The Beastie Boys

Hey, Kanye, that Notorious B.I.G. track being used to hype Taco Bell: Selling out or buying in?

This past weekend at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Kanye West went on a rant about selling out. Apparently, he now hates the Grammys, corporations and possibly the new Justin Timberlake song. Ironically, the self proclaimed "Louis Vuitton Don" saw absolutely no conflict of interest in calling out art ... 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 >>

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'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 >>

Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats on how pumped he is to celebrate Halloween in Denver with Gwar

Since forming nearly a decade ago, Toronto's Cancer Bats have developed an accessible, harder edged sound that comes across as rock shedding a hardcore shell, particularly on its latest release, Dead Set on Living. We recently spoke with vocalist Liam Cormier about the new album, how stoked he and h ... More >>

Backbeat's five most listened-to songs and albums, week of September 5, 2012

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

The weekend's best live bets: The eighteenth annual Westword Music Showcase 2012

Welcome to the weekend! You made it. And of course, this is not just any weekend. It's the Westword Music Showcase weekend! Whoo freaking hoo! So with that in mind, here's a rundown of what you have in store tomorrow afternoon/evening on the main stage. Be sure to check out this page for a full rund ... More >>

Party down with these headliners at the Westword Music Showcase

See also: Twelve types of Denver musicians

Karl Denson on musical roots, moving on after Lenny Kravitz and creating Beastie Boys tribute

Karl Denson (due on the main stage at this weekend's Westword Music Showcase) is hard to pin down. The saxophonist and bandleader may have strong roots in the traditional jazz of giants like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, but that hasn't stopped the musician from exploring funk, R&B, hip-hop and m ... 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 >>

Don't sleep! Today only: Get a ticket to Showcase and the official after party for $23

Today only, in the Voice Daily Deals, you can get a ticket to this year's Westword Music Showcase with Girl Talk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe's tribute to the Beastie Boys, Battles, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Baywood and 150 of the hottest local acts, PLUS a ticket ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe presents a Tribute to the Beastie Boys!

If you haven't picked up your tickets to the Westword Music Showcase yet, here's another reason to get on it: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe presents a Tribute to the Beastie Boys at this year's Showcase. This is going to be absolutely sick! Page down to see what you have in store. If this isn't the be ... More >>

Photos: The Beastie Boys in Denver, a visual history from the archived newspaper ads

By all accounts, the Beastie Boys performed in the Denver metro area ten times over the course of two decades, beginning with the act's first show at the Mammoth Events Center on Friday, February 13, 1987, and culminating with its Rock the Vote double bill at the Fillmore with Tenacious D on Monday, ... More >>

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has died

Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) has died. He was 47. Forming the Beastie Boys as a teenager in Brooklyn in the late '70s, Yauch was part of a pivotal assembly of artists that defined rap music for the radio. Early incarnations of the group shifted genres and changed members, but Michael "Mi ... More >>

Some classless dickhole edits Beastie Boys Wikipedia page after Adam Yauch's death

We haven't even really had a chance to absorb and process the news of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's death yet -- and this? Some people never cease to amaze me. Seriously. While it's since been amended, just a bit ago we noticed that some insensitive dickhole apparently thought it would be funny to edit t ... 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 >>

Record Store Day, the Black Friday edition

​Record Store Day was originally started a few years ago as a once-a-year celebration for some 700 independently owned record stores in the U.S., including Twist & Shout and Wax Trax, but the organizers have also included today, Black Friday, as another chance to for music fans to get their ha ... More >>

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 >>

Guns N' Roses, Joan Jett, the Cure nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

​Guns N' Roses, who announced last week that it would be coming to Denver (but no venue or date has been confirmed yet), is among the fifteen acts nominated, along with the Cure, Joan Jett, Beastie Boys, Freddie King, Donovan, Erik B & Rakim and Red Hot Chili Peppers, for the Rock and Roll Hal ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In concert news, INXS is coming to the Ogden in July, Lil Wayne's coming to Comfort Dental in August and Steve Earle is due at the Ogden in September. On local radio, Force Publique, Signal Path and Bop Skizzum got some spins. Meanwhile, at our l ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In concert news, INXS is coming to the Ogden in July, Lil Wayne's coming to Comfort Dental in August and Steve Earle is due at the Ogden in September. On local radio, Force Publique, Signal Path and Bop Skizzum got some spins. Meanwhile, at our l ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In concert news, KMFDM is due at the Summit Music Hall and Ellie Goulding is over at the Ogden, both in August, while Bone Thugs N Harmony is slated to stop by the Gothic in June. On local radio, Quiet American, Juno What and My Body Sings Electr ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In concert news, Phish is closing out its tour at Dick's on Labor Day weekend, Roger Daltrey is performing the Who's Tommy at 1STBANK in October, Return to Forever is returning the Paramount and Sugarland is stopping by Comfort Dental with Sara B ... More >>

Behold, The Straw Rappers: Dad clown Jesus freaks who are down with the sickness

Screw chicken soup -- praying is the best cold remedy.​At first, the Straw Rappers' message isn't quite clear. But as you get through the minute and a half "Sickness" segment you realize: These dudes aren't talking about the common cold, they're talking about Jesus. Cleverly disguised as Licen ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

​Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In concert news, we've received word that Lil Wayne is coming to town in August, followed by Santana and George Lopez, who are coming to Red Rocks in September. On local radio, Novus Folium, Justin Roth and Elephant Revival got spins. Meanwh ... More >>

In honor of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two: A look at the Beastie Boys' top five videos

​The Beastie Boys have been shaking our ear drums with their mind-blowing rap, hilarious and brilliant lyrics, and daring beats since the '80s. Over the weekend, the crew premiered its new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (streaming below), at Madison Square Garden, center court. That momen ... More >>

The Beastie Boys's "Fight For Your Right - Revisited" trailer is awesome

The Beastie Boys.​The Beastie Boys have been men for quite some time now, but they've clearly never lost their sense of playfulness. The group's long-anticipated upcoming album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 (no, you didn't miss part one), is shaping up to be quite an event, judging by the just-r ... More >>

Mark Farina gets funky at the Fox Theatre with DJ Rootz and Pillowfight

​Mark Farina with Pillowfight, DJ Rootz and AA 07.23.10|Fox Theatre There's a covenant involved when listening to live music: You give your attention and energy to the musician, and in exchange, they provide you with some kind of experience that (IMO) should be crafted to capture that attenti ... More >>

Warlock Pinchers

Bomb the Franklin Mint
Self-released

Beat-loggers index samples so we don't have to

​ It's no secret that the Internet is a safe-harbor for niche markets and small groups, but that doesn't mean some of them can't be extremely helpful in a pinch. Sample-spotting is one that has been incredibly helpful to us on numerous occasions. More and more hip-hop is moving into the digi ... More >>

Giving The Beastie Boys' Hello Nasty another shot after a dozen years

​ I remember Hello Nasty's release with remarkable clarity. I was working as a pizza-cook in Lyons -- my boss, a pseudo-ex-hipster type with a goatee and a drinking problem bought the album the day in came out. He was a huge Beastie Boys fan, as well as an unfortunate influence on my musical ... More >>

An Avalanche of old tunes

On Sunday night we had the chance to watch the Colorado Avalanche get pummeled by the visiting New York Rangers. While we should have been paying more attention to the game, we couldn't help our ears being caught in familiar sounds. The music selections -- and there were many -- were just awful. Co ... More >>

Animals at Risk mash-up Beastie Boys with Ideal Fathers

​The latest remix/mash-up from Animals at Risk -- the remix crew made up of Matt Fecher/DJ Hot to Death with Yonnas from the Pirate Signal -- is alive. The new track, "Intergalactic Fathers," takes the Beastie Boys classic "Intergalactic," chops up lots of little bits from Ideal Fathers "The T ... More >>

Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch has cancer, Beasties cancel all dates

From the Beastie Boys Facebook pageThe Beastie Boys have just announced, via YouTube video, that Adam Yauch (aka MCA) has cancer in one of his parotid glands. As a result, they are canceling all tour dates for this summer and pushing back the scheduled September 17 release of their album Hot Sauce C ... More >>

New Beastie Boys release date, track listing and artwork announced

Yes, it's been more than 20 years since the Beastie Boys were licensed to ill, and in those intervening years, the trio's output has been, on balance, fantastic. Sure, there have been a few duds along the way, but every album has been worth hearing. That's why I still get excited when I hear Be ... More >>

The Jukebox Effect

Photo: Claudia LopezI deejayed a Valentine's Day party at the Horseshoe Lounge on Saturday. The bar had a great vibe, as always, and the ample crowd was in the mood for a good party. It was the first time I ever had to play music for four and a half straight hours, and I was initially worried that I ... More >>

Pepper Blossom at Root Down

Rooting around Root Down

We're still looking for a revised opening date for Root Down, the new restaurant coming to 33rd and Osage. But in the meantime, we have two updates: Yesterday, the original opening date, they were putting in grass (!) around the former service station, which will have a great outdoor deck and garde ... More >>

Rock the Vote: Beastie Boys and Tenacious D at the Fillmore

The Westword.com blog shortcut, November 4 edition

Mad Professor

Thursday, April 3, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Beastie Boys

Thursday, August 16, Red Rocks; Friday, August 17, Fillmore Auditorium, 303-830-8497.

Beastie Boys

The Mix-Up
Capitol

Porsches on the Autobahn

Saturday, February 3, Bender's Tavern, 303-861-7070.

MC Lars

Thursday, February 1, Marquis Theater, 1-866-468-7621.

Beastie Boys

To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)

Critic's Choice

Abstract Tribe Unique

Hit Pick

Sucker

On the Money

Beastie Boy pal Money Mark likes to make new music the old-fashioned way.

CRITIC'S CHOICE

CRITIC'S CHOICE