The White Stripes

The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

DEVOTCHKA & COLORADO SYMPHONY @ RED ROCKS | FRI, 6/14/13 Teaming up with an orchestra can sometimes be a thin attempt to disguise a creative lag, but in this case, the pairing has produced an inspired, brilliantly structured melding of two aesthetics that relies less on contrast than it does on simi ... More >>

The ten best concerts to see in Denver this week

ZZ WARD @ GOTHIC THEATRE | WEDS, 5/29/13 While riding the bus to school as a child, Zsuzsanna Ward spent her time in headphones, thinking about just how much she wanted to become a singer. As an adult better known as ZZ Ward, she reached the crux of that dream long ago and is now well on her way to ... More >>

Anthony Jeselnik celebrates baby-death, bulimia and domestic violence at DU

The appearance of sociopathic dreamboat Anthony Jeselnik at the University of Denver's Newman Center Saturday was filled with unthinkable rape jokes and reverse-pandering to the backward-hat bros and "Woo!" women who populate the college campus. Despite the fact that nearly half his set was recycled ... More >>

A look back at past Best New Band winners

Best of Denver 2013: A look back at the Best New Band winners from the past decade

Our annual Best of Denver issue hits stands today. It's a painstaking issue to put together each year, and one that everybody looks forward to. This edition in particular, though, is even more significant as it's the thirtieth edition. It's also a minor milestone for Backbeat, as it marks the tenth ... More >>

The five best shows in Denver this week

Welcome back to the work week. How was the weekend? A bunch of great shows, eh? Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks with Macklemore, Eli Goulding at the Ogden Theatre, Brother Ali and Danny Brown at Cervantes' and Hot Water Music at Summit Music Hall. What did you catch? Bunch more shows this week, incl ... More >>

Ten best concerts of the summer

Summer's over -- well, at least according to the time-tested, seasonal benchmark, the annual passing of Labor Day. Of course it still feels like we might burst into flames at any moment, but whatever. The Taste of Colorado has foist its parade of also-rans upon us and Phish has now come and gone, bo ... More >>

Blag Dahlia of Dwarves on kicking ass and not being old guys going through the motions

Dwarves are one of the most notorious punk bands of all time. In a time when punk rock has become a kind of brand rather than an authentic lifestyle, Dwarves are always dependable to show what the real thing looks, feels and sounds like. With a reputation for dangerously raucous live shows often inv ... More >>

Chartbreaker: Jack White beats Adele in an otherwise slow sales week for albums

Music sales were slow last week. Jack White's debut solo album, Blunderbuss took the top spot with 138,000 copies sold -- that's less than half of what Madonna 's new one, MDNA , shifted its first week on the chart this time last month: 359,000 (although sales subsequently plummeted the following w ... More >>

The Legend of Zelda Symphony: Debating the merits of tonight's symphony excursion

Tonight at Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver will be graced with the four-part Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour, where audiences will see the legendary Nintendo game soundtrack scored by a collection of classically trained musicians. But is this just another gimmick to get people out to ... More >>

OneRepublic at Big Air Denver, 01/26/11

Photo Britt Chester​ OneRepublic Civic Center Park | 1.26.11 Last night, OneRepublic closed out the Denver Big Air and the LG FIS Snowboarding World Cup event, performing in front of an audience that spanned the entirety of Bannock Street from Colfax to 14th. And then some. The park managed t ... More >>

Denver Rock Atlas: 15th St Tavern

MySpace​ Our Denver Rock Atlas feature is precisely what it sounds like: A compendium of storied Denver venues, past and present, in which we pick a place and share our favorite memories of the joint. After you read our memories, please feel free to share some of your own. Where does one even ... More >>

Erykah Badu, She & Him top sellers at local record stores

​Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, released last week on Motown, took the top spots at Albums on the Hill and Twist & Shout, while claiming the number four slot at Independent Records. Meth, Ghost & Rae's Wu Massacre , meanwhile, released last week on Def Jam, and She & ... More >>

Broken Bells, Jimi Hendrix top sellers at local record stores

​The Broken Bells' self-titled debut, which features the duo of Danger Mouse and the Shins' Mercer, was a strong seller at local record stores for the week ending March 28. Jimi Hendix's Valleys of Neptune, a new album made of a dozen unreleased tracks that the guitarist recorded four decades ... More >>

Flobots, Gorillaz top sellers at local record stores

​Flobots' Survival Story, released last week on Universal Republic, grabbed the top spot at Albums on the Hill, while coming in second behind Ludacris' Battle of the Sexes at Independent Records. Gorillaz's Plastic Beach was also a strong seller for the week ending March 21. See the full brea ... More >>

Dexter Romweber Duo

Tuesday, February 16, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

Top Ten Songs of the Decade

This band had a leg up on everyone else for top song of the decade.​Radiohead? Arcade Fire? Interpol? The Strokes? The White Stripes? Animal Collective? Yeah, we've heard of 'em. For us, though, there was a much more intriguing, compelling batch of bands that weren't -- for the most part, anyw ... 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 >>

Dead Weather top seller at Twist and Shout

Horehound, the debut album by the alt-rock super group the Dead Weather featuring White Stripes' Jack White, the Kills' Alison Mosshart, Queens of the Stone Age's Dean Fertita and the Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence, knocked Wilco latest effort down to the second slot at Twist & Shout for the week end ... More >>

Loretta Lynn

Wednesday, June 10, Paramount Theatre, 1-866-461-6556.

Counting Crows, Rock the Bells and Black Keys shows announced

Just when we thought the Red Rocks summer line-up couldn't get any hotter, three more shows were just added to the schedule, including Counting Crows and Augustana on Wednesday, July 29, Rock the Bells '09, featuring Nas, Damian Marley, Busta Rhymes and more, on Thursday, August 6, and the Mountains ... More >>

Hanging on by letting go, part two

Never mind that old saw about setting something free if you love it, but in the world of music, it's amazing how much you can hang on to by just letting go. Yesterday, I was marveling over the Presidents of the United States of America and the killer deal they're giving to fans and would-be fans by ... More >>

Obi Best at Larimer Lounge

Obi Best Sunday, February 15, 2009 Larimer Lounge Better than: An angry note on your car. Sometimes vintage music gear sounds cool as hell, but other times the older gear is a pain in the ass when it doesn't work like it did four decades ago. Before Obi Best started its set, frontwoman Alex Lilly s ... More >>

Live Review: Common, N.E.R.D. and Chester French at Fillmore Auditorium

Ten Reasons Ween's Better Than Your Favorite Band

Taking the World On

After five months of interest, Meese signs with Atlantic Records.

The Rockies Make a Grand Entrance

Last Night: Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice and Grand Ole Party @ The Ogden Theater

Nobel Virtues

Colorado's Nobel Peace Prize nominees rock harder than Bono.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Beat the Crowd

Charlie Louvin

This country icon never left -- but he’s coming back anyway.

Deadboy and the Elephantmen

Wednesday, September 27, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

Different Strokes

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

Get Down With Dave

Chappelle returns with a raucous Block Party.

Adam Freeland

The Church

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

The Beatdown

The Oriental survives yet another management change -- for now.

Holly Golightly

Saturday, July 23, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

Hosty Duo

Friday, July 1, Bender's Tavern, 303-861-7070.

The Beatdown

Get out of Denver, baby, go!

Jucifer

Friday, March 4, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

The Beatdown

Sights and sounds of the Westword Music Showcase

The Sun Never Sweats

Two great mix tapes to get you rollin' and rockin'.

Go Getters

Just because the Go hails from Detroit doesn't mean it's stuck in the garage.

Various Artists

Cold Mountain: Music From the Miramax Motion Picture (DMZ/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax)

Critic's Choice

The Dirtbombs

The Evolutionary

Charting the territory explored by John McLaughlin's guitar.

Backwash

Extra! Extra! The Post-News Battle of the Bands acknowledges local musicians but won’t pay the bills.