Over the past five years, Tucker Gumber has been to more than 90 festivals. And he has come away from them with a simple message for festival promoters: Step it up, guys. “Every festival has something that they can do a little better,” says the 32-year-old Colorado native, speaking by…
For an inspirational setting to record their forthcoming album (release date TBA) , Dragondeer dug deep into the heart of California’s Topanga Canyon. The idyllic area, located in the Santa Monica Mountains, has long been a safe haven and a place of respite for storied musicians like Bob Dylan, Neil…
There’s an impressive assortment of music in town this weekend, including SunSquabi at the Ogden Theatre, Ladysmith Black Mambazo at L2 Church, Cervantes’ 14th Anniversary with Everyone Orchestra, and Car Seat Headrest at hi-dive. See the full list of our picks below. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 SunSquabi $17/$20, 9 p.m. Ogden Theatre…
The Blue Rider is the kind of band that must be experienced live. That’s not to diminish the band’s records, which are captivating in their own right. But through speakers, Blue Rider sounds a bit like you’re playing an obscure Doors record at the wrong RPM. It’s loud and convoluted,…
When Denver band One Flew West set out to make the music video for the single “Had It All” (which debuted this week) the band got help from an unexpected place: students at University of Colorado Denver. The Cam Records course is a requirement of the music business program at…
Bassnectar heads up Bass Center 2016 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30. In addition to extended Bassnectar sets, Flux Pavilion, Flying Lotus, Lupe Fiasco, Minnesota and Dabin will perform on Friday, and Wu-Tang Clan, Porter Robinson, AlunaGeorge, G Jones and Thriftworks will perform…
The death of David Bowie last Sunday night has inspired a glittery torrent of online appreciations and remembrances. Facebook quickly became the venue where we could face the strange change of a world without the cultural icon, but once we’ve finished reading the heartfelt reflections and ogling old photos of Bowie…
When you think about Boulder, do you think about modern post-punk? Probably not. But in 2013, the four members of Male Blonding got together in drummer Andrew Bair’s house bedroom—with no specific agenda in mind—and that’s what they made. That day they wrote “Still Parts,” a song that appeared on the…
Although its name is menacing, the Ominous DJ night has become one of the most inclusive musical events in Denver, and may soon loom large beyond the city’s subcultures. The monthly alternative dance party, which rolls out at Tracks nightclub, is an extravaganza of music and visual elements, as well…
Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work…
David Bowie always paid tribute to his older brother, most famously in “All the Young Dudes,” for changing his life as a teenager by turning him on to rock music and the Beat Generation. So it makes sense that Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars…
This weekend hip hop star G-Eazy graduated from the smaller venues he played last time he hit Denver, and instead brought his lackadaisical flow and slick hair to the 1STBANK Center. The 26-year-old’s second album, When It’s Dark Out, debuted near the top of the the Billboard hip hop/R&B charts,…
Will Toledo didn’t christen his musical project Car Seat Headrest because he wanted to prove his tunes were strong enough under the burden of the world’s worst band name. No, the moniker alludes instead to early recording sessions during which the high-school-age Will wailed into a computer while sitting in…
Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom and its little brother, Cervantes’ Other Side, have been a hallmark for Denver concertgoers for well over a decade now, and these stomping grounds show no signs of slowing their roll. With fourteen years under their belt of hosting world-famous musicians, local up-and-comers and everyone in between, Cervantes is throwing…
Genre-defying pioneer David Bowie succumbed to an eighteen-month battle with cancer on Sunday evening, and left a massive hole in the world’s musical landscape. A statement issued on his social media accounts said that he “died peacefully surrounded by family.” Bowie was an artist in the truest sense of the word, never afraid…
When Radiohead demanded public access to Prince’s fantabulous cover of “Creep” recently, I couldn’t help but recall falling in love with creative covers as a teenage drummer and finishing all my own shows in the clubs, bars and garages of Pittsburgh with the punk trio Falling Short by blazing through…
For diehard fans of a veteran band, there are few things more demoralizing than when the classic lineup gets fractured, due to in-fighting or other circumstances, leading to two (or more) versions of the band on the touring circuit. It happened with Black Flag, Saxon, Sweet, LA Guns and Queensryche, and that’s exactly…
This week’s shows includes a diverse section of acts including blues guitarist Sonny Landreth, alt-pop singer Austin Jones, jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, country singer Aaron Watson as well as classical ensembles the Brooklyn Rider and Takacs Quartet. See the full list of our picks below. MONDAY, JANUARY 11 Takács Quartet…
Last Saturday, the mood at TRVE Brewery was somber yet jovial as patrons watched the live stream of Lemmy Kilmister’s funeral on a TV in the corner above the bar. There were drinks, laughter and pizzas, but overall the affair had an air of subdued reverence. Kilmister, beloved singer of…
The Meadowlark punted the inaugural edition of its new weekly DJ night, Thursday Kicks, by featuring guest spinner Jello Biafra. Biafra, former frontman of punk legends Dead Kennedys, played a set of all-vinyl punk and garage rock, mixing in favorites and oddities. All photos by Kenneth Hamblin. Read more about…
While Elijah Wood has acted in a slew of films — as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or as that little creep in Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind and that other creep in Everything is Illuminated — he’s also a music fan with a deep affinity for vinyl. Wood will…
Last month, the Open Media Foundation celebrated its twelfth anniversary with an expanded version of its usual first Friday Open Music Sessions. At the free public party, OMF spotlighted local media and arts figures with the Independent Voices Awards, as well as performances by Chimney Choir and musical comedian Chad…
