Email Author Michael Roberts

Awards

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

  "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down"

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2005 Stories by Michael Roberts

• Flobots

  published November 17, 2005

  The Flobots have more in common with Bop Skizzum than guitarist Andy Guerrero, trumpeter Joe Ferrone and bassist Jesse Walker, who are members of... More >>

• The Mae Shi

  published November 17, 2005

  Plenty of Los Angeles-based acts are more concerned with making it big than with making something fresh -- but not every performer there prefers... More >>

• Shannon McNally

  published November 17, 2005

  Given the incredible volume of CDs that are released on a weekly basis, it's inevitable that some really good ones evade detection by the masses.... More >>

• Students' Counsel

  published November 10, 2005

  Kids say plenty of things about the press. And most of them are disapproving. "There's a lot of bias in newspapers," declares Ashley, a... More >>

• Judaism for Jah

  published November 10, 2005

  According to Matthew Miller, aka Matisyahu, listening entails more than simply owning a pair of fully functioning ears. "The concept of listening... More >>

• Neil Diamond

  published November 10, 2005

  Producer Rick Rubin's attempt to revitalize Diamond's critical reputation à la his Johnny Cash collaborations isn't a fool's errand. Before... More >>

• Liz Clark

  published November 10, 2005

  The miles between Denver, where Liz Clark first made her name as a performer, and New York, her home for the past couple of years, roughly... More >>

• Buckethead

  published November 10, 2005

  California's Brian Carroll has spent virtually all of his time in the public eye with his face behind a mask and his head in a bucket -- which is... More >>

• Rachel's

  published November 10, 2005

  Bassist Jason Noble is well known in indie-rock circles for his membership in the late, lamented Rodan, a Louisville noise band of much repute,... More >>

• Elastic Country

  published November 10, 2005

  FRI, 11/11 "Bring 'em on," challenges Rodney Crowell. "Bring on the conservatives. I'll argue with them all day." Like... More >>

• Voices

  published November 3, 2005

  "New Owner for Westword." That was the headline over an October 24 Denver Business Journal item about plans to merge New Times... More >>

• Home Boy

  published November 3, 2005

  Maybe now that Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz is a big star, he'll get his own place -- but don't count on it. Even though he's 26 years old, the... More >>

• Ashlee Simpson

  published November 3, 2005

  I feel let down, Ash. The cognoscenti dismissed the rock moves on last year's Autobiography, but I believed in them -- and in you!... More >>

• Cryogen

  published November 3, 2005

  On the best recordings, lyrics, vocals and music are all first-rate -- but CDs that fail to score in each category shouldn't automatically be... More >>

• Early Man

  published November 3, 2005

  In addition to being cyclical, pop music is counterintuitive, as the marketing of Early Man demonstrates. The band's two-person lineup mirrors the... More >>

• Soiled

  published October 27, 2005

  Channel 9 investigative reporter Deborah Sherman knows that complaints come with the territory. But even though she's spent the past... More >>

• Unarmed

  published October 27, 2005

  Does Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen mind talking about life without a left arm? Apparently not, since he's the one who brings up his absent... More >>

• Danger Doom

  published October 27, 2005

  Is this CD the first rap infomercial? Does it take musical product placement to a new extreme? And if so, is that bad? The answer to each of these... More >>

• Twista

  published October 27, 2005

  Chicago's Carl Mitchell, aka Twista, isn't a musical or lyrical innovator, but he's got the fastest tongue in hip-hop, and his quick spitting --... More >>

• Blackalicious

  published October 27, 2005

  There are easier ways to make a hip-hop living than the one chosen by Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab, the duo behind Blackalicious. These longtime... More >>

• New Gig

  published October 20, 2005

  Most of Gabriel Elizondo's colleagues at KMGH-TV/Channel 7, where he served as an assignment editor, were supportive when they learned last... More >>

• Worrier

  published October 20, 2005

  In his videos and appearances on VH1's seemingly endless parade of pop-culture nostalgia shows, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz comes across as... More >>

• Various Artists

  published October 20, 2005

  Listeners who think of electronic music as a recent innovation will be disabused of that notion by this fascinating boxed set. The compilation's... More >>

• Bill Douglas and Ty Burhoe

  published October 20, 2005

  Over the past decade-plus, Ty Burhoe, a Boulder tabla expert, has performed solo, in groups like Curandero, and as a sideman for string wizard... More >>

• Meshuggah

  published October 20, 2005

  On Catch Thirty-Three, Meshuggah's latest, the music occasionally quiets or slows, but it doesn't lapse for over 45 often deafening yet... More >>