Listening to the colossal wallop of the Florida underground metal outfit Torche is a pleasure. Making that colossal wallop is equally as fulfilling, but as I discover upon ringing up guitarist and band co-founder Juan Montoya, there are some perils involved as well. “Can I call you right back?” Montoya…
Any guy would probably love sitting between two girls in a bar — until they got into the dreaded cock talk, that is. A few years ago, I was sandwiched between two gals who’d been friends for fifteen years. The evening started off pretty tame, with the usual trivial chitchat,…
Fissure Mystic (due at the Larimer Lounge on Saturday, July 26) lives up to the imaginative suggestion of its name, which came to one of the band’s members in a dream. With a career that spans right around ten years, Fissure was almost completely unknown until 2005, when it began…
I like it weird. I like the twisted, dirty, completely gonzo sounds that a good producer can squeeze out of an old synthesizer or a brand-new DSP package. And I love a DJ who can recognize the best tracks that use those sounds and build great mixes from them. Finding…
Jennifer Moore most recently played Denver as a member of ’60s soul-pop cover band the Carrots. But she’s probably better known for her stint in Voxtrot. Infectious pop hooks notwithstanding, Yellow Fever is a bit different from either of those projects. Moore’s Nico-esque vocals are reminiscent of Midnight Movies, while…
The Offspring is even more venerable than most fairweather fans realize. In 1994, when Dexter Holland, Greg K. and Noodles experienced their first mainstream success thanks to “Self-Esteem” and “Come Out and Play” (which continue to earn airplay, because they still hold up), they’d already been performing under their current…
When veteran groups release albums long after their commercial prime, the CDs are routinely described as new. But this last word usually belongs in quotes — a point proven by Saints of Los Angeles, the most recent platter by Mötley Crüe, joined at Fiddler’s by Buckcherry, Papa Roach, SIXX:AM (Nikki…
If P.T. Barnum could have been a musician in the modern era, he might have come up with something similar to the absurd, bombastic spectacle that is Uncle Monsterface, whose shtick is equal parts performance art, circus sideshow and psychedelic pop. Clearly influenced by the work of Jim Henson and…
When was the last time you saw a really great keytar-and-drums duo? If you answered “1983” or “never” to this question, it’s time you checked out Shy Child. While drummer Nate Smith pounds his kit with the muscle of John Bonham, the soul of James Brown and the precision of…
From 1993 until their first official split in March 1999, the members of Boss 302 were purveyors of a loose and freewheeling garage punk with soulful vocals. Many who saw them thought they were a sloppy band of hooligans doing their best to take after their heroes, the Fluid. But…
By the time Kenny Garrett was eighteen, his alto-sax chops were already good enough to earn him a spot in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which was then led by Ellington’s son, Mercer. Nearly a decade later, Garrett recorded with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey and Donald Byrd, and performed…
Even though he has released 58 albums on his Corwood label since 1978, Jandek is probably not a name familiar to the general public. Counted among his fans, however, are the likes of Kurt Cobain, Low and Will Oldham. The first live Jandek show happened in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2004,…
Photo: Tom Murphy Married in Berdichev! My Feral Kin w/Married in Berdichev! and French Quarter Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Rhinoceropolis Better Than: Missing out on one of the most important tropical-pop bands by going to another show. The opening act, Greenery, didn’t make it for reasons unknown to anyone at…
Who’s the “Pussy’ole?” I had to ponder this question last night as I wondered why the Dizzee Rascal concert went so wrong in every way. First, he didn’t show up, which is, well, like, a problem in itself. More importantly, though, the audience at Cervantes didn’t know why he didn’t…
Photo: Tom Murphy Valet Park This The Slants w/Tornado Alley, Valet Park This and Sofo Monday, July 21, 2008 Lion’s Lair Better Than: Pretty much anything else Denver has going down on a quiet summer Monday. Since I play in Tornado Alley any commentary seems entirely inappropriate. Valet Park This,…
Photo: Jim Narcy Flobots We poured ourselves into the Mile High Music Fest with a passion, and the results filled two extensive blog posts and two slide shows. Here’s a handy guide to everything we saw, shot and wrote at the inaugural edition of this world-class musical bonanza. Live Blog…
The Police and Elvis Costello & the Imposters Monday, July 22, 2008 Red Rocks Amphiteatre Better than: Any show I’ve seen in a long time. Nearly three decades after the Police’s first Denver gig at the Rainbow Music Hall, the band finally made it up to Red Rocks for the…
Click here for a slide show of the event. Global Dance Fest July 19, 2008 Red Rocks Better Than: Drinking the juice from a glowstick Global Dance Fest is evidence that despite dance music’s low profile on the pop culture radar, it’s still a big deal. The festival easily sold…
Photo: Tom Murphy Gata Negra Gata Negra and Hot Robots Sunday, July 20, 2008 Larimer Lounge, Denver Better Than: I thought relatively straight ahead guitar rock could sound. Unfortunately I made it to the Larimer Lounge fairly late due to practicing with my own band so I missed Only Thunder,…
Wadirum Wadirum, Elizabeth Rose, Benyaro Saturday, July 19, 2008, Meadowlark Better than: The weather this weekend. First a bit of confusion; sitting at the downstairs bar, The Meadowlark, we see what could ostensibly be the stage. Granted, the show tonight was going to be of the singer-songwriter variety, so a…
Photo: Tom Murphy Valomierda Fanatics w/Valiomierda Saturday, July 19, 2008 Carioca Café, Denver Better Than: Any hardcore show that I’ve seen for nearly a decade. Finding this show really was something of an odyssey. A couple of weeks ago, Tim Vigil told me about the reunion of legendary Pueblo punk/grindcore…
Photo: Tom Murphy Andy Falconetti Andy Falconetti, Rotaree and John Porcellino Saturday, July 19, 2008 Wax Trax, Denver Better Than: Seeing a show like this at a bar. Andy Falconetti, while tall, is an unprepossessing and utterly unpretentious performer. Normally you’ll see him fronting indie pop legends, Breezy Porticos. But…
