When Rocket Ajax disbanded in early 2003, many scenesters were befuddled. Just a few months earlier, the band had picked up stakes and headed for the West Coast in search of fame and fortune — or at least a record deal. At the time, Ajax was one of the most…
For two years, White Dynamite has been leveling stages and logic itself with its off-kilter, hardcore-spawned pandemonium. But the real show is singer/guitarist Luke Fairchild. A veteran of such Denver bands as Why Planes Go Down and Sparkles, Fairchild has at last completely surrendered to whatever demons possess him. He…
Back in the day, Brian Hagman was the only real reason to watch local punk act Wretched Refuse. But when Black Lamb (né the Lambs) formed at the dawn of the millennium, the singer finally found a band that could keep up with his intensity. Crooning like some three-headed clone…
Anyone who dismisses Ghost Buffalo as just a Planes Mistaken for Stars side project doesn’t quite get it. While guitarist Matt Bellinger and drummer Mike Ricketts do indeed split shifts between the two bands, Ghost Buffalo is a full-time passion for leader Marie Litton. The songwriter lends her soaring, haunting…
Artist, producer, teacher and one-man guitar battalion Dave Beegle remains an underground six-string phenom. After launching power trio Fourth Estate in the late ’80s, the Fort Collins homeboy used his masterful tone — something that mates Joe Satriani and Paco de Lucia with Johann Sebastian Bach’s blessing — to explore…
Bluegrass traditions may not be ancient by the standards of Greek mythology, but they have a proud history that Fort Collins-based Open Road limns with love and skill on its latest disc for Rounder Records, …In the Life. The longer Bradford Lee Folk and his musical partners perform this music,…
Jay Munly might be the star, but cellist Rebecca Vera and violinists Elin Palmer and Frieda Stalhiem are the driving force behind the Canadian transplant’s “thinkin’ man’s country music.” Weaving together complex rhythms and sensuous melodic lines, the trio of harlots augment Munly’s dark, rootsy side with a chamber-driven classicism,…
Some bands are just made for booze. ZZ Top? Tequila. Black Flag? Why, a six-pack, of course. But when listening to the ragged country punk of Out on Bail, whiskey is the only real choice. The semi-acoustic coed quartet writes songs that burn on the way down, peel the casing…
Timing, they say, is everything. Which is why Detective Jabsco may be the most unfortunate band in Denver. The outfit’s music is lacking absolutely nothing: Impassioned, concise, soulful and catchy as hell, it’s a welcome lungful of fresh air. So what’s the catch? The style is straight-up ska-core circa 1995,…
As fitting at a basement show as it is under the disco ball, the music of Constellations is a protean thing. While clearly drawing from many of the same sources that fuel the current dance-punk lemming march, the group molds jarring guitars, pixilated noise and logarithmic beats into a much…
A scant year and a half ago, Gann Matthews resembled nothing so much as an unplugged disciple of Thom Yorke and Isaac Brock. What a difference a few months make. The young troubadour has swiftly graduated from shaky-throated emulation to sure-footed maturity, trading in indie pallor for a rich, ruddy…
Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a gorgeous, angelic voice that alternately recalls Gillian Welch, Rosie Thomas and Paula Cole, Judith Avers could literally sing the classified ads and still be positively riveting. Fortunately, that won’t be necessary: Avers is equally adept and compelling as a storyteller, crafting heartrending…
Comics that turn up for the Squire Lounge’s Comedy Night want to win the $25 bar tab that’s awarded for best performance each week. But it’s not the booze they’re after, and it ain’t the glory; other venues are far more lucrative and offer way better exposure. No, Colorado comics…
With an elevated stage surrounded by vintage vinyl, Bender’s 13th Avenue Tavern is the best place to experience bar culture’s most self-indulgent pastime. New Wave/Indie Karaoke Night — hosted Tuesday and Thursday nights by ebullient wiseacre Keith Houston and his lovely assistant, Laura Benson — welcomes seasoned hams and budding…
On Saturday nights, salsa virgins and sexy pros go hand in hand on the dance floor at La Rumba, the stylish Golden Triangle staple that’s become one of Latino Denver’s top weekend destinations. Rookies can arrive early for a quick primer before the main event: The club offers free lessons,…
Launched in June 2001 by DJs Michael Trundle, Tyler Jacobson and Tim Cook, aka the Denver 3, Lipgloss has grown from a once-a-month Monday-night shindig into the best club night in town. Since relocating from 60 South to La Rumba last Spring, Lipgloss draws the crowds with a laid-back, unpretentious…
Off the Wall is a glorious celebration of all things ’80s, without the shlocky retreads that get played ad nauseam. The hump-day affair is helmed by Westword’s own Jason Heller and DJ Al from the Maybellines. The pair’s deep old-school cuts will have you cabbage-patching before you can say OMD…
The space at 60 S. Broadway has weathered many incarnations recently, including 60 South and the short-lived Southpark Tavern. Viable as neither a lesbian club nor a sports bar, it was transformed last year into the Cherry Pit. The format this time? Rock venue. Strangely, the room finally feels like…
Not to be undone by some 31.8 inches of snow that collapsed its roof during the blizzard of 2003, Vinyl came back bigger and badder than ever last fall. Now boasting what is arguably the best sound system in Colorado, Vinyl is a four-story behemoth of a dance club, with…
With Ted Nugent on the jukebox and silicon-injected blondes peddling trays of Red Bull and Jäger, Brewski’s is the place to let loose your inner Swayze and grab one for the roadhouse. Damn, even the drunk jackass at the bar wearing fake snakeskin boots is getting’ play! When the house…
What began as a humble new dive in November 2003 has quickly blossomed into the best room in town. Occupying the space once held by Quixote’s True Blue and the legendary 7 South, the hi-dive offers everything: karaoke, movie screenings, some of the most imaginative DJ nights in town –…
Combining elegance and hep, Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge refracts the elusive quality of Mingus, Monk or maybe even Parker in a soothing atmosphere. From classic to experimental, the joint swings seven days a week. Sheryl Renee pays tribute to the legends on Sunday nights, while Ralph Sharon recalls Ellington, Carmichael…
