Email Author Jason Heller

2009 Stories by Jason Heller

• How the West Was Sculpted

  published December 31, 2009

  Like so many people who helped remake the American landscape and identity in the 1800s, Augustus Saint-Gaudens wasn't born in the United States.... More >>

• Not the Same Old Song

  published December 24, 2009

  As any karaoke audience can tell you, context is everything. But when directors Sally George and Stephen Walker made the 2007 documentary... More >>

• A Simple Little Gift

  published December 24, 2009

  Thousands of words have been spilled in gushing praise of legendary director François Truffaut's Small Change, but leave it... More >>

• The Word Is Out

  published December 17, 2009

  Good movies move people. Granted, the emotional effect sometimes lasts no longer than the film itself — that is, unless you're Denver Film... More >>

• The Miracle of Christmas Humor

  published December 17, 2009

  The ridiculousness of Christmas has been fodder for comedians since, oh, the genesis of the holiday in the Middle Ages. But the past few decades... More >>

• O Pioneers!!!

  published December 10, 2009

  Hoarse, coarse and slavishly crude, the Texas outfit known as O Pioneers!!! might come across as a punk band at first — and, at its... More >>

• We All Have Hooks for Hands

  published December 10, 2009

  Most people in their right mind run for cover when they hear of yet another new band described as indie folk or Americana. Letting that... More >>

• Su Teatro Goes Home

  published December 10, 2009

  "Our production of The Westside Oratorio is appropriate and timely," says development director Tanya Mote of Su Teatro’s latest... More >>

• Go Big With Duke Ellington’s Band

  published December 10, 2009

  Most people have heard Duke Ellington’s music. But for some — like Scott O'Neil, Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra... More >>

• Big D and the Kids Table

  published December 3, 2009

  It would be easy to peg Big D and the Kids Table as the de facto leader of some sort of ska revival. But the truth is, the band has been at the... More >>

• Polka Dot Dot Dot

  published December 3, 2009

  Joanna Newsom came on strong earlier in the '00s, peaked early and has seemed to all but disappear from the limelight now that the decade is... More >>

• Pacific Pride

  published December 3, 2009

  Trimming most of the flab that the indie world has packed on over the past ten years, Pacific Pride is more than just a fine physical... More >>

• Guy Fieri Dives Into Denver

  published December 3, 2009

  Celebrity foodie Anthony Bourdain recently appeared on the dignified stage of the Buell Theatre — but the cosmic balance will reassert itself... More >>

• Wet Hair

  published November 26, 2009

  Referencing everyone from Silver Apples to Suicide to Young Marble Giants, Iowa City's Wet Hair takes the keyboard-smeared,... More >>

• Baroness

  published November 26, 2009

  Hailing from the state that brought you Mastodon, Georgia's Baroness is likewise a critically lauded metal outfit that seems to have sprung... More >>

• Moonspeed

  published November 26, 2009

  Even at the height of Bright Channel's popularity and on-stage volume, leader Jeff Suthers played occasional acoustic shows as a solo artist.... More >>

• A Terrific Trio

  published November 26, 2009

  In addition to its luscious organic cuisine, the Mercury Cafe has always been known for its live music – everything from punk in the... More >>

• Millions of Brazilians

  published November 19, 2009

  Looking for a shovel to bury the Aughts with? Millions of Brazilians seem happy to oblige; just do us all a favor and throw the band into the... More >>

• Vandaveer

  published November 19, 2009

  Not to be confused with fellow art-folk group Vetiver, Washington, D.C.'s Vandaveer sports a smokier yet more straightforward sound that feels... More >>

• A Melodic Daydream

  published November 19, 2009

  Putting your heart on your sleeve is one thing — but Fort Collins's A Melodic Daydream takes it a big step further. Fronted by the... More >>

• Horse Feathers

  published November 12, 2009

  As the decade drags to a close and music fans are left to make sense of it all, one thing is clear: Amid the massive success that genres such... More >>

• John Fogerty

  published November 12, 2009

  To many, Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty is second only to Bruce Springsteen when it comes to roots-fueled Americana. Those... More >>

• Small and Scrappy

  published November 12, 2009

  Mickey Rourke's masterfully depressing turn in last year's The Wrestler — not to mention the increasingly dark theatrics of TV shows... More >>

• All That Jazz

  published November 12, 2009

  Jazz, as everyone from Ken Burns on down will tell you, is a uniquely American music. And yet some of its greatest practitioners have hailed from... More >>

• Grant Hart

  published November 5, 2009

  In the rock world, singing drummers are almost as rare as talking dogs. But Grant Hart, the man who assaulted the kit for Hüsker Dü... More >>