Paul McCartney

The ten dumbest things overheard at SXSW

For every insightful conversation I have heard or had at SXSW over the years, whether it was talking to Matt Pinfield while walking the streets of Austin talking about David Bowie, or telling The Clash's Mick Jones that he was in fact, in The Clash, I have overheard a thousand awful ones. Years of e ... More >>

Ten great albums recorded at Sound City Studios, the focus of Sound City

Dave Grohl is a busy guy. The Foo Fighters frontman is a member of multiple supergroups, played alongside Paul McCartney at the 12/12/12 Sandy Relief Concert, will be the keynote speaker at South by Southwest this March, and just made his directing debut with Sound City, a documentary tracing the hi ... More >>

Mark Knopfler stops by Rockmount Ranch Wear -- that's how the West was worn

Rockmount Ranch Wear has a lengthy history of celebrity drop-ins. Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler is just the latest in a long list of stylish stars to stop by the store. Knopfler played at the 1STBANK Center on October 29 and 30, along with rock legend and former Rockmount visitor Bob Dylan, on ... More >>

The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street turns 40

By the spring of 1971, the heroes of the '60s were dropping like flies. The Beatles had broken up, Angela Davis and Timothy Leary were on the run, and meanwhile everyone in California was becoming born again Christians. The previous autumn, Jimi Hendrix asphyxiated on half-digested sleeping pills an ... More >>

James McCartney toughs it out in Macca's shadow

Deconstructing the Beatles: Scott Freiman on how "A Day in the Life" is like Frankenstein

Besides blowing the mind of everyone who ever heard it, Sgt. Pepper broke a lot of ground: The album radically expanded the concept of what pop music could be, in the process inventing the studio technology needed to make it happen. There's probably not another person alive who can articulate what t ... More >>

Mile Highlights: Denver/Boulder area concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's hot this week in music on the Front Range: On the concert front, new shows featuring Wilco, 311, Slightly Stoopid, Dukes of September and more were announced; Overcasters, Lumineers, Churchill and the Jekylls got spins on local radio; and recent albums from the Shins, E-40, Fun. and th ... More >>

Happy birthday, Rihanna. "Turn Up the Music," but no "Birthday Cake" for you, Chris Brown!

Update: Chris Brown's "Turn Up the Music" remix featuring Rhianna added below. Happy 24th birthday, Robyn Rihanna Fenty. We remember your first record, "Pon De Replay." Nice, disposable dancefloor pop. It was urban enough to get people dancing in high school, but not sexy enough to fertilize anythi ... More >>

Johnny Cash's covers album has the gravity that Paul McCartney's doesn't

In Backbeat: Watch a video sidebar to this column

Mile Highlights: Denver/Boulder area concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

​ Here's what's hot this week in music on the Front Range: On the concert front, new shows featuring the Avett Brothers, James Taylor, Blues Traveler and Gogol Bordello were announced; Gauntlet Hair, Hindershot and Fierce Bad Rabbit got spins on local radio; and recent albums from Van Halen, Dr. ... More >>

Madonna upstaged by M.I.A. and Cee Lo Green during the Super Bowl halftime show

Cee Lo Green outsings Madonna during the "Like A Prayer" portion of the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.​Forget the New York Giants and Eli Manning. The true winner of yesterday's Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis was pop music. Heralded in by Queen Madonna herself, the halftime show was truly an ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in history. Before being gifted with a guitar at the age of fifteen, Hendrix used a broom stick in place of the instrument that would later become his most beloved method of communication. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1 ... More >>

Dear Mall Santa: Get here already. And bring that guy who smelled like Christmas with you.

Quit hiding the Ice Palace. Gimme Santa.​The Ice Palace will open its doors at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center at 5 p.m. today -- which means that Santa Claus will finally be in the house. Er, the mall. The Ice Palace -- a fancy name for a faux icicle-covered indoor forest -- will feature six ... More >>

Johnathan McFarlane on wanna-be celebrity hype, Festivus Film Festival

Festivus Film Festival founders Tim DeMasters and Johnathan McFarlane want to offer films for the rest of us.​When Johnathan McFarlane and his partner Tim DeMasters created the Festivus Film Festival four years ago, they had trouble attracting audiences to all of the screenings at the Oriental ... More >>

Brandon Flowers at the Ogden Theatre, 11/18/10

Rob Christensen BRANDON FLOWERS With Fran Healy 11.18.10 | Ogden Theatre It's almost not fair to call Fran Healy an opener. The Scottish front man of acoustic indie rock band Travis has plenty of experience headlining shows. He's got an engaging stage presence -- and the star power to pack the hou ... More >>

Kid Cudi, Cee Lo, Belle & Sebastian top sellers at local stores

​Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, released last week on Universal Motown, debuted very strong, claiming the top slots at Albums on the Hill, Independent Records and Twist & Shout for the week ending November 14. Cee Lo Green's Lady Killer, meanwhile, issued last week on ... More >>

Brian Eno, Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, Deerhunter top sellers at local stores

​Small Craft on a Milk Sea, Brian Eno's Warp debut released last week, claimed the top spot at Albums on the Hill and rounded out the top five at Twist & Shout for the week ending November 7. Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being, meanwhile, continues to hold down to the top spot at Independent R ... More >>

How Mario Batali was won: the rhetoric behind Meatless Monday

​About a month ago, if you'll recall, I raked my former idol, Mario Batali, over the coals for jumping on the bandwagon of the cute veggie campaign, Meatless Monday. And in the aftermath, as was only fair, I was chastised for my pigheadedness (no pun intended). But as my comments about anima ... More >>

Ozzy Osbourne and ten other old dudes who should just hang it up already

Like so many new albums from old dudes, it's not that Ozzy Osbourne's Scream, which was released today, is not good, per se -- it's that it's not needed. While Osbourne's new effort updates his shtick a bit -- it sounds like he's been listening to a long of Norwegian opera-metal and possibly some ... More >>

Further, Band of Horses, Uproar Festival shows announced

​Phil Lesh & Bob Weir's group Further, who helped kick off things at the 1stBank Center in March, return to the area for a two-night stand at Red Rocks on Friday and Saturday, September 24 and 25. The two Grateful Dead members will be joined by RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, Benovento-Russo ... More >>

Hot Congress and Long Spoon's party rocked our block off as expected

Jef OtteMaria Kohler as Mercuria​ Hot Congress / Long Spoon Block Party 06.05.10 | Meadowlark • Larimer Lounge The upside to a big, multiple-venue show like the Hot Congress/Long Spoon Block Party this past Saturday is that there's always something awesome to see. The downside: There's alw ... More >>

The legacy of the Michael Jackson-Crystal Cartier lawsuit

The cover of the 1991 Michael Jackson album "Dangerous." While TV networks aplenty have rehashed the late Michael Jackson's various legal battles over child-molestation allegations, they've neglected his early '90s court appearance in Denver, when he defended himself against accusations from singer ... More >>

Q&A with Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki

What song will play for Obama's acceptance speech? The 10 (or so) best guesses

What song will play for Obama's acceptance speech? The 10 (or so) best guesses

The Explorers Club

Let these popsters be your guide to the ’60s SoCal sound.

Q&A With Porter Batiste Stoltz's George Porter

Sgt. Pepper on Trial

Girl Talk

Gregg Gillis can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Golden Nuggets?

Nene needs your love.

Pluck You

Hmm. Would you rather live in Commerce City or KentuckyFriedCruelty.com?

Andy Partridge

XTC's fuzzy warbler is a pop genius.

Anatomy of a Hit

Alexandra Patsavas creates the soundtrack of our lives.

Different Strokes

Nikolai Fraiture says his band has changed. What's he talkin' 'bout?

Second Coming

Yellow Second puts faith in the redemptive power of pop.

Abstract Painter

With a heartbreaking sketchbook of nostalgic songs, Mark Kozelek is almost famous.

Hammer of the Gods

With a handful of artists, "classic rock" is not a pejorative.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

By the Way (Warner Bros.)

Beauty and the Beat

Nikka Costa has a big, funky voice and a great butt. Which will you notice first?

Hunger Strike

Can a non-9/11 benefit album make any noise?

The Great Escape

Baz Luhrmann makes movies--and audiences--in his own image.

Other Voices, Other Tunes

Two new releases -- and a certain music awards showcase -- prove Denver's no one-note town.

Playlist

Playlist

Playlist

Playlist

Future Shock

Is electronica the next big thing, or another passing fancy?

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