See Also: - Q&A with Jim James of My Morning Jacket - Profile: Joy Subtraction, 8/2/12 - Q&A with Angry Hand of God
Welcome to the weekend! Aren't you glad you hung in there? Your hard work grinding it out this week is about to rewarded handsomely by a pair of back-to-back shows from My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses tonight and tomorrow night, followed by another two-night stand from Neil Young & Crazy Horse with the Alabama Shakes. Well that in itself would be more than enough to make any weekend memorable, but this being Denver, there's plenty of other musical options for you this weekend, including a CD release show featuring Joy Subtraction and much more. Page down for the weekend's best live music options.
MY MORNING JACKET @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
See Also: Q&A with Jim James of My Morning Jacket
Having formed in the late '90s, Louisville, Kentucky's My Morning Jacket has continued to evolve over the course of six studio albums. At the same time, the band has managed to hang on to that reverb-drenched magnetism that fueled the first two albums -- 1999's The Tennessee Fire and 2001's At Dawn. With last year's Circuital, the band proved that it was trying something different, especially on the very un-metal-sounding "Holdin' On to Black Metal," which employs a loop of a Thai pop song from the '60s, and the Beach Boys-inspired "Outta My System."
ANGRY HAND OF GOD @ BENDER'S TAVERN
See Also: Q&A with Angry Hand of God
In 2006, Angry Hand of God (due at Bender's Tavern on Friday, August 3) came together when founding members Mark Pilloud and Pat Dixon met on StonerRock.com and started jamming. They eventually recruited Brian Kennedy and Garrett McGaugh and starting playing out around Denver, sharing gigs with like-minded acts such as the Bronze and the Nod. Dixon and the band parted amicably, and Ezana Negash stepped in on vocal duties. The psych-tinged, bluesy metal that is the core of Angry Hand's sound seemed to go out of vogue for a few years, but with the renewed interest in sludgy, heavy rock like that of Sleep and Electric Wizard, the group seems even more relevant than when it started. Its new album, Revelations from Rock Bottom, is a nuanced display of sonic heft worthy of its influences.
KOTTONMOUTH KINGS @ FOX THEATRE Of all the bands borne of an obsession with ganja, Kottonmouth Kings epitomize the spirit of the 420 holiday with utter Orange County, white-boy swagger. From their apt moniker describing the phenomenon one experiences when smoking the devil's lettuce to their chill reggae/hip-hop rhymes meets punk ethos, Kottonmouth Kings were made to spark a way of life in the land of citrus, and they've been at it since the mid-'90s. Maybe there's a correlation between silly smoke and longevity.
DEMON HUNTER @ SUMMIT MUSIC HALL In support of the band's newly released album, True Defiance, Seattle natives Demon Hunter hit the stage tonight with a vengeance. Don't be surprised if your neck hurts in the morning, because with tunes as heavy as Demon Hunter's, you won't be able to stop banging your head, vigorously.
Check out our newly revamped concert calendar for a complete listing of all of tonight's shows. Page down for rundown of tomorrow night's best bets.
JOY SUBTRACTION (CD RELEASE) @ HI-DIVE
See Also: Profile: Joy Subtraction, 8/2/12
What we've found is that most people hate the name," says Joy Subtraction's singer and guitarist, Abe Brennan of his band's humorous moniker, adding, "but we hate most people, so it ends up working out." Drummer Brian Polk interjects, "We had a huge argument what to call the band. I wanted to call it The Devil in Spanish and then have our first album called El Diablo Inglés. But I got outvoted in favor of Joy Subtraction. Then I said, 'Okay, as long as we call our first album Hate Will Keep Us Together.' But we called it The Essential Joy Subtraction." (Continue reading full profile)
MY MORNING JACKET @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
See Also: Q&A with Jim James of My Morning Jacket
Having formed in the late '90s, Louisville, Kentucky's My Morning Jacket has continued to evolve over the course of six studio albums. At the same time, the band has managed to hang on to of that reverb-drenched magnetism that fueled the first two albums -- 1999's The Tennessee Fire and 2001's At Dawn. With last year's Circuital, the band proved that it was trying something different, especially on the very un-metal-sounding "Holdin' On to Black Metal," which employs a loop of a Thai pop song from the '60s, and the Beach Boys-inspired "Outta My System."
RORY BLOCK @ SWALLOW HILL MUSIC HALL Rory Block was fortunate to be at the epicenter of the roots music explosion of the late '50s and early '60s as a child in Greenwich Village. Block rubbed shoulders not just with Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, but also the still-living blues masters of the day, including Son House, Reverend Gary Davis and "Mississippi" Fred McDowell. Some of that blues soul was obviously infused into Block's own spirit at a young age, because she went on to be one of the most talented blues musicians of her generation. But rather than go the rock route, as so many did, Block stuck to the original art form and, in so many ways, she has held on to her integrity as a true modern master of that music.
HAYES CARLL @ CHAUTAUQUA AUDITORIUM Raised outside Houston, tutored by Ray Wylie Hubbard and now one of the most reliable of the unwashed, uncouth but undeniably talented post-Jerry Jeff Walker singer-songwriters, Hayes Carll has built a career the honky-tonk troubadour way. He tours doggedly and writes songs born from the hillbilly highway, songs full of Texas swing and one-night stands (even when falling down), blasphemous songs about Jesus (who stole his girl) and tirades about the war in Afghanistan ("KMAG YOYO," a.k.a. "Kiss My Ass Guys, You're on Your Own"). His heart may leave him in the wrong places, but his love songs ("Beaumont," especially) are beginning to stand the test of time.
WILLIS ALAN RAMSEY @ THE SOILED DOVE UNDERGROUND Back in 1972, Willis Alan Ramsey released his sole album, a self-titled release that impressed the likes of Lyle Lovett, Waylon Jennings and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Ramsey's songs have been covered by an array of rock and country performers, so it's still shocking to realize that Ramsey never followed up with a sophomore effort. But not only did he not record another album, the former Dallas resident also high-tailed it to Britain in order to study music. And even after four decades, the songs from his debut still resonate with the country and folk crowd. Ramsey has hinted at finally recording a new record, but that might actually put a dent in the legend surrounding his first one.
Check out our newly revamped concert calendar for a complete listing of all of tonight's shows. Page down for rundown of tomorrow night's best bets.
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE At 66, an age where most musicians of note are happy to fade away, Neil Young has instead produced a noisy, defiant flood of iPhone apps, environmentalist flicks, national-anthem resurrections and face-shattering guitar jams as fierce as their predecessors and twice as wild as what's left of his hair. With Americana, his first album with Crazy Horse in nine years, Young and company dig into folk and protest songs and murder ballads and make them all their own. Neil Young & Crazy Horse kick off the first of a two-night stand tonight at Red Rocks with the Alabama Shakes.
Check out our newly revamped concert calendar for a complete listing of all of tonight's shows.
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