Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift at the Pepsi Center, 6/2/13

TAYLOR SWIFT @ PEPSI CENTER | 6/2/13 Taylor Swift knows what people say about her. She's heard it all -- the rumors, the criticism, the constant derision. She knows, as she acknowledged a few times during her performance at the Pepsi Center last night, but she doesn't care. Why should she? Coming of ... More >>

The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

ALABAMA SHAKES @ RED ROCKS | SUN, 6/2/13 Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes has a powerful and mesmerizing voice and she sings with an impassioned believability that sounds like she has experienced a fuller life than her young years could hope to contain. Her earthy vocals and the band's solid, vibra ... More >>

Here's what we're all listening to right now. What's rocking your world this week?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it's not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off we go, on and on about t ... More >>

Here's what we're all listening to right now. What's rocking your world this week?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it's not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off we go, on and on about t ... More >>

Ten tunes to play to when you're getting laid

Like attack ads during election season, the jewelry commercials are set to overdrive. Rose prices have gone up, like, one billion percent. Every you look, it's all pink and red and hearts. Yep, V-Day is upon us. You know what that means, right? It means that after you get all that sappy sentimental ... More >>

Ten things Taylor Swift taught us about love

If ever there was somebody who knows about love, it's got to be Taylor Swift. After all, she's pretty much written the 21st century book of love. Sure, she's only 23, but even so, she seems to know a thing or two about relationships -- god knows, the girl's certainly been in enough of them. Alas, th ... More >>

Ed Sheeran

Tuesday, February 5, 1STBANK Center, 866-461-6556.

George Boedecker, Crocs co-founder, pleads guilty in "batsh*t crazy" Taylor Swift DUI

Last September, Crocs co-founder George Boedecker pleaded not guilty in a DUI case the previous month that, according to a police report on view below, he initially blamed on a "batshit crazy" Taylor Swift. Well, never mind. Boedecker has now admitted his guilt in the matter and been sentenced for a ... More >>

Getting stoned with comedian/musician Chella Negro

After years of performing her soul-folk songs around the Denver music scene, Chella Negro hooked up with this town's blossoming comedy community when she joined the all-female sketch group LadyFace. Proudly public about her affection for ganja, Negro was the ideal candidate for our Getting Stoned ... More >>

Backbeat writers sound off on the year's best national albums

See also: Moovers and Shakers 2012: Backbeat writers praise the year's best local albums

New shows: Justin Bieber adds another date at the Pepsi Center, Imagine Dragons and more

Did you totally blow it? Did you dawdle and miss your chance to pick up tickets to Justin Bieber's now sold-out concert at the Pepsi Center next month? Is your darling niece bummed with you beyond all recognition? Good news for you: You get a do-over -- well, sort of. The Biebs just announced anothe ... More >>

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be surprising to find that the most common (and mutually favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off ... More >>

New shows: Taylor Swift, Public Enemy, Hot Water Music; Morrissey, Green Day postponed

Tons of concert news for you this morning: You've already heard about the Morrissey show this weekend being postponed and about Taylor Swift coming back to Denver next summer, but we've also got word of Green Day's 1STBANK show in February being postponed, K'nann show at the Gothic being cancelled, ... More >>

Taylor Swift Denver date set for June 2, 2013

Taylor Swift fans -- and judging by the enormous first week record sales of Red, her latest platter released last week, that accounts for a great many folks -- will be rejoicing at news that Swift is heading back out on the road this spring (to wit, that means 58 shows in 45 cities in 29 states, 3 p ... More >>

Crocs founder George Boedecker isn't dating Taylor Swift, but he is behaving badly

Crocs co-founder George Boedecker regrets "batsh*t crazy" Taylor Swift-blaming DUI bust

Update: Yesterday, we told you about the DUI arrest of Crocs co-founder George Boedecker Jr., who allegedly claimed that a "batshit crazy" Taylor Swift had actually been behind the wheel of his car; look below to read the extraordinary tale and the police report from which it springs. After the repo ... More >>

Paging Taylor Swift. Colorado here. If you're looking for song fodder, we've got you covered!

See also: - Taylor Swift: A compilation of her surprised, shocked and awe-struck faces - Review: Taylor Swift at the Pepsi Center, 9/27/11 - Slide show: Taylor Swift returns to Denver, 9/27/11 - Taylor Swift earned more than Adele and Katy Perry combined last year Look, we all know Taylor Swift nee ... More >>

Q & A: Filmmaker Todd Cassetty's 5 Days in Denver recreates Re-create 68

Director/producer Todd Cassetty is used to working with pop sensations like Taylor Swift. He produced two Taylor Swift music videos and seven Taylor Swift TV specials -- most notably, her 2010 NBC Thanksgiving Special. More recently, though Cassetty has set his sights on a culture somewhat less pred ... More >>

The Fray's "Run for Your Life" video strikes the right emotional chords but still seems a little flat

"Run for Your Life" is the Fray's the follow-up to "Heartbeat," the debut single from the act's third record, Scars & Stories. The video is directed by Declan Whitebloom, who's worked on videos with Taylor Swift and Sugarland, among others. Although the imagery strikes the right emotional chords, th ... More >>

Peyton Manning's plane parked in Taylor Swift's hangar: Sounds dirty!

Even as Broncos Nation waits to find out if former Indianpolis Colts megastar Peyton Manning will bring his act to Denver, Twitter Nation is abuzz over the news that the plane in which he traveled to Nashville yesterday to meet with the Tennessee Titans braintrust parked in Taylor Swift's hangar. Wh ... More >>

Tim Tebow turns down an invite to be The Bachelor: Scared of hot tubs?

Lately, Tim Tebow has been rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood crowd, attending the Vanity Fair Oscar party and reportedly going on a dinner date with Taylor Swift. But while he recently signed with the William Morris talent agency, he's just turned down the opportunity to star in a hit TV show: Th ... More >>

Tim Tebow dates Taylor Swift? Twitter Nation reacts

The latest rumored Tim Tebow crush (following Lindsey Vonn and plenty of others)? Pop-country warbler Taylor Swift, who reportedly dined with The Chosen One in Century City the night after the Oscars. That's the kind of news that gets people tweeting. Look below to see our ten favorite reactions, fe ... 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 gang-bus ... 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 >>

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 >>

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

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 into a giant bottle of love - that was the Taylor Swift concert l ... More >>

Best Denver concert photos of September, 2011

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've hand-selecte ... More >>

Taylor Swift

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

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Lissie

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

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.

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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.