The Ten Best Secret-Identity Bands in Denver — 2016 Edition

Denver has been home to many musical acts that perform in costume or under an alias, personas that inform the aesthetic of the songwriting and performance. Sometimes the disguises are meant to take the emphasis off of a specific identity. Sometimes they’re used to create a sense of something special…

We’re Going Back to the Gathering of the Juggalos

After a much-needed two-year hiatus from the madness that is Insane Clown Posse’s annual Gathering of the Juggalos festival, we’re happy to report that this year, we’re going back. L.A. Weekly is off to Thornville, Ohio, for the Gathering, which runs July 20-23, and will be reporting throughout the week on…

A Night Calling Adele’s Lonely Hearts Advice Hotline

Twenty thousand people filled Denver’s Pepsi Center last night, the first of two instantly sold-out nights at the arena, yet British singer-songwriter Adele made the room feel as intimate as a barroom cabaret. The gifted vocalist built her performance not on showcasing elaborate set-pieces or her soaring ballads, but on…

Mitski Kept Larimer Lounge at Arm’s Length

Mitski keeps no secrets. At least that what you would be led to believe had you listened to Puberty 2, her much-hyped (and deservedly so) fourth record replete with personal histories of heartbreak, despair, fear and longing. Though restrained, it’s impossible to miss the self-consciously confessional edge within her songwriting,…

Remember That 82-Year-Old Metalhead? He’s Going Beyond America’s Got Talent

In June, John Hetlinger gained national notoriety for his performance on America’s Got Talent, when he delivered a spine-raking rendition of hard-rock band Drowning Pool’s hit “Bodies.” The 82-year-old Colorado man’s surprising audition featured his growling the lyrics “Let the bodies hit the floor” before breaking into a roar.  Hetlinger…

Korn’s Human Connections Are the Source of Its Enduring Popularity

Korn’s new album — its twelfth full-length in a 23-year career — is recorded and mixed and set for release later in 2016. While no details are available ahead of the release it’s certain that the record will be informed by the band’s diverse musical roots and the thoughtful sensibilities…

Andrew W.K.’s Speaking Tour Will Party Hard in Denver

Party hard and listen up! Andrew W.K. is spreading his message, “The Power of Partying,” through more than music this fall; today he announced a fifty-state speaking tour. Take a look at our “day in the life” of the rock star at 2010’s Warped Tour.  The Infamous Stringdusters: Big Top…

Sting and Peter Gabriel Had Faith in Each Other at Pepsi Center

Early in Sting and Peter Gabriel’s Pepsi Center show, which was part of their “Rock Paper Scissors” tour, Gabriel told the audience that the set would be “a little like karaoke night in Denver.” Gabriel’s band, dressed in black with red stripes on parts of their clothing, was the red…

Space in Time’s New EP Expands With Singer Suzanne Magnuson

In spring 2015, the career of Denver-based hard rock band Space in Time nearly came to a screeching halt. Long-time singer Mike Atencio had stepped down and the rest of Space in Time didn’t know if they could continue without him. Yet all along, one of the band’s early fans…

Central City Opera Revives the Ghosts of a Colorado Scandal

It was a cover story that could easily scream from today’s supermarket tabloid rack: He was a typical American slob and she was a hot mess. Horace Tabor lucked into wealth, then built a flashy, short-lived empire on it. He dumped his longtime wife for a young, beautiful woman —…

Scott Amendola Band Gets Emotional at Dazzle

One night in June 2002, Bay Area-based drummer Scott Amendola finished recording the tracks for Cry, his second album as a bandleader. He and guitarist Nels Cline (who would join Wilco two years later) sat in the control room afterward. Commenting on the wide variety of material on Cry, Cline…

Fighting Through the Bullshit at the Botanic Gardens With case/lang/veirs

Songwriter supergroup case/lang/veirs conspired with the Denver Botanic Gardens last night to produce some pretty bucolic moments. For example: Picture, during a performance of the group’s lovely tribute to the tragic life of Judee Sill, two little kids moving barefoot through some invented ballroom dancing steps before bursting into giggles…

Cave Rave Sets a Sweaty Stage on the Path to Fantasia

You may have heard of Fantasia, the multi-media presentation wherein Rhinoceropolis is converted for a night into an immersive art show and musical event, which is being scheduled for the fall. This weekend, on Saturday, July 9, you can participate in Cave Rave, a dance-music event coupled with installation art, and…