Good morning! And what a good morning it is! We’ve got some major news to share with you regarding the Westword Music Showcase. We’ve just solidified the lineup for our Showcase, which takes place this year on Saturday, June 18, and it’s pretty stellar if we do say so ourselves…
WU-hah! If you’re going to SXSW this year, be sure to mark Thursday, March 17 on your calendar with a big fat red circle. Austin Music Hall is the place to be from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. for our annual Village Voice Showdown, being co-produced by Frank 151. This…
Okay so by now you’ve had a chance to absorb the deflating news that the Mile High Music Festival is being put on ice this year, and you’ve even offered up with some suggestions of how to make Mile High more enticing if the festival returns next year, which organizers…
In case you’ve noticed that the Mile High Music Festival hasn’t announced its lineup yet for this year and you’ve wondered why — first of all, congratulations on being astute, but secondly, the lineup hasn’t been revealed because, well, there is no lineup this year. There is no festival. After…
The Ebbets Field series from Listen Up is a thrilling documentation of Denver’s musical past. Ebbets Field, of course, was the storied downtown venue owned by promoter Chuck Morris in the mid-’70s. Located at the base of Brooks Tower, the club attracted a slew of legendary acts, from Muddy Waters…
UPDATE: Okay, so it turns out, we got it a little twisted yesterday regarding the WESTAF TourWest grant program. According to WESTAF Deputy Director, Shannon Daut, the grant is actually earmarked toward “presenting entities” in the WESTAF region (venues in which an artist might play), as opposed to the musicians,…
We’ve just received word from AEG regarding the lineup for Pure Sunshine. Ten bands are coming together for a pair of back-to-back shows celebrating the life and honoring the memory of Rick Kulwicki, as well as raise funds for the two sons he left behind, Richard and Roman. Contrary to…
Overcast day got you glum, chum? Look on the bright side: It’s Friday, and the day’s half over, which means you’re just that much closer to the weekend. Not enough? How about some sunny power pop imported directly from the West Coast? Rooney, tonight at the Marquis Theater. Ah, yes!…
Evidently, Julie Zorrilla not only has a lock on cute dresses and shoes, but she now holds the distinction of being one of only twelve girls in the the American Idol Top 24. When we last checked in with Zorrilla, she sailed through Hollywood week with her take on “Love…
Last year, as you might recall, the Swayback landed a gig at Rock ‘N Rev, the largest shindig at Sturgis. Just before Christmas, we posted one of the videos from that trip featuring some rad footage the dudes shot to go along with a tune called “St. Francis” that they…
Psst! Whatcha doing tonight? Really? Funny, we saw your Facebook status just a bit ago, and we could’ve swore it read something like: Very busy evening tonight — eating dinner, folding laundry, watching Idol, and, uh, updating your Facebook status, we presume. Actually, hold on: That might’ve been ours…
Here’s what the area’s local-centric specialty radio shows were spinning this week. We’re currently tracking the playlists from a number of different shows, including KTCL’s Locals Only*, Radio 1190’s Local Shakedown, 99.5 the Mountain’s Homegrown Show*, The Colorado Sound, which originates at KRFC and is re-broadcast all over Colorado, and…
Have plans tonight? You do now, perhaps. We’ve got three pairs of tickets to the Swans show tonight at the Summit Music Hall with Wooden Wand. Would you and a guest like to be our guests? To see the show on us, let us know which directors Michael Gira mentions…
The Backbeat flag is flying at half staff today. In case you haven’t heard, services for Rick Kulwicki, the legendary Fluid guitarist who passed away last week, are being held at Fairmount Cemetery (430 South Quebec Street) this morning at 10 a.m., with a viewing taking place at 9 a.m…
Every year, a new group of artists and acts makes its way to the head of the class. Some are more advanced than others; they’ve been steadily building their names at shows, creating a healthy buzz. Others have been toiling in virtual obscurity, holed up in basements or apartments, driven…
So this little gem showed up on our doorstep this morning — or, rather, in our parking lot last night. We’ve been hearing about Turner Jackson’s whole Freestyles Are Still Free project that he’s been working on, in which he traipsed around town last summer wearing a sandwich board and…
So what is it they say — at the end of every dark night a new day dawns? There’s solace to be found in that maxim. And some bright spots are starting to emerge on an otherwise dreary week which brought shocking news of Rick Kulwicki’s untimely death. Following a…
The headline pretty much says it all. If you didn’t happen to catch American Idol last night, you missed JLO’s dour assessment of Emma Henry’s prospects in the competition ringing true. Henry was sent packing after her group, the Deep V’s — which included James Durbin, that annoying Adam Lambert…
Speaking of club nights that take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’, evidently, The Solution isn’t the only night that has proven resilient. Lipgloss, now approaching its tenth year, has endured the exit of two of its founders, Tim Cook and Tyler Jacobson, and has had several noteworthy residents such…
So apparently in our haste to alert you about the unexpected changes at the Solution this morning, we somehow overlooked word that another dope night helmed by DJ Low Key — Hapa Life, the ever-popular Sunday-night gig at Hapa Sushi in Cherry Creek — has reached its untimely conclusion. Evidently,…
As we post this, a fundraiser is being organized for the Swanks, who recently lost all of their gear in a fire that ravaged their rehearsal space. Proceeds from the act’s upcoming March 18 show at 3 Kings Tavern, with King Rat, Fire in the Asylum, Chingaso, Epidemik, the Bronze…
You’ve probably heard by now, but in case you haven’t: Tickle Me Pink is calling it a day. After four releases and a half-dozen years of playing in front of capacity crowds across the Front Range, including an appearance at last year’s Westword Music Showcase, the guys have decided to…
