Email Author Michael Roberts

Awards

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

  "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down"

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2007 Stories by Michael Roberts

• Déjà View

  published August 30, 2007

  To date, Brad Pitt hasn't agreed to be a celebrity endorser for Dr Pepper — but there are far fewer than six degrees of separation... More >>

• Virb Is the Word

  published August 30, 2007

  The folks at Virb aren't the only ones to realize how difficult it's become for the average band to stand out from the MySpace crowd. Two... More >>

• Rilo Kiley

  published August 30, 2007

  Jenny Lewis may like the critical cred that came with recording for indies such as Saddle Creek, but the former child actress (she survived... More >>

• Platte River Killers

  published August 30, 2007

  Few young acts have their own sound from the get-go — and right now, the Platte River Killers are in the imitation stage. Their hard-rocking... More >>

• Placebo

  published August 30, 2007

  How the hell did Placebo wind up on the high-profile Projekt Revolution tour alongside Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, HIM, Madina Lake, Saosin,... More >>

• Rocco DeLuca & the Burden

  published August 30, 2007

  Mr. DeLuca, performing with the Last Goodnight and the Midway State, knows plenty about burdens — like, for instance, the one he's carried... More >>

• The Last Roundup

  published August 30, 2007

  Since 1993, the Dalhart Imperials have played both kinds of music — country and Western — better than just about any of... More >>

• Dave TV!

  published August 23, 2007

  "We don't have a format," Dave Navarro boasts about Spread Entertainment, his talk show for Mania TV!, the Denver-based... More >>

• Korn Again

  published August 23, 2007

  Korn isn't what it used to be. In recent years, guitarist Brian "Head" Welch and drummer David Silveria have left the group, and the remaining... More >>

• Joe Fornothin

  published August 23, 2007

  During a 2006 interview with Westword, blues legend Buddy Guy praised John Mayer for introducing his favorite genre to today's listeners.... More >>

• It Dies Today

  published August 23, 2007

  Buffalo, New York's It Dies Today takes inspiration from a strikingly wide range of sources. For instance, The Caitiff Choir, the... More >>

• T.I.

  published August 23, 2007

  With the title of his 2006 CD, Clifford Harris, who goes by T.I., declared himself King, and unlike so many boasters before him, he backed... More >>

• Ballin'

  published August 23, 2007

  The subject of this week's Message column (see page 16), Dave Navarro, is comfortable in a slew of mediums, including music, as guitarist for the... More >>

• Sneak Peek

  published August 23, 2007

  Each year, television critics across the country go to industry-sponsored sessions where they sample forthcoming shows and interview the people... More >>

• You on the Tube

  published August 16, 2007

  Plenty of new media boosters hailed the July 23 YouTube debate of Democratic presidential contenders on CNN as an egalitarian breakthrough —... More >>

• Hilary Duff Wages War

  published August 16, 2007

  "I had a pretty tough year last year," says Hilary Duff. Granted, Duff's status as a rich pop star and actress — she reportedly... More >>

• Minus the Bear

  published August 16, 2007

  In all the hoopla over the influence of '60s and '70s art rock on some of today's most interesting bands, one salient fact is frequently... More >>

• 3OH!3

  published August 16, 2007

  Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman, the twosome behind 3OH!3, are to subtle musicianship what hot dog-scarfer Takeru Kobayashi is to table manners.... More >>

• Beastie Boys

  published August 16, 2007

  Two decades ago, the Beastie Boys were the scourge of morality arbiters everywhere. Just one example: Following a March 1987 Beasties concert in... More >>

• Beyoncé

  published August 16, 2007

  Every era needs an impossibly perfect vocal goddess, and Beyoncé Knowles ably fills the role. On the surface, the various elements that... More >>

• African Rhythms

  published August 16, 2007

  The Mesgana Dancers, who'll star in a benefit performance tonight and tomorrow, consist of Ethiopian girls ages seven to ten. Nonetheless,... More >>

• Making Progress

  published August 9, 2007

  ProgressNow, an outfit that specializes in promoting a politically progressive agenda and challenging "conservative propaganda," was founded on... More >>

• The String Cheese Incident Takes a Break

  published August 9, 2007

  Jam Nation has been anxious since November 2006, when the String Cheese Incident revealed that because of guitarist Bill Nershi's determination to... More >>

• Common

  published August 9, 2007

  Unlike many of his rap contemporaries, Rashid "Common" Lynn has matured artistically — but he had a head start. Back in 1992 when he... More >>

• Coles Whalen

  published August 9, 2007

  Folks exclusively interested in original sounds should avoid this EP. Singer-songwriter Whalen, who appears with Shannon Curfman on Thursday,... More >>