Good Housekeeping was a little stiff. (photos by Tom Murphy). Good Housekeeping, Hawks of Paradise, Joshua Novak and Monofog Thursday, July 3, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: A line-up where all the bands are pretty much the same. Good Housekeeping opened the proceedings with a cover of “Pink Room” by…

You can plan it on your calendar. Every year on the 4th of July John Popper and his Blues Traveler mates stop by Red Rocks. Here’s what the show looked like through the lens of Soren McCarty…

After the Denver stop of the Warped Tour, Jeffree Star, in all his electric pink maned goodness, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, who killed it on the ones and twos, and a bunch of other acts stopped by the Marquis Theater, where they got it on and on until…

The 14th annual Westword Music Showcase Awards is now in the books. Holy crap! What a party! We haven’t seen that many inebriated folks in one place since…well, probably since the last party we threw that attracted dozens of the Mile High’s best musicians, several prominent radio hosts, including Alf,…

Photo by Daniel K (not at Bender’s) Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, The Limbs, “Seven Signs” Tuesday, July 1, 2008, Benders Better than: Sunday morning mass. Down through the ages many have tried to preach the gospel from the stage. The key word being “preach.” For such a tactic to be…

On Tuesday evening just after 5 p.m., the time that Tickle Me Pink was originally slated to make an in-store appearance at Independent Records on Colfax to commemorate the release of Madeline, its eagerly awaited Wind-up Records debut, fans gathered together to pay their respects to Tickle Me Pink bassist…

Just received word that Johnny Schou, bassist for Fort Collins-based power-pop act Tickle Me Pink, was found dead this morning at his home at the age of 22. Prior to passing away, the four-stringer, a 2005 graduate of Ft. Collins High School, also worked as an assistant engineer at the…

Matson Jones. ‘Memba them? Chamber-driven badasses, named Denver’s Best New Band in 2005, signed to Sympathy for the Recording Industry, now dearly departed and all that? Yeah, pretty awesome, right? Well, we just received word that the co-ed quartet is returning to perform a pair of shows, the first on…

Photos by Aaron Thackeray. Film on the Rocks Shaun of the Dead, Boulder Acoustic Society and Michael Trundle Monday, June 30, 2008 Red Rock Amphitheatre Better Than: Watching Shaun of the Dead without fake zombies sitting behind you Shaun of the Dead was never a true cult classic: It made…

Photos by Aaron Thackeray and Soren McCarty. SoCo Music Experience Saturday, June 28, 2008, Coors Field Parking Lot Better than: Drinking a shot of SoCo. So what’s the first thing that pops into your head when someone says, “Let’s go to a fest at Coors Field’s parking lot!” Your response…

Photo by Tom Murphy. Reverend Dead Eye Friday, June 27, 2008 The Continental Club, Denver Better Than: You have any reason to expect from a dive bar off Santa Fe. There might have been any number of other things to see or do on a Friday night in late June,…

Photo by Tom Murphy. Moonspeed, Ross Etherton and the Wheel Saturday, June 28, 2008 hi-dive Better Than: Every space rock show I’ve seen since last summer when Bright Channel last played. Ross Etherton opened the show with a Son House song done in his own earnest, inimitable, dignified style. For…

From: James Anthofer To: Herrera, Dave Subject: Mercury Cafe Show – Gregory Alan Isakov and Bela Karoli 6/30/2008 12:34 AM Hey Dave — I didn’t get photos for the show, and I’m not sure a review is that useful without them: The Mercury Cafe is still the same, as usual…

Locals Only Lenny Lenn is known for the work he put in as a radio personality for various radio stations across Colorado. His biggest claim to fame is being part of the launch team of the now-defunct Denver hip-hop radio station, U102. Lenny then spent some time working behind the…

The 14th annual Westword Music Showcase Awards ceremony is now in the books. Holy crap! What a party! We haven’t seen that many inebriated folks in one place since…well, probably since the last party we threw. In his Fluid review, Michael Roberts joked that “if terrorists wanted to rob Denver…

The Classic Crime is perfect for those who prefer their rock slightly edgy and perfectly groomed, with soaring, uber-melodic choruses. In this way, the Seattle-based band is nearly indistinguishable from the hordes of pretty-boy MySpace acts currently littering the modern-rock landscape. If you can make it past surface-level aesthetics, though,…

I’ve been thinking about getting a scooter. Quit laughing. My friends — perhaps mortified at the thought of seeing a gorilla like me straddling such an inferior vehicle — have all been urging me to buy a motorcycle. (Whatever, dudes. Badass doesn’t live here anymore, and cool quit taking my…

Is it just us, or does papa Rupp look younger every year? Seriously. Old Bobbo must’ve made a deal with the devil or something. Unbelievable, that guy. Him and Prince, forever young, eh? Perhaps his perpetual youthful appearance is spurred by the fact that he’s constantly reinventing himself every couple…

How many times have you overheard someone in a band grumbling about having to go on first, or not being able to land a weekend slot, or having to play in front of only twenty people? Yeah, those folks would do well to sit down for a chat with the…

Photo by Chandra Carney. Looks like Meese is just about finished recording its new as-yet-titled album. Since inking their deal with Atlantic this past fall, the guys have been hard at work in the studio with producer Sean Beaven, who grew up in the Meese brothers’ hometown of Cleveland. Aside…