Music

Concept Oner has a rhyme style that’s common among underground MCs, in which they try to squeeze too many syllables into a single bar. This usually results in the rapper falling off beat and then trying to punch in where he left off, hoping his flow is still intact. On…

Despite its name, Modernism is decidedly retro thanks to its fealty to old-fashioned rock verities: hooky melodies, sugary harmonies, tidy structures and sincere crooning courtesy of British import Simon Levene. While these elements are noteworthy in and of themselves, however, they can’t quite lift the CD above the ordinary. Production…

Nick Drake, Family Tree (Tsunami Label Group/Fontana). This unusual, understated collection adds immeasurably to our knowledge of a tragic yet little-understood figure. Culled from homemade recordings, the disc captures the late Drake tentatively rendering folk and blues covers and early originals with help from his kin. There are even two…

Like many veterans of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, scene, the Comas (appearing at the Larimer with Joshua Novak and the Veils) are as averse to pigeonholing as most non-pigeons are. Indeed, Spells, the outfit’s new disc for the Vagrant imprint, is a veritable variety pack of indie-rock stylings. For…

The differences between good and bad singer-songwriters aren’t all that vast. All such tunesmiths tend to use spare instrumentation (so as not to distract fans from their allegedly brilliant rhymes) and warble about topics that seem personal, and are, or ones that pretend not to be personal but still are…

Nice guys really do Finnish last. While they look like Mötley Crüe and sport names of Gunther Toody waiters — Archie, Bazie, Timo-Timo — the 69 Eyes are more like the Helsinki version of Fields of the Nephilim. The song “Los Angeles,” from their Angels album, explains it all —…

Have y’all heard “Ticks,” that newish Brad Paisley song? Of course you have — what am I thinking? That dang ol’ thing is only played, like, every three or seven minutes. And while it’s tuneful enough, there are some fundamental problems with the chorus. First of all, ticks? I’m no…

Before becoming full-time musicians, Paris-born twin brothers Louis and Francois Moutin were well on their way to getting “real” jobs: Francois had an engineering degree and a doctorate in physics, while drummer Louis had earned a master’s in math. But in 1985, when they were 24 years old, the brothers…

Stop by Lincoln’s Roadhouse (1201 South Pearl Street) any Sunday afternoon, and there’s a good chance you’ll see a hell of a lot of Harleys parked out front. It’s become a tradition for bikers heading home after touring the mountains to stop by the bar to grab a few beers…

Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 Outdoor Stage Better than: Making small talk about my daily life. Aaron Collins is totally offensive. So is Gared O’Donnell, for that matter. The two mouthy frontmen–Collins of Machine Gun Blues and O’Donnell of Planes Mistaken for Stars–shot off a string of expletives on…

Black Lamb, Chris Caffery and Doro Pesch Slide Show…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 There are several ways to approach a festival such as June 16’s Westword Music Showcase. Wrist-banders can check out a handful of their favorites or several groups they haven’t had a chance to catch yet and spend the rest of their time exploring the…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 The Acoma Center Better than: Having to fake any enthusiasm for utterly mainstream bands. Although I made it to the Acoma Center too late to catch Rachael Pollard’s absolutely beautiful, understated songs, I did arrive just in time…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 The Shelter Better than: A less eclectic mix of bands would have been for seven hours. Forged in Violet opened the Westword Music Showcase at the Shelter as a two piece. Running backing tracks off of iTunes, the…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 Dazzle Better than: Hot sex on a wedding night. After Willie Houston & the Blues Prowlers heated things up at Dazzle, Tempa & the Tantrums raised the temperature a notch and man, the girl got the room cooking…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 DC10 Better than: KS107.5’s Summer Jam (cheaper too!). This is real hip-hop. DJ Bedz kicked off things at DC10 this past Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. before a rather sparse crowd — a stage manager, a sound guy…

Slide Shows Part 1 Part 2 Westword Music Showcase June 16, 2007 The Sutra Room Better than: Endless margaritas on the beach. What a long, fucking amazing day it was at the Westword Music Showcase this past Saturday. Despite the outrageous amount of music that was spilling out of Golden…

DJ Donald Glaude June 14, 2007 The Church Better Than: Being eaten by a bear. The Church hosted DJ Donald Glaude Thursday night but it was Friday morning before he appeared behind the decks. Glaude didn’t come on until just after 1:00 a.m. and his set was over by 1:45…

Vonnegut, The Cinematics and The Photo Atlas Slide Show…

Slide Show The hi-dive show celebrating George & Caplin’s CD release was a rousing success — for Nathan & Stephen, the openers. George & Caplin, however, was plagued with technical difficulties and ended up delivering a lackluster performance that did little to sell themselves or the new disc…

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of the Westword Music Showcase! This year’s Showcase, set for Saturday, June 16, in the Golden Triangle, is bigger and better than ever (yes, I know we say that every year, but it happens to be true). For starters, the all-ages Outdoor Stage has moved…