Tony Wilson (the Andy Warhol of Manchester, England) once made the hackneyed statement “Morrissey is a woman trapped in a man’s body,” to which the dandified frontman of the Smiths eventually replied, “Tony Wilson is a man trapped in a pig’s body.” The two were friends and icons of the…
Ian Cooke is one busy boy. Since dropping Fortitude, his second album, this past November, the despondent dreamboat has been busily weaving himself in and out of video projects, mini-tours and a gig recording songs for a local play about online dating — all while keeping his fashionable feet on…
On Saturday night Rhinoceropolis was transformed into a surreal collection of different visceral spaces, a kind of haunted house of DIY weirdness, attacking the senses partly with fear, but also with ideas that challenged reality and the nature of aesthetics. Known as Fantasia 2012, the art installation put its guests…
For roughly eight hours yesterday, Bender’s Tavern hosted day one of the UMX, round after round of speed-dating-style auditions for the upcoming 41st Annual Capitol Hill People’s Fair. Having only two songs or ten minutes to prove themselves, scores of acts busted out their A-material, performing for a room full…
The idea is “to turn the inside of Rhinoceropolis into a temporary fantasy village,” says Colin Ward of the art installation Fantasia 2012, which he’s organized along with Stephan Herrera. “We want to pack paradise into one night; like a magic spell and welcoming of the springtime.” That night will…
Interviewing Alphabets (Colin Ward) is similar to listening to his music: you’re put through the ringer of an obnoxious charm, simultaneously witty and grating, aggressive and inviting. Combining both the underground music scene with demanding academic ambitions, the hyper and endlessly talented Colin Ward keeps himself busy with a creative…
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS @ OGDEN THEATRE | 3/22/12 Fresh off their stint at South By Southwest, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros delivered a strong dose of their tent-revival mania to Denver last night. Strutting a fine line between sunshine hippie cult and televangelist showmanship, the band…
Oh, Tim Tebow, how we are going to miss him. It’s hard to believe it’s been only a little over two years since he began turning professional football into a platform for religious expression. Now that Tebowmania is officially coming to an end in Denver, we thought it would be…
Once a film reaches the status of Casablanca — retired to the vault of such designations as “classic,” “legendary,” “timeless” — fans begin looking at the picture through the lens of their own memory. As with Star Wars or The Big Lebowski, devotees of Casablanca will always remember the first…
Cynics need not apply when considering Kyle James Hauser’s debut solo album, Oh Oh. With its delicate Americana-style banjo picking and soulful, sentimental vocals, it’s the ideal morning record, an unabashedly cheerful collection of expertly crafted songs. Collaborating with singer/cellist Ben Sollee, guitarist Grant Gordy (of the David Grisman quintet)…
The 1980s did not start well for Ozzy Osbourne. After being kicked out of Black Sabbath, the Prince of Darkness holed up in an L.A. hotel room, planning to remain as drunk as possible until his money ran out, and then probably move back to England to work as a…
Much has been made of the politically incorrect sin of appropriating a culture that is not your own. From the blackface minstrel shows of the 19th Century to the hippies finding sacred Native American beads and headbands to be some pretty groovy threads, Americans have been tripping over the cultural…
As the director of Titwrench, Sarah Slater is a staple of the Denver music scene. No, not a staple — more like a three-ring binder that holds together a massive catalogue of civic talent, a human Rolodex of artists past and present. Beyond Titwrench, Slater keeps herself busy year ’round…
Like David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Edward Sharpe is the mythical creation of singer Alex Ebert (also of Ima Robot). Originally taken from an unfinished novel written by Ebert, Sharpe is a messianic character whose mission to save mankind is constantly interrupted by his falling for cute girls. Ebert teamed up…
“The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought one formed a band.” This quote has been attributed to both Brian Eno and Peter Buck (of REM) — no one is completely certain who said it first, but that’s not the point. The fact remains that…
Over the last six years Paper Bird (due tonight at the Fox Theatre in Boulder and tomorrow night at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins) has become a Denver favorite for all ages and backgrounds. Since dropping its debut album, Anything Nameless and Joymaking, in 2007, the bandmembers have been…
In the history of rock there has never been a greater example of media manipulation than the Sex Pistols. From the Stones refusing to wear ties to Bowie claiming he was gay to Ozzy biting the head off a dove, press-savvy rockers have been tricking the media into endless headline…
It’s difficult to imagine, but U2 used to be cool. Not just cool, but one of the most innovative, inspiring and mysterious bands of its generation. The group challenged the sounds, look and emotional resonance of rock music, forever redirecting the cultural stream for good or ill. Today, while many…
Update: Full “Under the Boxcars” video added below. “I think video is absolutely vital,” says Kitty Vincent of Le Divorce, which recently finished production on a new video for “Under the Boxcars,” the first single from the band’s latest effort, The Sting and the Light. “We are a visual society…
Wheelchair Sports Camp has begun to fully realize its sound as a band on this EP. Whereas Mixed Tapes felt more like a solo album from MC Kalyn Heffernan, here things are more collaborative, fully incorporating Heffernan’s wit and flow, Isaac McGaha Miller’s eclectic drumming and his sister Abi McGaha…
The ecologically minded SustainAbility hosted Recycled Runway, a fashion show Friday night at the Sherman Events Center that attracted an unpretentious collection of hippies, fashionistas, press, parents and those who aren’t a typical presence in the fashion world, creating an “awesome mix” of people and fashion, in the words of…
When you think of fighting pollution and harmful waste, the images that come to mind are often of oil spills, nuclear meltdowns and bottle-nose dolphins caught in tuna nets. Typically, you don’t think of hair salons. “The salon industry has a great deal of waste,” says SustainAbility co-owner Melissa Kraai…
