Welcome to another edition of Sound Bites, our economy-sized album reviews. This week, Kiernan Maletsky weighs in on five recent national releases from Bonnie Prince Billy (pictured left), Fever Ray, Madeline Peyroux, Point Juncture, WA and These Are Powers after the jump…
Today’s entry takes us way back to the swinging ’70s, when disco was king and Star Wars was the cultural phenomenon. Some enterprising French types decided to combine the two into one synthesizer-driven, hip-shaking, spaced-out classic in a band called the Droids, a song called “The Force” and, supposedly, an…
Some bands wear a style like a trendy fashion statement, and others embody what that music is about by creating their own artistic identity while expanding and building upon what has come before them. The Prids, from Portland, Oregon, are among the latter. Incorporating elements of synth-inflected new-wave dream pop…
Although we just got a ton of snow, there’s still a reason to get out, drive through the white stuff and check out the club debut of Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, a local superband of sorts that includes Doug Spencer and Hayley Helmerecks (Monofog), Hayley’s brother Will, Kit Peltzel (Mr…
The Five Peace Band featuring Chick Corea & John McLaughlinWednesday, March 25, 2009Paramount TheatreAfter Chick Corea and John McLaughlin played on Miles Davis’s jazz-fusion-birthing albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, McLaughlin formed Mahavishnu Orchestra and Corea started Return to Forever. Both bands helped propel the fusion movement throughout…
It’s not exactly a surprise that Phish’s four-day stand at Red Rocks sold out in minutes, but there are elements of the whole thing that smell, well, Phish-y (sorry, I couldn’t resist). At least one hard-core fan (the one I live with, to be specific) was online within seconds of…
A brief story: Our Best of Denver issue came out this week, and among the winners was the Pirate Signal, for their hip-hop mixtape Of Gods and Gangsters, Vol. 1. So as the lowly web editor, I included their photo in a slideshow I put together of the arts and…
In a beautiful collision of altruism, more musicians are donating their time and talents to help kids this week. Instead of helping the children of Denver, as the Denver Gives March Music Jam will, these musicians will benefit kids on the other side of the world. On Friday night, March…
Moments ago, the folks at AEG announced the line-up for this year’s Mile High Music Festival. This year looks like it’s going to be a doozy. Here are just some of the acts that you can look forward to seeing this summer on the two main stages at either end…
Jazz Fest Denver Dazzle Restaurant & LoungeFriday, March 20 through Sunday March, 22Dazzle is home to some of the finest local and national jazz acts that swing through Denver on a nightly basis, but this week Dazzle graciously lent its doors and transformed the club into a three-day awkward romp…
This week’s snazzy flier shows off the skills of Amber Fagan. Something about the hand-drawn illustration of two people with heads titlted, eyes closed in what appears to be rapture really did it for me — I imagine it’s a couple of fans, first row at a Knew show, drinking…
Tyler Gilmore and his 17-piece Ninth+Lincoln modern music ensemble will perform the Denver premier of “Piano Roll” Sunday, March 29 at Dazzle. Gilmore, who was this year’s winner in the Emerging Jazz Composer Category of ASCAP’s Jazz Commissioning Program, wrote the piece in honor of legendary pianist Hank Jones, who…
Local singer-songwriter and one-time Mousketeer Matt Morris is playing a benefit show this Sunday, March 29, at the Hard Rock Cafe with none other than the Bacon Brothers (i.e. Kevin freaking Bacon and his brother, who is apparently an accomplished musician — who knew?). Apart from making for some pretty…
Towering rocker and singer-songwriter Mike Marchant has a well-documented penchant for giving away music. When his band, Widowers, released its debut album, Marchant couldn’t give away copies of the painstakingly recorded beauty fast enough. Little has changed since then, as evidenced by a recent e-mail the psych-pop tunesmith sent. The…
Nothing makes me happier than seeing Denver musicians donating their talents to a worthy cause. As I observed back in October, the most generous contribution an artist can make is his or her art, especially when it just might draw in a crowd of folks with some deeper pockets. This…
The Jonas Brothers will stop at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, June 24 as part of the trio’s 44-city North American leg of its world tour. The Offspring, Alkaline Trio, the Vandals, Street Dogs and Frontside Five, meanwhile, hit Red Rocks on Thursday, May 28 as part of Punk Rocks…
URB Magazine has covered the hip-hop and electronic music scene for close to twenty years. Each year they’ve devote an issue to the next 100 artists they believe are going to blow up in the coming year, aptly named URB’s Next 100. But in 2007, they switched the game up…
On Sunday, April 5, the guys from Reno Divorce are shooting a video for their song, “Has It Been Long Enough,” and are looking for a few extras to fill a scene that takes place in an unnamed bar. Those interested in being immortalized are can contact Justin Herman, the…
Here’s the most recent playlists from the area’s local-centric speciality radio shows. We’re still tracking Radio 1190’s long running Local Shakedown, KTCL’s Locals Only, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is rebroadcast all over Colorado, and the Colorado Wave. We’re still in the process of tracking down a…
After two weeks of U2 and Neko Case sitting at the number-one and -two spots, Bonnie Prince Billy’s new album, Beware, knocked U2 down to the second spot and Case moved down to the eighth slot at Twist & Shout for the week ending March 22. Les Claypool’s new disc,…
Twiztid’s brand-new album, W.I.C.K.E.D., knocked the Dream’s Love vs. Money down to the second spot while Jamie Foxx, Hollywood Undead and T.I. still hold top-ten positions at Independent Records for the week ending March 22. See the full breakdown after the jump…
Wavves’ new album, which was released last week on Fat Possum records, grabbed the top spot at Wax Trax for the week ending March 22. Local acts the Omens and Tauntaun sit in the top five for the second week in a row. See the full breakdown after the jump. …
