Once upon a time, Bob Seger urged, “Get out of Denver, baby, go, go.” And for many years, if you were a musician in this town, that exhortation would have seemed sage. Today, though, the words sound hollow. Because right now, it’s all about Mootown. Don’t be surprised if a…

Rappers can’t play ball, and ballers can’t emcee. For proof, see Master P and Shaq — or Carmelo Anthony, for that matter. While there’s no doubt that Melo is gifted at handling the rock, when it comes to rockin’ the mike, well, let’s just say he should leave that to…

Oops!…I did it again. Last Sunday night, while you were watching Desperate Housewives or Sunday Night Football on ESPN, I was at the Avril Lavigne concert at the Pepsi Center. “You took your kid, right?” That’s the response I’ve gotten from most people who hear I was there. And, yeah,…

Think Jack White’s slick for reanimating the spirit of the Delta bluesmen? White’s got nothing on Shanti Shanti: Andrea and Sara Forman are breathing life into passages that have been dead for over 5,000 years. “Sanskrit provides people with an awesome experience, and we call that the Sanskrit buzz,” says…

It’s 7 p.m. Friday, and Love.45 is hosting a listening party at Brendan’s Pub. Although it’s one of Denver’s most prominent bands, if it weren’t for the promotional posters hanging around the bar, the four members would be indistinguishable from their fans. Right now, this is a faceless band with…

Aimee Bushong doesn’t need a man to get what she wants — not anymore. Showing off her breast assets in a trio of Mootown gentlemen’s clubs over the past year, the buxom blond songstress earned enough cash to finance her debut album, Bacon and Eggs. As near as Bushong can…

Although corporate radio stations still suck a king-sized kielbasa, bashing them is almost as futile as cursing the bus driver who transports murderers and rapists from one hoosegow to another. They’re just doing their job, man. For its part, however, KTCL is taking major steps to make things a little…

I’m a Nancy boy. While everybody’s afraid of something, the things that scare the shit out of me are laughable — perhaps not as grin-inducing as a friend’s irrational fear of midgets, but amusing nonetheless. You want to know what freaks me out more than anything? (Besides being subjected to…

If all you knew about Reese Roper, erstwhile frontman of Five Iron Frenzy, was what you’d heard of his songs, you’d think he was one self-deprecating cat, with a Chandler Bing-like knack for sarcasm. And you’d be right. Roper is the Tony Robbins of self-deprecation. Here’s the introduction he recorded…

In this section just four months ago, I went on and on about how Carolyn’s Mother had “a new lease on life.” That June 10 issue had been on the stands less than 48 hours when Rhett Lee, Carolyn’s frontman, informed me — at the very show I’d hyped, no…

Gigantic. Huge. Massive. Although those words aptly describe the production on Love.45’s latest, they’re also a perfect descriptor of what this act will be in a year. Love.45, slated for release on November 9, is a program director’s wet dream, with at least a half-dozen potential singles (which explains why…

“This is so indie,’ says Isaac, the leader of one of the nation’s most recognizable indie-rock bands, as he grabs his guitar and takes a stool on the makeshift stage in Regis University’s cafeteria. “And that’s all I gotta say: This is so indie.’ Behind all the clanging trays, you…

Dan Rutherford is positively glowing. It’s a steamy afternoon on the Minturn Saloon’s rooftop patio, and my man can’t stop talking about the Morning After. Granted, I’ve been probing him for the better part of an hour like an eager frat brother seeking every detail of his latest conquest. Settle…

It seems fitting that Green Day’s latest album is titled American Idiot. After all, the band made its name — not to mention its millions — being as much. Self-deprecation aside, however, with Idiot, Green Day has somehow managed to pour syrup on yesterday’s Dookie and, incredibly, turned it into…

“Even the truth sometimes is subjective,” says Sean Kelly. “I mean, it’s so tainted with emotions. It’s all about people’s feelings.” Speaking via cell phone before a Friday-night performance at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona, Kelly, the Samples’ frontman, listens calmly to the opinions of his former bandmate, Jeep…

Remember that euphoric morning after Chris Cornell left the garden of sound? During this brief interval, it seemed that Jeff Buckley, before he waved goodbye, had helped his new friend Cornell discover that being Louder Than Love was fine, but it’s okay to be quiet every now and then, too…

It’s not uncommon for readers to weigh in on Westword stories. But it is unusual for someone to respond to a story seven years after it was published. Jeep Macnichol, who used to keep time for the Samples, recently sent former Backbeat editor Michael Roberts a letter taking issue with…

This summer, Brad Corrigan reunited with his bandmates to play a final farewell show in Boston. Yeah, I know, bands break up every day. But get this: The gig reportedly outdrew Phish’s swan song in Coventry, Vermont, by 50,000 people or so. And ever hear of a little festival called…

Last Friday, hours before the driving rain turned purple, Mootown was already abuzz over the return of rock’s royalty. Mid-afternoon, a clerk at the Diamond Shamrock across the street from my office offered up a story that confirmed how widespread the anticipation had become. “My homeboy’s taking his mom,” my…

Scott Redmond has a posse. Rabid followers of Rush Limbaugh and Jim Rome refer to themselves as Dittoheads and Clones. And now some of Tom Martino’s listeners seem hell-bent on making names for themselves as Neanderthals and bigots. Last Wednesday, DJ Quote, aka Quentin Jones, got caught in the Troubleshooter’s…

In last week’s Beatdown, I insisted that hip-hop was not responsible for the latest melees in Mootown. Never let it be said that I’m not willing to put my money where my mouth is: On Thursday night, I ventured into the belly of the beast — Bash, in the heart…

How many times do I have to say it? Hip-hop doesn’t kill people. People kill people. Unless you’ve been sequestered in a shack in the middle of nowhere for the past two months, you’ve heard about the so-called “wilding” in LoDo back in mid-June. And by now you certainly know…