Taylor Swift

Beyond Playlist: The Offspring and More

The Fray checks in at number three on Billboard 200

According to Billboard, the best selling act in America this week is still Taylor Swift, who moved 62,000 copies of her latest disc, Fearless, followed by Charlie Wilson, who was good for 71,000 copies of Uncle Charlie, his latest, and the Fray, which sold another 53,000 copies of its self-titled so ... More >>

The Fray still in Top 10 on Billboard 200

In its fifth consecutive week on the charts, the Fray's self-titled sophomore release is still generating impressive sales figures, good enough, in fact, to remain in the top ten on the Billboard 200. Last week, the group registered 30,000 more sales, which moved it up a notch to number seven from n ... More >>

Taylor Swift

Friday, October 26, Grizzly Rose, 303-295-2353.

Taylor Swift

This songstress is the best underage songwriter to emerge from Music Row in decades.

What a Country!

Ten reasons to tune in country radio in 2006.

Beyond Playlist: Church of Misery and more

​Church of Misery Houses of the Unholy (Rise Above/Metal Blade) The Japanese knack for musical mimicry reaches a new peak on the latest by Church of Misery, which sounds so much like the best hard-rock album from 1975 (or 1985) (or 1995) that listeners can be excused for checking their calend ... More >>

Kanye West says he's sorry. Again. Do you believe him?

All right, by now you've seen the clip of Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at this past weekend's MTV Video Music Awards (see the clip after the jump if you haven't already), an act of utter douchebaggery that's been universally condemned: Katy Perry likened the outburst to ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 16 edition

​Picture this. Today in Backbeat Online: • Flier of the Week: Lipgloss. • Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of September 14, 2009. Today in Cafe Society: • Amnesia wins the Mix Master Bartender contest, appropriately enough. • Hosea Rosenberg hosts Colorado harvest dinner at ... More >>

This Just In: U2, Taylor Swift, Bruce Hornsby shows announced

​As reported earlier this week, a new batch of North American dates for U2's 360° Tour were announced, which includes a stop at Invesco Field June 12. Live Nation says 85 percent of the tickets are priced at less than $95, general admission floor tickets at $55 and at least 10,000 tickets per ve ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of November 23, 2009

​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. For t ... More >>

Three ways to save Christmas (music)

"Ho ho holy crap, do I hate Christmas music"​Every season, once Thanksgiving is in the books (and sometimes earlier, god forbid) and the shopping frenzy begins in earnest, my most-hated time of the year comes around: Christmas music season. See, I don't hate Christmas, per se -- I'm no Scrooge ... More >>

The Music Industry's 11 Saviors of 2009

As with every year since 2001, the music industry in 2009 was kept barely alive by a ratag crew of baffling one-offs, mediocre hit makers and a few cameos from the dead. If dollars are votes, we have some weird taste in representation. In backwards order, this year's 11 saviors of the establishmen ... More >>

Poptimystic: 3OH!3 and Vampire Weekend

Welcome to Poptimystic, our latest feature where we lead you on a leisurely stroll through the world where pop music actually means popular. This week, hometown goofboys 3OH!3 make a return to the top of the Hot 100, and early returns have Vampire Weekend besting all comers. Huh? ​ The 3OH!3 ... More >>

Lilly Scott joins Haeley Vaughn as Colorado's great American Idol hopes

Based on the edition of American Idol focusing on Denver auditions, we declared Fort Collins' Haeley Vaughn to be Colorado's great American Idol hope. (Of course, Bikini Boy Ty Hemmerling made a different kind of impression.) But last night's episode marking the beginning of Hollywood Week (and the ... More >>

American Idol: Lilly Scott and Haeley Vaughn move on to round two

America finally got a look at Ms. Lilly Scott last night on Idol. She got the nod from Simon Cowell and company to move forward to the next round of cuts after wowing them with a sterling rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland," a tune made famous by Ella Fitzgerald. If you ask us, Lilly did Ella justice ... More >>

Google is shutting down blogs, trying to kill Twitter.

Do no evil my ass. Last night and into today, many people using a Blogger account to host a music blog logged on to find this. The news is making its way across the web now, but DJ/record producer Tommie Sunshine tweeted about it way early. The error message of doom.​ Presumably, people got ... More >>

Shel inks a deal with Republic Nashville

Scott Borchetta. Name ring a bell? Not really? How about this: Remember the record exec who came to Taylor Swift's defense a few weeks ago when the whole world was up in arms over her supposed catastrophically pitch-friendly performance at the Grammys? That guy? Yeah, that's Scott Borchetta. He's th ... More >>

Poptimystic: Taio Cruz did what?!?

Taio Cruz is a British dude who wrote and produced for A-listers until 2008, when he stepped in front of a mike. Now, two years later, he has broken a Hot 100 record by having the Ludacris-assisted remix of his single "Break Your Heart" enter the chart last week at 53 and make the ridiculous climb ... More >>

And now, presenting thirty craptastic minutes with thirty different iPhone band apps

​ Sometimes we have to wonder if folks that program for Apple's App Store are hell-bent on wasting people's time. We spent an evening with as many artist-specific iPhone apps we could get our hands on and found a few amazing things, a few interesting things and a plethora of pure and total cr ... More >>

Tyler Ward and friends take on "Airplanes" by B.o.B.

Tyler Ward: Shameless coattail rider or shrewd, talented musician fueled by ennui with a plethora of equally talented friends, a readily available recording facility and ample time on his hands? You make the call. Personally, although we're leaning more toward the latter -- given the other video ... More >>

The 10 Most Hated People in Hip-Hop

Guru (left) and heartless greed monger Solar (right). Photo by Barbara Mürdter​ There is no fence-riding in hip-hop. It is the most competitive genre of music, partly because of the way it formed and partly because it remains the newest major movement. So there is no shortage of hatred going ... More >>

Eminem's Emwow and five other (potentially) record-selling spoofs

The genius of Vince Offer's sales-pitch send-up of Eminem's Recovery -- and of most parodies, really -- is that it forces the record into a ridiculous context (a thing to "put on your hose," among other uses). And though the video may or may not actually help Marshall Mathers' sales figures, it d ... More >>

Five artists begging to be riffed on by the new Beavis and Butthead

​We're sure you've heard by now that Beavis & Butthead, the staple of '90s-era MTV, is returning in a new series to help break up the monotony of the reality-show based programming choices on the network. While MTV hasn't yet officially confirmed what the NY Post reported two months ago, they ... More >>

Part two: Z Cuisine's Charles MacDonald destroys Oreos

Lori Midson​ Charles MacDonald Z Cuisine 2239 West 30th Avenue 303-477-1111 www.zcuisine.com Don't miss part one of Lori Midson's interview with Charles MacDonald, the chef de cuisine of Z Cuisine. Rules of conduct in your kitchen: Less grammar, more hammer. I say that a lot in the kitchen, ... More >>

Taylor Swift: True Lil Wayne Heir

Young Moolah, Baby​Lil Wayne sold a million copies of Tha Carter III in one week back in June of 2008. It's a nearly impossible benchmark in an era of dwindling album sales. And the day Lil Wayne was released from prison, Taylor Swift matched his feat. Actually, she surpassed it. Tha Carter ... More >>

A rundown of Kanye West's wonkiest moments

Kanye has gotten a lot of flack for doing some absolutely wonky things. Most recently, a photo of his hoo-ha mysteriously appeared on the Internet, followed by word that he copped the microphone on a Delta flight last week to perform for the cabin. Even with all the wonky things he's done, though, ... More >>

Rihanna is a Singles Lady if there ever was one

​Last week in Poptimystic, we talked about Taylor Swift and her unparalleled ability to sell albums in the current music industry wasteland. But the album is not what it once was, and the ability to sell singles may actually be a better litmus test of an artist's influence. It remains the un ... More >>

Aloe Blacc, Harry Nilsson, Kid Cudi fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Scott McInnis: Top five apologies he can borrow

Scott McInnis​Scott McInnis still doesn't quite get how he went from a governor's office shoo-in to a political pariah. He's back in the spotlight, engaging in an act of premature rehabilitation in the Denver Post, vowing to clear the air over this silly plagiarism scandal that derailed his ca ... More >>

10 Christmas songs we never want to hear again

​Dear stores, we get it: It's Christmas time. It only comes but once a year -- yadda, yadda, yadda. That's great and all, but being bombarded by Christmas music while searching for the perfect gifts is driving us nuts -- it's like being a mouse in an endless maze with no buttons to push. And, ... More >>

Next Big Sound: Billboard's new "Social 50" chart powered by Boulder music startup

​In October, we profiled the Boulder start-up Next Big Sound, which seemed poised to shake the struggling music industry by using social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to discover break-out bands. Now that Billboard has unveiled its new "Social 50" chart powered by Next Big Sou ... More >>

How poop is smarter than Jesus: Google Reading Level ranks 100 random things

​​ Google introduced a new way of filtering search results last week: By reading level. You type something in and it tells you how many results fall into one of levels. Fair enough: if you're writing a research paper on sexual health or something, and thoughtful information would normal ... More >>

With our help, could a lesser-known Denver-based artist top the Billboard 200?

​Okay, so here's a nutty idea. Last week, Taylor Swift topped the Billboard charts once again by selling 52,000 copies of her Speak Now album -- an industry low, reportedly, taking the title from the Dreamgirls soundtrack, which previously held the distinction with 67,000 sales.

Lissie

Monday, January 17, Bluebird Theater, 303-830-8497.

Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Michelle Trachtenberg: Who does the best Nicki Minaj?

This one, obviously.​There was a mini-rash of adorable teen stars rapping Nicki Minaj last week when Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez both paid homage to "Super Bass." Not sure how either came to the conclusion that attempting to rap would be good for them in some way, but they aren't the first u ... More >>

Taylor Swift & Kenny Chesney music scared a bear?: Guess it wasn't a country bear (VIDEOS)

He woulda stayed.​Music supposedly has the power to soothe a savage beast -- but it can also annoy the hell out of one. That's the lesson recently learned by personnel at Boulder Community Hospital. When they found a bear hibernating under a building on hospital property, they managed to driv ... More >>

Goose pierced by arrow in Washington Park: Fowl shooting doesn't only happen in Denver

Fox31​ Update below: The Denver Parks and Rec Department has unveiled the final draft of its master plan for Washington Park. The 133-page document calls for things like improving the loop road and moving the parking lots away from Smith Lake. You know what it doesn't call for? Reducing the ge ... More >>

Comedy Central's Comedy Awards: Due recognition or sideshow?

​Comedy Central announced an awards show devoted to comedy today. It will be called The Comedy Awards and will air simultaneously on Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, TV Land and Nick at Night on March 26. On one hand, comedy does tend to get boned in the other major awards, particularly the Oscars ... More >>

Rap round-up: Stream new music from A.Fox, Pries, Dyalekt and Rockie

A. Fox​The rappers have been off to the races lately. Whether working on full-length albums, collaborative projects or performing at top speed, local hip-hop cats have been putting in work. We've compiled the latest heaters from A. Fox, who goes right in with his Boy Davey-produced certified c ... More >>

Mile Highlights: Shows announced/on sale this week, local radio playlists and top local sellers

​ Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week. On the concert front: Besides the back-to-back Mumford & Sons dates we told you about yesterday, we have word on the Cars and Taylor Swift shows, as well as Hudson Gardens and Mishawaka's summer lineups. Meanwhile on local radio, Veronica, ... More >>

MTV's top five greatest on-air rap moments

​Oh, MTV. There has been no greater platform for fuckery's finest and the brilliance of unfiltered musician craziness than Music Television's many segments. Whether drunken freestyles, acceptance speech interruptions, or classic moments in live performance, hip-hop rightfully lived and thrived ... More >>

Taylor Swift

Tuesday, September 27, Pepsi Center, 303-830-8497.

Review: Taylor Swift at the Pepsi Center, 9/27/11

Chip KalbackTaylor Swift last night at the Pepsi Center​TAYLOR SWIFT at THE PEPSI CENTER | 09.27.11Imagine, if you will, a crapload of glitter, teeny tiny dresses, one billion pairs of cowboy boots, free mascara (courtesy of sponsor Cover Girl), and thousands of screaming girls all stuffed int ... More >>

Best Denver concert photos of September, 2011

Dwarves​Holy crap there were a lot of shows this month. It was difficult to pick our favorites of the bunch, especially with big name acts like, Taylor Swift, DMX, Blink 182, and Ke$ha rocking the stages in Colorado. We have so many photos, it's tough to sift through them all, which is why we' ... More >>

Taylor Swift: A compilation of her surprised, shocked and awe-struck faces

Taylor Swift's shocked! Again! As seen in the Hollywood ReporterSunday was a good day for Taylor Swift. A glowing profile by 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl, followed by her cleaning up at the American Music Awards; she took home the awards for Favorite Country Female Artist, Artist of The Year, Favorite C ... 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 >>

Top ten Backbeat posts of 2011

​By now, anyone who's ever blogged -- which is likely most of you reading this -- knows that the stories that took the most time, the really important ones, were often around the bottom when it came to traffic, pageviews, unique visitors, etc. Meanwhile, the ol' bacon Nativity scene is doing g ... More >>

Scissor Sisters share a "Shady Love" with Azealia Banks, plus a breakdown of the charts

"Shady Love": the grimiest, dirtiest pop song yet of 2012. And it's by the Scissor Sisters.​The Scissor Sisters have two incarnations: campy, carefree guitar-driven band, as was the case for early cuts like "Take Your Mama" and "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," and a new, more hedonistic synth band ... More >>

Black Keys: "Rock & Roll is dying because of Nickelback"

Make no mistake, Patrick Carney of the Black Keys (right) does not listen to Nickelback.​Despite the pointed assertion of Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney that rock music is dying because of Nickelback, the genre still appears to be selling quite well. Granted, not quite as well as hip-hop or ... More >>