Frankie Bones

One of the beautiful things about being a fan of a relatively young genre such as electronic dance music is that many of the early masters are still performing. Take Frankie Bones, who plays July 31 at the Church. Bones was playing dance music when the ’80s were still a…

Live Review: Boss 302 with Primasonic and the Geds

Photo: Tom Murphy Primasonic Boss 302 w/Primasonic and The Geds Saturday, July 26, 2008 3 Kings Tavern Better Than: Or rather, more fun than, a barrel full of monkeys. Primasonic had played a few songs by the time I got to 3 Kings and they were very much a different…

Live Review: Breezy Porticos with Action Packed Thrill Ride

Photo: Tom Murphy Action Packed Thrill Ride Breezy Porticos w/Action Packed Thrill Ride Friday, July 25, 2008 Old Curtis St. Bar Better Than: Spending the rest of the night trying to wrap your mind around the Jandek show. After leaving the Jandek gig, I headed back through downtown and remembered…

Live Review: Jandek at the Bug Theater

Photo: Tom Murphy Jandek Friday, July 25, 2008 The Bug Theater Better Than: Having to see Jandek at some big theater. I didn’t even recognize Andrew Lindstrom or Milton Melvin Croissant III when I ran into them outside the Bug before the show. Lindstrom looked like he’d gotten off bus…

Live Review: Boris with Torche at the Marquis Theater

Photo: Sean Sullivan Boris, Torche, Lair of the Minotaur Friday, July 25, 2008 Marquis Theater Better Than: Any other communal sweating, fist-pumping, and shouting in Denver Boris makes no sense. Literally, the band sings their lyrics in Japanese, but how four people can create so much noise and power simply…

Rearview: The Week in Review (7/19/08-7/25/08)

Here’s a guide to all the great content you might have missed this week on Backbeat Online while you were busy shaking your head in disgust and amazement at the announcement that mall-punk heroes My Chemical Romance will be covering a Bob Dylan song for the Watchmen soundtrack…..

Heaven Fest’s Pure Motives

Tom Petty? Dave Matthews Band? John Mayer? The Black Crowes? Headliners? You call those headliners? Pfffth! While those acts may have drawn nearly a hundred thousand people as the main attractions at last weekend’s Mile High Music Festival, those cats have got nothing on Heaven Fest’s headliner. The Son of…

Friday Rap-Up: 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Nas

50 Cent suing Taco Bell Last month a letter from Taco Bell addressed to 50 Cent went out to various media outlets asking 50 to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent, to help promote their menu and “Why Pay More” ad campaign. But ironically, the…

Live Review: Yellow Fever with Hot White and Motel Saints

Photo: Tom Murphy Hot White Yellow Fever w/Hot White and Motel Saints Thursday, July 24, 2008 Rhinoceropolis Better Than: Actually having yellow fever. Due to the ongoing highway refurbishing and the contractors’ wonderfully inept signaling of lanes merging to a single lane on I-70 (I guess they didn’t hear about…

Mile High Makeout: Hope That I Get Old Before I Die

Every year, about this time, I find myself getting philosophical. Don’t worry. I won’t bore or torture you with the countless inane, pretentious, half-baked or downright silly thoughts that flood my brain. Still, as I approach yet another birthday, I feel like I’m standing outside my body, watching myself stroll…

Q&A with James Lumb of Electric Skychurch

Electric Skychurch, appearing July 24 at the Church, is one of the seminal live electronic outfits to rise from American soil in the ‘90s. Inspiring vocals, funky bass lines, and smooth, flowing, trance-like textures are staples of the sound created by Skychurch founder James Lumb and his rotating lineup of…

Summertime Brews

I love beer. Ales, stouts, pilsners, lambics — I love them all. In the summer heat, my love affair with beer evolves into something like a full-blown obsession. Lucky for me, I live in Colorado, where a great many folks share that obsession, so I get to go to lots…

Planetary Vibes

Explore the sounds of Eastern Europe filtered through a contemporary lens tonight when the Swallow Hill Music Association brings the sounds of Luminescent Orchestrii, Los Lantzmun and Fishtank Ensemble to Denver. These groups represent three distinctive, vibrant takes on traditional folk music of the Balkans and beyond — traditional Gypsy…

Habersham

I like it weird. I like the twisted, dirty, completely gonzo sounds that a good producer can squeeze out of an old synthesizer or a brand-new DSP package. And I love a DJ who can recognize the best tracks that use those sounds and build great mixes from them. Finding…