Michael Jackson

Here's what we're all listening to right now: What's on your playlist this week?

Music is life. Or at least it is for us. When we're not writing about it, we're thinking about it, talking about it or listening to it. These are the things that were in heavy rotation for us this week. What are you listening to? What should we be listening to? C'mon now. Sharing is caring. Don't ho ... More >>

The 50 worst rock/pop lyrics of all time: 30-21

Just when you think the suck factor has been turned all the way up, here comes another batch of songs to push the needle further in the red. Today as the countdown of total crappiness continues, we've got tunes by Kid Rock, Nickleback, Michael Jackson, Sublime and more. Keep reading to see which son ... More >>

J.D. Cronise of the Sword on being a regular dude that listens to R. Kelly and Michael Jackson

Formed nearly a decade ago in Austin, Texas, the Sword, with its sludgy guitar work and the fantastical themes of its lyrics, is often assigned the stoner rock designation, and understandably so. But while the band certainly bears the clear influence of bands like Black Sabbath, Sleep and Led Zeppel ... 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 >>

Top 5 greatest Super Bowl halftime shows

See also: Super Bowl commercials: Elton John, Flava Flav, Echo and the Bunnymen and more and Video: M.I.A. flips off Super Bowl audience during halftime show Judging by the voluminous groans echoing across the country, word is spreading that Madonna will be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, ... More >>

Ten pop music moments that defined 2011

With major comebacks and massive hits, 2011 was the year of the women, from Beyoncé to Miley Cyrus. Without singers like Adele, we wouldn't have songs to cry along with, and without Katy Perry, we wouldn't have any songs to hum at our nine to five. So what exactly were the biggest pop moments of 20 ... More >>

Ogre (Kevin Ogilvie) on how ohGr differs from Skinny Puppy and the death of Michael Jackson

Dan SantoniOgre of ohGr​ohGr (due tonight at the Bluebird Theater with Left Spine Down and Orbit Service) is a project involving Mark Walk and Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie), the legendary frontman from influential and pioneering electronic band Skinny Puppy. During the '80s and '90s, Skinny Puppy c ... More >>

Meet Devan Blake Jones, another burgeoning R&B sensation from the Mercury Sauce camp

​Devan Blake Jones is originally from California, but he was bred here in Denver. Growing up in a family of musicians, Jones learned to hone his skills in the church and started pursuing his passion for singing in earnest in high school. Now a protégée of Mercury Sauce's Nathan Reid (Amanda ... More >>

Five awesome celebrity Dating Game moments in advance of MCA's Black Sheep Friday

​Tonight, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, one lucky person win a date with Buntport Theater as a part of MCA's Black Sheep Friday Dating Game event. In honor of the 60s show that inspired this local happening, we've compiled a collection of the top five celebrity appearances on The Dating G ... More >>

Jonathan Franzen from last night: His ten best quotes on writing, divorce and Michael Jackson

Jonathan Franzen is a great American novelist in large part because he has written a great American novel -- two, in fact. Last night's Pen & Podium lecture at the Newman Center found the charming and occasionally awkward author of Freedom touching on bird watching (an enthusiastic hobby), The Moody ... More >>

Hard Rock Cafe's 40th Anniversary Memorbilia Tour hits Denver next week

​Hard Rock Cafe's 40th Anniversary Memorabilia Tour bus will be outside the Denver location at 500 16th Street for one day only on Wednesday, June 29, from noon to 7 p.m. The exhibit includes the top forty most iconic pieces of music memorabilia from Hard Rock's collection, including Buddy Hol ... More >>

Jacky Terrasson on his latest album and Bud Powell, Monk and Bill Evans

Devin DeHaven​Early on in jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson's career, he listened to a lot of Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. While Terrasson says he doesn't listen to the three pianists as much as he did two decades ago when he was starting out, he's taken what they've given him and mo ... More >>

10 teen pop stars who fell from the public's grace

Smile!​Lindsay Lohan may or may not go to prison (again) because she may or may not have assaulted a staff member of the rehab facility she's staying in. Her parents must be so proud. Oh, wait... never mind. Lohan, whose music career was brief and mostly predicated upon cleavage, joins a panth ... More >>

Ask the bartender: A library of books about libations

​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource ... More >>

Anatomy of a hip-hop song: Local producers weigh in on what it takes to make a great track

David Lang / Red Bull PhotofilesBoonie Mayfield (top) and Xperiment Beats​The term "producer" has very different connotations in the worlds of rock and hip-hop. Although they're both instrumental in shaping the sound, they serve very different functions. Generally speaking, in rock, a produc ... More >>

Maybe Japan's on to something: Who needs live music when you have hollograms?

Since the dawn of live music, artists have canceled shows for various reasons. Gigs have been called for sickness, deaths in the family, dog ate the set-list, etc, etc, blah blah blah. Crypton Future Media based out of Sapporo, Japan, has finally found a way to remedy this situation with the help ... More >>

Ten greatest monster songs that are not 'Monster Mash'

Werewolves of London, probably the best picture disc ever released.​So October (or Monstober if you're into annoying nicknames) is the month of monsters, when we take an evening to support kids in dressing up like their favorite killing beast and threaten neighbors for candy, and adults in dre ... More >>

Of Montreal at the Ogden Theatre, 10/24/10

Tom MurphyOf Montreal's Kevin Barnes ​ OF MONTREAL With Janelle Monae 10.24.10 | Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO After seeing her perform on Saturday night, it's no wonder why Janelle Monae was picked by Erykah Badu to open her most recent tour. Monae isn't just a great soul singer, her songwritin ... More >>

When animals attack - musician edition

​We're all familiar with Ozzy Osbourne's infamous unprovoked attack on a bat in the early '80s, but rarely do you hear stories about animals attacking musicians. Until now, that is. Earlier this week, Bloc Party and Ash guitarist Russell Lissack was reportedly attacked by a lion cub while visi ... More >>

Photos: Electric Avenue Festival at Five Points

MTHDS freaking out some audience members.​As you might have read here on Backbeat, Electric Avenue Music and Arts Festival is going on this weekend (it wraps up tonight.) Last night, photographer Eric Gruneisen stopped by the festival in Five Points and brings back these photos: Electric Avenu ... More >>

Chris Brown, the saddest Michael Jackson impersonator

Chris Brown is sad, and it's not because he cried at the BET awards on Sunday. While performing a tribute to Michael Jackson, the singer and alleged Rihanna-beater broke down and wept during a rendition of Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," leading many, as noted in the CBS report above, to wonder if ... More >>

Tila Tequila on the Illuminati and Lady Gaga

​We revealed a while back that Lady Gaga might not be just the oddball pop star/performance artist you know and love/hate, but a secret tool of the worldwide conspiracy known as the Illuminati. Now, no less of an expert on the topic than Internet celebrity, reality show trainwreck and, apparen ... More >>

Top 10 weirdest musician movie roles

​It's not unusual for musicians to try out acting or vice-versa, but sometimes those roles take unusual turns. Now, with "I Kissed a Girl" songstress Katy Perry (who, interestingly, recently called Lady Gaga's new "Alejandro" video "blasphemous") gearing up to play Smurfette in the upcoming ad ... More >>

Ten musician related comic books

​ We found the above gem while wandering around the comic store yesterday -- it appears to be some type of (unauthorized?) biography of Lady Gaga. Unfortunately, mom didn't give us enough loot to actually buy it, so we'll never know for sure. What we do know, however, is that this isn't the f ... More >>

Tech N9NE top seller at Independent Records

​Tech N9NE's K.O.D., released last week on Strange Music, nabbed the top spot on Independent Records' charts for the week ending November 1. Michael Jackson's soundtrack to the film This is It and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 came in at second and third, while Swollen Member's Armed to the Teeth a ... More >>

A Thriller, Thriller Night

No mere mortal can resist/The evil of the Thriller.

The Westword.com blog shortcut, July 1 edition

Photo by Kiernan MaletskyYou'll love these Meeses to pieces. Hotter than July? Or exactly as hot as July? Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night's Show: Meese at Twist & Shout. • DJ Vajra announces new project, offers free mix for download. • Flier of the Week: Get Down at Beta Friday, July ... More >>

Are you indie or independent?

As I've mentioned once or twice in this blog, I occasionally DJ around town, under a pseudonym. I use a pseudonym because I want to make it clear that Eryc Eyl, the DJ, operates in a musical universe that is completely different from the one inhabited by Eryc Eyl, the music critic. We are, in s ... More >>

UFO booster Jeff Peckman's anti-NASA screed

Jeff Peckman as he appeared on 9News' "Your Show." Examiner.com, another enterprise bankrolled by Denver-based billionaire Phil Anschutz (currently in danger of losing a a button or two on his shirt related to an aborted Michael Jackson tour he bankrolled), attempts to rack up web hits with help fr ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 29 edition

Zoning out.... Changing channels? Today in Cafe Society: • ESPN ZONE turns off the scoreboard, blames economy. • Tonight: A symphony of food and wine at Opus. • Milking It: All-Bran Yogurt Bites. • Bad weekend for barbecue at Big Hoss, Q Worldly Barbecue. • Bye-bye, Brandon's. • Arriv ... More >>

Hangover graveyard: Ogden Street South

Waking up on a couch fully clothed and feeling like death warmed over is no way to start a day, yet it happens all too often. Everyone has his own remedy, but for me, nothing beats a salty, greasy breakfast. Blurry-eyed and flat-tailed on my couch this past Saturday morning, all I could think abou ... More >>

The Jukebox Effect

Photo: Claudia LopezI deejayed a Valentine's Day party at the Horseshoe Lounge on Saturday. The bar had a great vibe, as always, and the ample crowd was in the mood for a good party. It was the first time I ever had to play music for four and a half straight hours, and I was initially worried that I ... More >>

Microbrewing history gets its own photo book

Way back - way, way back -- before there was a microbrewery in every city, before the terms IPA and ESB entered the common lingo, before big, bold craft beers muscled their way onto liquor store shelves (before color photography, even), the pioneers of the microbrewery industry got their shaggy-look ... More >>

Pastrami and egg salad make magic at Heidi's

The Veronicas Are Huge Down Under

Now these 23-year-old identical twin sisters are taking on America.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids

The scariest thing about these kids are their influences.

Q&A With DJ Wilson of Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Britney Spears No Pants, August 30

Rockbar/Shelter

Remembering the '70s -- and why?

More Messages: Welcome to Neverland

While His Guitar Gently Weeps

Scott Baxendale is fretting over Qwest.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of January 17, 2006

The Motet

Fox Theatre|Cervantes'

Hot Hot Heat

Monday, June 20, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-2525.

Sounds Like Fun!

Beat Jungle

A Cure for the Common Cold Warrior

Past and present Rocky Flats workers say their jobs made them sick -- and it's the government's job to make them better.

More Songs of the Century

Part two of a pre-millennial trek through a hundred years of pop music.

Puttin' on the Hits

Feedback

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE

HERE'S WHAT GRAMMY HOPEFULS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR.