This year, the club scene wasn’t quite as busy as it was in 2011, when a large number of spots entered the scene — but 2012 still welcomed a strong number of clubs and venues with live music and entertainment. Here’s a rundown of some of the more promising places…
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary last April, had been playing annual New Year’s Eve shows at the Bluebird Theater for the past eleven years. This year, the band is playing two nights at the Oriental Theater — with the Sterling Sisters (which features Slim’s son George)…
BORN IN THE FLOOD @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 12/21/12 It seemed like members from about half the bands Denver were on hand for Born in the Flood’s reunion show with Nathan & Stephen and In the Whale at the Gothic. Sure, it’s not uncommon to see bands supporting other bands,…
A veteran of the Denver music scene of the ’80s who’s been living in California since 1989, rockabilly guitarist Jinx Jones has performed with Chuck Berry and Roy Buchanan and his chops can even be heard on En Vogue’s hit “Free Your Mind.” As a leader, Jones has four albums…
Although Fred Hess has released a number of excellent small-ensemble recordings, the saxophonist’s big-band recordings are equally captivating. As with his previous two big-band outings, Speak borrows from big bands of the past while also looking toward the future. Some of the area’s finest musicians are on board here, like…
Brent Loveday had a moment of clarity on the road. It came one night in Oklahoma City, while he and his band, Reno Divorce, were on tour, and it happened somewhere in the midst of kicking out the side window of their new tour van, then horsing around and hanging…
Sitar icon Ravi Shankar died yesterday at his home near San Diego at the age of 92, according to his wife, Sukanya, and his daughter Anoushka Shankar. Shankar’s heath had been fragile for the last several years, and, according to a statement issued by his family, last week he underwent…
With 1998’s A Go Go, guitarist John Scofield tapped into a whole new demographic by enlisting Medeski, Martin & Wood to play on the disc. While Scofield, who played with Miles Davis, was a respected jazz artist and had delved into fusion previously, with A Go Go he fully embraced…
On their previous two releases, the guys in Homebrew showed that they know their way around blues, rock and jazz. On Fourth and Long, they once again bring in special guest singers, but they also mix things up a bit and explore more genres. It’s obvious early on that this…
According to his producer, conductor and manager Russell Gloyd, pianist Dave Brubeck, whose Time Out recording was one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, died of heart failure this morning, a day before his 92nd birthday, en route to a regular treatment with his cardiologist…
Kris Baehre’s earliest memory is of watching the 1974 World Cup final with his dad, which cemented a lifelong obsession with soccer, particularly the Arsenal. The Armoury, which is slated to open on New Year’s Eve in the former Euphoria Lounge space at 2048 Larimer Street, is named after the…
There’s another great month of jazz on tap for December. Legendary trumpeter Tom Harrell kicks off a three-night stint Dazzle this evening, while John Scofield teams up with Medeski, Martin & Wood for two shows in the area later this week. Then, later in the month, Denver native Brad Leali…
Already one of the busier musicians in town, Fez Garcia, who drums for a number of bands, including Night of Joy, Tjutjuna and Fingers of the Sun, has now got another gig to add to his resume: co-manager of the Sidewinder, the bar in Globeville at 44th and Logan that…
About three years ago, Scooter James was at a point where he’d done a few shows with Pinhead Circus, the well-regarded punk band he formed in 1988, but wasn’t really set on pursuing music full-time anymore. Then he saw his friends in Tin Horn Prayer, and the band just completely…
Ben Makinen, who’s been a professional drummer for close to three decades, says the inspiration for his solo electronic album came from a dream he had in which he was visited by an ancient butterfly that told him a story of love between a gruff Goliath beetle and a beautiful…
About three years ago, Scooter James was at a point where he’d done a few shows with Pinhead Circus, the well-regarded punk band he formed in 1988, but wasn’t really set on pursuing music full-time anymore. Then he saw his friends in Tin Horn Prayer, and the band just completely…
Vincent Furnier has gone by Alice Cooper for more than four decades. During that time, two different versions of his on-stage persona emerged: the early one, when he was kind of meek; and the later one, when he became more of a villain. The change came when he stopped drinking…
Inspired by the music of the Yellowjackets and the late Don Grolnick (once a member of fusion groups Steps Ahead and Dreams), Polarity displays some fine solo work throughout King of Hearts. Fronted by local saxophonists Pete Lewis and Clare Church, the band uses fusion as a backbone and injects…
Vincent Furnier has gone by Alice Cooper for more than four decades. During that time, two different versions of his on-stage persona emerged: the early one, when he was kind of meek; and the later one, when he became more of a villain. The change came when he stopped drinking…
As a followup to last year’s Break in the Clouds, Elephant Revival went into Boulder’s Immersive Studios to record its latest effort — the It’s Alive EP, due in stores this Tuesday, November 20. The members wanted to be able to record their individual parts while in the same room…
With last year’s 13 Tracks From the Dark Side of the Beat, Beats Noir deftly proved it could use hip-hop as a framework to build on while adding in jazz elements to augment the groove. Started by the classically trained Paul Mullikin, who serves as the group’s MC and also…
The Hive, which opened near the end of May, closed earlier this week following a fatal shooting outside the club this past weekend. Stoney Jesseph and Will Trautman, who own Stoney’s Bar and Grill next door, are reportedly taking over spot and plan to open it as Krewe sometime before…
