Just spoke with U.S. Pipe founder Chris “Citrus” Sauthoff and he confirms that the band has indeed called it a day. The catalyst, he says, is tension between the members that had been simmering since Christmas before reaching a boiling point this week. Although the outfit managed to hold it…
Al Hood has a very crowded agenda. The trumpeter teaches fulltime at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in addition to contributing to a slew of ensembles, including the Denver Brass and the Ken Walker Jazz Sextet. Somehow, though, he also found time to record a new CD…
I learned this week that Katy Perry must just be huge in the Ukraine. I mean, why else would a Ukrainian polka band be performing her future classic “Hot’n’Cold” on TV? And would said clip make it to YouTube, so I can bring it to you? And what exactly does…
Looks like Strange Condition is cashing in on its sweat equity. The outfit, which has endured numerous line-up changes since forming, has worked tirelessly over the years amassing a loyal and ravenous fan base (the act has consistently packed Herman’s for years and has little difficulty these days filling the…
Update: A quick heads-up for those heading out for First Friday festivities this evening in the Sante Fe art district or for friends/fans of Lee Ball that may not have received the word: Tonight at 7 p.m. at the Rebellion, the tattoo shop on 9th and Sante Fe owned by…
The latest Decemberists album, The Hazards of Love, is a challenging yet rewarding song cycle. Yet “The Rake’s Song,” which serves as the recording’s centerpiece, is as musically compelling as it is lyrically unusual: Lead singer/tunesmith Colin Meloy portrays a widower who bumps off the “three little pests” left in…
This just in: Seconds ago, a lovely (we presume) reader named Nicole left a comment on the Pictureplane Gets Love on Pitchfork blog letting us know that she caught Pictureplane and HEALTH’s set in Tucson — literally, she’s a taper — and has subsequently offered up the recording for free…
All right, I gotta admit: It felt a little bit weird at first being back on the air last night after a two-week, self-imposed hiatus. Got sidelined by a nasty sinus/ear/throat infection the first week, while an infected tooth, which later got pulled, conspired with a hockey game and a…
Interested in a preview of the new Akron/Family album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, which is set for a May 5 release? “Everyone Is Guilty,” the A-side of the group’s Record Store Day seven-inch, is the lead single from the album, and the VintageVinyl.com describes it kicks off “kicks…
Chairlift Does You Inspire You Columbia Records Though it’s no fun to watch talented Colorado musicians leave our fair state for glimmering destinations like Portland or Brooklyn, it is fun to watch them succeed. Such is the case for Boulder-founded synth poppers, Chairlift. Shortly after lighting off for the hipster Disneyland of Brooklyn,…
As I mentioned yesterday, it can be pretty damned daunting and difficult for a well-intentioned person to start exploring Denver’s almost embarrassingly fertile local music scene. Sure, you can pore over Westword’s listings, but how do you figure out what’s both worth checking out and up your proverbial alley? In…
It’s tough staying punk-rock. Although the ideal itself has never officially been defined, die-hard supporters of the genre have long claimed that to be a true punk-rocker, you must shun mainstream music and always remain a dark, oily stain on its bright shiny surface. What if, in spite of a…
If you were to walk by Sketch, Jesse Morreale’s new wine bar with an old name (the address is technically 101 Broadway, but the entrance is on First Avenue), and see all the candles and wine bottles inside, you might think it was the kind of place where you’d hear…
Initially, the Nod probably seems like yet another stoner-rock band. The name alone suggests someone in the band has read William Burroughs deeply, and the clever wordplay present in each song reveals a thoughtful sense of humor rare among bands with a clear grounding in metal and hard rock. Rather…
It’s hard to say if Darren Keen, this band’s sole member for most of its existence, is more of a standup comedian/performance artist or a musician. His well-documented barbs directed at (and pseudo-rivalry with) Conor Oberst aside, Keen is one of the hardest-touring performers in the country, and his act,…
The last time the Bronx played at the Larimer Lounge, singer Matt Caughthran rode up to the stage on a motorcycle, nearly running over the capacity crowd. Although the same can’t be promised for this return trip, the band’s high-energy, cutthroat punk should make the show dangerous nonetheless. The Bronx…
On its latest album, Boston progophiles Irepress (say “ear press”) frequently wander beyond the seven-minute mark, exploring atmospheric, intricate and even jazzy approaches to heavy metal. These folks clearly aren’t interested in mindless headbanging and devil horns, so traditional metalheads might find the group’s adventures (tech-house beats?! a piano solo?!)…
The latest fave rave among the suburban high school set is Punk Goes Pop, Volume 2, a compilation in which Warped Tour combos take on some of the slickest chart hits of recent years — like, for instance, the Fray’s “Over My Head,” which is recharged (or perhaps charged for…
Kentucky-born musician, actor and photographer Bonnie Prince Billy’s landmark 2006 cover album The Brave and the Bold, with instrumental wizards Tortoise as the backing band, was seen by many as an epochal event in American rock music. It’s fairly astonishing that Billy has put out four quality records since then,…
During the early ’90s, the Samples helped put Colorado on the map. Led by gifted pop songwriter Sean Kelly, the band signed with a locally based label, What Are Records? (W.A.R.), toured incessantly from coast to coast, released a slew of albums, endured a series of personnel and business changes,…
The music scene is clogged with performers desperately seeking stardom. So does Los Campesinos! guitarist/songwriter Tom Campesinos! see any irony in the quick rise of his group, which quickly earned buzz-band status even though none of its members actively sought it? “Completely — and I think it’s something we still…
As a musician, making a big enough splash to attract the attention of your primary influences within a few short years of your first release is quite an achievement, and that’s just what French-born, London-based DJ/producer Giom has done. He cites heavyweight deep-house icons Derrick Carter, Mark Farina and DJ…
