It was just before Christmas when Mike Marchant, one of Denver’s most celebrated songwriters, found out he has cancer. “Being told you have cancer — I will never, ever forget what that feels like, because it’s terrifying,” he says. After seeing a doctor for what he assumed was an infection,…
In the realm of local art terrorism, Tom Nelsen is probably not a name that springs immediately to mind. You wouldn’t necessarily expect Nelsen, who organizes the garage-rock-lo-fi-oriented Hullaballoo festival, to have weirdo experimental music coming from his brain. But this is also the guy who drummed for the performance-art/psychedelic-rock…
Curtis Alan Jones created the Green Velvet persona to head up his deejaying gigs, and in the early 1990s, his productions (including “The Stalker” and “Preacher Man”) gained the attention of dance fiends all over the world. The Chicago house legend (due this Saturday, April 13, at Beta) has been…
Angel Olsen grew up in St. Louis, and some of that city’s soulful, bluesy spirit evidently rubbed off on her. A self-taught musician and vocalist, Olsen honed her skills as a member of Cairo Gang, the backup unit for Will Oldham on some of his more recent Bonnie “Prince” Billy…
Now, Now came together nearly a decade ago, when Cacie Dalager and Bradley Hale started writing music together while still in high school. Initially called Now, Now Every Children, the group shortened its name to its current moniker after leaving Afternoon Records in 2010. Jess Abbott, who rounds out the…
With a controversial name, rumored gang ties and often violent fans, Suicidal Tendencies, which formed in the early ’80s, went from being voted Worst Band/Biggest Assholes in punk fanzine Flipside one year to Best New Band the next. Though recording was spotty at best, Suicidal Tendencies did make seminal hardcore…
The Dear Hunter was a side project launched in 2005 while Casey Crescenzo was touring with his now-former band, the Receiving End of Sirens. He had been writing songs on his laptop and recording them in his spare time; his first collection was dubbed the Dear Ms. Leading demos, and…
Some artists treat their albums as opportunities to reinvent themselves, exploring new musical terrain at every turn. Others view each release as an iteration in the process of discovering their ideal musical space. Thankfully, Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens falls into the latter category. The territory he’s been exploring as Morriconez and…
When coming up with a moniker for their project, Jess Parsons and Steve Varney wanted a name that would match their lush, inviting music. The name Glowing House fits the indie-folk act perfectly, suggesting a warmly lit, welcoming mountain home in winter. The group has followed last year’s excellent sophomore…
The ABCs are the building blocks of the English language, but Turner Jackson’s ABC pays homage to the building blocks of his versatile, ever-changing style. The album begins with a short sample of new-school flow, something you might hear from Meek Mill or Drake. Most of the rest is a…
Part noise, part dark IDM, this debut album from Adam Rojo’s Diffuser project is very different from the music Rojo made previously with Ideal Fathers or with his new band, Hollow Talk. While capturing the essence of the socio-political and economic erosion of recent decades, Rojo makes no bones about…
Mike Marchant, the subject of this week’s profile, is a beloved figure in the Denver music scene, and as you might recall, he was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is in the process of undergoing chemotherapy. Numerous fundraisers have been organized on his behalf to help ease the stress…
Once upon a time, about two decades ago, long before the world heard Denver music on the radio, there was a burgeoning band of boys striving to make a name for themselves, playing a brand of music they imported from across the pond. The group was called Carolyn’s Mother, and…
Fear Factory was a pioneer of the so-called nü-metal genre, before that designation became a bit of an insult. An early proponent of the fusion of industrial and death metal, Fear Factory first realized that sonic alchemy with its influential 1995 album, Demanufacture. Since then, the band has explored a…
This Thursday, April 11, at the Funky Buddha, Turner Jackson is set to kick off a new monthly hip-hop open mike night called the Pit with DJ Dozen. The Pit, which is open to any and every rap artist who want a chance to rock the mic, will give ten…
As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it’s not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: “What are you listening to right now?” Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn’t you know it, off…
A 23-year-old Longmont woman was arrested over the weekend for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend — over Macklemore’s inescapable hit single “Thrift Shop,” which he wouldn’t stop singing. When “Thrift Shop” first came out, before it got completely driven into the ground, it was actually a pretty catchy single. Of course…
Cervantes’ is always finding ways to better itself, whether it be through sound upgrades or renovations in the main ballroom. The latest improvements are being made as we speak. Cervantes’ Other Side is in the skeletal stages of building an outdoor patio. Keep reading for photos of the new pad,…
After a damp, chilly edition of its annual Cultivate Fesitval last year featuring Best Coast, Okkervil River, Tennis and Grouplove, Chipotle is bringing its free shindig back to City Park — and it’s moved it up a couple months, which means the weather is most likely going to be more…
Since the early ’90s, Insane Clown Posse has built itself into what is arguably the most successful independent band of all time. The cult of fandom surrounding ICP is unprecedented and notorious (the FBI considers Juggalos to be a gang). Outside its home state of Michigan, the polarizing act has…
Ever the equal-opportunity rocker, Kid Rock is bringing his Best Night Ever tour to Fiddler’s, and every seat in the house is $20. “Everyone knows the economy is still hurting people across the country,” he says, “but I didn’t want that to be a reason why everyone couldn’t get out…
When trumpeter Dave Douglas played at Dazzle just over a year ago as part of Greg Garrison’s Improvised Roots series, he was introduced to Crooked Still’s Aoife O’Donovan, who sang during the sets. Douglas went on to recruit O’Donovan — who is also joining Douglas’s two-night stand at Dazzle this…
