Joe Strummer

Do drugs make musicians more creative?

Do drugs fuel creativity? Is an addled mind essential to making great music? Does sobriety cause creative impotence? What if Jimi Hendrix had suddenly decided to enter a twelve-step program? Would Are You Experienced? have sucked? To answer this nagging question, you have to take a look at rock's re ... More >>

The ten traits of the perfect frontperson

The best frontmen and women all have something in common. Whether it's their ability to connect with a crowd or the swagger with which they carry themselves, their fashion sense, the intrigue that surrounds them or their reckless disregard for their own well being, they all have that ineffable "it" ... More >>

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

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 >>

Our top five spins this week, September 24-30

In this very special edition of Heavy Rotation, you not only get a through-the-keyhole view of our musical proclivities, but you also get a few words from us on our top pick of the week. Keep reading to find out what Mark Sanders considers musical comfort food, why Kelsey Whipple can't think of Spac ... More >>

The five most listened-to songs and albums of the week, August 20 through August 27

Well, lookie here. What you do know? It's the return of Heavy Rotation. Longtime readers of Backbeat will remember this feature as one in which we shared our weekly listening habits in hopes of giving you some insight into our individual sensibilities. It's been dormant for a while, but starting tod ... More >>

Julie Delpy rocks New York

Denver's ten best jukeboxes

Just as music collections say a lot about people, a jukebox can do the same for a bar; it often reflect the place's personality. A lot of times, variety is key to a well-stocked jukebox, and 3 Kings Tavern, this year's winner in the Best of Denver, had that with balls, to boot. Here's a look at the ... More >>

Damned Damned Damned turns 35

It's unfortunate that so many people assume that U.K. punk was all about politics. When Bill Maher interviewed Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong on his show Real Time with Bill Maher last year, he questioned the singer's punk credibility for working to help elect Barack Obama in 2008, referring to Th ... More >>

Ten best songs about quitting your job

"Oh, I can absolutely work Saturday. I didn't have any plans anyway."​The job market's still very tough, your 401 (k) has probably lost its value over the last week, and your rent, car payment and baby mama aren't going to get paid on their own. You hate your job, your boss treats you like gar ... More >>

Graham Parker and the Rumour: April 16, 1979, Rainbow Music Hall

​ Some might note how far the mighty have fallen when Graham Parker must play the Lion's Lair, as he will tomorrow night (and it's not the first time), but in this case, it's actually the perfect place for Parker to perform: grungy, low-rent, patently sharp-edged and designed for drunken debau ... More >>

Alex Cox, director of Repo Man, joins CU-Boulder's film studies faculty this fall

​Alex Cox, who wrote and directed cult favorites like Repo Man and Sid & Nancy, is joining CU-Boulder's film studies faculty this fall and will teach screenwriting and film production, as the Daily Camera reported. Cox, who grew up England, studied film at UCLA, then lived in Mexico and Spain ... More >>

Tonight: Cowboy Mouth at the Bluebird

​For some bands, touring is a natural state of being. This is absolutely true for Louisiana's Cowboy Mouth, as the quartet comes through Denver tonight on it's 16th annual "Mardi Gras tour." Making country-twinged pop-rock since 1990, the band pulls from influences like The Clash -- heard loud ... More >>

This Just In: Black Eyed Peas, Ray Davies, Twiztid shows announced

​Quite a few shows announced this week that will be going on sale this weekend: The Black Eyed Peas, who just added another trio of Grammys to the three they already have, bring their E.N.D. World Tour to the Pepsi Center on Saturday, March 27. Ludacris and LMFAO open the show. Tickets for the tou ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of January 25, 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 >>

With Shane MacGowan back on board, the Pogues make their first trip to Denver

Q&A with Philip Chevron of the Pogues

​While this week's preview of the Pogues' show this Friday at the Ogden Theatre only scratched the surface of our interview with guitarist Philip Chevron, who also talked at length about Just Look Them Straight In The Eye And Say... Pogue Mahone!!, the five-disc box set of b-sides, outtakes, live ... More >>

Meet the New Model Army, same as the Old Model Army

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 5, 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 ... More >>

Q&A with Justin Sullivan of New Model Army

​These days, a real punk band (sorry, Green Day) can almost never find its way onto the pop charts. But back in the day (see: mid-'80s), England's New Model Army released political punk that didn't merely sell to left-wing extremists. Almost thirty years ago, frontman/mastermind Justin Sullivan, w ... More >>

When music meets movies: Ten Great Hollywood Decisions

​All right, a few weeks ago we offered up our take on the ten worst moments of crossover disaster, ill-advised efforts to mate movies with music. Now it's time to look at the flip side of the coin, the ten movies in which music and Hollywood made great bedfellows, outstanding cinematic turns that ... More >>

3OH!3 SXSW tour diary by Kam from Chain Gang of 1974

JensenFriday, March 20: I arrived in Austin on the evening of Wednesday, March 18th. I had played SXSW last year so I knew what to expect. But this time around, I am hired to play bass for 3OH!3 -- you know, that small band from Boulder? The band who still aren't super stars in the eyes of a Colora ... More >>

Obama poster creator Shepard Fairey talks to NPR about getting arrested in Denver

Street artist Shepard Fairey, whose "HOPE" poster became an icon of the Obama campaign, did an interview with Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air earlier this week. Now that the Smithsonian recently purchased the original stenciled poster for its National Portrait Gallery in Washington, Fairey has offici ... More >>

Doc Block

Non-fiction continues its ascent on the screen.

Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten

Joe Strummer transcends punk, and the music lives on.

Sick of It All

Wednesday, October 17, Marquis Theater, 1-866-468-7621.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Against Me!

Searching for a Former Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords)

Sound Bites

Waco Brothers

Freedom and Weep (Bloodshot Records)

Spirited

Ghost writer Garland Jeffreys returns to his old haunt: the stage.

Diva Down

Franco Zeffirelli imagines cheering up an operatic legend.

Aped Artifacts

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum gets back to the future.

Giant in the Field

Critic's Choice

U.K. Subs

Shriek and Spell

Q and Not U deconstructs the ABCs of punk rhetoric.

Punk of Ages

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

Rasta La Vista, Baby

Kingston's Culture keeps onna chantin' down Babylon.

Backwash

Teetering on the edge of oblivion, COMA gets a wake-up call from its members.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of Janury 16, 2003

Chin Music

Henry Rollins takes no prisoners, wants no sympathy and gives good quote.

High and Mighty

What do emo, Jah, Neil Young and THC have in common? The Mighty Rime.

Butthole Surfers

Humpty Dumpty LSD (Latino Buggerveil)

Culture Clash

Alex Paterson returns from Orblivion with a disc that inspires passionate responses.

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.

Rock and a Hard Place

Music can free your soul, but can it spring the West Memphis Three?

Letters

Playlist

Running on Fumes

Seven years down the road, the members of Gas Huffer are breathing easier.

LETTERS

THE REAL STEEL

AFTER A LONG DECLINE, THE BLOOD IS PUMPING THROUGH STEEL PULSE AGAIN.