Mile High Makeout: Going to the Theater

I almost never go to plays. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a well-written drama or a well-staged theatrical piece, but the artifice of acting is often a bit too – well – artificial for my tastes. This is odd, actually, because when it comes to rock-n-roll, I eat up…

A first look at Flobots “Rise” video

Flobots’ new video rises to the occasion. Just in time for their spate of performances at the DNC in the coming weeks, Flobots have unveiled their new video for “Rise” on MTV’s website. The four-minute clip, which opens with a brief, establishing aerial shot of the Denver skyline, prominently features…

MP3 Freeloader: The Fire Drills

Photo: Jon Solomon Jason Heller is a badass. And I’m not just saying that because he was my amiable sidekick here at the paper for years. Besides being an extremely level-headed, insightful music writer with astounding sensibilities, undeniable depth and gloriously lyrical writing, dude’s also an absolutely wicked guitarist. Not…

Rage Against the Machine confirmed for week of DNC

Well, the rumors have finally been confirmed: Rage Against the Machine will indeed be in town for the DNC. The incendiary act is slated to perform at the Tent State Music Festival to End the War on Wednesday, August 27 at the Denver Coliseum, where it will be joined by…

Scratch and Dent Sale: Mr. T is a holy man

A friend gave me a Mr. T talking key chain years ago. At the time, I didn’t realize that it contained a nearly endless source of wisdom, tough love and thoughtful, nuanced advice for one’s life. It just sat in a drawer, waiting. The other day, I pulled it out…

The Mating Game: Born in the Flood’s Nathaniel Rateliff

It’s often been said that being in a band is just like being in a relationship, that sometimes your bandmates know you better than your significant other. We decided to put this notion to the test by asking a select band member a series of personal questions (easy, tiger, nothing…

Fascination Street, a new column by Rachael Pollard

If love is a reciprocal feeling, then the Cure and I are deep in it. In fact, the origin of this column you’re reading right now began with a review of the Cure’s latest concert at Red Rocks that ran on this very blog. I was not able to attend…

Epilogues have laptop jacked… but then, miraculously, get it back!

This past weekend, Epilogues played a benefit show at Herman’s Hideaway, and evidently, while the band wasn’t looking, some unsavory character entered the club’s greenroom and helped himself to drummer Jason Hoke’s laptop, which contained all things Epilogues. Shortly after sending out a rather vitriolic MySpace bulletin (“so, to the…

Erica Brown Band calling it a day

Just received word from Erica Brown that her namesake band, which has been a staple on the blues scene for the past decade, is calling it a day. The act has a dozen more dates booked, including one this evening for Band on the Bricks on the Pearl Street Mall…

Top Sellers: Twist & Shout

Mr. Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, is having — to straight jack a phrase from VH1 — the best week ever. His first effort under his own name sold enough copies to claim this week’s top seller at Twist & Shout, knocking Beck’s Modern Guilt out of the top spot. And…

Live Review: The Pseudo Dates at Auraria Campus

The Pseudo Dates Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Auraria Campus Better Than: Most other outdoor shows I’ve seen. Rarely are good bands, local or otherwise, featured on college campuses in and around Denver, but at 10:15 a.m. yesterday, someone made an exception. There’s always something surrealistic about a band playing in…

Sleeper Horse on the hunt for new timekeeper and other farewells

Ran into Mike Herrera (no relation, as my colleague Michael Roberts would say) outside the Portugal. The Man show — which was unbelivably badass, BTW, especially openers Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground — at the Marquis, and he asked me if I knew of any drummers. Apparently, current timekeeper…

Air guitar title eludes the mighty Magic Cyclops

While he certainly had the gall to win it all, our boy Magic Cyclops returns to Denver without the US Air Guitar crown. His interpretation of Thin Lizzy’s “Thunder and Lightning” at the US finals in San Francisco last week earned him a score of 15.4, which put him a…

This Just In 8/14-8/20

David Byrne visits the Buell Theatre October 12. Among the recent concert info we’ve received over the last week, a second Cheech & Chong was added and Eddy Grant’s August 15 show at the Bluebird was canceled. Here’s a rundown of the shows going on sale this weekend. For ticket…

Bionik Brown Killed in Car Crash

If you were listening to the radio yesterday morning, you know that the rush hour commute was an especially deadly one. “4 motorists killed in crashes on area roads,” reads the headline in today’s Rocky Mountain News. The brief goes on to list Nathan Woods as being among the fatalities,…

Live Review: Eyedea & Abilities, ManeLine, Calm at Marquis Theater

Eyedea & Abilities, ManeLine, Calm Monday, August 11, 2008 Marquis Theater Better Than: Succumbing to three hours of sleep in thirty-six hours. Due to some weird issue with cameras at the door, I had to go home and get my second-string machine and missed Isolated Generation entirely and part of…

Swayback to Work with Andy Johns

The above photo was obviously taken long before the members of the Swayback found out they’d be working with Andy Johns. Wherever they are right now, though, you’ve got to assume they’re experiencing a similar sense of jubilation knowing that in a week and a half they’ll be heading to…

Johnny Schou’s Death Ruled An Accidental Overdose

This morning, a representative from the Larimer County coroner’s office confirmed that Tickle Me Pink bassist Johnny Schou’s death was caused by an accidental opiate overdose. The results of a toxicology report, says Chief Deputy Coroner Diane Fairman, indicate that heroin was found in Schou’s bloodstream; no other substances were…

Monolith Adds More Acts

Monolith’s just around the corner (32 days and 23 hours from now, to be exact) and, well, we’re as giddy about this year’s edition as Olympic enthusiasts undoubtedly are to see Michael Phelps win an unprecedented eight medals. We were already way stoked on this year’s line-up, but we’re even…