Email Author Michael Roberts

Awards

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published December 11, 2008

  "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down"

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1996 Stories by Michael Roberts

• Feedback

  published October 24, 1996

  Before the Bruce Springsteen show at the Paramount on October 16, I caught a few minutes of the second and (blessedly) final presidential... More >>

• Over the Moon

  published October 24, 1996

  A while back, Kim Docter, the frontwoman behind the psycho-country combo Moonshine Willy, was afraid she was running out of songwriting ideas.... More >>

• Playlist

  published October 24, 1996

  Carman Righteous Invasion of Truth (Sparrow) The rub with so much of today's contemporary Christian music isn't its focus on... More >>

• Feedback

  published October 17, 1996

  The company releasing Positive, the latest album by Lord of Word and the Disciples of Bass, is Boulder's Rabid Records; at least that's what it... More >>

• The Odd Couple

  published October 17, 1996

  The collaborations between trumpeter Miles Davis, among the most restless (and brilliant) major figures in the history of jazz, and Gil Evans, a... More >>

• How the West Was Ween

  published October 17, 1996

  In 1994 Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known to the world at large as Gene and Dean Ween, issued Chocolate and Cheese, an Elektra... More >>

• Playlist

  published October 17, 1996

  Nirvana From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (DGC) In this disc's liner notes, bassist Krist Novoselic writes, "Let all the... More >>

• Seeing Red

  published October 10, 1996

  Midway through a telephone interview, Mark Kozelek, the artisan behind Red House Painters, says, "If I haven't been articulate, maybe you could... More >>

• Feedback

  published October 10, 1996

  The September 28 Deicide show at the Mercury Cafe was, to put it mildly, a mess. However, seemingly no one can agree on who was at fault or what... More >>

• Playlist

  published October 10, 1996

  Better Than Ezra Friction, Baby (Elektra) Dear friends, this CD represents everything that's wrong with alternative music in... More >>

• Feedback

  published October 3, 1996

  On the surface, it seemed to be a fairly benign, straightforward press release. Dated September 17 and sent from the offices of Fey Concerts, the... More >>

• The Shed Spread

  published October 3, 1996

  In early June, on the cusp of the summer concert season, I received an e-mail message from a reader, Bryan Matheny, who had a terrifying anecdote... More >>

• Feedback

  published September 26, 1996

  The Westword Music Awards Showcase--an on-site report. At 6 p.m. Sunday evening, September 22, I strolled into a room adjacent to... More >>

• Soul Woman

  published September 26, 1996

  At a time when most music-industry powers view artistic ambition with suspicion, Me'Shell Ndegeocello is among the most mistrusted performers in... More >>

• Playlist

  published September 26, 1996

  R.E.M. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Warner Bros.) Pearl Jam No Code (Epic) By most standards, these albums... More >>

• Westword Music '96 Awards Showcase

  published September 19, 1996

  Last October, the first annual Westword Music Awards Showcase treated listeners to the most successful local-music festival in recent memory. ... More >>

• Feedback

  published September 19, 1996

  Many folks outside the music scene were startled last week when Al Laughlin, longtime keyboard player for the Samples, was arrested in connection... More >>

• Playlist

  published September 12, 1996

  Soul Coughing Irresistible Bliss (Slash/Warner Bros.) On Ruby Vroom, Soul Coughing's bow, bandleader M. Doughty and his... More >>

• Feedback

  published September 12, 1996

  A rule governing participants in the second annual Westword Music Awards Showcase, set to take place September 22 at a variety of LoDo venues (see... More >>

• Mystery Man

  published September 12, 1996

  At the Lion's Lair during the waning hours of a Thursday in late August, the hipsters have gathered. Knots of musicians, fans and hangers-on... More >>

• Playlist

  published September 5, 1996

  Nearly God Nearly God (Durban Poison/Island) Obviously, Tricky isn't lacking in confidence; conceding that he's "nearly" God,... More >>

• Feedback

  published September 5, 1996

  In the July 11 edition of this here column, I told you about Area 39, a new club (owned by Johnson frontman Haylar Garcia) that features an... More >>

• KISS and Sell

  published September 5, 1996

  Gene Simmons's famous tongue is wagging like Lassie's tail on breeding day. A publicity vampire, he's been starved of the press for a long, long... More >>

• Giving Until It Hurts

  published August 29, 1996

  The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon gets no respect. Although most daily newspapers carry a perfunctory paragraph or two about... More >>

• Feedback

  published August 29, 1996

  Those flyers referring to Spell's Friday, August 30, date at the Bluebird Theater (with the Apples, Space Team Electra and Social Joke) as the... More >>