Rick Rubin

The ten greatest southern rappers of all time

It took a long time for the south to be recognized as a major player in the hip-hop scene, and it still has a ways to go to be held in the same regard as the East and West Coasts, but with the emergence of a new breed of countrified rappers such as Big K.R.I.T., Future, Yelawolf and 2 Chainz (and ev ... More >>

The misappropriation of country music

Country music used to have its own distinct identity, one that was tied to rich traditions of lonesome country roads, hard work, low pay and drinking. These days it's a black hole of insipidity. Following the Grammys, the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons are now reportedly making inroads on country radi ... More >>

Ian Astbury on the Cult's new album, Choice of Weapon, his interest in Native American Culture and being a devotee of the Doors -- not just a fan

Since first emerging in the mid '80s, The Cult (due tomorrow night at the Ogden Theatre) has gone through some lineup changes and been on a few breaks. Through it all, the band's core members, frontman Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, have continued to churn out some heavy records, including 2 ... More >>

Time keeps on ticking with an Adam Yauch tribute and new album in the works

Among a handful of the local music-scene tributes to recently deceased Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, Time offered his respects for the fallen MC and activist on a new tune, "Too Sweet to Be Sour," a cross-Atlantic collaboration with British MC Akira the Don. The track opens with a crisp horn line looping ... More >>

Beastie Boys Check Your Head turns twenty

See Also: • Prince's Sign of the Times turns 25 • Velvet Underground & Nico turns 45 • More Today in History posts When the '80s became the '90s, everyone stepped up their game. Rap matured lyrically and became more sophisticated sonically, while rock became more intelligent and emotionally r ... More >>

Five acts whose careers have resurrected

Whether you're honoring a ubiquitous egg-laying rabbit obsessed with scavenger hunts or the miraculous resurrection of a thirty-something Jewish carpenter, the Easter season is upon us once again. But regardless of your religious affiliation, in the world of music, returning from the dead seems to h ... More >>

Gogol Bordello

Thursday, March 8, Ogden Theatre, 888-929-7849.

Beastie Boys' Licensed To Ill turns 25

​In hindsight Licensed To Ill -- released November 15, 1986 -- came to the table with a virtually infallible recipe: Rick Rubin produced the seminal radio-friendly rap album and Russell Simmons had not only signed Beastie Boys to a then baby Def Jam, but was also managing the three white boys ... More >>

Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik can almost buy booze

Saturday marks the twentieth anniversary of the monumental Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. In 1991, the world was in a war-charged state of transition. Combat troops were preparing to be sent to the Gulf; the Soviets were in fear of the big chill and their food supply; Los Angele ... More >>

Adele: "Music is cheap therapy"

In honor of Modest Mouse and Big Boi: A look at the Top 10 rap/rock collaborations of all time

​In case you haven't heard yet, Modest Mouse is working with Big Boi on its next album. Seriously. Yeah, we're having a hard time even trying to imagine what that's going to sound like. The news, however, did get us thinking about the ten of the best and rap/rock collaborations. You know Aeros ... 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 >>

What's killing the music industry? Auto-Tune? The Internet? American Idol? All of the above?

​The music industry has been marked for death for a long time now, but amazingly, nobody has managed to come up with a concrete reason as to why. Sure, it's easy to assign blame, but the real reason the music is dying is still a mystery to most people in the industry. Thankfully, plenty of sta ... More >>

Adele saves the music industry (for this week, anyway)

​Adele, the soulful British pop diva who's had this coming for a long time, has the first blockbuster album of 2011 with 21. She's atop the Billboard charts this week, having sold 350,000-odd copies. This is a welcome development no matter how you look at it: Take a tour through her recent bar ... More >>

Meet Nathan Reid, studio wiz extraordinare

​Many people in Denver may not know Nathan Reid by name. Just the same, over the course of his career, which spans three decades, he's had the chance to work with a host of prominent acts from Ghostface to Damien and Stephen Marley. Currently operating out of Mercury Sauce, his private produ ... More >>

Top Five Candidates to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol

​So by now you've heard that legendary curmudgeon Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season. Good for him. Probably a few years too late if he were hoping to jump ship before the franchise jumped the shark, but whatever. Anyhow, his absence will all but drain Idol's talent pool ... More >>

Top Ten Cover Songs of the Decade

Arcade Fire goes undercover.​There have been billions of songs written in the last decade but sometimes it's not the new ones that matter, it's the reimaginings. Some people argue a great cover song is decided by it's accuracy to the original, others want something new to be brought into the m ... More >>

The Avett Brothers

Friday, August 21, Boulder Theater, 303-786-7030.

Q&A with Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers

Crackerfarm​Arena rock is making a comeback. Thanks to bands like My Morning Jacket, Wilco and North Carolina's the Avett Brothers, the spirit and tradition of the '70s is swelling and helping to conjure up images of rock and roll when it was at it's purest, most visceral and most likely bearded. ... More >>

Vintage Q&A with the late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton

Ron Asheton, the mega-influential guitarist with the Stooges, died yesterday at age 60 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's sad news, but at least Asheton was able to experience some much deserved acclaim in his last few years, when the surviving Stooges reunited for a new album, entitled The Weirdness, a ... More >>

Jimmy Gnecco's sound is all Ours

Death Magnetic gives Metallica a new lease on life

Metallica due at Pepsi Center on November 4

Ours

Wednesday, June 18, Toad Tavern, 303-795-6877.

MP3 Freeloader: Ours Tonight at the Toad Tavern

45 Second Reviews: Hawk Nelson, Moby, Van Morrison, Your Vegas

Mini Reviews

Mini Reviews

Linkin Park

Minutes to Midnight
Warner Bros.

Supersized Stooges

Shut Up and Sing

Natalie Maines is one radical Chick.

Hanukkah Songs

Wherein we find the coining of our new favorite word: Jew-pergroup.

Diamonds in the Rough

Rick Rubin put the polish on Neil Diamond's new disc. Who's next?

Neil Diamond

12 Songs (Columbia)

Rivers Changes Course

Weezer's auteur takes a tentative step into the real world.

Shakira

Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (Epic)

Weezer

Make Believe (Geffen)

The (International) Noise Conspiracy

Friday, May 13, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399.

DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid

Sunday, April 24, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399.

The Mars Volta

De-loused in the Comatorium (Universal)

Mars Attacks

The Mars Volta isn't interested in your expectations.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

By the Way (Warner Bros.)

Playing It Cool

When it comes to hip-hop career longevity, LL Cool J knows that size matters.

He's Got a Witness

Preacher Boy made a believer out of Eagle-Eye Cherry. Now he's hoping to convert local audiences as well.

Rage Against the Machine

Renegades (Epic)

Cash on the Barrelhead

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

Thrills for the week

To Buy or Not to Buy

Reviews of 23 recent superstar recordings--just in time for your holiday purchasing pleasure.

Playlist

Love Story

PLAYLIST