Rhinoceropolis opened to the public with an art show the first week of May 2005. It was founded by Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design students Harry C. Walters and Jeremiah Teutsch and musicians/artists Milton Melvin Croissant III (aka “Buddy”) and Warren Bedell. The four had spent plenty of…
Back in 2005, there were barely any signs of life along the industrial strip of Brighton Boulevard between downtown Denver and Interstate 70. But that year, behind the unmarked metal door of an unassuming blond-brick building at 3553 Brighton Boulevard, Rhinoceropolis was born.The modest, two-“room” warehouse is celebrating its tenth…
For over two years, in a galaxy not that far away (the Baker district), Moon Magnet Studios has been recording and shaping a collective of musicians in a communal habitat, and it’s far out, man. When it comes to recording studios, there are nearly as many places to record as…
Sure, heavy metal music has a history. But could heavy metal music be history? With inspirations ranging from Ancient Egypt and Rome to the American Revolution, and even the Second World War, many bands representing various genres of metal are composing music that pays homage to our collective past, in…
Denver’s Ian Cooke spent the weekend in Fort Collins, armed only with his cello, his effects pedal and his voice, ready to convert new fans and meet with old ones. On Thursday night, he played a solo set on the roof of the months-old Illegal Pete’s. “That’s an honor, and…
Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book SAINT COLE from Fantagraphics books. Last Week’s episode of Rufus…
The 7th annual FoCoMX festival took place this weekend in Fort Collins. Bars, venues, breweries and coffee shops were packed with sweaty, often drunk fans swaying to their favorite local stars. There were plenty of memorable moments from the weekend, but there is no experience quite like the one you…
Last night, the third floor of the McNichols Civic Center building was transformed into a musical game show, complete with judging cards, a panel of guests, and two witty hosts. Bob Boilen, the host of NPR’s All Songs Considered — the decade-old musical-exploration radio show-turned-podcast — and his sidekick, Stephen Thompson, an…
Underground hip-hop was on the ascent by the early 2000s and reached a bit of an apex in its popularity by the middle of the decade. In that time, Chris Steele released his debut album Litterture in 2004. His clever wordplay and thoughtful, if irreverent, humor made his rap songs…
In an effort to celebrate the end of the semester for Colorado State University-Pueblo students and perhaps to regain a bit of relevance, The All-American Rejects made the trek down south for a show on the college campus. But it turns out that even in a small town that seems…
Lightning Bolt may be the best live band you’ve never seen. Friday’s show at GLOB is sure to have made more than a few believers in the power of two guys, bass and drums and one tightly packed, sweaty throng of humanity. Now touring in support of their new album…
This weekend’s best shows include Leon Russell at the Oriental, Michal Menert at Red Rocks, Lightning Bolt at Glob and a pair of worthy festival-type events. It’s good to be a music fan in Colorado. The rest of our picks follow.All weekend Denver Music Summit All weekend @ McNichols Civic…
Riot Fest is back in 2015, with a new location: the National Western Complex. This will be the third home for the festival in its three years in Colorado. The Fest, which started in Chicago in 2005, features a decidedly non-standard lineup — last year’s Denver installment included Slayer, the…
The Raven and The Writing Desk is the same band Denver has known for the past four years in name only. Spouses Scott Conroy and Julia Libassi are still the band leaders, and they are still clinging to the literary name of Raven and The Writing Desk. But beyond that,…
On the advice of the following reader comment left on the story about Wax Trax not participating in Record Store Day, we ended up at the iconic 13th Avenue record store yesterday. I work over at Wax Trax Records and I just wanted to mention one thing that didn’t get…
In 2002, a group of then bandmates and I drove all the way from Grand Junction to Boulder to witness Pinhead Circus’ “last” show. It was an emotional moment for us, as the band, fronted by the larger than life personality Scooter James, was a huge inspiration to us musically,…
When Dweezil Zappa formed his Zappa Plays Zappa project a decade ago, one of his goals was to hip younger listeners to the music of his father, Frank Zappa, who passed away in 1993. But the first year he took the band on the road, a lot of people from…
Helicopter Copter is not a band, really. And though a group of musicians came together to create textured pieces of sound, they don’t necessarily consider the finished work songs. And though there are six recorded sonic expressions in this first body of work entitled Whisper Down The Lane, the pieces…
Rose Quartz has had a busy 2015. The Denver duo spent most of the spring on tour, and now, upon returning to town, have released a music video for the song “Leaving Now” — a single from the EP Axis of Love. The video was filmed all over Brooklyn, and…
Neil Young teams up with Promise of the Real, which features Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah, for two nights at Red Rocks on Wednesday, July 8 & Thursday, July 9. The two acts joined forces for the upcoming studio effort, The Monsanto Years, which is slated for release on…
Veteran songwriter John Common has been treating Denverites to well-crafted, imaginative songwriting since his days in alt-country band Rainville. Having worked with a handful of bands and projects since then, Common has demonstrated remarkable flexibility in both sound and performance. His collaborators over the years have included a number of…
Adam Rojo and Nick Salmon aren’t the kind of people that would beat you over the head with their importance or even much push their music on you. It’s nothing new as evidenced by the fact that their previous projects are cult bands at best in certain circles in Denver…
