Open Music Session: Jux County Sings About Cruising Down Colfax

On Friday, November 4, the Open Media Foundation hosts its next monthly free Open Music Session event, which will feature musical guests the Hang Rounders and comedian Timmi Lasley. Last month, the October 2016 Open Music Session welcomed Jux County, a band recently profiled in Westword and self-described as “punktry.”…

Stevie Nicks and the Best Shows in Denver This Week

While there are a pair of huge shows at the Pepsi Center — Tool and Stevie Nicks — this week, there are a lot of other shows on tap this week that are just as worthy, whether it be Nelly, Margo Price, Meshuggah, Marillion or LVL UP. See our full list…

Progressive-Rock Band Marillion Pioneered Crowdfunding

Marillion may not be a name familiar to a lot of people who didn’t pay attention to progressive rock in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the veteran progressive-rock band pioneered the concept of crowdfunding for tours and albums starting in the late ’90s. Marillion released its earliest recordings in 1982…

Pantyraid’s Martin Folb on South Africa and Whether Trap Is Dead

Last weekend, MartyParty’s fast set rocked the otherwise laid-back Block Festival in downtown Denver, and afterward, Westword got to chat with Martin David Folb, the sole DJ behind MartyParty and one half of the duo known as Pantyraid. MartyParty, which Folb describes as “drum and bass, which has now turned into halftime…

Elle King, Schoolboy Q and the Best Concerts in Denver This Weekend

While there’s a diverse lineup of acts performing this weekend, tonight is particularly varied, with Shpongle, Straight No Chaser, Esme Patterson, John Gorka and LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang. Also on tap are Elle King at the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, Schoolboy Q at the Fillmore Auditorium on Sunday, and Five Finger…

Cold Crush Will Reopen Tonight After Owners Met With City Officials

Cold Crush will reopen at 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, October 20. As Westword reported, the RiNo music venue and restaurant was shut down last week, labelled as a public nuisance for the unlawful discharge of a firearm. The incident referenced was a shooting on the morning of Monday, October 10,…

Joey Bada$$ and Five More Rappers You Can Watch on TV

On October 23, rapper Joey Bada$$ is playing at the Fillmore Auditorium with Schoolboy Q. But if you can’t make it out, you can always catch him on season two of Mr. Robot, in which Joey plays the philosophical, Seinfeld-obsessed sidekick to main character Elliot. The role garnered him some…

Autograf: The Art Installation That Became a Band

When attending a live show, an artist’s visual component can prove to be just as important as the sounds coming from the speakers. Brightly colored lights, lasers and graphic visuals projected on a screen are commonly seen, but how often are the artists actually building their own stage aesthetic with their own hands? Chicago-based…

Kanye West Coming to Denver Pepsi Center With Saint Pablo Tour

Kanye West just added a second leg to his Saint Pablo tour, including a date in Denver: November 28, 2016 at the Pepsi Center. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 22, at 10 a.m., online at www.AltitudeTickets.com, www.livenation.com and by phone at 303.893.TIXS. Tickets are $129.50 for GA floor, and $29.50-$129.50…

In Denver Metal, Khemmis Leads the Pack With Release of Hunted

Khemmis vocalist and guitarist Phil Pendergast remembers the moment he realized his new band might actually amount to something. The Denver quartet was in the process of recording its debut album — 2015’s Absolution — and Pendergast and bassist Dan Beiers took a quick break for some food. “We were…

The Ten Best Halloween 2016 Concerts in Denver

‘Tis the season for spooky shows and Halloween-themed musical events. Listed in chronological order, here are ten of the best concerts offered in the Mile High City to set the tone for the Samhain holiday season  For more seasonal events, please visit the Westword calendar.  1. True Widow, Emerald Siam and Lowlands Larimer…

Native Daughters on Guilty Pleasures

Playing in beloved bygone bands like Only Thunder and the Blackout Pact, Justin Hackl has been a pillar in the Denver music scene for over two decades. Nowadays he is the owner and operator of Hackl Guitars, in addition to playing with the beautifully brutal Native Daughters and raising a daughter…

History Colorado’s Tiny Library Concert Series Back for Second Season

Last year, History Colorado introduced its Tiny Library Concert Series, which was inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, in the Stephen H. Hart Library & Research Center. The 85-person “listening room” is surrounded by books and items from the museum’s collections. Last year’s lineup included a diverse selection of local acts like…

The Sincerity of the Freedom On Festival Veteran Benefit Show

You might assume that an event called Freedom On to be a kind of garish celebration of overzealous patriotism: nothing more than less-than-mediocre bands plus the Pledge of Allegiance led from the stage. It’s true that last weekend’s inaugural festival took place at the Grizzly Rose, a club that generally hosts…

Cloak & Dagger Festival 2016 Showcased the Diversity of Electronic Dance Music

Last weekend’s Cloak & Dagger music festival felt very different from going to EDM shows at Red Rocks in the summer, due to the event’s crowd and performers. The attendees represented an interesting mix of races, genders, sexual orientations and other social groupings that often divide people. Rock music hasn’t brought so…