Andy Thomas

A look back at past Best New Band winners

Best of Denver 2013: A look back at the Best New Band winners from the past decade

Our annual Best of Denver issue hits stands today. It's a painstaking issue to put together each year, and one that everybody looks forward to. This edition in particular, though, is even more significant as it's the thirtieth edition. It's also a minor milestone for Backbeat, as it marks the tenth ... More >>

The Afghan Whigs at Ogden Theater, 10/30/12

THE AFGHAN WHIGS @ OGDEN THEATRE |10/30/12 Probably the biggest surprise of the Afghan Whigs show last night at the Ogden came right before the end of the set when Greg Dulli revealed that his band had a Colorado connection. He told us how more than two decades ago, the Fluid heard a Whigs demo tap ... More >>

Greater Than Collective signs distribution deal with Sony RED and adds Epilogues to the roster

See Also: • (Profile) The Epilogues story has a happy ending • (Profile) Cobraconda goes on Spring Break • Snake Rattle Rattle Snake partners with Greater Than Collective • Illegal Pete's and Greater Than Collective's Second Annual Starving Artist Showcase Since launching Greater Than -- t ... More >>

WESTAF introduces Independent Music on Tour, a grant program for local musicians

Just over a year ago, you might remember we posted a bit about the Western States Arts Federation's (WESTAF) TourWest program. We misunderstood the impetus of the program and mistakenly noted that the funds were earmarked specifically for helping local musicians finance their tour endeavors. While w ... More >>

2012 Westword Music Showcase Ballot

Update 3/14/12: The polls are officially open. Please feel free to make your way to the 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot and register your vote! The 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot is here -- no more waiting. Well, that's not entirely true: You will have to wait another day or so before the ... More >>

Snake Rattle Rattle Snake partners with Greater Than artist collective for new record, Sineater

​In case you haven't heard yet, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake is playing a free in-store at Twist and Shout at 6 p.m. August 16, in celebration of the release of the band's first full-length, Sineater. That performance is timed to coincide with a release show later that week at the Bluebird on Aug ... More >>

Mighty Mouse

Moovers & Shakers 2010: More of our picks

​ This year once again as we compiled our annual Moovers and Shakers issue -- a rundown of our favorite local releases from the past year -- we found that there were simply more albums that we dug than we had space to devote to in the paper. Thankfully, no such limitations exist on the web. C ... More >>

Aloe Blacc, Harry Nilsson, Kid Cudi fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Pretty Lights, Ween and Jay-Z filled our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Big Boi, the Roots, Rick Ross, FOE & Whygee dominate our playlists this week

Jason StoffBig Boi, shown here at this past weekend's Pitchfork Festival, dominated our playlists.​ As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, ... More >>

Letters:Paul Grant takes a bite out of the ballot process

Westword Music Showcase headliners: Catching up with Single File

Pamela Littky​ Contention between Single File and its producer, Howard Benson, almost shelved the band's major label debut, Common Struggles, before it even came out. Single File felt Benson and Warner Bros. were trying to shape the band into something they did not want to be.

Q&A with Andrea Ball

​ The 2008 release of Andrea Ball's debut, Beat Beat Pound Poundwas followed by a string of well attended shows and gushing critics. Two years after the release of that album, the singer songwriter is back with a second full length, Dial Tone, that reflects notable growth both lyrically and m ... More >>

The Weekend Showdown: We Are the Dot

We would hate for you to miss out on all the awesome that happens every weekend in our fair city, so we've decided to run down five of the best shows in one easy-to-swallow post, with video and audio. Tell us -- and the rest of the world -- what we missed in the comments. ​ No sleep till Mon ... More >>

Get on board with Never Summer Industries

A former DJ takes food for a spin at Melita's

​"Creating good food is a little like rocking out a good set on the dance floor," says Adriana Aguilar. "It's about making people feel satisfied with their experience." Last fall, after a dozen years of spinning around the country as DJ Miss Audrey, Aguilar gave up the music business in orde ... More >>

Q&A with Jacob Bannon of Converge

Matt Miller​Although tagged by some as "this generation's Black Flag," Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon is a long way off from becoming Henry Rollins -- off stage anyway. Onstage, Bannon is a whirling dervish of emotion, complete with violent fist pumps and blood curdling screams. Offstage, however, ... More >>

Q&A with Frank Turner

​There is a long tradition of ex-punk rockers trading in their power chords and electric guitars for the idyllic green pastures of folk music. Frank Turner of Winchester, England made that very leap a few years ago after the breakup of his progressive hardcore band Million Dead had reached its ... More >>

MP3 Freeloader: Download a song from Chad Price's new solo album

​Update: Thanks to our friends at Suburban Home Records, we've got our hands on a track for Chad Price's forthcoming record, which we've posted after the jump for your downloading pleasure.Hot on the heels of Vistor's Band, Jon Snodgrass's excellent solo record, Chad Price, the other half of the a ... More >>

Q&A with Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers

Crackerfarm​Arena rock is making a comeback. Thanks to bands like My Morning Jacket, Wilco and North Carolina's the Avett Brothers, the spirit and tradition of the '70s is swelling and helping to conjure up images of rock and roll when it was at it's purest, most visceral and most likely bearded. ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top five spins for the week of May 11, 2009<

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Sound Bites: Ben Nichols, O Pioneers, Two Cow Garage and more

After a brief hiatus, Sound Bites, our economy-sized album reviews, is back. In this first edition, Andy Thomas weighs in on five recent national releases from Ben Nichols from Lucero (pictured left), O Pioneers, Two Cow Garage, Portugal. The Man and Jessica Lea Mayfield with Blasphemy after the jum ... More >>

Mile Hi-Fidelity playlist - 12.10.08

Well, Andy Thomas and I -- with the help of Jon Solomon, who sat in with us for the second half of the show -- made it through the second edition of Mile Hi-Fidelity, our new local show on 101.5 FM. Aside from some novice board-op flubs on my part (rookie!) and the fact that I'm an insufferable dork ... More >>

There really is no place like home

Mini Reviews

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Ghost Story

Matt Bellinger left Planes Mistaken for Stars to follow his heart in Ghost Buffalo.