And what she’s goofily intoning is the lyrical equivalent…
Dispensary Music is a compilation of soulful beats and political rhetoric that centers on the unprincipled use of drugs and an appreciation for marijuana, in particular. With beats by Kid Hum, TC Crook and Graffiti Dopeness, the soundscape is an artful example of the perfect producer/rapper collaboration. While an entire…
Glitch-hop/mid-tempo/psychedelic bass producer VibeSquaD (aka Aaron Holstein) showcases his vast talents on his latest full-length, The Fire. The complex layers of each track are flawlessly arranged; even better, he has a keen sense of dynamics, perfectly dropping split seconds of nothingness into each track. “Freshmaker” opens the album with squiggly…
The band that is now Young Cities started in the summer of 2007 under the name Hearts Like Lions. After years of gigging under that moniker, the members — Chance Scott-Burke, Tyler Briskie and James Morrison — decided it was time for a change, not only in what they were…
People who have never been to Albuquerque or come into contact with music from that town have no idea that it’s one of America’s best-kept secrets. The Shins, the Rondelles and Scared of Chaka all came out of the Duke City. These days, Albuquerque is home to a vibrant and…
Philadelphia’s Lotus comprises Jesse Miller on bass and sampler, Luke Miller on guitar and keys, Chuck Morris on electronic and acoustic percussion, Mike Rempel on guitar, and Mike Greenfield and Steve Clemens on drums. With so many instrumentalists — particularly the plethora of percussionists — it’s easy to see how…
Many people in Denver may not know Nathan Reid by name. Just the same, over the course of his career, which spans three decades, he’s had the chance to work with a host of prominent acts, from Ghostface to Damien and Stephen Marley. Currently operating out of Mercury Sauce, his…
So far, in its notably short life span, Tennis has had a completely whirlwind and storied existence. Not too long after launching, the band generated a nearly deafening buzz in the blogosphere, one that ultimately resulted in a deal with Fat Possum Records. The label, also home to WAVVES, Andrew…
Suburban Home has long been releasing mixtapes put together by label owner Virgil Dickerson, but it wasn’t until recently that these started popping up on the website. Thankfully, those of us who missed the original CDRs will have a chance to catch up, at least in the case of the…
Building a second career in music can be a tough endeavor — especially when you’re Mike Herrera, and the world would like to pigeonhole you as a pop-punk kid from the ’90s. But Herrera will be playing the Larimer Lounge tonight with Tumbledown, his latest well-worn and forever tattooed incarnation,…
When it comes to financing a record, there is a gaping hole between signed and unsigned artists. Recording can be expensive — depending on the method and studio chosen — and production and distribution are a whole different story. Liz Clark and Tessa Perry have created Beat Roots, a concert…
It’s November Movember, which means it’s time to get your mustache on for charity. The above video pretty much sums up everything you need to know, but if you prefer reading, then know this: Grow a mustache, raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer. Simple enough, right? Movember.Com has a…
Mogwai stops by the Bluebird Theater on Monday May 2 as part of its world tour supporting its seventh album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, slated for release on Sub Pop on February 15. Tickets for this one are $25 and go on sale this Saturday, November 6…
Elton John and Leon Russell’s The Union , released October 19 on Decca, took the top spot at Albums on the Hill and came in second at Twist & Shout for the week ending October 31. Lil Wayne’s latest effort, I Am Not a Human Being, continues to stay on…
TIM KASHER With Azure Ray and Tim Fite 11.01.10 | hi-dive Tim Fite was equal parts comedian, provocateur, performance artist, filmmaker, MC, hip-hop producer and indie-pop songwriter. At least that’s what his energetic and compelling set felt last night like at different points — and sometimes all at once. The…
Hideous Men (who’s video for “Tangled” premiered in September) Phonebooks and Hollagramz will join forces with New Mexico-by-way-of-Colorado’s Mystic Bummer in Santa Fe on November 13 for a giant show and fall dance party celebration. Hatched by Ryan McRyhew of Hideous Men and the Meow Wolf venue and artist collective…
While they were still living in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor first played in a band together called Little Red Rocket before moving on to Athens, Georgia, where they formed another outfit called Azure Ray, and then eventually settling for a time in Omaha, Nebraska…
DIY OR DIE FEST Lust-Cats of the Gutters • Conjugal Visits • Gangcharger Omens • Black Acid Devil • Thee Goochi Boiz and more 10.29.10 | Astroland, Boulder Friday night’s DIY or Die Fest was a first for dual venues Astroland and Drala in Boulder, but the smoothness of this…
