Woody Guthrie

Where can I learn more about ranchera music?

Derek Cianfrance, director of The Place Beyond the Pines, on almost killing his cinematographer

At first, it's unnerving just how much writer-director Derek Cianfrance sounds like Dan, the character he wrote in Blue Valentine, as played by Ryan Gosling. It's a sign of the close synergy between director and actor that marks his approach to films like his latest, The Place Beyond the Pines. Like ... More >>

Alabama Shakes at the Ogden Theatre, with Michael Kiwanuka, 3/9/13 (reviews, photos)

ALABAMA SHAKES @ OGDEN THEATER | 3/9/13 There were too many musical threads to count during Alabama Shakes' dynamic and dizzying performance at the Ogden Theatre. During the most heart-rending moments of "Be Mine," for example, vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard summoned the spirits of James Br ... More >>

Gateway acts: How Beck opened up a whole new world to an evangelical boy from the Midwest

Gateway acts is a new ongoing series on Backbeat in which we examine the music that served as an entry point for our burgeoning musical obsessions, a gateway drug that tuned us in and turned us on. Today, Josiah Hesse gives up the goods on his Beck jones. There is no way to listen to the music of ... More >>

Todd Snider on how he thinks of acoustic guitars and mandolins when he thinks of Colorado

It's not that tough to get Todd Snider to tell a story. The folksinger/guitarist is all about the power of a good narrative, and it's no wonder considering his influences. Even before issuing his 1994 debut album, Songs for the Daily Planet, Snider followed the path of legendary folkies like Ramblin ... More >>

The ten best jazz shows in Colorado this month

Denver gets its share of national jazz talent, but September proves to be an exceptionally good month, with some legendary folks like Esperanza Spalding, John Ambercrombie, David Torn, Brian Blade and Allison Miller coming to town, as well as a fine selection of estimable local talent. Keep reading ... More >>

Twenty fabled moments in Denver music: #11: Bob Dylan crashed in the Mile High City, 1960

Did you know Bob Dylan once spent a summer in Denver as a then-unknown teenager with a fake accent, sleeping on a floors and gigging at the Satire Lounge? He was nineteen at the time. It was just a year after the young Robert Zimmerman adopted his iconic stage moniker and around the time he'd discov ... More >>

Mojo Nixon: "I am here to set the world straight about Tim Tebow and his invisible friends!"

Mojo Nixon (due Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, at the Lion's Lair) gained notoriety in the mid- to late '80s for his irreverent songs informed by an absurdist humor with partner Skid Roper. Nixon's exuberant, unapologetic persona won over audiences because even as Nixon would make seeming ... More >>

James Harper quits Grand Junction High choir over Islamic song and prompts Fox News frenzy

Certain stories have Fox News written all over them -- like, for instance, the tale of James Harper, a small town Colorado student who quit his high school choir after discovering that one of the lines he was asked to warble translates to "There is no truth but Allah." Number of comments on the Fox ... More >>

Now Playing

American Night tells an immigrant story through a mix of parody and pathos

A Workers’ Lullabye

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 >>

Dr. Dog, Paper Bird and Boulder Acoustic Society at the Boulder Theater, 5/7/11

Photo: David IngrahamDr. Dog last night in Boulder. See all the photos from last night.DR. DOG With Paper Bird and Boulder Acoustic Society Boulder Theater | 5/7/11 View photo slideshow from last night For a band that sounds like it's drawing from a diverse pool of influences that spans from the Be ... More >>

Michael Sempert of Birds & Batteries on Panorama and San Francisco

Su-Yin MahBirds & Batteries​ San Francisco's Birds & Batteries may be essentially a pop band, but the lushness of the act's songwriting and the ability to evoke and articulate complex emotions with poetry and intensity is a rare talent these days. The group's latest album, 2010's Panorama, li ... More >>

Labor murals in Maine removed -- but there's no getting rid of Ludlow Massacre monument

Maine mural​Maine Governor Paul LePage is sticking with his decision to remove a labor-history mural from its current home inside a Department of Labor building. In Colorado, there are no similar union-lovin' murals in government facilities for conservatives to take aim at. But we do have publ ... More >>

Arcade Fire, Los Lobos top sellers at local stores

​Arcade Fire's latest effort, The Suburbs, continues to dominate the local charts, claiming the top spots at Albums on the Hill, Twist & Shout and Wax Trax for the week ending August 15. Los Lobos' Tin Can Trust, released August 3 on Shout! Factory, performed well, as did Wolf Parade's Expo 86 ... More >>

Hank Williams wins Pulitzer Prize and helps redefine the award

The above clip probably offers a better introduction to this article than we ever could: "(Hank Williams) is a feller that writes just as many songs as most anybody in the country, and sings them just as well, when it comes to the country style on singing." Oh, right, and all that country singing ... More >>

Download Heart & Soul Radio's three-song debut EP for free

​What happens when a bunch of renown pop punk doofuses suddenly grow up and start writing earnest, meaningful songs? In the case of Heart & Soul Radio, the act has emerged with a batch substantive tunes that are as compelling as they are tuneful. While its no American Idiot, the first three so ... More >>

Live Review: Etown's DNC show with James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Ani DiFranco, Tom Morello and Irma Thomas

Live Review: Etown's DNC show with James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Ani DiFranco, Tom Morello and Irma Thomas

Alternate Soundtrack to the 2008 Campaign

Alternate Soundtrack to the 2008 Campaign

Delegating Denver #40 of 56: Oklahoma

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool, Day Three

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool

Jack Kerouac Wrote Here, Crisscrossing America Chasing Cool, Part Two

I'm Not There

The elusive Bob Dylan, masterfully considered.

Beyond Playlist: Foo Fighters and More

On a Scroll

This Weekend: Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks, Saturday, September 15

The Nightwatchman

Sunday, July 15, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

The Lovely & Talented

JT Nolan Presents: The Lovely & Talented Š
Self-released

Ghost World

True-crime noir goes searching for Hollywood's heart of darkness.

Natural Soul

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings keep the funk alive and real.

Against Me!

As the Eternal Cowboy (Fat Wreck Chords)

Winged Victory

Butterfly soars over the summer competition.

Ani DiFranco, Musician

Reconsidering the image of the do-it-yourself poster child.

What a Hoot

Playlist

Cool Jerk

Getting on a new track with Railroad Jerk.

THRILLS

PLAYLIST

PLAYLIST