First of all, whoever decided to present Drake and Lil Wayne in a staged performance competition was fucking brilliant. Taking two radio hip hop stars and giving them equal stage time by weaving their sets together meant the energy during a two-hour set last night at Red Rocks never dissipated;…
Coloradoans will have the chance to watch Governor Hickenlooper play banjo with the Infamous Stringdusters, drink beer, and celebrate a year of rebuilding and volunteer efforts this Saturday at Viva Lyons, a fundraiser hosted by Oskar Blues. The fundraiser and party, which is about more than just Hickenlooper showing off…
Goldrush Music Festival has always featured a meticulous lineup of local and national artists working with unusual sounds and approaches. This year is the biggest in the four-year history of Goldrush, with headliner Wolf Eyes joining a slew of other exceptional noisemakers on three stages at Larimer Lounge and the…
Yesterday, Linkin Park headlined Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater. That band has aged surprisingly well, as rap-rock goes, but it brought a mighty opener in AFI. No one’s following that band and coming out looking good. Photographer Aaron Thackeray, however, was able to capture some incredible shots of AFI, particularly front man…
Kind of a quiet week, as week’s in Denver’s live music scene go. There are a few good shows before the weekend, though, including Drake and Lil Wayne’s co-headlining tour and Midge Ure at Soiled Dove. Rest up: The weekend’s a doozy, with big shows from Rubedo, Miss America and…
Siblings are the best. Siblings are people who understand your weirdness because they too, are usually a product of the same upbringing. They are often the only people to agree with you when the rest of the world seems not to. They are also often the best partners in both…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s 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. Rufus Baxter: Part Nine Rufus Baxter:…
The Disco Biscuits will play in Denver next weekend. That much isn’t news, but late last night, the band announced a venue change — again. Originally, the shows were going to take place at Sculpture Park. They were moved to Ruby Hill Park when that didn’t work out, and the…
Megan ArseneauxArseneaux shows off how to smoke out of her handmade Secret Smoker Bracelet. Even though recreational marijuana is now legal in Colorado, you can’t smoke it in public, and most private operations still ban its use. So how are you going to sneak your drugs into music festivals while…
Swallow Hill Music, a Denver-based nonprofit that runs music education programs and organizes many concerts in the area, has just announced the resignation of its CEO. Tom Scharf, who also served as Executive Director, has served in the top role at Swallow Hill for seven years — his last day…
If music festivals are good for one thing it’s seeing great new bands. If they’re good for anything else it’s seeing bands you used to really like play again after a long hiatus. This year’s Riot Fest has a great crop of both new and old acts, so for anyone…
Brian Mathenge, Mu$a Bailey and Eric Cunningham opened Cold Crush at 27th and Larimer late last summer. Since then, the bar has become a staple of the neighborhood, offering an evolving selection of food, music and art. In this week’s Backbeat feature, the three look back on their first year…
At the end of the Swans’ hypnotic set last night at the Bluebird Theater, frontman Michael Gira told the crowd he’d be at the merch table in ten minutes if anyone wanted to talk or have him sign anything. He seems to do that every show. On stage, the guy…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s 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. Previous episodes of Rufus: Rufus Baxter:…
For the last handful of years, some rock bands of an older vintage have been brought in to Lava Room inside the Reserve Hotel and Casino. Over the weekend, it was L.A. Guns, the band that helped spawn Guns N’ Roses. When you’re thinking of going to a rock show,…
A lot can happen over the course of a decade. Even the punkest of punk bands aren’t immune to the curve balls life can throw. Toronto’s Fucked Up definitely falls into the category of “punkest of punk.” Since its inception in 2001 Fucked Up has done just about everything possible…
Hey, weed is legal in Colorado for all fun-loving adults! Phish is a band best understood while the listener is in a state of mind unlike the one required to do things like pay taxes and wear slacks. This year’s three-night stand by the Vermont band at Dick’s Sporting Goods…
The building at 1330 27th Street has been a number of different thing over the last eight decades or so: it was a manufacturing space for dozens of years, a warehouse, an artist loft, a rave spot. A drummer lived there for awhile and it’s the former home of NoDo…
It’s Phish weekend in Denver, but there are plenty of options for those of you who practice different musical religions as well. Delightful weirdo Bob Log III plays Larimer Lounge, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott hits town and the Labor Day Experience comes to Snowmass. Our full list of picks for the…
The way Sam Herring moves on stage can be frightening: One moment he’s slashing at the air with a balled-up fist, the next he’s pounding that fist into his chest with brute force. He crawls across the stage on his knees, sweating and wailing in frustration, but will look up…
The Jazz Aspen Snowmass nonprofit started throwing an eclectic music festival on Labor Day more than twenty years ago. Now it has expanded to three days, and this year includes headliners like Carrie Underwood and Fun. In this week’s music feature, now posted on the Backbeat blog, A.H. Goldstein explores…
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