Ian Cooke

UMS 2012: Bad Weather California delivers an old-fashioned rock show

See Also: People of UMS 2011 Kicked off the first day of UMS by catching Bad Weather California in a very humid 3 Kings Tavern. People were packed in pretty tight in the middle of the room and mostly on the flanks. BWC played a loose, relaxed set like the guys had a group meeting beforehand and all ... More >>

Weekend's best live bets: String Cheese Incident, Chris Daniels, Mayhem and more

See Also: Chris Daniels is back after a harrowing battle with illness Q&A with Slipknot's Clown Q&A with Julie Libassi of the Raven & the Writing Desk Q&A with JT Nolan of Beats Noir! Q&A with Zoe Jakes and David Satori of Beats Antique Welcome to the weekend! A parade of longtime local favorite ... More >>

Our complete guide to the June 23 Westword Music Showcase

See also: Twelve types of Denver musicians

2012 Westword Music Showcase schedule

Okay, time to officially start getting excited now. The annual Westword Music Showcase is a little more than a week away. Did you pick up your tickets yet? If not, you can still get them at the discounted rate. Prices go up day of the show. By now, you've already seen the lineup of who's playing the ... More >>

2012 Westword Music Showcase local lineup!

We're just over a month out from this year's Westword Music Showcase, and we've already let you know who we have headlining the mainstage this year -- but keep it locked on Backbeat for another big announcement this coming Monday. Now it's time for us to give up the goods on the local lineup. As you ... More >>

Illegal Pete's and Greater Than Collective's Second Annual Starving Artist Showcase SXSW

It's that time again. South By Southwest is a mere two weeks away, and truckloads of locals are preparing to make their way down to the Lonestar state to showcase their wares. While all the individual acts will be playing various shows (which we'll have a full rundown of in the coming weeks), there' ... More >>

Denver's best music releases of 2011

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 Neil Diamond, Garland Jeffreys and Sophie B. Hawkins were announced; BLKHRTS, American Tomahawk and Driftwood Fire got spins on local radio; and new releases from Drake, Kate Bush and Sigur Ros wer ... More >>

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 Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, Rusko (Snowball Fest), NEEDTOBREATHE and Dr. Dog were announced; Ian Cooke, Bare Bones and Slim Cessna got spins on local radio; and new releases from Drake, the Rolling Stones ... More >>

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, a show at the Paramount Theatre featuring Puscifer was announced, along with a Kulwicki Twins Foundation benefit at the Bluebird Theater in January being headlined by Mudhoney and The Fluid. On local radio specialty ... 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.

Bop Skizzum, Force Publique, Kenny Perkins 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, Radio 1190's Local Shakedown, 99.5 the Mountain's Homegrown Show*, The Colorado Sound, which originates at ... More >>

Get The Centennial's debut release for free

​In conjunction with the band's Second Spring EP-release show, which took place this past Saturday at the hi-dive, the Centennial posted the platter for free download. We spoke with Patrick Meese last week about the new project -- which also includes his wife, Tiffany, and brother Nathan -- an ... More >>

My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Best Coast shows announced

​My Chemical Romance, which hit the road near the beginning of the new year on the World Contamination Tour and just released a new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, is due to stop at the Fillmore Auditorium on Saturday, April 9. Tickets ($32.50, $35 day of show) are ... More >>

Eolian releases Egg, an album of death, birth and renewal

Demon Funkies, the Informants and Kinetix 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, The Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and ... More >>

Novus Folium, Kinetix, Ian Cooke and DeVotchKa spun on local radio this week. See who else got spins.

​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, KTCL's Locals Only, 99.5 the Mountain's Homegrown Show, The Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over Col ... More >>

Thom Yorke serenades Big Chill-goers with possible new Radiohead track "Give Up the Ghost"

It's been three years since Radiohead released In Rainbows and fans are getting kind of itchy to hear some new material. This past weekend at England's Big Chill festival, Thom Yorke scratched that itch -- maybe. He played a new-ish song called "Give Up the Ghost" (debuted in February, apparently ... More >>

Warlock Pinchers, Big Head Todd and Dan Craig spun on radio last week. See who else got spins.

​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-broa ... More >>

The DAM Slows It Down

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 >>

Westword Music Showcase 2010: Backbeat scribes' travelogue

​ Here's our massive, multi-page report/travelogue of the Westword Music Showcase from (in order) Tom Murphy, Cory Casciato, A.H. Goldstein, Jef Otte, Jon Solomon and Brain Frederick. Let us know in the comments what you saw and loved, saw and hated, or missed and hated yourself for missing. ... 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 >>

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 >>

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: Nathaniel Rateliff heads a stacked lineup at the Bluebird

​ 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 three 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.

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, 99.5 the Mountain's Homegrown Show*, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and i ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 19, 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 ... 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*, KQMT's Mountain Homegrown Show, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, August 25 edition

Photo by Lori MidsonVirgilio Urbano at his namesake restaurant.​Just in case you're curious, Virgilio's pizza is a little slice of heaven. Today in Cafe Society: • Let the dough fly: There's a pizza battle brewing at Belmar. • Behind the Bar: Ky Belk of Elway's in Cherry Creek. • Brio T ... 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 long-running Local Shakedown, KTCL's Locals Only, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over ... 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 long-running Local Shakedown, KTCL's Locals Only, the Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over Col ... More >>

A band-by-band guide to the 2009 Westword Music Showcase

Update: Westword Music Showcase line-up

Update: As with year's past, before the ink's even dry on the schedule, we've had to make made some minor more changes. Among the recent ones: We've moved the metal showcase from Andrew's to Broadways (two doors down from Bar Standard, next to the pawnshop), and moved the punk line-up to Bannock Str ... More >>

Denver Does Denver

The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 18 edition

Photo by Soren McCartyThe Conchords in flight. Did they play "Albi the Racist Dragon?" Today in Backbeat Online: • Over the weekend: Flight of the Conchords at Red Rocks. • Moving Pictures: the Sexy Convicts, Lyin' Bitch, the Get Down, Vitamins, the Swayback, Ian Cooke, Young Coyotes. • Over ... More >>

Musicians supporting the people of embattled Gaza

In a beautiful collision of altruism, more musicians are donating their time and talents to help kids this week. Instead of helping the children of Denver, as the Denver Gives March Music Jam will, these musicians will benefit kids on the other side of the world. On Friday night, March 27, at the Dr ... More >>

Talking during shows: the musicians' perspective - Gene Davis

This week's Beatdown deals with the whole idea of talking during shows, as it seems like a fairly frequent occurrence regardless of who's performing. I offered up a few viable theories as to why it happens and asserted that, for the most part, I sincerely don't believe that anyone truly intends to b ... More >>

Scene, Not Herd

MATTER Studio throws down for a holiday party and print sale.

Born in the Flood to preview new album Friday at the Bluebird

Just got word that Born in the Flood will be previewing material for a new album on Friday, December 12, at the Bluebird. That show was already looking like a can't-miss proposition (Born in the Flood, Ian Cooke, Iuengliss, Bad Weather California are only about half the highlights of the lineup), bu ... More >>

Mile High Makeout: Making Music Matter

Denver Music’s Media Onslaught

Pictureplane gets a shout-out on Pitchfork and Nathaniel Rateliff gets written up in Billboard, while DeVotchKa kills it on Conan and Flobots throw down on Carson Daly.

Flock Together

Over the Weekend ... Hot Dogs, Football, and SWAT Teams on Colfax

Various Artists

A Moveable Feast III

CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair

Sarah Cass Will Take Your Picture

What About Bob?

Meet the man behind some of Denver's best releases.

myPod

Finding more local bang for the byte.