Jerry Lee Lewis

Buzz Osborne of Melvins on how to him Beastie Boys were Warlock Pinchers for Dummies

Since 1983, Melvins have been perfecting their brand of influential rock, inspired in part by punk and in part by the music Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover grew up hearing as kids in the '60s and '70s. With Melvins, the two have taken that sound to different places with each record that their contempor ... More >>

R.I.P. Levon Helm, 5/26/40 - 4/19/12

See Also: At the Helm - A throat cancer survivor, the Band's Levon Helm can't sing anymore -- but the beat goes on Levon Helm, iconic drummer and singer extraordinaire of the Band, died yesterday at the age of 71, after a long and strenuous battle with throat cancer. Helm's imaginative drumming and ... More >>

R.I.P. Dick Clark, 11/30/29 - 4/18/12

See Also: Firefall's Jock Bartley on American Bandstand and the time Dick Clark called the band "Firefly" When Dick Clark died earlier this week from a massive heart attack at the age of 82, he left a musical legacy that's far too comprehensive and broad to easily sum up. Clark may have spent the l ... More >>

Mojo Nixon: "I am here to set the world straight about Tim Tebow and his invisible friends!"

Mojo Nixon (due Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, at the Lion's Lair) gained notoriety in the mid- to late '80s for his irreverent songs informed by an absurdist humor with partner Skid Roper. Nixon's exuberant, unapologetic persona won over audiences because even as Nixon would make seeming ... More >>

Johnny Cash: The five most memorable portrayals of the man in black

"Hello. I'm Johnny Cash." That was enough of an introduction for the country legend himself, but Cash's legacy has surpassed that simplicity. In his nearly fifty-year career, Cash played himself in dozens of film and television spots, but his death in 2003 opened the gates for others to take up the ... More >>

Five infamous monuments named after musicians of questionable moral character

Kurt Cobain​How do you honor a musician when awards and certifications aren't enough? By naming something in his honor, of course -- be it a bridge, a street, an asteroid or even a whole day after the guy. But in naming something after a musician, it's easy to forget that while in some cases t ... More >>

Five careers Jack White could help revive next

​Jack White has been a busy bee lately, producing records for Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson and now, Jerry Lee Lewis. We're starting to get the feeling he might view himself as a sort of Rick Rubin-type character, but instead of making older musicians darker and more introspective, he's just mak ... More >>

Bree Davies attempts to Justify My Love of R. Kelly

Terry Richardson​Okay, we all have some skeletons in our closet, shit we dig -- be it music, movies or television shows -- that we'd just as soon nobody else knew about. "Guilty pleasures" is what most people term these sort of inclinations. Well, here at Backbeat, there's no shame in our game ... More >>

Live Review: The Ideal Fathers, I’m a Boy, the Bluebird Equation at Larimer Lounge

Freeloader

The best in legitimate, artist-approved downloads.

Grammy Suckfest Celebrates Half Century of Lameness

Soda Pop Kids Return

Ex-members of Kill City Thrillers, Scott Baio Army and Call Sign Cobra come back for a sort of homecoming.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Leon Russell

Wednesday, May 31, Bluebird Theater, 303-322-2308.

Hello, He's Not Johnny Cash

Walk the Line never strays from the dull telling of a tall tale.

Dresden Dolls

Wednesday, October 12, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Song Cyclist

Marshall Chapman spins a yarn

Best Sunday Church Service Without the Church

Reverend Leon's Revival

That's the Spirit

The Honky Tonk Hangovers make country music that will go to your head.

Feast of Reason

Pleasure Forever indulges the senses in a dark, debauched sound.

Look Ahead

D.A. Pennebaker doesn't make history, but he's captured so much of it.

Good Girls Do

Hard-rocking Kittie specializes in smashing expectations. Starting with yours.

Say That You'll Be True

Dale Hawkins remains faithful to “Susie Q” and roots rock. No matter what the cost.

Playlist

The Aluminum Group, Patricia Barber, Schneider TM, The Souvenirs

A LaFave Rave

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

Monster Mash

For Monster Magnet's Dave Wyndorf, sex, drugs and rock and roll never went out of style.

Playlist

Color Him Bluegrass

Del McCoury is one of the masters of a great American art form.

Fight, Team, Fight!

No Synthetics Allowed

The musical fabric of the Ray-Ons.

A Blast From the Past

Onetime Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin makes tradition sound new again.

Cash on the Barrelhead

After a period of obscurity, Johnny Cash is once again a wanted man.

He's Got His Mojo Workin'

How onetime Denver resident Kirby McMillan Jr. was transformed into Mojo Nixon.

Off Limits

Not-So-Young Turks

The New Bomb Turks are hitting harder because they're hitting slower.

Mystery Man

Who is Ralph Gean, and why is he the latest hero of Denver's musical underground?

Feedback

Rock's Roles

Hardrock Gunter: From rockabilly pioneer to insurance agent to rock-and-roll legend.

THE LAZY COWGIRLS GET BUSY

THRILLS

SPENCER FOR HIRE

LIGHTING IT UP WITH THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION.

PLAYLIST

ALL HAIL DICK DALE

THE KING OF THE SURF GUITAR IS BACK ON THE BOARD.