He slashed at the air with a large knife. Well, it was a knife on one end and a microphone on the other, an instrument of terror that Marilyn Manson took turns screaming into and then waving across his face wearing a threatening smile. As he came to the end…
In addition to fronting DeVotchKa, singer and guitarist Nick Urata has composed music for close to two dozen films over the past decade. But he’s never worked on a project as big as Paddington.He spent nearly three months in London composing music for the film, which stars Nicole Kidman and…
Macon Terry is sitting on the rooftop patio of Weathervane Cafe, drinking carrot juice. He’s talking about the thing he’s spent most of his life doing, which is playing music. The longtime Paper Bird bassist has been a fixture on the Denver scene for years, also logging time with Gregory…
The Replacements will be at the Fillmore Auditorium as part of their Back By Unpopular Demand Tour, their first full U.S. tour since 1991. Original members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson team up with drummer Josh Freese and guitarist David Minehan, who played with the band at three Riot Fest…
When Billy Idol started changing costumes on stage at the Paramount Theatre last night before (what else?) “Flesh For Fantasy,” it seemed at first like some post-middle-age bravado. But when he when he eventually took off his shirt entirely, because he’s goddamned Billy Idol, there wasn’t the usual gut you’d…
The next time we see each other, fair Westword music reader, it will be on a brand new website. You’re looking at a glimpse of the home page, but there’s much more to it. It’s a design we think is cleaner, more responsive and easier to read. We’ll be making…
Don’t look for a fancy sign or neon lights outside. Right off of West Colfax, west of Casa Bonita, Hyperspace arcade is a nondescript building with virtually no outside adornment. It does not have regular hours of operation for you to drop by and play some games. The proprietor repairs…
[jump] 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 YOUTH IS WASTED. Last week’s thrilling episode!…
New restrictions on the noise and end times for concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheater have been at the heart of a controversy involving EDM fans, residents of the nearby town of Morrison and the City of Denver, which operates the venue. As we reported last month, over 16,000 EDM fans…
There are some new regulations in place for Red Rocks Amphitheatre this season, which you can read about here. Because there has been some controversy surrounding these changes, we asked Denver Arts and Venues Marketing and Communication Director Brian Kitts to talk about how these changes will (or won’t) affect…
While some of the more recent output from Lloyd Cole, known for his work in the ’80s with his group the Commotions, has been acoustically driven, he realized early on in the writing songs for his most recent effort, Standards, that he wanted to steer the album in more of…
The bar and restaurant at 3014 East Colfax Avenue had been previously going under three monikers: 3014, Odelay and the Beetle Bar. But when new owners Dave Cleland, John Elliott and Toby Waters took over the space last summer, they also wanted to consolidate the name and image of the…
Cursive’s 2003 Album, The Ugly Organ, has been described as a masterpiece, a benchmark and a career jumping off point for an already highly touted band. The album contains elements of song-writing and musical mastery and sold over 170,00 copies. But it can also be viewed as merely one of…
By Jim Louvau The post-Cobain era of alternative rock was very kind to Gavin Rossdale and his band, Bush. The band’s multi-platinum debut record, Sixteen Stone, thrust them into mainstream and made Rossdale the crush of sixteen-year-old girls around the world. But let’s face it, Bush happened to be in…
Legendary Denver bluesman Otis Taylor, chilling in the hall outside the hectic Leslie Hindman auction room at the Denver Design Center late last month, scoffed when asked whether he was bidding on any of the nearly 500 pieces of memorabilia up for auction from the Caribou Ranch recording studio. “Everything…
[jump] 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 YOUTH IS WASTED. Last Week’s episode!!…
Linh England is currently in the running to win the Miss Viva Las Vegas Pin-Up Contest, part of a rockabilly celebration this April. Voting ended over the weekend, and now the Colorado native is waiting to hear the results. England has been involved in the local pinup-model world for the…
Wilco, who celebrated twenty years together last year, will headline Red Rocks on Tuesday, July 14. Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Steve Gunn opens. General admission and reserved tickets ($45.50-$65) go on sale on Friday, February 6 at 10 a.m. Darius Rucker, who slated to release his fourth studio album in March, brings…
There are certain nights when Denver seems to reach out and touch perfection, when wandering over to a small venue and seeing some local bands feels like more than that. Instead, it feels like witnessing a moment in movement that will be talked about decades in the future. Friday night…
During a break in between songs at the Ogden Theatre last night, Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike joked about someone who ran out of the building during the previous song, clearly out of her comfort zone. This is not music for the uninitiated: Two dudes screaming on stage over beats…
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley is set to perform at Red Rocks for Icelantic’s Winter On the Rocks on Friday, January 30 with Major Lazer. Though the son of an influential music legend, Bob “Tuff Gong” Marley, like Sean Lennon, Damian Marley has firmly established himself as a noteworthy musician in…
Billy Joel will return to Denver on September 16 for a show at the Pepsi Center. This will be his first show here in five years and one of only ten non-New York shows scheduled in 2015. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 6, at 10 a.m. through Altitude Tickets…
