There’s no shortage of purists who would argue that, even with David Lee Roth back fronting the band, the current version of Van Halen can’t really be considered classic VH — not with Wolfie on bass in place of  Michael Anthony, whose trademark backing vocals are every bit as essential…

Here’s an interesting tidbit about Donna Summer, who passed away today at the age of 63, vaguely related to our fair city: Did you know that she once sang a song called “Denver Dream”? The storyline for the lesser know cut from 1974, written by British songwriter Pete Belotte, centers…

So thanks to our pal Skrillex and his utterly inescapable ubiquitousness since the Grammys, dubstep has steadily made its way into the mainstream to the chagrin of true aficionados and the delight of unsuspecting casual music fans. But for as many newbies that have embraced the low-end sound, there’s been…

Today only, in the Voice Daily Deals, you can get a ticket to this year’s Westword Music Showcase with Girl Talk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe’s tribute to the Beastie Boys, Battles, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Baywood and 150 of the hottest local acts, PLUS…

Update (4 p.m., 5/16/12): OneRepublic drummer Eddie Fisher appeared in court this afternoon and reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges that have been filed against him, including two additional counts proposed by the district attorney today of disturbing the peace and wrongs to a minor, presumably spurred by the…

If you haven’t picked up your tickets to the Westword Music Showcase yet, here’s another reason to get on it: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe presents a Tribute to the Beastie Boys at this year’s Showcase. This is going to be absolutely sick! Page down to see what you have in…

So by now you’ve probably heard the news: The tenth annual US Air Guitar competition is about to get under way, and the national finals are slated to take place in Denver on Saturday, July 21, at the Bluebird Theater. The culmination of a dozen separate regional events, which kick…

This past February, the Fray released Scars & Stories, the band’s third full-length release, produced by Brendan O’Brien. “I believe in this record,” Joe King told us. “I believe it’s our best work. I believe that we’re better now and we’ve written better songs than we ever have.” Scars marks…

While we’ve been mourning the untimely passing of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) of the Beastie Boys last week and reminiscing about the act’s shows in Denver, we’ve learned that the musician/activist had pretty interesting ties to our city beyond playing here nearly a dozen times over the past two decades…

By all accounts, the Beastie Boys performed in the Denver metro area ten times over the course of two decades, beginning with the act’s first show at the Mammoth Events Center on Friday, February 13, 1987, and culminating with its Rock the Vote double bill at the Fillmore with Tenacious…

We haven’t even really had a chance to absorb and process the news of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s death yet — and this? Some people never cease to amaze me. Seriously. While it’s since been amended, just a bit ago we noticed that some insensitive dickhole apparently thought it would…

Reminder: Today is the last day to get discounted tickets for the 2012 Westword Music Showcase. If you haven’t noticed, this year’s lineup is stacked. Thought Chromeo and Ghostland Observatory brought it before? When Girl Talk closes out the mainstage, we have no doubt he’ll make past years seem like…

Rosie Thomas is bursting with vitality. Answering the phone from somewhere in Ashland, Oregon, she sounds so full of life on the other end of the line, she’s practically jumping through the phone — and for good reason. After taking time off to recover from a thyroid disorder that caused…

Okay, so you know how they say lightning never strikes in the same place twice? We were positive that the same could be said of the epic re-creation of Pink Floyd’s The Wall by Roger Waters. When we finally got to experience the production in the flesh at the Pepsi…

See Also: • Westword Music Showcase headliners revealed • Baywood added to Westword Music Showcase • Win a VIP upgrade to this year’s Showcase for you and a friend The 2012 edition of the Westword Music Showcase is getting closer and closer. You getting stoked? We are! Even more so…

See Also: • (Photos) Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost at the Fillmore Auditorium, 4/23/12 • Q&A with Bill Kelliher of Mastodon • Now, that’s what you call a metal shirt. Nice work, Havok • The Tom Petty shirts we spotted last night in the parking lot • How old is your…

See Also: Tupac hologram at Coachella: Here’s how it was done Okay, so now we have it straight from the doctor’s mouth: Contrary to an item in the Wall Street Journal last week citing “a person familiar with the discussions” claiming that representatives of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were…

Update: YouTube video of Wyclef Jean’s freestyle added below (“For the record,” he sings, “I would never sell out,” presumably in response to the anti-MJ clause of the contract), along with video from the Denver Post of Jean’s brother surrounded by students and smoking up in an effort to get…