Yonnas Abraham

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 >>

Ten best concerts in Colorado this weekend, Friday, August 31, through Sunday, September 2

Welcome to the (long) weekend! As the summer heat continues, so do the shows. There's a great variety to choose from over the next few days, a healthy mix of imports and exports. We have them all listed in our massive concert calendar. If you're feeling industrious, print that bad boy out and break ... More >>

Yonnas Abraham (aka Yorrissey) produces mixtape track for Heems of Das Racist

See also: - Best New Band, Best of Denver 2011 - Review: BLKHRTS - BLK S BTFL - BLKHRTS brings three MCs together for some really good rap - Meet The Pirate Signal, one of Denver's most compelling hip-hop acts - Yonnas Abraham shares his sexcapades on Sextape Yonnas Abraham, the perpetually creati ... More >>

James Ray

Inspiration Motivation Aspiration
Self-released

Sounds on 29th drops new episodes

Have some time to kill today in the old cube farm? Here's something to keep you busy all afternoon. Sounds on 29th, the local-centric CPT-12 music series, which premiered last fall and is brought to us by the folks behind the Brass Tree Sessions and Out of Order, has posted four new episodes with a ... More >>

Artopia through the eyes and ears of a virgin

Aaron ThackerayYonnas Abraham of BLKHRTS at Artopia 2012. Looking over the schedule for Artopia, it quickly becomes clear that it is impossible to see everything. Choices must be made and none of them are easy. To wait until the end of the set; or make sure that you catch the beginning of the next ... More >>

BLKHRTS drop CHRCH and prepare for the release of BEAST and Junkie

Better get your Sunday best, BLKHRTS are taking you to CHRCH.​BLKHRTS are on a pretty solid run right now. Just before the first of the year, Yonnas Abraham released Sextape, and here we are barely into the new year and the trio has prepared an onslaught of material poised to color the entire ... More >>

Denver's best music releases of 2011

Review: Yonnas Abraham, Sextape release party at Theory Practice, 12/16/11

Britt ChesterYonnas Abraham at Practice Theory (aka Conceited Bastards)YONNAS ABRAHAM @ THEORY PRACTICE | 12/16/11Yonnas Abraham unleashed the sex beast at Theory and Practice art gallery for the release of Sexape, and the display was spectacular. Yo unveiled the artwork for the project -- steam ... More >>

Yonnas Abraham's Sextape release party, 900 LB Gorilla cypher and more this weekend

Yonnas Abraham's Sextape finally sees the light of day tonight at Theory Practice.​Ah, yes, the week is finally over. This Weekend Party Tipsy Sheet is brimming with all the sex, booze and music you need to heat things up on a cold, December weekend. Before the holiday rush officially kicks ... More >>

Yonnas Abraham shares his sexcapades on Sextape

Beadebe

Small Ax
Self-released

Yonnas Abraham's SEXTAPE due out December 16. Abraham releasing a song a week until then

​In preparation for the release of his long-awaited SEXTAPE EP, Yonnas Abraham of The Pirate Signal and BLKHRTS is releasing a song a week leading up to the day the six-song debut is released: December 16. While the songs -- "Try," the first track, which dropped on September 11, and "Suicide," ... More >>

Fresh local hip-hop from Mr. Midas, Yonnas Abraham and Spoke In Wordz, and Rockie

Mr. Midas and Ruckus pay tribute to their Grandma on "Tender Kisses"​The rap that's out this week is all over the place, in the clubs, perched on precariously high ledges and, as always, in the motherfucking streets, son. Mr. Midas puts moving pictures to his song "Tender Kisses" for a video t ... More >>

Get a sneak peek of Vol. 6, the latest installment of Joe Thunder's Mile High Madness series

The trailer for Mile High Madness Volume 6, which features "Get It," a new track from Yonnas Abraham, FOE and Whygee, is pretty much the most gangsta thing you'll probably see all week. In addition to appearances by a slew of local hip-hop acts, including DJ Ear Attent, DJ Shor-T, GirlGrabbers, The ... More >>

BLKHRTS taking West Coast by storm

Eric GruneisenBLKHRTS (FOE, Karma and Yonnas Abraham): Move over. It's time for the big takeover.​Brace yourself: Looks like the word is out on BLKHRTS. After an enviable co-sign from Jeff Weiss -- an extemely well regarded West Coast blogger who also write for the Los Angeles Times -- on the ... More >>

Review: BLKHRTS at Old Curtis St. Bar, 8/6/11

Eric GruneisenBLKHRTS: FOE, Karma and Yonnas Abraham​BLKHRTS at OLD CURTIS ST. BAR | 8/6/11In advance of this show, BLKHRTS spread the word that there would be a sacrificial ceremony to kick off its tour. Considering the names of the opening acts and the lyrical content of the band's music, th ... More >>

BLKHRTS cordially invite you to dress in black and attend their sacrificial blessing ceremony

​Leave it to the often brilliant, overstimulated, complicated mind of Yonnas Abraham to come up with something completely creative on the fly that nobody else would even remotely have thought of -- much less be able to facilitate -- to turn what might otherwise be just another show for any oth ... More >>

A first look at The Pirate Signal's new video for "Love in the Time of Swine Flu"

​If reading about the various artistic exploits of Yonnas Abraham has grown somewhat wearisome, you might want to go ahead and stop reading this post right now. Yesterday, we unwittingly stirred the ire of one particularly Concerned Fan with our item about the new BLKHRTS track. We suspect tha ... More >>

A first look at "Flux," Deca's new Eric Heights video featuring Yonnas Abraham

​If you're jonezin' for some fresh hip-hop this morning, take a minute and check out The Veil from Deca, a burgeoning bi-coastal-by-way-of-Denver rhyme giant. Lest you think we're merely gassing him up, you should know that while his debut, The Hedonist, is now considered a classic by many, ho ... More >>

A first look at "The Saga of Dirty Street Kids," The Pirate Signal's brand new video

​If you didn't happen to catch this a few weekends ago at the Meadowlark, brace yourself: You are in for one hell of a treat. Gripping from the opening frames, this video for "The Saga of Dirty Street Kids" is a cut above everything else we've seen locally in recent memory.

BLKHRTS

BLK S BTFL
Self-released

BLKHRTS Ball at Glob, 01/08/11

​ BLKHRTS With The Pirate Signal, Lust-Cats of the Gutters Flashlights and PDRBLK 01.10.11 | Glob Yonnas Abraham has often referred to BLKHRTS as a "gang" and flippantly pointed out how formidable and imposing the crew -- which also includes King FOE and Karma - is. From only minor cameos, t ... More >>

A first listen: It's a "BLKHRTS PRTY" this weekend, and the vowels aren't invited

Todd Roeth​ BLKHRTS, the vowel-less brainchild of The Pirate Signal frontman Yonnas Abraham, brings together three MCs of beautifully dark proportions. The concept of the group ebbs and flows between the havoc in the world of goth and the grit found most typically in hip-hop.

BLKHRTS brings three MCs together for some really good rap

Jagwire

Unreleased Tension
Self-released

Blackhearts become BLKHRTS and prepare to release debut, BLK S BTFL (Black Is Beautiful)

​A little over a month ago, we wrote about the impending reinvention of The Pirate Signal and reported that frontman Yonnas Abraham would be shortening his own stage name to just Yo, followed by various punctuation, to be determined by the context. Well, now it seems his other outfit, Blackhea ... More >>

Doomtree at Marquis Theater, 11/05/10

Britt Chester​ DOOMTREE With Yonnas Abraham 11.05.10 | Marquis Theater Doomtree, the hip-hop consortium out of Minneapolis, rocked the house for a sold out crowd on Friday at the Marquis. There's seven members of the rap crew (nine, including producers), so what began as individual displays ... More >>

Brace yourself for Yonnas Abraham's Sextape and the reinvention of The Pirate Signal

Sara Ford​ Yonnas Abraham of The Pirate Signal has been busy revamping the look and feel of his group, adding a new DJ and guitarist, along with a ton of new material. A new album titled, You're Always Leaving Me, is in the works and due out sometime after the first of the year. In keeping wi ... More >>

#COHIPHOP Unity Concert 2 at Quixote's

​ #COHipHop Unity Concert 2 08.05.10 | Quixote's True Blue A strong hip-hop vibe permeated the air at Quioxte's last night -- fitting, since we were all there for the #COHipHop Unity Concert 2. Before everything got going in earnest, a cluster of performers and beat battle contestants choppe ... More >>

The Pirate Signal and DJ Awhat part ways

Aaron ThackerayThe Pirate Signal at the Import Warehouse this past weekend​ From the possibility of the Nathan & Stephen reunion becoming more than just a one-off proposition to former Speakeasy Tiger frontwoman Kyle Simmons making her debut with her new band Boys, we heard several intriguing ... More >>

Mane Rok's The Ugly Truth: Backbeat presents an exclusive advance listen (CD release party tonight!)

​ This Friday night at Cervantes' Other Side with his ManeLine co-hort Deejay Tense, Mane Rok is set to drop The Ugly Truth, his eagerly anticipated solo debut. Recorded, engineered and mixed by 3 the Hardway's Es Nine over the course of the past six months at his House of Waxx Studios, the a ... More >>

Backbeat presents: An exclusive first listen to No Weak Heart Shall Prosper from The Pirate Signal

Don't miss The Pirate Signal's CD release show tomorrow night at the Marquis with The Sunset Curse, F.O.E., Karma and Haven (of Blackhearts), Flowers From Her, DJ Musa & Peter Black. Forget everything you know about The Pirate Signal. Okay, well, perhaps not everything -- that's probably a li ... More >>

Over the Weekend: The Chain Gang of 1974 at The Bluebird

The Chain Gang of 1974, The Pirate Signal, Pictureplane Friday, January 29 Bluebird Theatre The Chain Gang of 1974​ By the time midnight rolled around on Friday night, the Bluebird was dark. A few stragglers stood by the doors. The marquee had already been changed for Saturday night. What had ... More >>

Presenting a half-dozen acts worth keeping an eye on in 2010

The year in features: a handy link guide to all of the artists profiled in Westword this year

Bryce BoyerFlashback: Yonnas Abraham and DJ Awhat! (Alejandro Martinez) of the Pirate Signal were profiled this past June​In case you haven't noticed, we're all about local music. Surely, that's no huge revelation to anyone. After all, we do spend the bulk of our lives immersed in the sounds a ... More >>

Introducing: Blackhearts

​Just a bit ago, Blackhearts, the thus far super secret collaboration between Yonnas Abraham of the Pirate Signal, F.O.E. and Karma, made its online debut with a track called "Bloodlines of That Gangsta Shhh." According to Abraham, the still burgeoning outfit will expand to include collaborations ... More >>

Monolith 2009, Day Two: The Mars Volta, Chromeo, MSTRKRFT, Phoenix and more

Monotonix set off the SoCo stage.​ Elsewhere: See reviews and photos from Day One. We're back on the Rocks for what, so far anyway, is looking to be a much more pleasant day than Saturday. In case you missed yesterday's festivities, it was viciously cold and wet, and not at all conducive to ... More >>

Mile Hi-Fidelity playlist - 06.10.09

With all the Showcase hoopla last week, a few of our normal features slipped through the cracks, including this one, wherein I provide you with a rundown of the radio show and then offer up the playlist for your consumption. A week removed, honestly, I can't really remember too much about the show o ... More >>

Meet the Pirate Signal, one of Denver's most compelling hip-hop acts

Moving Pictures: Casselman's Bar & Venue, MBV, Autumn Film, Primasonic, Maris the Great, Adai, To Be Eaten and Dualistics

'Twas yet another sensational weekend for music in the MHC. Kicked the weekend off by having a few drinks at Casselman's Bar & Venue on Walnut, the latest addition to the Ballpark neighborhood -- or as owner Matt Casselman prefers, "NoDo." The place has tons of potential thanks to an attached th ... More >>

A useless apology to the Pirate Signal

Chad Fahnestock A brief story: Our Best of Denver issue came out this week, and among the winners was the Pirate Signal, for their hip-hop mixtape Of Gods and Gangsters, Vol. 1. So as the lowly web editor, I included their photo in a slideshow I put together of the arts and entertainment winners. H ... More >>

Over the Weekend: The Pirate Signal at the Marquis Theater

Photo by Chad FahnestockDJ Beretta, D. Allie, Dante, Air Dubai, Mane Rok and the Pirate SignalMarch 13, 2009Marquis TheaterBetter Than: Puking up green beer outside Scruffy Murphy'sEntering the Marquis Theater on Larimer Street on Saturday night was like stepping into a warm, dry bungalow after bein ... More >>

Pirate Signal continuing to make moves

From the sounds of it, the Pirate Signal has been working overtime. Fresh on the heels of wowing crowds at this year's Sundance film festival, preceded by a string of dates supporting 3OH!3 last fall, the act is headlining a stellar bill at the Marquis Theater this Saturday, March 14, that also feat ... More >>

The Pirate Signal invades Sundance. Takes no prisoners.

Goodness gracious. Our man Yonnas Abraham has got his hustle down cold. Just received word that the Pirate Signal has been tapped as the house band in some fabuloso mansion during the Sundance film festival in Park City, which kicks off next week in Park City, Utah. Broseph is going to be throwing d ... More >>

The Pirate Signal added as support for 3OH!3 tour

Road Kill

Outrageous gas prices threaten to slow down touring acts.

The F-Troop

This year’s Showcase was quite the earful.

Review: Westword Music Showcase @ DC10 - 6/16/07