Jello Biafra

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame isn't the state's only claim to fame

Review: Mudhoney at the Bluebird Theater, 1/6/12

MUDHONEY @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 1/6/12Though the mood hanging from the heads of the Bluebird Theater crowd last night was a heavy one, it was also bittersweet -- Mudhoney, the Fluid and the bands' mutual fans were gathered together to remember their friend, Fluid guitarist Ricky Kulwicki, who died in ... More >>

Review: Slim Cessna's Auto Club at the Bluebird Theater, 12/30/11

Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ Bluebird Theater | 12/30/11 For the past decade, Slim Cessna's Auto Club has been playing the Bluebird on New Year's Eve and the night before. As Slim himself says, it just kind of happened. The band just kept getting asked to do these yearly shows. For past New Year's sho ... More >>

Hey Ronnie! 10 best punk songs about Reagan

April 1983 issue of TIME. How could '80s lefties not kind of loathe and fear this guy?​Thirty years ago today, at 12:27 p.m. mountain time, John Hinckley, Jr., shot then-president Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan, of course, survived the shooting, ... More >>

Bob Febrache documentary needs your help

​Bob Frebrache's Absinthe Studios has been buzzing along for the better part of three decades, recording the likes of Ian Cooke, The Fluid, The Swayback, Frantix and many others. Now, friend and fellow sound engineer James McElwee wants to tell Bob's story in a new documentary -- but he needs ... More >>

Kal Cahoone on being a single mom and why boredom is good

​ The best is yet to come for Kal Cahoone. Which is crazy, because her musical resume is already quite impressive. She began writing songs while living in Chile. There, she collaborated with composer Christian Basso (one of their songs appears in the film Dot The I). When she came back home t ... 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 >>

Slim Cessna rocks late-night eats at Pete's Kitchen after his Denver shows

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

The Meadowlark's Jazz Expo nights are better than a backyard jam

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

DNC Cheat Sheet

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

The DNC cheat sheet: From Rage to Flav, Backbeat has you covered

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

Before he hits Denver, Ralph Nader defends his candidacy -- again

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

Q&A With the Fluid’s Rick Kulwicki

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

SXSW 2008 Preview

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

Delegating Denver #7 of 56: Colorado

Gary IsaacsSlim Cessna misses green chile sauce.​Slim Cessna hasn't lived in Denver for a decade but that doesn't mean he's forgotten where he came from. Cessna, who fronts the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club, has lived in Pittsburgh since 2000 but still practices and records his brand of countr ... More >>

Murphy's Law

Andrew Murphy carries on a long-distance love affair with Denver music.

The Hills Are Alive

Matt Fecher brings the sound of music to Fairplay.

Recoup

The Coup makes up for lost time on its latest disc.

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

X Marks the Spat

Puttling Colorado on the map.

Moore Substance

Youth and success are relative to Thurston Moore.

Scattershot

Machine Gun Blues takes aim at rock and roll's dirty black heart.

Twice Bitten

Tarantella gets caught up in an exotic whirlwind.

Down Is Up

System of a Down is rock's least likely success story.

Punk of Ages

Down by Law's Dave Smalley still emits a positive charge.

Backwash

Homeward bound, Slim Cessna keeps sin alive in a new project.

Territorial Dissings

Krist Novoselic has punk and politics on the brain.

Sum of Their Parts

With a twisted vision, Reverend Glasseye and His Wooden Legs get a leg up on the competition.

Backwash

We remember the Alamo, but South by Southwest is now a blissful blur.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of February 22, 2001

Letters to the Editor

From the week of February 8, 2001

On the Records

Backbeat contributors reflect on the releases that helped them survive the year 2000.

Backwash

Please, don't try to classify Tony Furtado.

Rodent Rock

King Rat packs a punk-rock punch.

Monster Magnets

After nearly twenty years, Electric Frankenstein has rock down to a mad science.

Greatest Schiz

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Playlist

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Feedback

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Feedback

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Feedback

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Off Limits

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Thrills for the week

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Playlist

For Wesley Willis, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Over the Moon

A new breed of country fan is taking a shine to Moonshine Willy.

Feedback

A new breed of country fan is taking a shine to Moonshine Willy.

FILMSTRIP TEASE

A new breed of country fan is taking a shine to Moonshine Willy.

SPEARHEAD'S UP

THERE'S NOTHING DISPOSABLE ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI'S LATEST ADVENTURE IN HIP HOP.

HERE COMES THE NEW BOSS

THERE'S NOTHING DISPOSABLE ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI'S LATEST ADVENTURE IN HIP HOP.

LETTERS

THERE'S NOTHING DISPOSABLE ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI'S LATEST ADVENTURE IN HIP HOP.

LETTERS

THERE'S NOTHING DISPOSABLE ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI'S LATEST ADVENTURE IN HIP HOP.