Toddlers & Tiaras hits a new low with fake breasts on babies

Thanks to TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, the semi-conscious portion of the population has gotten a glimpse into the totally bizarre world of children’s beauty pageants since 2009. One episode of this program is more than the average person ever needs to witness, but thanks to The Today Show, we were…

Tonight: Scream at the Marquis

Although Scream (due at the Marquis Theater tonight with Trees and Glass Hits) may be best known as the group Dave Grohl was in before Nirvana, the Washington D.C. hardcore veterans have a story that began long before the Foo Fighters mastermind joined. In fact, it wasn’t until the group’s…

Tonight: Krum Bums at the Marquis

Austin’s Krum Bums (due tonight at the Marquis Theater with the Bad Engrish, Potato Pirates and Thee S.O.B.’s) has seen its share of line-up changes over the years. Regardless of revolving players, the band — which takes its name from a Simpsons’ reference — led by founding members, vocalist Dave…

Download a free song from CougarPants

We’ve been following CougarPants around since the band’s inception less than a year ago, and with good reason: Live, this duo is pretty incredible. But best friends and multi-instrumentalists Jessica Hughes and Robin Walker also see to it that their creative collaborations come across in the same textured way when…

Paper Bird

It’s hard for Paper Bird (due at the Boulder Theater, with Dovekins, for the Long Spoon showcase on September 8) to do wrong — especially on a live record like Carry On, where the band’s signature chorus of voices is captured so perfectly in real time. In collaboration with Ballet…

Tonight: Def Leppard at Comfort Dental

Rising to pop prominence in the early ’80s in a whirlwind of other radio-friendly heavy metal acts, Def Leppard (due at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre tonight with Heart) pushed through the decade’s big hair trends and has been making records and touring ever since. This year’s release, Mirrorball: Live and More…

Lakeside is awesome

Americans like to spend money on crap. We also like to think that the more money we waste on said crap, the better it will make us feel when other people see it. Amusement parks — like Elitch Gardens and Lakeside — definitely fall into this illusion of worth. It…

Tonight: Carbon Leaf at the Bluebird

After almost two decades together, Carbon Leaf (playing tonight at the Bluebird Theater with Chamberlin) has effectively created its own brand of accessible bluegrass. But the Virginia natives can’t be pinned to a single genre — the band has an ostensible pop side, one that best translates live through Carbon…

Reel Fun

Tonight, childhood dreams come true as the Denver Film Society’s Reel Social Club takes over Lakeside Amusement Park for Summer Scream, a private, adults-only evening of wild rides, outdoor movie watching and live DJ sets. The event celebrates the club’s successful first year of events by giving members free rein…

Tonight: Big Freedia at the Larimer

Big Freedia (performing tonight at the Larimer Lounge with Bass Drum of Death and Narky Stares) is here, and she is a riled up force to be reckoned with. Currently the figurehead of the long-percolating Bounce (or Sissy Bounce) movement, she is just one part of a strong undercurrent of…

Tonight: Young Jeezy at the Ogden

Young Jeezy’s (performing tonight at the Ogden Theatre with Freddie Gibbs and Young Doe) rough-hewn voice is unmistakable, and whether he’s pushing hard on his own tracks or lending his growl to songs by the likes of Bun B and Drake, the rapper leaves an unforgettable mark. Even Usher’s 2008…

YouTube University: How to save a wet cell phone

Long before cell phones began making beelines for toilets, pools and other dangerous bodies of water, pagers were seeing the same fate. If you recall, Usher once sang about girls beeping whenever they wanted to get freaky, and if you (like the author) wore your pager on the front pocket…

Tonight: MC Frontalot at Herman’s

There is definitely a niche audience for MC Frontalot (appearing tonight at Herman’s Hideaway with White Fudge, Brandon Patton and An Hobbes), who has been in the game since the early ’00s. The Brooklyn-based lyricist’s songs circle around self-deprecation and Internet tales, told through the MC’s uber-intellectual wordplay…

Oh Target, my Target

So, I’m moving out. After a commenter on my post last week about yoga declared that I should really get out of my mother’s basement if I ever wanted to write about anything other than stretching and poop, I’m more than on it. Not to give this stalker, I mean…

Tonight: Tapes ‘N Tapes at the Bluebird

Tapes ‘N Tapes (due at the Bluebird Theater tonight with the Chain Gang of 1974) may have initially snagged some recognition outside of its Minneapolis home by way of the obligatory music blog circuit, but the quartet has long outlived the hype. The band’s jangly sound has grown bigger and…