Gil Scott-Heron

Here's what we're all listening to right now. What's rocking your world this week?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it's not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off we go, on and on about t ... More >>

Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi on J. Dilla and reserving his side project for experimentation

Toro y Moi started as the solo project of Chaz Bundick, who took his solo musical endeavors to greater and greater heights of sophistication on a series of releases with the encouragement of his friend from school, Ernest Greene of Washed Out. Live, Bundick has likewise progressed from his early day ... More >>

Jamie Smith of the xx on the idea of mixing oil and water and how it applies to his London band

The xx is an electronic pop group from London, England whose music is informed by soul and post-punk as well as hip-hop and modern electronica. The act's critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album from 2009 garnered the outfit widespread popularity. And while a lot of bands would have stopped dev ... More >>

Black Star at Cervantes', 5/11/12

BLACK STAR @ CERVANTES' | 05.11.12 The first strains of the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" started blaring through the speakers as Yasiin Bey shook himself onto the stage to thunderous screams of applause. Wielding an red old school "drop mike," the Brooklyn MC fist pumped and enticed the cr ... More >>

As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on the influential Sounds of Blackness

Black History Month 2012 has been a doozy. Beginning with the tragic and shocking death of Don Cornelius to dealing with equally troubling news of Whitney Houston's passing as the month wore on. Most interesting about this time is the ways in which the music healed us. When Whitney died, DJs played ... More >>

Gil Scott-Heron, a bluesologist, cultural anthropologist and black icon

Gil Scot-Heron is the modern day god-father of rap, although he held the title with ambivalence while he was still alive, insisting he was rather, a "bluesologist," someone who is concerned with the origin of the blues. Regardless, hip-hop, soul, funk and acid jazz were all influenced by the reality ... More >>

Swedish documentary The Black Power Mixtape tells it like it was

Tonight: Bill Callahan at the Hi-Dive

​Performing and recording under then moniker Smog for the first half of his career, Bill Callahan (playing tonight at the hi-dive with Neil Morgan) changed over to his given name with the release of 2007's Woke On A Whaleheart, but his sound and style remained unaffected. The vastly prolific s ... More >>

That's a Rap: Nofrendo pays tribute to Gil Scott-Heron, Qknox takes on Nas and more

​This week in rap, the beat makers are holding it down. We've got Nofrendo, with his KMD drum-and-bass remixed track featuring a Gil Scott Heron sample that's most appropriate with the poet laureate's passing. Mass Prod from Food Chain shows a bit of his Donald Byrd/Roy Ayers influence with hi ... More >>

Slim Cessna, A. Tom Collins, Serious Moonlight and DJ MU$A 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?" 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 >>

Melo, Chauncey become New York Knicks: Five songs to ease the transition

​Carmelo Anthony is gone, and the most dragged-out sports breakup in recent memory is finally over. As we understand it, the terms of the trade include every team in the NBA swapping players back and forth randomly until David Stern turns off the music and everyone scrambles for a chair. Or so ... More >>

Grinderman, RJD2 and Dismemberment Plan 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?" 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 >>

Cee Lo Green's inescapably charming (and shamelessly profane) kiss off tops our playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most persistent 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 lis ... More >>

Nofrendo on being funkier than a mosquito's tweeter and taking listeners on a journey through sound

​ Nofrendo (aka Joseph Meezy) is the beat making equivalent of Nina Simone. Built on his love for soul and all things raw and gritty, his production style begets welcoming anachronistic melodies. Quite different from the sped up soul sample moves of many producers, he takes the properties of ... More >>

Erykah Badu, Brian Eno on 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?" 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 >>

Ghostand Observatory, Jonathan Tyler on 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?" 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 >>

Swimming With Models

Hypnautix and Pork Produx
Self-released

Ten eleven albums for your summer road trip

With the passing of Memorial Day we can finally say summer is here. And with summer comes summer camp, vacations and tours -- and how do we get there? We drive. That's how. This is America, after all. In celebration of seemingly endless sunny days and left-arm tans, we've picked some of our favori ... More >>

Nathaniel Rateliff, Sleigh Bells and Bruno Mars top 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?" 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 >>

Nathaniel Rateliff, Kinetix and Broken Social Scene 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 Chain Gang of 1974, Jónsi, Wire Faces and more 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 >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of April 5, 2010

​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 >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of March 8, 2010

​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 >>

Moving Units: Sade top seller at local stores

​Soldier of Love, Sade's first album in a decade, grabbed the top spots at Independent Records and Twist & Shout, while coming in at second at Albums on the Hill for the week ending February 14. Yeasayer's Odd Blood, released last week on Secretly Canadian, and Spoon's Transference, which came ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of February 8, 2010

​As music critics -- and people who generally think about, talk about, listen to and make music -- the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to right now?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation. ... More >>

Faith restored: Coachella 2010 lineup announced

Fucking A. Ask and ye shall receive, eh? (Well, it's not Denver, but close enough.) Just glimpsed the lineup for this year's Coachella. As far as headliners go, you've got your Jay-Z and your LCD Soundsystem and, uh, let's see here, Thom Yorke and ... yada, yada, yada. Whatever, dude. Five words: Fa ... More >>

Otis Taylor

Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs
Telarc

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 >>

Over the Weekend: Gil Scott-Heron at the Fox Theatre

Photos by Tom Murphy Gil Scott-Heron w/Zin Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 Fox Theatre, Boulder Better Than: The actual extended winter in America. When I got to the Fox, Zin played a set of funk and jazz mixed with soulful, hip-hop-inflected R&B. While the act sounded a bit like a jam band, with the requis ... More >>

Q&A with Gil Scott-Heron

In advance of his two shows this weekend (Saturday, May 2nd at The Oriental and Sunday, May 3rd at The Fox Theatre), we were able to have a few words with jazz/proto-hip-hop legend Gil Scott-Heron about his influences and his work. Westword: Your music is known for being socially conscious. When an ... More >>

Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron

Friday, May 1, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772; Saturday, May 2, Oriental Theater, 303-455-2124; Sunday, May 3, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Warped Tour, Kings of Leon, Judas Priest shows announced

3OH!3 headlines this summer's Vans Warped TourSunday, August 9 is going to be a busy day for music in the Mile High, when Kings of Leon stops by Red Rocks, and the skater-centric Vans Warped Tour, pulls into Invesco with more than fifty bands in tow, including 3OH!3, Bad Religion, NOFX, Less Than Ja ... More >>

The Beatdown

Low Budget Soul makes local hip-hop sound like a million bucks.

Gift of Gab

Friday, October 8, Bluebird Theater, 303-322-2308; Sunday, October 10, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399.

Paul Weller

Studio 150 (V2)

Free Bird

Me'Shell NdegéOcello may not have platinum sales, but she's got peace of mind.

War on War Songs

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

And You Don't Stop

Jeff Campbell's hip-hop classes are about reading, writing and rapping.

Best Lunar Landing by an Experimental Caucasian

Whitey on the Moon

Backwash

Whitey on the Moon is one small step for Denver music.

Best concert in a club

Gil Scott-Heron at Lion's Lair on February 29, 2000

A Word From Our Sponsor

Television keeps moving the line between advertising and editorial.

Let's Jam!

The Front Range offers its share of impov work.

Critic's Choice

This week's concert pick: Gil Scott-Heron

Playlist

THRILLS

CRITIC'S CHOICE

TALKIN' 'BOUT A REVOLUTION

PLAYLIST