Grown, Sober, Reunited — and Still Ween

As if it hadn’t been four years, and a whole lot of drama, since the last time Ween performed, Aaron Freeman—who had shocked his bandmates in 2012 by announcing, in a Rolling Stone interview, that Ween was over and he’d no longer go by Gene Ween—smiled and told a sold-out,…

Ween, Erykah Badu and the Best Concerts in Denver This Weekend

Ween, who last played in Denver four years ago, reunite for three shows this weekend at 1STBANK Center while the New Mastersounds play two night at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, the Flaming Lips are the Belly Up Aspen and Erykah Badu is at the Ogden Theatre on Valentine’s Day. See the…

Open Music Session: Anthony Russo Band Rolls Out the Blues

Anthony Russo Band performed at the September edition of the Open Music Sessions, the free monthly concert and party hosted by Denver’s Open Media Foundation. Fresh off a tour behind Curtis Hawkins’ LP South Clarkson Street, the local trio — which includes Hawkins himself on bass — brought its blend of…

Maurice White and the Subtle Power of His Music and Message

When a musician’s career spans as many decades and is as prolific as Maurice White’s was, that person is often given the benefit of being many things to many different kinds of people. Most notably, White was founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, a group whose roots are very important…

Dead & Company, Phish and Every New Concert Announcement

Dead & Company, which features Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir, as well as John Mayer and others, will headline Folsom Field on Saturday, July 2 and Sunday July 3. They’ll be the first shows at University of Colorado’s 50,000-capacity stadium since Dave Matthews Band’s show there in…

Hop Along Extras: Frances Quinlan on Denver’s “Amazing Free Clinic”

Last week we interviewed Frances Quinlan of Hop Along, a genre-straddling indie rock band that’s made music critics (including this one) gush. (That Voice tho!) Our conversation ranged from Chris Brown and Taco Bell to Denver’s “amazing free clinic,” which hopefully Quinlan won’t need to visit again when the band…

Watch Denver Bands in Your Underwear — for a Good Cause

“We make fun of people getting underwear for Christmas in childhood,” says Bethany Wallace. “But some people only have the pair they’re wearing, and that’s a bizarre invisibility to our privilege.” Wallace is the organizer of UnderAware: Unmentionables Costume Party and Benefit Show for Urban Peak featuring live music from…

How AC/DC in Concert Is Like Watching It’s a Wonderful Life

At this point in its long and ragged career, going to an AC/DC show is much like watching It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas. It’s warm, familiar, and you can recite line after line, possibly to the annoyance of the person sitting next to you. To its fans, an AC/DC show is like…

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Kept It Dark and Powerful at the Ogden

A few minutes before Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s string section took the stage last night at the Ogden Theatre, a slow, bass-heavy drone began washing over the packed-in Denver crowd. Kids who had been jammed against the rail for two hours waiting for the electrifying Montreal symphonic indie-rock act suddenly…

Bassist Gary Peacock on How Jazz Chose Him

Long before becoming one of the world’s preeminent jazz bassists and performing with celebrated pianists like Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans and Paul Bley, Gary Peacock had an experience in 1953 while playing drums for his high school graduating class when he realized that jazz was his calling. “I had a…

Twist & Shout Wants to School You on How To Buy Vinyl

Almost everyday at local record-selling institution Twist & Shout, owner Paul Epstein says he notices the same thing: a constant stream of young buyers all looking at vinyl with “a deer in the headlights” look, examining vinyl “like the monkeys in 2001: A Space Odyssey.” The customers are clueless, and…

Super Bowl Victory Rally and Parade to Feature Free Concerts

Like the rest of Denver, we have been experiencing a deluge of emotions following the Broncos’ victory in Super Bowl 50 — mostly positive, and mostly expressed nonverbally via cheers, happy grunts, the occasional clash with police and tears over Beyoncé. (She dressed as a Black Panther. Does that mean…