The Sixth Annual Denver Noise Fest kicks off Friday night May 1st at Rhinoceropolis at 8 p.m. Over the course of two nights and Saturday mid-day, DNF will host some of the most interesting and innovative artists in the broad spectrum of the noise genre. Each night, guest DJs will…
There are few groups in Denver as engaging as hip-hop collective High Five. Borrowing both the energy and insight of golden-era groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, the group has been honing its own sound in town since 2012. High Five, which comprises MCs B-Rex, Guidence,…
The Fort Collins Music Showcase (aka FoCoMX) brings out thousands of Fort Collins residents who are undeniably smitten over their town’s local talent, year after year. This year the festival runs like clockwork, and locals know who to see, and what to expect. The price for a ticket, when divided…
For over two years, in a galaxy not that far away (the Baker district), Moon Magnet Studios has been recording and shaping a collective of musicians in a communal habitat, and it’s far out, man. When it comes to recording studios, there are nearly as many places to record as…
Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book SAINT COLE from Fantagraphics books. Last Week’s episode of Rufus…
The 7th annual FoCoMX festival took place this weekend in Fort Collins. Bars, venues, breweries and coffee shops were packed with sweaty, often drunk fans swaying to their favorite local stars. There were plenty of memorable moments from the weekend, but there is no experience quite like the one you…
Last night, the third floor of the McNichols Civic Center building was transformed into a musical game show, complete with judging cards, a panel of guests, and two witty hosts. Bob Boilen, the host of NPR’s All Songs Considered — the decade-old musical-exploration radio show-turned-podcast — and his sidekick, Stephen Thompson, an…
In an effort to celebrate the end of the semester for Colorado State University-Pueblo students and perhaps to regain a bit of relevance, The All-American Rejects made the trek down south for a show on the college campus. But it turns out that even in a small town that seems…
Lightning Bolt may be the best live band you’ve never seen. Friday’s show at GLOB is sure to have made more than a few believers in the power of two guys, bass and drums and one tightly packed, sweaty throng of humanity. Now touring in support of their new album…
Riot Fest is back in 2015, with a new location: the National Western Complex. This will be the third home for the festival in its three years in Colorado. The Fest, which started in Chicago in 2005, features a decidedly non-standard lineup — last year’s Denver installment included Slayer, the…
The Raven and The Writing Desk is the same band Denver has known for the past four years in name only. Spouses Scott Conroy and Julia Libassi are still the band leaders, and they are still clinging to the literary name of Raven and The Writing Desk. But beyond that,…
On the advice of the following reader comment left on the story about Wax Trax not participating in Record Store Day, we ended up at the iconic 13th Avenue record store yesterday. I work over at Wax Trax Records and I just wanted to mention one thing that didn’t get…
In 2002, a group of then bandmates and I drove all the way from Grand Junction to Boulder to witness Pinhead Circus’ “last” show. It was an emotional moment for us, as the band, fronted by the larger than life personality Scooter James, was a huge inspiration to us musically,…
Adam Rojo and Nick Salmon aren’t the kind of people that would beat you over the head with their importance or even much push their music on you. It’s nothing new as evidenced by the fact that their previous projects are cult bands at best in certain circles in Denver…
If there was a takeaway from Snoop’s Wellness Retreat, Denver’s now-annual celebration of rap and cannabis, it was this: it can be very, very hard to get people excited when they’re stoned and cold. In between songs and professions of love for Colorado weed, Snoop Dogg and opener A$AP Rocky…
A colorful array of Denverites packed the block for Cervantes 4/20 In The Streets. Following a weekend where police issued 160 citations at 4/20-related events, the security was tight, making people caught smoking immediately put out their joint or pipe. One security guard told the audience they had to stop…
On April 21, the Denver-based electronic-music producer Michal Menert will release his third album, Space Jazz, on the label he recently founded, Super Best Records. The fifteen-track effort will be available as a free download via michalmenert.com. Menert, whose work has been mostly inspired by soul and funk music, has…
Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book SAINT COLE from Fantagraphics books. Last Week’s episode of Rufus…
New York-based Twin Shadow was scheduled to perform tonight at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. The act’s two tour buses were near E-470 on I-70 early this morning when the one holding crew members collided with a semi tractor trailer. The Aurora Police Department reports that rescue workers took twelve…
Coachella is always thinking of clever ways to make us pick up our damn trash. Their bright-colored, well-labeled trash and recycle bins are everywhere. And in the past, any do-gooder or broke festival-goer could pick up a standard amount of 10 water bottles to trade for a new one to…
Colfax, 4/20 weekend, The Replacements pretty much just got out nearby and there didn’t seem to be much in the way of rowdy after carousing. Other than some curious daytime rush hour action Denver’s streets were pretty mellow and mild with temperatures in the 40s when the time for the…
It’s no secret that Coachella has become a playground for bros, celebutantes and music elitists, but laced within the throngs of entitlement are the survivors who represent the positive side of Coachella culture. Considering the unrepentant cynicism that surrounds Coachella these days, it’s not surprising that our quest took some…
