MGMT @ FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 9/6/13 There were two distinct, dramatically different moods to MGMT’s set at the Fillmore, and let’s just say that those who came to hear MGMT’s breakthrough hits — bright and peppy synthpop tunes like “Electric Feel,” “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” — were not disappointed,…
When we were starting,” recalls Dango Rose of Elephant Revival, “there was a back-and-forth on the actual name of the band. For a short period of time, we had the idea of the name It’s Evolving.” Seven years later, Rose, who sings and plays double bass, mandolin and banjo in…
It’s easy to mistake Maxwell Hughes’s furious output on the acoustic guitar as the work of multiple players. Through percussive taps on wood, dense and dizzying fingerpicking and a two-handed approach to tapping, Hughes coaxes every possible sound out of the instrument. That majestic sound is the most consistently impressive…
The hints of an epic journey are easy to find on I Am the Wind, the latest release from Matthew Moon. The record’s twelve tracks all speak of wanderlust; whether Moon is describing nature, deep spiritual transformations or personal relationships, the constant theme here is movement. No wonder, considering these…
Though Damon Wood’s Harmonious Junk never indulges too long in overblown solos or meandering instrumentals on Sirens and Pipers, it’s not a stretch to see why the trio has garnered so many accolades in the jam world. There’s no shortage of soaring, epic guitar work here, from Wood’s high-register, Frank…
Matthew Moon’s homecoming has been years in the making. In the past five years, the Colorado native has lived in Peru and L.A. But for his latest album, I Am the Wind, he made his way back to Colorado, where he holed up in an isolated cabin in Aspen to…
When we spoke to Fierce Bad Rabbit frontman Chris Anderson last year, he said the band was on “N” on an “A-Z” journey. In less than twelve months, that progress has sped along rapidly. Since releasing its new album The Maestro and the Elephant this past December, the band has…
For anyone who spent any time in an arcade as a kid, Danger, the new EP from Chemistry Club, will hold a subtle appeal. The opening effects of “Bend to Colors” are electronic notes straight out of an eight-bit video game. A similar dynamic undergirds the synth effects on the…
Thief River is hesitant about using the word “country” to describe its music. “I remember telling people, ‘You’ve got to come see this band I’m working with. It’s country,” notes guitarist Mike Makkay, also a member of King Rat, who started spreading the word soon after the quintet formed in…
STEVE MARTIN & EDIE BRICKELL @ DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS | 7/20/13 Watching Steve Martin riff on stage at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield, it was easy to see how he sold out stadiums with his stand-up comedy in the ’70s. Martin came prepared with an arsenal of one-liners and sight…
A note of confrontation underlies Bad Brad & the Fat Cats’ latest release, Eyes on the Prize. Brad Stivers kicks off the finger-pointing on “Payin’ My Dues,” the album’s first track: “How does it feel to be stuck?” he challenges as the band plays a standard blues shuffle. “You kept…
Although Dustin Morris and Lauren Gale, both polished multi-instrumentalists, make up the core of Brave Song Circle, the band’s new full-length, Unconditional — marked by expansive harmonies, innovative guitar work and some impressive songwriting — sounds grander than the work of two people. Even on the record’s bare-bones acoustic tracks,…
Every year at the Westword Music Showcase, we enlist our army of Backbeat wordsmiths to host various stages. In addition to their emcee duties, we ask them to pull double duty by submitting a travelogue of their individual stage. A.H. Goldstein hosted at the Curious Theatre this past Saturday. Keep…
This weekend at the Westword Music Showcase for the first time anywhere, the Colorado Symphony will perform songs from Beck’s Song Reader. But not only does this mark the world premiere of these pieces, which were arranged by Jump, Little Children’s Jay Clifford, it’s the first time a professional ensemble…
The first hints that My Body Sings Electric was pissing people off came long before the brutal reviews. Shortly after getting together in 2007, the band’s members went out of their way to be as self-indulgent and strident as possible. They specialized in making “musicians’ music” — songs with experimental…
DEVOTCHKA & THE COLORADO SYMPHONY @ RED ROCKS | 6/14/13 Sharing the spotlight with an orchestra of more than fifty members, DeVotchKa ran the risk of getting lost in the shuffle on stage at Red Rocks. Then came the aerialists, who climbed high above the stage via slim stretches of…
Head for the Hills uses misdirection like a veteran magician on Blue Ruin. The album kicks off with “Take Me Back,” an easygoing, rambling ballad steeped in traditional bluegrass. The rest of the record, however, is a surreal, heady and innovative fusion of styles. “Never Does” offers a dark and…
UMPHREY’S MCGEE @ RED ROCKS | 6/7/13 It didn’t take long for Umphrey’s McGee to show off its chops. The dense solos, the dizzying melodic runs and the complicated rhythms came almost immediately after the sextet took the stage, and it was a good twenty minutes before the band took…
It took decades, but Joan Baez has finally overcome her stage fright. The legendary folk singer and activist, who initially found fame during the folk renaissance of the 1960s, partnering with Bob Dylan on stage and fighting for a wide range of causes into the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, says…
MUSICFEST @ MAGNESS ARENA | 5/25/13 The Head and the Heart took the Magness stage at around 10 p.m., after the outdoor acts played earlier in the day and the three other groups played the main stage off and on for about three hours. At that point, folks seemed far…
VAMPIRE WEEKEND @ RED ROCKS | 5/20/13 Last night at Red Rocks, Vampire Weekend showed all the strength that has made it so compelling since the release of its first record five years ago. From Ezra Koenig’s effortless falsetto and drummer Chris Tomson’s rollicking drum rolls that eerily echo old…
IMAGINE DRAGONS @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE | 5/16/13 On stage at Red Rocks last night, Dan Reynolds couldn’t get over the emotional weight of the moment. “This may be the greatest night of our lives,” Reynolds declared after “Round and Round,” the band’s energetic opener. Later, he marveled, “This is…
