Candy Claws

Moon Tides plays January 7 at the hi-dive

Mile Highlights: Denver/Boulder area concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's happening in music on the Front Range this week: On the concert front, shows from moe., the Bag Raiders and Jane's Addiction were announced; Monroe Monroe, Elway, Shel and Fierce Bad Rabbit got spins on local radio; and new releases from Florence and the Machine, Drake, Childish Gambin ... More >>

Open Air, new CPR station at 1340 AM: Launch emphasizes the safe side of adventurous

Back in June, we spoke with once-and-future Colorado Public Radio staffer Mike Flanagan about the impending debut of a new indie-rock station at 1340 AM. At 6 a.m. this morning, the outlet, dubbed Open Air, made its bow, and while it's clearly in soft-launch/preview mode at this writing, the messag ... More >>

Review: Night 1 of the Gold Rush Festival on South Broadway

Tom MurphyR E A L M A G I C with dancers​With no real low points at the first night of the Gold Rush festival, one performance that stood out was that of Drew Englander during his set as R E A L M A G I C. He was like the Pied Piper of dance and he got the crowd both inside and outside of Deli ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

​Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In September, Beirut hits the Fillmore and Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is slated for a date at DU's Gates Concert Hall, followed by Chromeo, who's due back in Denver in October for a return date at the Ogden after a stellar set at th ... More >>

2011 Film On the Rocks schedule revealed

Film on the Rocks has become a rite of summer at this point for fans and a milestone in the careers of the lucky musicians who get to perform each year on the hallowed stage of Red Rocks. After a fake version reportedly made the rounds this past weekend, the actual 2011 Film On the Rocks schedule ha ... More >>

Tonight: Candy Claws at the Larimer

​Fort Collins-born Candy Claws (playing the Larimer Lounge tonight with Gardens & Villa and Flashlights) is like a vacation unto itself. The family-style band creates soundscapes fit for traveling from the forest to the sea with ethereal layers of vocals, bells, and traditional instrumentation ... More >>

2011 Westword Music Showcase Ballot

​Seventeen years! It's hard to believe we've been doing the Westword Music Showcase for that long. I can still remember being at the first one in LoDo nearly two decades ago. And when I think back, it seems like that cold, rainy Sunday night was just a few years ago.

Mile Highlights: Shows announced/on sale this week, local radio playlists and top local sellers

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week. On the concert front: Alison Krauss is coming to Red Rocks, while Godsmack, Megadeth and Disturbed are due at Comfort Dental for the The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and Wiz Khalifa brings his Rolling Papers World Tour to the 1STBANK. Me ... More >>

SXSW Tip Sheet: Colorado bands

FoCoMx announces lineup for next month's fest

​It's a bittersweet day for music fans in Northern Colorado. Today our neighbors to the north are mourning the loss of two of their own, DJ Jimmy Hands and Kyle Dyas, KUNC's music director, who both passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. The sad news comes in just as we're getting word f ... More >>

Snowball Festival's organizers on how it came together and what inspired it

​This weekend's Snowball Festival in the Vail Valley has already surpassed expectations. Barely in its first year, and the festival has put together an impressive lineup that includes acts like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, the Flaming Lips, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Local Natives and D ... More >>

Lil' Slugger, the Fluid, the Big Motif spun this week on local radio. See who else got spins.

​Here's what the area's local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We're currently tracking the playlists from a number of different shows, including KTCL's Locals Only*, Radio 1190's Local Shakedown, 99.5 the Mountain's Homegrown Show*, The Colorado Sound, which originates a ... More >>

Candy Claws in Dreamland: New series to premiere in March

​Fort Collins' Candy Claws has been able to achieve international attention in large part because they have been so adept at finding creative ways to reach potential listeners. The act's latest venture, a weekly show the members will shoot, edit and write the soundtrack for called Candy Claws ... More >>

South By Southwest 2011: Candy Claws, DeVotchKa and Slim Cessna tapped to perform

​ Ah, here we are again, a new year. You know what that means? Yep. Time to start the South By Southwest countdown. The first bands have been announced, and although there will likely be a bazillion more announced, so far of the groups announced three local bands have received official invita ... More >>

The year in reviews: a handy link guide to all local record reviews in Westword in 2010

​ Since we're in the process of compiling picks for our annual Moovers and Shakers issue next week, we thought we'd put together a link guide of everything we've reviewed this year thus far. Even though it shouldn't be at this point, it's always a bit staggering to reflect upon just how many ... More >>

Candy Claws' new video - "The Breathing Fire"

​This past summer, Candy Claws lost all of its gear in a car fire, mid-way through an East coast tour. Fortunately, the band escaped physically unharmed and forged ahead with the remaining dates, and a late summer full-length sophomore release, Hidden Lands, followed. This week, the octet debu ... More >>

The Chain Gang of 1974 attracts a fair bit of notice at this year's CMJ

Luca Venter​After spending the better part of the past couple years touring with 3OH!3's as a sideman, Kamtin Mohager stepped away from his hired gun duties earlier this year, which has enabled him to focus all of his attention solely on cultivating his own band, the Chain Gang of 1974. To tha ... More >>

Critic's Choice: Sour Boy, Bitter Girl, October 16 at Larimer Lounge

Boulder Acoustic Society, 18 Switchbacks, Heyday spun this week. See who else got spins.

​Here's what the area's local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We're currently tracking the playlists from a number of different shows, including KTCL's Locals Only, 99.5 the Mountain's Homegrown Show*, KBCO's Local Edition, KCSU, The Colorado Sound, which originates at K ... More >>

Candy Claws the subject of a pair of noteworthy premieres on Stereogum and Pitchfork

And the waves of exposure just keep rolling in for Candy Claws. Fresh after being written up in the latest issue of Spin - as we mentioned recently, the magazine included a track from the group amongst its Songs You Must Hear Now list -- the Fort Collins-based act was the subject of a pair of note ... More >>

Denver Does Denver, but does it do requests? If so, here's ours.

​ Denver Does Denver, happening this Saturday at Meadowlark and The Flobots Community Space, is a festival promising to cut the local music community apart and glue it back together in ways we've never heard before. Folk songs will be auto-tuned, guitars and pedals will stomp out lyrics, and ... More >>

Bohemian Nights at New West Fest kicks off tonight in Fort Collins runs all weekend

​If you ever needed an excuse to head north to Fort Collins besides the many fine breweries there, how about the Bohemian Nights at New West Fest? The free, three day festival is bringing in an eclectic batch of talent, starting with Flobots August 20. They'll be followed by Earth, Wind & Fire ... More >>

Spin includes Candy Claws song as one of fifteen Songs You Must Hear Now!

​What a difference a year makes -- well, give or take a few months. While it hasn't quite been a year yet, when it launched its online tour last winter, Candy Claws was still something of an unknown quantity outside of Denver and its home of Fort Collins. And now, with its new album, Hidden La ... More >>

Candy Claws

Hidden Lands
Two Syllable Records

Stream the new Candy Claws album for the next week

Matthew Sage/Ryan Hover​From being praised on Pitchfork to having all of their gear destroyed in a car fire, it's been a month of ups and downs for Candy Claws. Knock on wood, but things look to be back on the upswing: This weekend at the hi-dive in the company of Achille Lauro (this show doub ... More >>

Allegaeon introduces the rest of the country to its heady brand of Colorado metal

​ Lest the rest of the country think we're merely home to indie rock goodness like Candy Claws and sugary sweet electro-pop confections like 3OH!3 or Breathe Carolina, Allegaeon's new album, Fragments of Form & Function, issued two weeks ago on the storied Metal Blade Records imprint, should ... More >>

UMS Night One Travelogue: The Swayback at 3 Kings, Candy Claws at Skylark and more

Jon SolomonThe Swayback at 3 Kings​ UMS Travelogue, Day One 07.22.10 | Baker District, South Broadway A guy with a pint of hooch in his back pocket was stumbling and struggling to make it across street toward Famous Pizza. After he made it across the street, he paused for a moment and leaned ... More >>

Hideous Men lose gear in car break-in over the weekend

Update 07/14/10: A paypal account has been setup to help Hideous Men absorb some of their loss. In case you're inclined to give a donation. ​You may have already seen this in the comments section of the Candy Claws blog item, if not, go ahead and file this one under freaking lame: Ryan Mcryhe ... More >>

Gorilla vs Bear lists two Colorado acts among its favorites of 2010 so far

​Dang! The year's not even over yet and two Colorado acts have already being listed on someone's Top 10 list for the year thus far. And not just anyone, but Gorilla vs Bear, Chris Cantalini's highly influential Dallas-based blog. Which two, you ask? Why Candy Claws (hopefully that makes the me ... More >>

Car fire destroys Candy Claws' gear in the middle of East Coast tour

​ Oh, man, bummer news coming from the Candy Claws camp today. The outfit, in the midst of an East Coast tour, lost all of its gear yesterday, along with their merch and a good deal of personal effects in car fire somewhere on I-76 in Pennsylvania. No word yet as to the cause of the fire, but ... More >>

Candy Claws interview on Pitchfork

Matthew Sage/Ryan Hover​Well how do you like that? As we post this, yet another Colorado-based act is getting prime exposure on Pitchfork. That's what we're talking about. Within the past month, no less than four local artists -- including Pictureplane, Woodsman, Tennis and Candy Claws -- have ... More >>

Presenting the 2010 Westword Music Showcase Schedule and Map

IMPORTANT SCHEDULING UPDATE: Due to circumstances beyond our control (and, more to the point, frontman Chris Fogal's) TAUNTAUN will not be performing in the 6:15 - 7 p.m. slot at Broadway's tomorrow. While Fogal is resting his aching back ("I would tough it out," he assures us, "but the problem is t ... More >>

Action Packed Thrill Ride, Candy Claws and SoundRabbit got spins on local radio this week. See who else got played.

​Here what the area's local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We're currently tracking the playlists a number of different shows including, Radio 1190's Local Shakedown*, KTCL's Locals Only, KBCO's Local Edition, The Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broad ... More >>

Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Otis Taylor and Trace Bundy top our weekly 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, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

The Weekend Showdown: Candy Claws in Arvada and Disco Biscuits everywhere

Photos by Matthew Sage, Background and layout by Ryan Hover.​ 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 ... More >>

Candy Claws look fierce, threaten buildings in Arvada

Click to enlarge​Arvada, beware! There's a big-ass, crocodilian kaiju coming for you. Your skyscrapers, supposing you have any, are in serious danger. And don't let your guard down just because it says those claws are candy. Ahem. We were quite taken with this flier. We're not sure if the awe ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase local lineup revealed

Gabriel Rovick And Ryan James (Focus 4 Design)​ The complete lineup for Showcase has been finalized, and all that's left to do now is countdown the days until the sixteenth annual Westword Music Showcase takes place on Saturday, June 19. Nearly a hundred local acts (well over a hundred if y ... More >>

Akron/Family at Quixote's: Turn Knobs to Freedom

Akron/Family. Photos by Kiernan Maletsky​ Akron/Family • Bad Weather California • Widowers • Candy Claws 05.15.10 | Quixote's True Blue Obsessive record collectors, potentially-autistic sonic geeks, students of the craft, this one's for you. It was 1:30 in the morning and we still ha ... More >>

The Weekend Showdown: Akron/Family and Bad Weather California are living at Quixote's

​ 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. This week, folk vi ... More >>

Wizard Prom sets out to make your night, ahem, magical

​ If we were to tell you of an event with wizards and music involved, what would your gut reaction be? Pleasure? Glee? Anger? Well, prepare yourself accordingly: Wizard Prom -- it's going down next week. Get your wands in a twist this Monday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at Other Side Arts on 16th and Pl ... More >>

Presenting the 2010 Westword Music Showcase Ballot

​ This past February, when we started putting together the 2010 Westword Music Showcase, we posted an item asking you how we could improve our annual music festival, this year set for Saturday, June 19, in the Golden Triangle (if you haven't already purchased your tickets, you can still buy d ... More >>

The Weekend Showdown: We're having fun at the Who's Having Fun Festival

​ 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. This weekend's m ... More >>

Dialed In: This week's local music radio playlists

​Here what the area's local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We're currently tracking the playlists a number of different shows including, Radio 1190's Local Shakedown, KTCL's Locals Only, The Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over Colorado, ... More >>

Freeloader: Candy Claws side project Ocean Bump! brings the drone

​Feeling a little jittery? Maybe you had too much coffee and you need something to calm your over-stimulated heart? Consider a dose of Ocean Bump! Ocean Bump! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name) is the project of Candy Claws guitarist Martin, but don't expect anything like that ba ... More >>

FoCoMX tickets on sale now

​Festival season is fast approaching, and the Fort Collins Music Experiment kicks things off locally three weeks from today. FoCoMX debuted last year by featuring most of Northern Colorado's considerable musical talent. This year, they're 50% bigger, which means over 150 bands, which is just ... More >>

Candy Claws' plan for SXSW: pack plastic sea creatures, stream shows live

candyclaws.blogspot.com​ Fort Collins' strangest, savviest band are only one of many representing locally at SXSW. However, they continue to demonstrate their ability to stand out from the pack, which is a skill we're sure they'll find particularly handy in Austin. The duo posted the merch ... More >>

Dialed In: This week's local music radio playlists

​Here what the area's local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We're currently tracking the playlists a number of different shows including, Radio 1190's Local Shakedown, KTCL's Locals Only, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over Colorado, ... More >>

More than two dozen acts to invade Austin next month for South By Southwest

​ According to the official South By Southwest website only ten Colorado acts (Nathaniel Rateliff, ytcracker, Pictureplane, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Breathe Carolina, Epileptinomicon, Matt Morris, Pretty Lights, A Shoreline Dream and Boulder Acoustic Society) are slated to perform at this yea ... More >>

Last Night: Evangelicals at the Hi-Dive

Evangelicals​ Evangelicals, Holiday Shores, Candy Claws Monday, November 9 The Hi-Dive Better Than: (Sorry about this) The Broncos offense Maybe it's a low blow, but Josh Jones of Evangelicals was responsible for tingling more spines than Brandon Marshall on Monday night, despite the fact th ... More >>