Recent Articles

Recent Articles by George Swartz

  • Benny Benassi

    Thursday, November 24, the Church, 303-832-3528.

  • Henry Rollins

    Saturday, November 5, Macky Auditorium, Boulder, 303-492-8423.

  • Mike Doughty's Band

    Friday, October 7, and Saturday, October 8, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

  • DJ ESP

    Saturday, August 27, Sherman Events Center, 303-558-3323.

  • DJ Hipp-E

    Friday, June 17, Vinyl, 303-860-8469.

National Features >

  • Riverfront Times

    Prized Fighter

    Boxing in St. Louis will never die--not as long as Kenny Loehr has a kid in the ring.

    By Kristen Hinman

  • Houston Press

    Crime Doesn't Pay Back

    In Texas, restitution for victims is nothing but a state-sanctioned sham.

    By Chris Vogel

  • Seattle Weekly

    Hot and Frothy

    If you thought Seattle couldn't fetishize coffee any more, you haven't been to a "cupping" yet.

    By Jonathan Kauffman

DJ ESP

Saturday, August 27, Sherman Events Center, 303-558-3323.

By George Swartz

Published on August 25, 2005

Rock stars take drugs: Like most stereotypes, this one exists because it's often true. And ever since DJs became the new rock stars at the peak of the rave scene, many of them have fallen into similar behavior patterns. There's an exception to every rule, though, and Minnesota's DJ ESP, certified Woody McBride at birth, is the exception to this one. Straight-edged and chemical-free since his days organizing and promoting junior-high dance parties in Bismarck, North Dakota, McBride makes banging acid house and techno without having ever ingested a single drop of LSD. Who needs strychnine when you've got a legendary "Wall of Bass" sound system -- stacks upon stacks of speakers and subs with the potential for up to 130 decibels? Volume of that caliber will inevitably alter your mind temporarily (if not permanently), with or without the influence of drugs. The Magic Lantern, a visuals duo that has toured with the Dead, will only enhance the sensation. You've got to see and hear it to believe.


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