Joy Formidable

Formed in 2007, North Wales’s Joy Formidable could just as easily have come together ten years earlier. The trio’s sound is, at times, reminiscent of a Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins, carried by guitarist Ritzy Bryan’s anthemic vocals. But its sonic trickery goes beyond genre; with a…

Tonight: Asking Alexandria at Summit

Although metalcore was born (and is still very much centered) in the suburbs of America, Asking Alexandria (due tonight at Summit Music Hall) plays it convincingly well for a bunch of Brits. These dudes, who got together in 2008, have spent a good amount of time touring and recording stateside…

Tonight: The Strange Boys at the Hi-Dive

A rambunctious throwback to that time when the Kinks were first birthing some of the truest rock and roll in existence, the Strange Boys have been creating their own jangled jams for almost a decade. Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Sambol sounds slightly brattier than Ray Davies ever did (in a…

Tonight: Smoking Popes at the hi-dive

Proto-pop punks Smoking Popes have always existed like two bands in one quartet’s shared body; compositionally, the group creates powerful and speedy melodies with classic punk instrumentation. But lead singer and guitarist Josh Caterer’s voice swings smoothly like a cross between Bobby Darin and Morrissey, and it’s this sonic divergence…

Tonight: Kill Paradise at the Marquis

Dance pop is alive and well in Colorado, and Kill Paradise has been gleefully spearheading the movement for almost a decade. Celebrating the release of its latest single, “Party With My Best Friends” at the opening of 2011, mastermind Nick Cocozzella and Bryce Hoops fluidly move their bouncy electro-infused energy…

Tea Time At Four Mile Historic Park

Today, Four Mile Historic Park invites you to its first afternoon tea of the season, a fancy Victorian affair involving wagon rides, hot drinks and dolls. Along with the traditional relaxing midday snacking ceremonies, the park welcomes renowned fashion illustrator Jim Howard, who will be speaking on clothing trends of…

New pick-up joint: Disney on Ice the Princess Classics edition

So, Disney on Ice the Princess Classics edition starts its five-day jaunt in Colorado tonight with a 7 p.m. opening show at the Denver Coliseum, and we are excited. Apparently, this fancy ice show thing (that began its run all the way back in 1981) is still going strong, we…

Tonight: The Epilogues at the Bluebird

Things are moving along swimmingly for The Epilogues, due tonight at the Bluebird with fellow locals My Body Sings Electric and Input (both celebrating new CDs this evening), Monroe Monroe and Mr. Right. So swimingly, in fact, that tonight’s appearance was added after the show this Friday (an official Westword…

Twitter Tuesday: Bros, meet Chet Haze

The Twitterverse is a vast and vacant one, a expanse muddled with one-liners, chunks of internet “wisdom” and lots of inappropriate ass-shots courtesy of certain famous people’s wives (we’re looking at you, Ice-T and Coco Austin). So, how does one go about deciding which A, B, C (and especially) D-List…

Tonight: Helmet at Summit Music Hall

Just one of the many generations of heavy acts on the Metalliance Tour stopping in Denver tonight, Helmet perfectly represented the era from which it emerged. Formed in 1989, the band first found prominence in the mid-’90s when the “alternative” blanket covered every band from the Afghan Whigs to White…

Download Air Dubai’s RemixTape for free

Still reveling in the genre-bending goodness of Air Dubai’s 2010 release, Wonder Age? Well, the septet has decided to give you a little more where that came from — this time in the form of an excellent ten-song remix effort, the aptly titled RemixTape , available now for free download…

Upcoming documentary The Golden Hour needs your help

After Piyush Tewari’s cousin was killed in 2007 in a road accident in Delhi, India, that could have been prevented, he decided to do something about it. His family member’s life could have been saved, the now 29-year-old discovered, because his death hinged upon the fact that no one helped…

Tonight: Rocky Votolato at the hi-dive

Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen these days. It’s like they’re being churned out on a never-ending assembly line, manufactured with the same blueprint: rough-hewn voice, tattered button-up shirt, handsome face, guitar. Rocky Votolato is like the original of those copies of copies, and he has the lyrical integrity and…

Tonight: The JaneDear Girls at Grizzly Rose

Pulling a page from the Shania Twain handbook on pop country, The JaneDear Girls create glossy, hook-heavy songs with an underlying flavor of Bluegrass. As an accomplished fiddle and electric mandolin player, Susie Brown brings the the hoedown feel to guitarist Danelle Leverett’s traditional rock style, while the duo’s similar…