Folk Music

St. Patrick's Day: The ten recurring themes that crop up in your traditional Irish drinking songs

Irish drinking songs may seem fairly simple to the casual listener. The main theme is in the title, right? These are songs concerned with alcohol of any kind, tunes in 4/4 that are easy to clap along with during St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Though that may be the kind of criteria that guides thos ... More >>

Jack's Smirking Revenge brings energetic folk punk to Seventh Circle

Todd Snider on how he thinks of acoustic guitars and mandolins when he thinks of Colorado

It's not that tough to get Todd Snider to tell a story. The folksinger/guitarist is all about the power of a good narrative, and it's no wonder considering his influences. Even before issuing his 1994 debut album, Songs for the Daily Planet, Snider followed the path of legendary folkies like Ramblin ... More >>

Folk Festival

Music legend David Amram on his creative process, why he loves the Colorado Symphony, and meeting Woody Guthrie

From collaborating with jazz legends to hanging out with Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, David Amram has accumulated quite an impressive resume. He's written multiple books as well as musical pieces, and he's in Denver this week performing at a variety of events to celebrate the hundredth birthday of ... More >>

Happy birthday, Woody Guthrie! Celebrate the folk legend's centennial with a week of events

Legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie was born a hundred years ago, and a century later, he's left quite a legacy. David Amram, a legend in his own right who met Guthrie in 1956 and was commissioned by the Guthrie family to write a symphony piece based on "This Land Is Your Land," will be in town for ... More >>

For Chris McGarry, middle America is both home and inspiration

Twenty fabled moments in Denver music: #11: Bob Dylan crashed in the Mile High City, 1960

Did you know Bob Dylan once spent a summer in Denver as a then-unknown teenager with a fake accent, sleeping on a floors and gigging at the Satire Lounge? He was nineteen at the time. It was just a year after the young Robert Zimmerman adopted his iconic stage moniker and around the time he'd discov ... More >>

R.I.P. Earl Scruggs, 6/26/24 - 3/28/12

Redefining an instrument and creating a new genre are rare musical feats, creative accomplishments that come once in a generation, at best. The death of Earl Eugene Scruggs on Wednesday at the age of 88 marked the passing of such an innovator, an American artist who built a brand new sound out of fo ... More >>

Jewel: "I've never held back because I'm a woman. I feel like I can accomplish anything a man can accomplish in my field.""

Since having her son, Kase Townes Murray, last summer, Jewel might have taken time off the road, but she's still busy at home with a number of things, including working on a new Christmas album. Her free solo acoustic show this Saturday night at the Colorado Convention Centeras part of the Women's ... More >>

Ten authentic Irish drinking songs

Finding an Irish soundtrack for a St. Patrick's Day celebration doesn't take a lot of exhaustive research. Generic "Best of Ireland" compilations abound in outlet stores, on iTunes and even on racks in gas stations, collections that feature anonymous artists playing generic versions of traditional C ... More >>

U2's The Joshua Tree turns 25

It's difficult to imagine, but U2 used to be cool. Not just cool, but one of the most innovative, inspiring and mysterious bands of their generation. The group challenged the sounds, look and emotional resonance of rock music, forever redirecting the cultural stream for good or ill. Today, while man ... More >>

Harry Tuft on being inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame

Harry Tuft, slated to be inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame this Sunday, February 12, opened the Denver Folklore Center in 1962 and started promoting concerts a few years later, bringing in Joan Baez to Denver for the first time in 1964 and later bringing her to Red Rocks. In the early ... More >>

Suzy Bogguss on her American Folk Songbook and her fondness for playing smaller venues

​When Suzy Bogguss hits the Soiled Dove Underground tomorrow night, she'll be delving into her musical roots a little bit with songs from her latest release, American Folk Songbook, which spotlights standards from the American folk tradition. For an artist known more for her country success, t ... More >>

Bob Dylan turns 70 today (happy birthday, big guy!): A list of our favorite Bob Dylan albums

As you're probably already aware, Bob Dylan turns seventy today. We want to take this moment to thank Mrs. Zimmerman for giving birth to one of the most influential musicians of our time. We're hard-pressed to find a musician that is more versatile or as cool as Dylan. He has been called the voice o ... More >>

CU's Leigh Holman pays tribute to American opera with Susannah

​Leigh Holman has faith in the future of American opera. The director of opera at the University of Colorado has made the native art form a priority at the school, hosting American composers for workshops and offering American musical drama during summer seasons. The school's upcoming production o ... More >>

Hot Rize was bluegrass before bluegrass was cool

Grant Gordy's folk songs rely on a global palette of sounds

Q&A with Jonson Kuhn of Jonny Woodrose & the Broken Hearted Woodpeckers

​In the short time Jonny Woodrose & the Broken-Hearted Woodpeckers have been together, the outfit has grown from being a bit of a joke band vehicle for singer Jonson Kuhn's humorous storytelling into one of the most engaging and fun Americana bands in the scene. The project's early shows consi ... More >>

Chella Negro

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 >>

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Steve Earle grabs top spot at Twist and Shout

Steve Earle, who performed songs from his new Townes Van Zandt tribute album at Twist & Shout last Friday, beat out Green Day for the top spot on the store's best seller list for the week of May 17. Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Iron & Wine and Conor Oberst continue to hold down spots in the top te ... More >>

Colorado Shakespeare Festival gets patriotic in Woody Guthrie's American Song

Richie Havens

Thursday, December 13, Boulder Theater, Boulder, 303-786-7030.

Like a Complete Unknown

I'm Not There and the changing face of Bob Dylan on film.

I'm Not There

The elusive Bob Dylan, masterfully considered.

Andy Milne

Saturday, September 29, Dazzle, 303-839-5100.

Guggenheim Grotto

Sunday, August 19, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, 1-800-624-2422.

Ramblin' Man

Human tumbleweed Ramblin' Jack Elliott keeps on rollin'.

Loudon Wainwright III

Friday, December 17, Lion's Lair, 303-320-9200.

Folk at Home

Swallow Hill fest highlights pickin' and grinnin'

War on War Songs

Iraq and roll don't go together well when rockers protest

That's a Wrap-Up

Backbeat writers sound off on a few of their favorite musical things from 2002.

Free For All

Highlighting the week's greatest gratis event

Bringing It All Back Home

Take a peek inside the nation's unlikeliest Bob Dylan archive.

Songs of Old

An artist for the ages, Roz Brown works the Western world as well as the senior circuit.

The Blue Bluegrass of Home

In Songcatcher, the music of Appalachia comes alive.

Turn, Turn, Turn

Former Byrd Roger McGuinn wants to keep folk aloft.

State of Grace

As a train-hopping folk artist in the '60s, U. Utah Phillips rode into the heart of America's working class. He's been singing its song ever since.

Lady, Sing the Blues

Odetta is happy to find trouble everywhere she goes.

A LaFave Rave

Jimmy LaFave upholds American musical tradition one song at a time.

Reid-ing Music

Multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid proves that acoustic folk doesn't have to be boring.

Native Intelligence

Robbie Robertson digs into his past so he can move into the future.

Life in the Fest Lane

Etc.

Outstanding in His Field The recordings of Alan Lomax dig up the roots of American music.

A Blast From the Past

Onetime Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin makes tradition sound new again.

Media Dar-ling

ANI GET YOUR SONG

IS HE BLUE?

G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE PLAY THE BLUES THE NEW-FASHIONED WAY.