Email Author Michael Roberts

Awards

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

  "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down"

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2008 Stories by Michael Roberts

• Dojo

  published February 7, 2008

  While today's hip-hop is supposedly all about collaborations, a lot of performers who share tracks don't even record their contributions at the... More >>

• Sara Bareilles

  published February 7, 2008

  During the late '80s, Neil Young released "This Note's for You," a critically praised tune (and accompanying video) in which he defiantly... More >>

• Marilyn Manson

  published February 7, 2008

  In 1994, before most of America knew who the hell he was, Marilyn Manson told Westword that people who go to extremes "have to be ready... More >>

• Jack Johnson

  published February 7, 2008

  Jack Johnson would undoubtedly make a wonderful dinner companion. Unlike the average rock star, who might well break the good china, wipe his... More >>

• Reap Show

  published February 7, 2008

  Last year, harmonicat Clay Kirkland hit the big 6-0 — an achievement that surprised him. "I never expected to live until sixty, and actually... More >>

• Ukes and You

  published February 7, 2008

  The Boulder Acoustic Society's Aaron Keim, one of the organizers of today's first Colorado Ukulele Festival, loves the uke for reasons that... More >>

• College Try

  published January 31, 2008

  Parties who attended what was supposed to be a secret January 22 meeting at Colorado State University insist that CSU executives and personnel... More >>

• Talib Kweli

  published January 31, 2008

  "They say you can't please everyone," Talib Kweli declares at the outset of his latest CD, 2007's Eardrum, and his career stands as... More >>

• Cobra Starship

  published January 31, 2008

  The post-Fall Out Boy school of rock that encompasses Cobra Starship doesn't feature an especially hard-edged curriculum. Throughout... More >>

• Gallows

  published January 31, 2008

  The men of Gallows, a rough-hewn throwback to the days when U.K. punk was perilous, not pop, are known for gigs at which music and injuries... More >>

• Out of the Dark

  published January 31, 2008

  As a '70s-era teenager, I worked at my cousin's stereo store -- and whenever a staffer really wanted to close a sale, he or she would spin the... More >>

• Atlas Shrugs

  published January 31, 2008

  Although compendiums of hilarity from The Onion are published annually, it's been more than eight years since the arrival of 1999's Our... More >>

• No Chubbies? Fat Chance

  published January 24, 2008

  During his January 14 program, Fox Business personality Neil Cavuto tried to bait Michael Karolchyk, the willfully offensive... More >>

• The Mars Volta

  published January 24, 2008

  Recordings by the Mars Volta are almost always accompanied by extensive backstories. For instance, 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium... More >>

• Drive-By Truckers

  published January 24, 2008

  The departure of a performer as strong as Jason Isbell, who went solo last year, would cripple most bands — but not Drive-By Truckers.... More >>

• Nicole Torres & the Affiliates

  published January 24, 2008

  The music on Out of Harm's Way isn't just all over the map — the CD sports enough twists and turns for an entire atlas. But if... More >>

• Christian McBride

  published January 24, 2008

  In addition to being a renowned jazz artist, bassist Christian McBride is an in-demand sideman who's proven his mettle in a slew of styles. The... More >>

• Wyclef Jean

  published January 24, 2008

  On his latest disc, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant, onetime Fugee Wyclef Jean takes his reputation as the king of... More >>

• The Playwright Stuff

  published January 24, 2008

  The second edition of the Theater Masters' National MFA Playwright's Festival, which begins tonight in Aspen, builds on the success of its... More >>

• Donkey Business

  published January 24, 2008

  Representatives of the 2008 Democratic National Convention are looking for a great piece of ass: a donkey that will serve as the August event's... More >>

• Rick Reilly, Loving Limbo

  published January 17, 2008

  When most of us leave one job for another, we might get a week or two off to put our affairs in order if we're fortunate, and considerably less... More >>

• Lupe Fiasco’s Exit Stategy

  published January 17, 2008

  Most artists don't consider premature retirement until after they've made it big — really big. But Lupe Fiasco isn't most artists. His... More >>

• The Bravery

  published January 17, 2008

  Since the Bravery and the Killers are the two American groups most likely to be misidentified as British, their 2005 pissing match was wholly... More >>

• Xavier Rudd

  published January 17, 2008

  Certain folks will love the music of native Australian Xavier Rudd, while others will hate it the way they despise injustice, cruelty toward... More >>

• Albright on the Western Front

  published January 17, 2008

  Judging by the title of her latest book, Memo to the President Elect, Madeleine Albright, who's in town for an appearance tonight,... More >>