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

• Valient Thorr

  published September 4, 2008

  Although Warped Tour lineups differ from year to year, plenty of the acts on them are essentially interchangeable. But not Warped vets Valient... More >>

• Foo Fighters

  published September 4, 2008

  Dave Grohl, whose throat problems caused the postponement of two Foo Fighters dates originally scheduled for July, has become a reliable... More >>

• The Democratic National Convention transformed the Pepsi Center into a media echo chamber.

  published September 4, 2008

  Judging by coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the Pepsi Center never stopped hopping throughout the August 25-28 event. But... More >>

• Max Karson bids adieu to CU

  published August 28, 2008

  When last we checked in with Max Karson, the controversial... More >>

• The Colorado Daily changes course

  published August 28, 2008

  Colorado Daily reporter Richard Valenty is a self-described "political junkie" who has covered the doings of Boulder's activists... More >>

• Ratatat's music sings without singing

  published August 28, 2008

  Vocalists get the prima donna's share of attention in most groups. But according to Evan Mast, who represents half of the Brooklyn-based... More >>

• Fiancé

  published August 28, 2008

  Bands with designs on commercial success often remove anything resembling a personality from their work in an attempt to broaden their appeal.... More >>

• David Byrne & Brian Eno

  published August 28, 2008

  My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, released in 1981 (and recently reissued), was an attempt by David Byrne and Brian Eno to forge new... More >>

• GZA

  published August 28, 2008

  During the Wu-Tang Clan's prime, most of the group's members enjoyed successful solo outings. But times have changed since then, mostly for the... More >>

• Tussle

  published August 28, 2008

  Most electronic music makers fall into one of two broad categories: They're either interested in making art or making people dance. However,... More >>

• The World Romantic

  published August 21, 2008

  One of a band's biggest challenges is finding its own sound, and the World Romantic has done it. But the players are so locked into this style... More >>

• My Morning Jacket

  published August 21, 2008

  Over the years, categorizers have shoved My Morning Jacket in numerous pigeonholes: jam band, Southern-rock band, Americana band and more.... More >>

• The Juan MacLean

  published August 21, 2008

  John MacLean made his first major musical mark as the guitarist for Six Finger Satellite, a onetime Sub Pop signee that merged traditional rock... More >>

• The Verve

  published August 21, 2008

  After 1997's Urban Hymns proved to be a breakthrough for the Verve, frontman Richard Ashcroft went solo prematurely — and he was... More >>

• The Denver media gets ready for its DNC close-up

  published August 21, 2008

  It was all glibness and grins at a recent press conference announcing the plan to give away tickets for presumptive Democratic presidential... More >>

• Welcome to Collywood

  published August 21, 2008

  As the folks at the Colorado Film Commission will tell you, our fair state offers an incredible variety of potential movie locations:... More >>

• UmConscious

  published August 14, 2008

  The video for this album's title track — a guided tour of Colfax locales such as Casa Bonita — makes it clear that the members of... More >>

• Slightly Stoopid

  published August 14, 2008

  A generation of teenagers is actively pissed off that Sublime's Brad Nowell overdosed after making only three albums — and for them,... More >>

• Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

  published August 14, 2008

  For an act whose moniker alludes to the film version of V For Vendetta, graphic novelist Alan Moore's dystopian fantasia about a masked... More >>

• Scars on Broadway

  published August 14, 2008

  In a wry comment on his reputation as a doctrinaire zealot, System of a Downer Daron Malakian kicks off the side project he shares with SOAD... More >>

• James Hunter

  published August 7, 2008

  Europeans often display greater appreciation for American soul and blues than does the average U.S. citizen. Yet English singer-songwriter... More >>

• Ray LaMontagne

  published August 7, 2008

  Unfortunately, the creamiest talent doesn't always rise to the top — which explains in part why the growing popularity of Ray LaMontagne... More >>

• Clipped Wings

  published August 7, 2008

  “I deliberately tried very hard not to make it a revenge book,” says guitarist Don Felder, author of Heaven and Hell: My Life... More >>

• Tickle Me Pink

  published July 31, 2008

  It was well nigh impossible to judge this recording objectively on its release date due to the startling death of bassist Johnny Schou —... More >>

• Peter Cincotti

  published July 31, 2008

  The music marketplace is constantly shifting, but there always seems to be room for artists who fill certain niches: the... More >>