Motley Crue

Eric Greif, Death's longtime manager, on the significance and influence of Death on metal

Founded in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner, Death helped to codify the aesthetic of death metal alongside early pioneers like Possessed. Schuldiner was sixteen when the band formed and twenty by the time the outfit's debut album, 1987's Scream Bloody Gore, was released. The sonic brutality of the first two ... More >>

Pauly Shore on Stephen Baldwin, Timothy McVeigh and The Weasel

Yes, yes, we all know him as The Weasel, the speech-impaired, blank-eyed wonderboy who confused parents and enthused Gen X-ers in films like Encino Man, Son in Law and Bio-Dome. But Pauly Shore's revival as a standup comedian is more than just a '90s novelty act: Descended from Mitzi Shore, owner of ... More >>

Asking Alexandria at Ogden Theatre, 11/27/12

ASKING ALEXANDRIA @ OGDEN THEATRE | 11/27/12 Last night at the Ogden Theatre, the fist-pumping, black-shirted, skinny jeans-wearing contingent was out in full force. As the England-via-Dubai outfit Asking Alexandria performed for a capacity crowd, mosh pits formed and quickly disappeared. Kids were ... More >>

Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction turns 25

See Also: - Remembering Randy Rhodes thirty years after his tragic death -The Beatles' Sgt Pepper turns 45 -The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street turns 40 -Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced turns 45 In the early 1980s, a red-haired, Midwestern boy named William Bailey stepped off a bus in New Y ... More >>

Aurora theater shooting: Missy Franklin, The Fray and more react on Twitter

Twitter lets folks from all walks of life to share their thoughts about tragedies like the shooting at the Aurora Town Center Century 16, celebrities included. Many stars who've weighed in have connections to Colorado, including Olympic hopeful Missy Franklin, The Fray and budding minister Peter Teb ... More >>

Brent Loveday of Reno Divorce: "Originality is the evolution of influence"

Reno Divorce (due tomorrow night at the Marquis Theater) began in the middle '90s when frontman and guitarist Brent Loveday founded the outfit while still living in Orlando, Florida. Some early, glowing press came the way of the band's 7-inch. But it wasn't until Loveday relocated to Denver and disc ... More >>

Review: Creed at the Paramount Theatre, 5/19/12

CREED at PARAMOUNT THEATRE | 5/19/12There are two kinds of people in this world: those who can be open-minded about Creed and those who cannot. It's fair to say that the majority of the mainstream media falls into the first category, and perhaps for good reason: The '90s all-stars have had almost tw ... More >>

Review: Sleigh Bells at the Ogden, 04/13/12

SLEIGH BELLS @ OGDEN THEATRE | 4.13.12 Ever heard of the loudness wars? Doesn't matter. War's over. Sleigh Bells wins. Decisively. Right now, there's a roomful of people banging their heads in unison, in the kind of scene that makes dollar signs appear in the eyes of chiropractors. It's so loud you ... More >>

Mike Doughty: You can request a lot of songs, just don't ask for "Super Bon Bon"

It's true: once upon a time in the '90s, Mike Doughty was the leader of Soul Coughing, the New York-based art rock band that found MTV-ish success with its single, "Super Bon Bon." Since disbanding Soul Coughing more than a decade ago, Doughty has thrust himself head-on into a solo career, and recen ... More >>

Weekend's best live bets: Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks and more

Are you ready? This is a weekend to remember. Tonight for the first time ever, the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre will add to its renown by hosting the first ever wintertime concert with Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks with Atmosphere, Common, Grieves and Budo and Get Cryphy. And that's just the tip o ... More >>

Guns N' Roses guitarist Dj Ashba on that time his pal Neil Diamond urged him to join GNR

​Guns N' Roses (due Sunday, December 11 at 1STBANK Center) is a household name at this point and hardly needs an introduction. During the late 1980s, Guns proved that you could come out of L.A. and not have songs that were just thinly disguised paeans to sexual conquest. Guns didn't go for t ... More >>

Spineshank's Tommy Decker on his approach to drumming and reconvening with Jonny Santos

Spineshank (due Sunday, October 2, at 3 Kings Tavern) started in 1996 as a band that fused industrial sounds and ideas with elements of thrash. With the release of its 1998 debut, Strictly Diesel, Spineshank caught the attention of a wide audience with its blend of melody and hard-edged musicianship ... More >>

Top Ten musical jailbirds: In honor of Lil Wayne and T.I. and their respective prison stints

​Earlier this morning, Lil Wayne was released from New York's Rikers Island after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for criminal possession of a weapon. Fellow Southern rapper T.I., meanwhile, went back to jail on Monday after a federal judge in Atlanta revoked his probation follow ... More >>

Q&A with Kevin Devine

Photo by Denny DoesKevin Devine. Singer-songwriter Kevin Devine, the subject of a profile in this week's Westword advancing his Sunday, May 24 gig at the Marquis Theatre with Miniature Tigers, The Rouge and Brian Bonz, is the rarest of interview subjects: a guy who listeners carefully to every ques ... More >>

The Wrestler

Vintage Q&A with AC/DC's Brian Johnson

Sunday's AC/DC concert -- reviewed in the blog "Live Review: AC/DC and The Answer at the Pepsi Center" -- conjures up memories of the Q&A with the band's Brian Johnson that Westword published under the headline "Power Age" back in April 2001. It's among my favorite interviews ever -- and it prompt ... More >>

Q&A With Feist

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Sending up the biopic, Walk Hard sells cheap laughs, lame cameos and lifeless Cox.

Nine75

Troy Guard’s left, but his crew keeps things cooking.

Jack's Back

Neither cancer nor tour burnout can stop Jack's Mannequin.

Zup's On

Armando Zuppa serves up a steaming bowl of alphabet newgrass.

Brides of Destruction

Thursday, May 20, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-2525.

Wordsmith

A game of artful dodgeball with Of Montreal.

State of Shock

Seraphim Shock's reign of terror reaches new heights.

Punching Through

Rexway comes out swinging on a new album.

Space Is the Place

Thank God for Astronauts launches some heavenly pop.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of March 6, 2003

High Voltage

For those about to rock, Hell's Belles salute you.

Too Fast for Love

With a white-hot major-label debut, the Donnas don't have time for Avril Lavigne -- or you.

Chin Music

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

That's a Wrap-Up

Backbeat writers sound off on a few of their favorite musical things from 2002.

Whisper to Scream

From punk to folk, poetry to prose, Patrick Porter is a voice of unease.

This Year's Model

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs get swept up in the rock-is-back movement.

We Have Liftoff

Rocket Ajax prepares to blast out.

Let It D

With its show off the air, Tenacious D no longer rules the idiot box. Now the rotund duo just wants to rule the world.

The Pajama Game

With its skewed approach to power pop, Sketch colors outside of the lines.

Power Age

AC/DC's Brian Johnson still gets a jolt out of rock and roll.

Three Cheers for Cheerleaders!

Flying high with the Eaglecrest cheerleaders and their competitive sport.

Letters