CBGB

Ten Essential albums from the CBGB scene

It's easy to look at what's become of rock music over the last three and a half decades and find countless traces of the CBGB micro-culture and the fast-and-loud aesthetic it cultivated. During their now-legendary years at CBGB, bands like the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie and Patti Smith were dis ... More >>

The ten traits of the perfect frontperson

The best frontmen and women all have something in common. Whether it's their ability to connect with a crowd or the swagger with which they carry themselves, their fashion sense, the intrigue that surrounds them or their reckless disregard for their own well being, they all have that ineffable "it" ... More >>

Esme Patterson

All Princes, I
Greater Than

Paper Bird's Esme Patterson on how there's more to the human experience than love songs

As the latest solo project to come out of the Americana collective Paper Bird, Esme Patterson's All Princes, I is probably the most radical departure from her band's bluegrass/Dixieland sound. Pulling from influences as varied as Van Morrison, CBGB-era punk and Motown, the record is an authentic and ... More >>

The ten best concerts this weekend: Oct. 19-21

Ah, yes, welcome to the weekend! And what a glorious weekend it's going to be. Have you seen the forcast? What's more, the Broncos have a bye-week this week, which means there's no reason at not to get out in the sunshine during the day and then treat yourself to some shows at night. As always, we'v ... More >>

The ten best concerts this week: October 15-19

Hope you got good and rested this past weekend, because you're going to need to tap into your energy reserves for the insane amount shows going down this week. We have all of them listed in our concert calendar, of course, if you'd like to get the full view. Otherwise, below, we've narrowed it down ... More >>

Rob Zombie on Pee-wee's Playhouse, and how he's not on tour to party and to fuck around

Rob Zombie originally came to prominence with his first band, White Zombie. With a penchant for campy horror imagery and music that was the perfect mutant blend of an industrial aesthetic with trashy metal and punk, White Zombie was one in a handful of bands that crossed the alternative-rock world a ... More >>

Five world-changing albums that wouldn't have existed if blog buzz determined greatness

One day, historians will look back and marvel at how blogs changed the music industry -- that is if they can avoid being distracted by the next big thing long enough to think analytically about history. Where just a few critics used to shape the tastes of music fans across country, now an army of bl ... More >>

Ian Williams of Battles: "Humbly, I am simply happy to be able to play music and have somebody go to the show and appreciate it"

Battles (due tomorrow at the Westword Music Showcase on the main Stage) first came together when Ian Williams, a former guitarist in math rock pioneers Don Caballero, moved to New York and got lured back into playing live music. He ended up working with like-minded musicians with their own backgroun ... More >>

The members of Røsenkøpf on how their music is more of a sythesis rather than a hybrid

Røsenkøpf (due tonight at Rhinoceropolis) is a trio whose membership came out of punk but didn't bother with trying to shed the ideas or trappings of punk. Even sonically, there is a bit of punk's edge to the band's darker moods and atmosphere. But the dark to be found here isn't built on feelings ... More >>

Flipper: "We had people reporting that they'd seen our graffiti on the Great Wall of China"

Flipper (due tonight and tomorrow night at the Lion's Lair) got its start in 1979 in the creatively fertile arts and music scene in San Francisco. Formed after the break-up of Negative Trend and including two former members of that band, Will Shatter and Stephen DePace, Flipper didn't set out to be ... More >>

Velvet Underground & Nico turns 45 today

"The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought one formed a band." This quote has been attributed to both Brian Eno and Peter Buck (of REM) -- no one is completely certain who said it first, but that's not the point. The fact remains that The Velvet Underground ... More >>

Damned Damned Damned turns 35

It's unfortunate that so many people assume that U.K. punk was all about politics. When Bill Maher interviewed Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong on his show Real Time with Bill Maher last year, he questioned the singer's punk credibility for working to help elect Barack Obama in 2008, referring to Th ... More >>

Mid-Winter Punk Film Festival kicks off on 2/4

Those looking for a little rowdy cinema to warm up those dreary final months of the season should look no further than Growler Distro's Mid-Winter Punk Film Festival, which features only the most hard-core selection of underground punk-rock movies of the '70s and '80s through today. The series is a ... More >>

Top ten club shows and local shows of 2011

​Here are two quick lists to warm you up on this snow day; the ten best club shows and local shows (the two aren't mutually exclusive, by any means) of 2011, as picked by Backbeat writers and ranked by music editor Dave Herrera. Find our ten best arena concerts of 2011 and feel free to peruse ... More >>

Review: Denver does CBGB at the hi-dive, 10/29/11

Josiah Hesse​DENVER DOES CBGB at HI-DIVE | 10/29/11While the rest of the world celebrated Halloween weekend 2011, down at the hi-dive this past Saturday night it was 1976. Less a Halloween show and more akin to a Civil War reenactment or a Renaissance Festival, the night offered romanticized t ... More >>

Denver does its best to channel the spirit of CBGBs at the hi-dive on Saturday, October 29

​Now that the graffiti has been scrubbed off the walls for the most part, no one is likely to ever mistake the hi-dive for CBGBs. Nonetheless, for at least one night the South Broadway bar will summon the spirit of the legendary NYC institution, with a spate of bands paying tribute to the band ... More >>

Bad Brains at Summit Music Hall, 4/22/11

Eric MagnussenBad Brains last night. See more photos from last night.BAD BRAINS With Frontside Five and the Other Russia 4.22.11 | Summit Music Hall View photo slideshow While Bad Brains may not have the frenetic stage energy of three decades ago, the hardcore godfathers still managed to fuel qui ... More >>

A grimy little piece of Denver's musical history scrubbed clean

​ Alright, get an eyeful of this picture. Take it all in. Notice anything wrong? Look closer. What about now? Right. Exactly. There's nothing wrong. In fact, the building in this photo has ample curb appeal, wouldn't you say? Precisely. And that's what has us dismayed.

The ReMINDers rock the Apollo

Aside from Red Rocks, there's only a handful of stages that merit inclusion on any performer's bucket list. We're talking about places that are so revered they're considered hallowed ground, the type of places in which artists dream of performing at for their entire lives. CBGB's before it became a ... More >>

Q&A with Shawn Christensen of Stellastarr*

Phil Knott​ Stellastarr* (due at the Larimer Lounge with Transfer and Le Divorce on Wednesday, December 9) emerged onto the national music scene at the turn of this past decade in the musical milieu that gave us fellow New York acts like The Strokes, The Rapture and Interpol. While clearly influe ... More >>

Back on the Rack

O'Death's Broken Hymns is all about overcoming hardship

Vampire Weekend Takes on Its Buzz

Hot on the heels of SXSW, the nation’s hottest buzz band returns to Denver.

Cue the Cricket

One of Denver’s most storied stages may soon be silenced.

Cheeky Monk

The latest news from Denver’s counter culture.

Drink of the Week

Don't Name Your Fucking Kid After Me

Best Rock Club

Larimer Lounge

The Beatdown

Damn right, Brendan's has got the blues.

Best Rock Club

15th Street Tavern