Derek Vincent Smith

Pretty Lights at Red Rocks, two back-to-back shows on August 16-17; tickets on sale Saturday

Just announced: Pretty Lights at Red Rocks. The act, which revealed the details of its forthcoming album, A Color Map of the Sun, last week, is slated for a pair of back-to-back shows on Friday, August 16, and Saturday, August 17. Tickets for the shows ($45-$87.50) go on sale to fan club members tom ... More >>

Pretty Lights, A Color Map of the Sun: Derek Vincent Smith reveals details of new album

The Daft Punk dudes may be generating all the headlines right now for its forthcoming album, Random Access Memories, on which they flip the script by incorporating analogue instruments and production techniques into producing their new album, but they're not the only ones turning back the clock. Pre ... More >>

SnowBall Music Festival 2013 tipsheet: The eight must-see acts you should catch today

For those of you lucky enough to be up in the mountains this afternoon for day two of the SnowBall Music Festival gets ready to get underway, you're probably going over the lineup and hatching a plan for what you're going to see today. If so, we've got you covered. We put together a short tipsheet o ... More >>

Eliot Lipp on using a vintage synth live to rough up the edges of finely tuned digital crispness

Producing music since high school, Eliot Lipp found his own voice in hip-hop beats and instrumentals. One of the most recent additions to the Pretty Lights Music roster, Lipp has been notably prolific in cranking out new tracks and mixes. In advance of his three-night Colorado run, which kicks off t ... More >>

The twenty prettiest Pretty Lights hats

See also: - Review photos: Pretty Lights at Red Rocks, 8/17/12 - Q&A with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights Over the weekend, Colorado's favorite flat-billed electronica maestro played a two-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We came across scores of Pretty Lights fans at the Rocks over the ... More >>

Pretty Lights at Red Rocks, 8/17/12

Pretty Lights @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre | 8/17/12 Similar to the unprecedented Skrillex show at Red Rocks last week, the Pretty Lights show started with a five-minute countdown and Trentemoller's "Take Me Into Your Skin" playing over the speakers. A Colorado flag with the Pretty Lights brand waved on ... More >>

Five best concerts in Colorado this weekend

See also: - Brennen Bryarly goes Into the Night as option4 - Parting words: A Sauna Q&A before its farewell show - Sharon Van Etten Q&A: "I get nervous sometimes that my songs are too personal" - Q&A with Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance - Q&A with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights Welcome to the ... More >>

Skrillex at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 8/9/12

SKRILLEX @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE | 8.9.12 See Also: - Dubstep for Dummies - Dubstep Parking Lot - Review: Skrillex at 1STBANK Center, 10/31/11 - Review: Skrillex at Beta, 3/31/11 - Review: Skrillex at Fox, 12/16/10 - Q&A: Skrillex on his stage name To put Skrillex's show last night at Red Rocks i ... More >>

Denver's toughest tickets: Did Mumford, Book of Mormon or GABF make the list?

Bruce Springsteen tickets go on sale Monday, August 13 at 10 a.m. They'll be gone within minutes, if not seconds -- only to reappear shortly thereafter on eBay, StubHub and other aftermarket ticket sites for two, three or even four times their original cost. It's nothing new. But it sure gets old. ... More >>

Pretty Lights at Red Rocks, two nights, August 17-18. Tickets on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m.

Just announced: Pretty Lights at Red Rocks for two back-to-back shows on Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18. Hold onto your flat-bills, dance music aficionados. Colorado will catch the final stops on an international tour that will be taking Pretty Lights, born Derek Vincent Smith, from venu ... More >>

SnowBall Music Festival 2012: Day 2 travelogue

SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL @ VAIL VALLEY | 3/3/12 (DAY 2) Having survived the frigid first night, the sunshine and above-freezing temps of the second day are a treat. Feeling a little wear and tear from the night before, I was hoping to make it back to the festival grounds in time to catch Sauna play ... More >>

Re:Generation strives to break down barriers

This past Sunday during his acceptance speech on behalf of his band the Foo Fighters for Best Rock Performance at the 54th Annual Grammy awards, Dave Grohl made some comments that stirred the ire of some folks. Lauding the fact that Wasting Light, the album in question, had been recorded in his gara ... More >>

Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" goes platinum, revives Etta James sample

Update 1/20/12: Some sad news just coming in from California just now. Etta James has reportedly passed away at the age of 73 due to complications associated with leukemia. RIP, Etta. Originally posted 1/11/12: Etta James is having a hell of a year. Aside from battling leukemia and dementia, being ... More >>

Over the Weekend: LoDo New Year's, Pretty Lights, closings and openings

What a weekend -- and if you missed any of it, the Westword family of blogs (Cafe Society, Backbeat Online, Show and Tell and our slide show page) has you covered. Look below to get hipped to New Year's in Lodo, Pretty Lights shots, a trio of big restaurant closings and theater offerings that promi ... More >>

Photos: Pretty Lights at 1STBANK Center on New Year's Eve, with Paul Basic and Zedd

Update (1/3/12): As reported by numerous outlets yesterday, a twenty-year-old man died yesterday from injuries sustained during a fall at 1STBANK Center on New Year's Eve. The name of the young man hasn't been released yet, and Broomfield police are currently investigating the incident. We'll post m ... More >>

Review: Pretty Lights at 1STBANK Center, 12/30/11

Drew LevinPretty Lights last night at 1STBANK Center PRETTY LIGHTS @ 1STBANK CENTER | NIGHT ONE, 12/30/11 With a fairly expansive catalogue to draw from, Derek Vincent Smith has a plethora of singles at his disposal when preparing his sets. Last night, the Pretty Lights mastermind kept things a bi ... More >>

New Year's Eve in Denver: live music tip sheet

Correction: Bop Skizzum performs at Moe's BBQ & Bowling on New Year's Eve. An earlier version of this story included an incorrect venue. While there's plenty of action in the clubs over New Year's weekend, there are also a ton of bands playing in Denver and Boulder, and a lot of them playing multip ... More >>

Ten Best Electronic Shows of 2011

How does one go about defining the best electronic music shows of the year? A lot goes into it, trust me. There is the production aspect, which looks upon the lighting choreography and the overall visual spectacle. Then, there is the actual music, which volleys between producers and DJs, both of whi ... More >>

A dozen cost-effective (read: cheap) music-related costume ideas for Halloween

​Sometimes, you just don't have the cash lying around to splurge on that expensive Halloween costume. Fear not, young heathens! We have compiled a list of costumes for you that cost nearly nothing. In fact, you probably have the materials lying around the house. Click through for some ideas. A ... More >>

Reader: Pretty Lights' New Year's show seems pretty expensive

Since Derek Vincent Smith has made such a stead climb over the years, making his way up from theaters to arenas, such as 1STBANK Center, where he's playing a pair of dates on New Year's, it's easy to take for granted that everybody knows who he is and holds him in high regard. As evidenced by this c ... More >>

Meet Paul Basic, the latest addition to Derek Vincent Smith's Pretty Lights Music imprint

Last night, we tagged along with Paul Brandt, aka Paul Basic, as he and Michal Menert were doing a photo shoot with Pat Milbery and the So-Gnar snowboarding monster. Brandt is one of the most recent additions to Derek Vincent Smith's Pretty Lights Music imprint. Between snapshots, we spoke with Bran ... More >>

Photos: Pretty Lights at Red Rocks, 8/13/11

​PRETTY LIGHTS at RED ROCKS | 8/13/11The second sold out night of the Pretty Lights Music showcase was the perfect way to end a hometown run for Derek Vincent Smith, who plays music under the Pretty Lights moniker. With some help from Big K.R.I.T., Michael Menert, Gramatik and Skream, Smith d ... More >>

Gramatik on joining Pretty Lights Music and what he has in store for his show at Red Rocks

​Gramatik (due at the Fillmore tonight and tomorrow at Red Rocks with Pretty Lights) used to be an MC who rapped with his buddies over his beats. He grew up in Slovenia listening to DJ Premier, Guru, Rza, Dre, and an arsenal of hip-hop and break beats fills his catalog of sample options. Now, ... More >>

Alex B.'s Pirates of the Caribean remix: Top five other recent local remixes

Alex Botwin of Pnuma Trio, Paper Diamond and the head of Elm & Oak Records, recently dropped a little tune for the Pirates of the Caribbean score that made it onto the official soundtrack for the movie. Now Alex B. will forever be printed next to Hans Zimmer and Rodriogo y Gabriela with his remixed ... More >>

Zeds Dead at the Ogden Theatre, 4/15/11

Photo: Britt Chester Zeds Dead With Nick G. and Sage B. Ragin, Zeno and 2DUBAII Ogden Theatre | 4/15/11 Last night at the Ogden Theatre, Zeds Dead threw down for an energetic crowd in which the music was nonstop, the decibel meter slowly rose with each subsequent artist and the crowd gradually see ... More >>

Pretty Lights at Maple and Broadway, 3.31.11

Photo Britt ChesterIt was a nice garage PRETTY LIGHTS Broadway and Maple | 3.31.11 In a crazy turn of events, Pretty Lights music producer Derek Vincent Smith played an impromptu 2 a.m. set in a small garage near the corner of Maple and Broadway last night. No fliers, no advertising, not even a pr ... More >>

Diplo, Pretty Lights thaw night one of Snowball Music Festival, 3/4/11

Photo Britt Chester​ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL Zeds Dead, 12th Planet, LazerDisk Sex Party, Diplo and Pretty Lights Avon, Colorado in the Vail Valley | 3.4.11 If there was one thing the organizers of the Snowball Music Festival took into consideration, it was the time management with transitions ... More >>

Paper Diamond at the Bluebird Theater, 2/25/11

Photo Britt ChesterPAPER DIAMOND with Raw Russ and Eprom Bluebird Theater | 2.25.11 The Bluebird Theater hosted the sold-out, Official Snowball Festival Kickoff Party last night with Raw Russ, Eprom and Paper Diamond. Alex B., who spins under the moniker Paper Diamond, spoke with Westword recently ... More >>

Photos: Michal Menert at Cervantes', 2/5/11

​At Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on Saturday, headliner Michal Menert invited guest DJs onto the decks to share tracks with him. The house exploded when Pretty Lights (Derek Vincent Smith) joined Menert onstage for almost an hour. Photos by Jonathan Shoup. See the full slideshow here: Micha ... More >>

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 >>

Photos: Pretty Lights at Belly Up in Aspen, 12/5/10

​Derek Vincent Smith, a/k/a Pretty Lights played Belly Up in Aspen last night, and photographer Soren McCarty brings back these photos from the show.

Pretty Lights

Saturday, August 7, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, 303-830-8497.

Pretty Lights drops new EP, will debut new drummer at Wanderlust before sold out Red Rocks date

​Spilling Over Every Side: That's the name of Pretty Lights' latest release, and what a perfectly fitting title it is. Derek Vincent Smith simply just doesn't stop. Smith, of course, is Pretty Lights' mastermind. When we last checked in with Smith in March, he had just released his new EP, Ma ... More >>

Widespread Panic, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Pretty Lights shows announced

​Another half dozen new shows were added to the Red Rocks schedule, including John Mayer, Paramore, STS9, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Pretty Lights and Widespread Panic, who will be at the venue from Friday, June 25 through Sunday, June 27, a month after its eleventh studio album, Dirty Side Down, hit ... More >>

Pretty Lights slated to be featured on All Things Considered later this afternoon

Aaron Thackeray​ The Pretty Lights onslaught continues. After a string of sold out dates here at home and a gig at SXSW this past weekend, Derek Vincent Smith, who performs under the Pretty Lights moniker with Cory Eberhard, has attracted the attention of NPR. The broadcaster included the act ... More >>

Over the weekend: Pretty Lights at the Ogden Theatre

Aaron Thackeray​ Pretty Lights • Lyrics Born • Bobby Collins03.13.10 | Ogden Theatre There is so much sweaty cleavage dangling over the railing of the Ogden's upper deck. One girl, in her haste to abandon her inhibitions, has rolled her shirt up so high that fully half her bra is in vie ... More >>

Freeloader: Download a new track from Pretty Light's forthcoming EP in advance of shows this week in Boulder and Denver

​ Derek Vincent Smith, who performs under the Pretty Lights moniker (due tonight at the Boulder Theater), has announced plans to release three new EPs, the first of which, Making Up a Changing Mind, was just posted to his site last week. With three albums already under his belt that have rec ... More >>

Hey, DJ! Q&A with DJ LARGECHILD

Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats (and kittens) behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half co ... More >>

Moovers and Shakers rounds up our favorite local releases of the year

Moving Pictures: Life on the road is indeed, um, pretty for Pretty Lights

Suspicions confirmed: From the looks of this tour video shot by the Pretty Lights crew on a FLIP graciously furnished by Spin Earth, Derek Vincent Smith and Cory Eberhard are enjoying the, um, pretty side of life on the road. From performing in front of stupidly packed auditoriums full of ardent Pre ... More >>

Pretty Lights just keep getting brighter and brighter

​To see the following that Pretty Lights has established at this point is a bit staggering, isn't it? Last month, Derek Vincent Smith -- who makes music under the name Pretty Lights -- sold out three back-to-back dates in Denver, Boulder and in his hometown of Fort Collins at the Ogden, Fox and Ag ... More >>

Over the weekend: Pretty Lights at the Ogden Theater

Pretty Lights, Lifesavas, Mr. AnonymousSaturday, October 3, 2009Ogden TheaterBetter than: Watching a disinterested DJ hide behind his equipment.Derek Vincent Smith doesn't categorize himself as a DJ. The driving force behind Pretty Lights has made a point to stress the distinction in interviews, p ... More >>

Freeloader: Pretty Lights at the Ogden Theater on Saturday

All right, who's getting hyped for the Pretty Lights show tomorrow night at the Ogden, which has now evidently sold out? Yeah, us, too. Should be completely stupid. Three back-to-back sell outs in Boulder, Fort Collins and Denver? Not to shabby. If the name Pretty Lights still has you drawing a bl ... More >>

Pretty Lights at City Hall this Sunday

Tobin Voggesser​Just heard that Pretty Lights, the burgeoning superstar otherwise known as Derek Vincent Smith, is slated to perform this Sunday, August 23, at the newly minted City Hall. Without question, this will be this weekend's hottest ticket. Oh and speaking of tickets, they're on sale righ ... More >>

Bright Lights

Q&A with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights

In this week's paper, we featured a short Q&A with Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights, an act whose last two albums have surpassed 110,000 digital downloads. As with most of our Rough Mixes interviews, the piece only told half of the story. The Pretty Lights mastermind sat down recently with u ... More >>

This Just In 9/25-10/1