Havok Has Been Flying the Colorado Flag Worldwide

The last time Westword chatted with Havok frontman David Sanchez, the local metal titans were reeling after being unceremoniously ejected from a tour with Megadeth, after they rejected a management contract with Dave Mustaine’s son Justis. At the time, Sanchez said, “They wanted to get us on paper and lock…

The Best Concerts in Denver This Weekend, March 3-5

Rapper Vince Staples brings his Life Aquatic Tour to the Gothic Theatre for a pair of nights this weekend while Tennis, who recently released Yours Conditionally on its new label, is at the Bluebird on Saturday night. This weekend’s lineup also includes the String Cheese incident at the Fox Theatre…

Bronchitis Alert: Red Hot Chili Peppers Reschedule Pepsi Center Show

Sickness has been going around lately, and famous musicians, well, they’re no exception. Anthony Kiedis, the front man of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has come down with bronchitis, and the group has been forced to reschedule its Thursday, March 2, Denver gig. The new show will take place October 16,…

Scratch Academy: Where Kids Will Become DJs

Jesu Berkeley, aka Deej Karbon, worried his daughter’s Denver elementary school had no music program, so he asked the principal if he could start teaching deejaying classes. The response: Sure, if you can find a way to fund it. Now, he’s running a Kickstarter campaign and hosting a March 4…

Japandroids’ David Prowse on New Album Near to the Wild Heart of Life

Things are about to get wild for the Canadian rock group, Japandroids. After nearly five years between recordings, they’ve released a new album, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, scheduled some touring and have found themselves more confident than ever in their singing and songwriting. The duo has not only found a renewed energy for…

Indie Duo Tennis Visits Old Jobs at Chili’s and Brown Palace

Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, the husband-and-wife duo behind Denver band Tennis, have just finished writing and producing their fifth album, Yours Conditionally, under their brand-new label, Mutually Detrimental. A booker for Coachella heard a single from the new record and asked Tennis to play the giant music festival in April.

A Serial Killer Begged Casey James Prestwood: No More “Folsom Prison Blues”

Casey James Prestwood, veteran of Colorado country-rock band Drag the River and acclaimed Alabama emo group Hot Rod Circuit, is a country-music encyclopedia. Get him talking about legendary session musicians and he’ll spin a yarn the size of Texas. Discussing the earnest, emotional and sometimes downright depressing lyrics he sings over his backing band, the Burning Angels, however, doesn’t come so easily.

Westword Music Showcase 2017 Announces National Headliners

The Westword Music Showcase will return to the Golden Triangle on Saturday, June 24! Our 23rd annual Showcase will be bigger and better than ever, with such national headliners as Americana crooner Shakey Graves, soulful rock-and-rollers the Revivalists, electronic masters Cut Copy and Bob Moses and indie pop’s COIN on the two…

DIY Music Thrives in Denver at Vegan Greasy Spoon the Handy Diner

In the wake of the Ghost Ship tragedy in December 2016, the network of informal, unconventional and otherwise underground music and art venues took a major hit nationwide, as many were shut down or put on indefinite hiatus in the name of safety. But in Denver, a pair of shows at the Five Points vegan hole-in-the-wall, the Handy Diner, proved DIY is thriving.

Denver EDM Artists to Watch in 2017

Technology evolves quickly, and in the world of electronic music and the many sub-genres that branch off of it, the flavor of today can be stale by tomorrow. That said, there are many artists in the region who have learned to grow with the technology. This year will be a…

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Will Devastate Denver This Spring

Cleveland’s hip-hop sensation Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will perform at the Fillmore Auditorium in April. The group, which has sold over 50 million records, has a storied history collaborating with both Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G, bridging the East Cost and West Coast divide that haunted ’90s hip-hop. Below is the group’s…

Ringworm’s Human Furnace Is Ready to Pummel Denver

Since 1989, Cleveland’s Ringworm has been blurring the jagged lines between hardcore punk and thrash/death metal, an almighty mashup of rock’s more extreme subgenres. And while Ringworm is hardly the first band to make that blend, in 2017 it remains one of the more interesting. Still, 28 years is a…

The Best Concerts in Denver This Week, February 27-March 2

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who headlined the Pepsi Center in 2012, return to the venue on Thursday, while guitarist John Scofield performs music from his latest album, Country for Old Men, tonight at the Boulder Theater. Also on tap this week are After the Burial at the Summit Music…

This Week’s Music News in Songs, February 20-24

From underground rapper Mykki Blanco on his developing fan base to the artist who gave Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike a homemade Bernie Sanders/Martin Luther King Jr poster, this week has had been a rich one for music in Denver. In case you missed them, here is a recap of…

John Mayer Will Play in Denver This Summer

John Mayer has announced his Search for Everything World Tour will continue into the summer, and he and his band will be playing Denver on July 19. Mayer’s concert will include a solo set, as well as performances with his full band and the John Mayer Trio. Here is his…