At first, the Straw Rappers’ message isn’t quite clear. But as you get through the minute and a half “Sickness” segment you realize: These dudes aren’t talking about the common cold, they’re talking about Jesus. Cleverly disguised as License To Ill-era Beastie Boys inspired rodeo clowns, this duo makes praying…
To say that Joe Purdy (due this evening at the Bluebird Theater with The Milk Carton Kids) is prolific would be, well, exactly accurate — the singer-songwriter has released ten albums in ten years, all while touring. His workman like approach has paid off in the form of devoted fans,…
Oh, Etsy.com. You’re like the website version of that overly supportive hippie school where everything everyone creates is great, because art is you and you are art, or whatever. Luckily for us realists, there’s Regretsy.com, a site that culls only the shittiest handmade stuff from Etsy (and various other crafting…
This morning, we shared the unfortunate news that Bad Weather California won’t be performing at this year’s Westword Music Showcase. While this is most certainly sad news for us, it’s great news for the band, who will instead be joining Meat Puppets for a string of West Coast tour dates…
There isn’t much of a way to approach Dredg (who play the Marquis Theater tonight with the Trophy Fire, Balance and Composure and the Dear Hunter) without talking about the band’s legacy. Retaining its original lineup since its 1993 formation, the California outfit has weathered stylistic storms with its own…
This edition of Twitter Tuesday is going to be a little different than the previous format — mostly because the Beetle Juice twitter isn’t really “real,” so to speak. It’s a Twitter Bot, and we came across it recently when looking to see if Beetle Juice might, in fact, have…
Making its second stop in Colorado in the last year, Broken Water (playing tonight at Rhinoceropolis with Gem Trails and MJOLNIIRDXP) is a trio that seems born to blow minds. Based out of Olympia, Washington, the group has been playing together for a little less than three years but has…
Though the decision is not set in stone, there was a community meeting last week regarding the possibility of a SuperTarget being put into the Tamarac Square mall on Hampden in Southeast Denver. After The Gap, one of the remaining draws for the shopping center, closed over a half-decade ago…
YACHT (due tonight at the Bluebird Theater, with Light Asylum, Jeffrey Jerusalem and Bad Weather California) has existed over the last decade in many forms. Electro-mastermind Jona Bechtolt ran the show himself for several years before being joined by creative partner Claire L. Evans in 2008…
There is something really awesome about being able to wake up and look at a day and think, I’m probably going to be in at least two states during the course of the next 24 hours. This is the epitome of what tour feels like, when it’s going well, anyway…
Often imitated but never duplicated, Too $hort (performing tonight with DJX, Shade Loc G, Hypnautic, King Tef, Johny Rocketz, 20:12, Nominee, Mya Rose, Spoke n Wordz, Playalitical and Felisa Latin Soul at Casselman’s) has been making records for almost thirty years, helping to establish Oakland, California, as a reputable rap…
Tonight from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., non-profit group Prax(us) joins forces with fair trade-supporting retailer Ten Thousand Villages (2626 E. 3rd Ave.) for three hours of shopping for fundraising. As Colorado’s only organization specializing in helping victims of domestic human trafficking, Prax(us) is a small but mighty group that…
One listen to The Black Angels (playing tonight at the Fox Theatre with Sleepy Sun) and it is almost unfathomable that the band was concieved in 2004. The Austin quartet isn’t a tribute to the psychedelic rock — it defines the decades-old genre with dark organ echoes, heavy percussion and…
tUnE-yArDs (playing tonight at the hi-dive with Buke & Gass and Papa Bear) is the off-kilter moniker of Merrill Garbus, a multi-instrumentalist whose voice is her biggest asset. Although the songstress is often backed by live percussion and strings, she plays the ukulele and the drums while simultaneously creating beats…
In this special edition of Twitter Tuesday, we’re highlighting the perverse and artistic Twitter work of Hunx, leader of bratty throwback band Hunx and his Punx. Whether you’re a fan, a fag hag (like myself) or just a curious reader, Hunx’s daily entries about food, sex on the road (his…
Bay Area quintet The Memorials (playing tonight at the Walnut Room with Yerkish and the Orchid Set) are definitely definable as a hard-rock band, but underneath ex-Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen’s brutal rhythms, there is a progressive, funk-influenced smoothness. Much can be attributed to the vocals of Viveca Hawkins, but…
I realized when we started planning this tour that, from talking with my friends (both band and non-band people) about the endeavor, there was a little bit of mystery as to how this level of touring works. The level at which my band, Night of Joy, operates — I guess…
Like the perfect blend of everything that terrifies parents about teenage internet culture, Brokencyde (playing tonight at the Marquis Theater with Vampires Everywhere, It Boys and Dot Dot) has successfully crafted a niche for its dirty screamo raps that has, so far, gone untouched by any other band…
Now in its eighth year, Teller Elementary School’s Tellerpalooza is an annual evening of music, dancing and all-ages fun tomorrow at the Mercury Cafe (2199 California Street). While the annual fundraiser is very much family-friendly, the event has attracted a diverse array of local artists and musicians — boasting past…
Australian-born performer Xavier Rudd (who performs tonight at the Ogden Theatre with HoneyHoney) takes the multi-instrumentalist label far beyond its usual connotation. In addition to creating music with his voice and an acoustic guitar, he employs didgeridoos, djembes, cymbals, stomp boxes and slide guitars. This is perhaps why Rudd’s music…
Dovekins (due tonight at the Oriental tonight with Brethren Fast) is a hard band to pin down. The group employs bluegrass instrumentation, gospel-style singing and a little bit of psychedelic folk rock to create its own unique sound. Each member’s contribution is key to making the group work as a…
Remember that video of the three women in polyester suits dancing to an overdubbed version of “Walk It Out?” This video, which showcases a very serious, unnamed interpretive rollerblader, is kind of like that — but he goes next level, taking his dancing to the streets. Watch the secret footage…
