Concerts

Sure, free beer and gratuitous sex are great reasons to be in a garage band. But the holy grail, of course, isn’t getting zonked or getting laid — it’s getting signed. And that’s just what 29th St. Disciples have done. The foursome have been grinding in the trenches of Denver’s…

Skate punk kingpins, Frontside Five, recently profiled in Thasher magazine, has joined the roster of DC-Jam Records. The Missouri-based imprint, which is also home to legendary skate punks JFA and McRad, will release the band’s upcoming full-length, Resurrection Cemetary, in early March, and to commemorate the album’s release, the Frontside…

John Common is kind of a weird dude. Not in the creepy guy mumbling to himself and rocking back and forth on the bus sort of way, mind you, but weird, nonetheless. Actually, I take that back. A better word for him is probably quirky or eccentric. (The guy’s a…

For those unaware, Guru is founder and one half of legendary hip-hop group, GangStarr. Although the status of GangStarr is up in air (Guru says the group is done; DJ Premier says they’re on a long break), the duo haven’t talked since 2003. In the meantime, while DJ Premier is…

Update (1/23/09): We’ve just learned that Common Struggles, Single File’s full-length debut, is slated for release on Tuesday, April 7. “Girlfriend,” the first single from the album, which was produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects) and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Stones, Weezer), is being serviced to Denver…

All right, so what are the chances of this: Last week, we reported seeing the Fray on the inside cover of Rolling Stone. Last night, I cracked open the new issue of Spin, and right there on page 86 is the smiling faces of Meese staring back at me. As…

Last year, BreakEFX was officially crowned Colorado’s Best Dance crew. And with anyone who rises to the top, there will be challengers who will want their spot. Over the weekend at the Hip-Hop Congress’ Beat Down Session event at Sigi’s Cafe in the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus,…

Not quite sure how we managed to miss this one, but Bill McKay, who sings and plays keys in Leftover Salmon, was arrested at his home on Tuesday morning by Eagle County Sheriff. The musician, who also leads the Bill McKay Band and Double Parked, is accused of drugging and…

Just attended a private screening at Starz FilmCenter of Fair Fight, a brand-new documentary focusing on the Fray that chronicles the making of the act’s forthcoming album. The film was directed by Rod Blackhurst, a onetime merch guy who’s been trailing the band for the better part of three years, essentially…

About a month ago we introduced recently formed hip-hop group The Food Chain on this here blog along with a track for the trunks. Now the group has smoothed it out a bit with it’s recently leaked track, “Auto Pilot.” The cut sounds like it could get some decent radio…

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, who performs under only the first of her four names, has earned plenty of plaudits for 19, an album whose title corresponds to her age at the time of its release. As a result, she’s earned four Grammy nominations related to the February 8 congratulation-fest, each…

Jimi Hendrix once said that the blues are easy to play but hard to feel. And how right he was. Technically, the blues can be broken down into a simple formula: twelve measures, three chords and a five-note pentatonic scale for soloing. Guitar players basically just need to know a…

Some musicians wear earnestness like a badge, and it becomes as much a pose as anything KISS has ever done. But Los Dos and the New American Ramblers are the geniune article, with no need for airs, and that quality has meant that the act has flown largely under the…

As a general rule, the top trance DJs are all European. One of the few exceptions that proves the rule is Florida-based trance hero George Acosta. He may not have quite the same cultural cachet as Tiësto, Ferry Corsten or Sasha, but he is certainly capable of spinning the same…

Although William Elliott Whitmore typically performs solo, with just a guitar or a banjo to keep him company, he didn’t get his start playing alongside fellow acousticians. Instead, he opened shows for “the loudest, fucking craziest hardcore bands you’ve ever heard,” he says — and he not only survived, but…

My copy of Babies Teeth features one of the most irritating packages ever: The light cardboard sleeve is fastened by multiple pieces of thread wrapped around a button that are a tangle waiting to happen. Thank goodness the music helped compensate for the aggravation. “The Bluefooted” kicks off with retro…

Although roughly half of this album was recorded at the legendary Inner Ear Studio in Arlington, Virginia, and the other half at Denver’s Helmet Room, there’s an impressive consistency throughout. In an era when many artists try to fit into a narrow niche, the Construct splices together elements of ambient…

Bassist Matt Skellenger pulls double duty on Parentheticals, simultaneously laying down the pulse and the lead, taking cues from Victor Wooten and Michael Manring (both masters of two-hand tapping) on a bulk of the songs, which are steeped in funk, jazz and world. Trumpeter Ron Miles lends his gorgeous tone…

Spaceflight Orchestra’s debut album is ten tracks of dubby downtempo and funky breaks perfect for your next blunted journey into inner space. It’s reminiscent at times of the Orb and Royskopp, with a clean, uncluttered aesthetic and impeccable production. The disc starts off a little slow but hits its stride…

Few acts have used their MySpace page more effectively than Millionaires, appearing with Cash Cash, Kill Paradise and Watchout! Theres Ghosts. Hot sisters Melissa and Allison Green, supplemented by their equally photogenic pal Dani Artaud, used Apple’s GarageBand program to assemble a novelty song called “I Want Money,” and quicker…

Three of the five members of the Strokes have capitalized on the band’s success with side projects. Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. released a pair of solo albums, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti’s band Little Joy released a stellar self-titled album last year. Most recently, bassist Nikolai Fraiture formed the band Nickel…