The Loudwire Music Festival, named for the rock site of the same name, will launch next June in Grand Junction. Linkin Park will headline, and promoter Townsquare Media, which also owns Loudwire, promises a lineup featuring “all genres of rock — hard, classic, alternative, metal and indie.” See also: 25…
Last week we brought you the news that a bust of John Denver, on loan to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame by the legendary singer’s estate, had been stolen from the 1STBANK Center. When security at the venue realized the bust was missing, they filed a report with the…
Colorado is a pretty great place to be a music fan. Denver has more music venues than Austin, and several of them are among the busiest in the world. People living here spend twice as much as the national average on music. The local scene is experiencing unprecedented success. All…
Taylor Swift is in the midst of the best album sales week of any artist since, well, Taylor Swift the last time she released an album. 1989 is currently blowing past one million copies sold, which would be incredible even if album sales weren’t completely in shambles. And today, our…
Update: And we have a winner! Thanks for playing. Stay safe and warm out there. We’re down to the wire, people: Halloween, which falls on a Friday this year, is only two days away. Personally, I can tell you my costume idea is not working out, but maybe you are…
When John Denver became the first inductee in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the legendary singer’s estate donated a bronze bust to the the Hall’s collection. It has been on display in the 1STBANK Center for the past three years, where it was at the start of Tuesday’s Saints…
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon returns to Denver this weekend with a new route. You can see it in the map above or in much more detail on the marathon’s web site. As usual, there will be a slew of local bands along the course — this year, there are…
John Stevens Jr started writing songs at age 15 to try and process the death of a friend. He’s been playing music in Indiana for 30 years, but it wasn’t until he sat down at his kitchen table early this year with the intent to make his friends laugh that…
Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon has a story made for viral success: The former rugby player runs an anomaly of a town surrounded on all sides by Denver with his strip-club-owner wife, Debbie Matthews, not so subtly at his side. Now he’s running for governor as an independent candidate on a…
Tonight, Westword, Open Media Foundation and Greater Than Collective will co-hosting a live performance by Denver’s Kitty Crimes at the Denver Open Media studios at 7th and Kalamath. It’s a continuation of our Open Music Sessions, where we will create several videos based on regular live tapings of exceptional bands…
The Rocky Mountain Hemp Association is a non-profit that works as an advocate for the hemp industry in Colorado, with particular emphasis on the actual growth of the plant on farms. So it is especially fitting that it is raising money by auctioning a guitar autographed by Willie Nelson: Noted…
Hopsin has done well in Colorado, playing to packed rooms in Denver and elsewhere for several years now. But something strange happened at his scheduled January 30 show at the Aggie Theater. He was supposed to play alongside Dizzy Wright, DJ Hoppa, and Black Pegasus. But, without explanation, he didn’t…
Update: And our winner is Rach12, with some lines from “The Shiznit.” Enjoy! We welcome our new weed-powered overlords, who fund our schools, drive tourism and, more and more, throw concerts. The biggest non-4/20 show expressly affiliated with the marijuana industry will be this weekend, when the Gypsy Jane Cannabis…
Marlo found herself with a few hours to kill at Denver International Airport last Friday afternoon. She’d flown in from Washington, D.C. and planned to meet up with her cousin before they drove into Denver, but his flight was late. She was heading toward the USO Center — which, for…
Itchy-O is a band that defies explanation: It’s a massive, noise-making horde of masked weirdos, an ecstatic jumble of influence and culture and myth. The Denver-based mobile unit is celebrating the release of its first full-length album, Burn the Navigator, on Alternative Tentacles. It headlined a show over the weekend…
You know Mike Dunafon: Mayor of Glendale, married to the owner of Shotgun Willie’s strip club, libertarian candidate for Colorado governor. He may not have a political resume with quite as much heft as his opponents, current governor John Hickenlooper and congressman Bob Beauprez. But he does promise to make…
Justin Townes Earle is playing at the Fox Theatre on Saturday, September 27. What you see here is a portion of the cover for his latest album, Single Mothers. It is another jewel in a growing catalogue of remarkable work. Earle has a unique ability to see the dignity and…
Denver rapper Tommy Brown’s latest release, Covered in Gold 24k, has caught ears in the city and outside it since its release this summer. The first video from it premiered on The Source, and we’re happy to debut the latest visual today on Backbeat. Watch below…
There are some punk rock bands playing next to the football stadium this weekend. Perhaps you’ve heard. There are plenty of options for those not headed to Riot Fest, including the inaugural Cloak & Dagger fest, with an impeccable lineup full of some of dance music’s most interesting up-and-coming artists…
You might hear Rubedo anywhere. In its four and a half years of existence, the Denver trio has played at bars in San Diego and rallies in Civic Center Park. It has played a dance music festival in the shadow of an NFL stadium and an art festival on the…
Jack White has just released the second music video from this year’s Lazeretto, and it’s set right here in Denver. The clip was filmed during White’s stop through town last month at the Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel. The art-deco bar provides the backdrop for a pensive White ordering…
Goldrush Music Festival has always featured a meticulous lineup of local and national artists working with unusual sounds and approaches. This year is the biggest in the four-year history of Goldrush, with headliner Wolf Eyes joining a slew of other exceptional noisemakers on three stages at Larimer Lounge and the…
