Twelve Earth-Shattering Denver Experimental Bands of 2016

Denver’s experimental music scene has yielded stellar releases in 2016. A complete list of all the bands operating in that realm could be much longer, but here is a primer of ten of the best acts that offered quality recordings anyone with an ear for the adventurous or unusual should check out. The bands are listed in alphabetical order because, as usual, music is not a competition.

Absolute Vinyl Is a Rare Record Collector’s Paradise

Finding dusty record shops that cater to artsy geeks has never been so hard in Boulder, where the city’s eccentric charm has been diluted by a sky-high cost of living and an influx of techies from the coasts. Absolute Vinyl is one of the last spots where the college town’s once notorious weirdness still lingers.

Ten Christmas Songs That Won’t Make You Hate the Holiday

Admit it: it’s not Christmas yet, and you’ve already become completely and utterly sick of Christmas songs. Which makes sense, because they’re ubiquitous—they’re the soundtrack at every store, in every elevator, on every TV and radio commercial. And god help you if you voluntarily listened to KOSI-101.5’s eternal Christmas Death March, which answers the question: just how much Josh Groban and Mariah Carey can one person take before declaring a moratorium on radio in the car?So yeah, we feel your pain. But fear not: for we bring unto you tidings of great joy, which should be to all people who are tired of hymns and carols and anything that Vince Gueraldi could adapt into a 60s jazz riff and sell to Charles Schulz. It’s not all Rudolph and Angels Up on High, people. Stretch, and enjoy the holiday alternative-style.

The Best Concerts in Denver This Week, December 19-22

The New Orleans-based Rebirth Brass Band funks up the Bluebird Theater for two nights this week while Grammy-winning gospel group the Blind Boys of Alabama perform Christmas songs at the L2 Church tonight and Celtic Woman teams up with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra tomorrow for an evening of holiday favorites at Boettcher Concert Hall. Also, the Denver Noise Fest is at Globe Hall on Wednesday, December 21, and Thursday, December 22.

Drink Cocktails While Colorado Symphony Musicians Feed Their Souls

The Colorado Symphony veers toward the epic. Whether it’s recycling the familiar repertoire of the three Bs — Bach, Beethoven and Brahms — or collaborating with newer musicians including the Flaming Lips, DeVotchKa, Elephant Revival and Gregory Alan Isakov, audiences can expect sweeping performances in weighty locations. This February, the…

Tom Petty, Norah Jones and Every New Denver Concert Announcement

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers bring their fortieth-anniversary tour to Red Rocks for two nights, on Monday, May 29, and Tuesday, May 30, with Joe Walsh opening; tickets ($49.50-$149.50) go on sale on Friday, December 16. at 10 a.m. Norah Jones, who released Day Breaks last October, headlines Red Rocks on Wednesday, June 14; tickets ($45-$68) go on sale on Thursday, December 15 at 10 a.m. Bell Biv DeVoe will be at the Bellco Theatre on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14; tickets ($49-$119) are on sale on now.

The Best Concerts in Denver This Weekend, December 16-18

Over the last decade, Nathaniel Rateliff has hosted holiday shows with various projects he’s fronted, including Born in the Flood and the Wheel. This weekend at the Ogden Theatre, he’s with his group the Night Sweats, who have had an epic year of touring. Also this weekend, Rose Hill Drive…

Kissing Party Kisses the Christmas Single Good Bye

Denver indie-pop band Kissing Party has a complicated relationship with the holidays. Although the group has released a Christmas single every year for the past six, it’s ending that tradition this year and instead updating 2013’s Winter in the Pub album, a collection of holiday songs, with the addition of…