In the midst of three DJ stages filling the Denver Convention Center with massive sounds at Decadence over the New Year’s holiday was a blow up white igloo. It was frequently packed with dancing fans and DJs, but there was no sound coming from it. The EDM.com Silent Disco felt…
Itchy-O, by virtue of the sheer numbers of its membership, should devolve into chaos. Its shows can seem chaotic and on the brink of tipping over, especially when the group engages in that hybrid of tribal, traditional and Western marching band percussion and the crowd dances in kind. But it…
In a New Year’s concert filled with country-gothic murder ballads and tent-revival doomsday sermons, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club singer Munly Munly put on the creepiest performance of the night. Duded up in all black, Munly played the slightly unhinged sidekick to Slim Cessna’s country preacher on Wednesday, stalking around the…
The term “Ameripolitan” has been most notably championed by outspoken Texas singer-songwriter Dale Watson. But in recent years, other traditionalists, fed up with mainstream country music and looking for a way to separate themselves from the likes of Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift, have adopted the term as well. Some…
Decadence, a two night electronic music festival at the Colorado Convention Center, has grown into a New Year’s Eve tradition in Denver in recent years. About fifty DJs take one of four stages over the two nights, but the music is only part of the “Decadence experience.” With dancers on…
So active and vibrant are the musicians of Colorado that we could never truly compile a list of the year’s best releases. There were simply too many, from big-label full-lengths by exports like Tennis to obscure demo tapes by nascent punk bands. Taken as a whole, the musical output of…
With song titles like “As Long As There Is Whiskey in the World” and “Rum Brave,” Murder by Death — whose best album is 2012’s ambitious Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon — is a little bit like Jack Nicholson’s legendary character in The Shining, who famously said, “I’d give my goddamn…
As artists find more and more creative ways to deliver their music to fans, music videos have left MTV (left it completely, in fact) and become the territory of local creative communities. The medium is much richer for it, as tons of clips produced this year in Colorado prove. A…
Backstage at the 2012 Westword Music Showcase, Alex Anderson was getting ready to play with his two bands, ManCub and Flashlights, and trying to suppress a rising panic attack. “I had never been that anxious,” remembers Anderson. He and Ethan Converse were about to do two sets, first as ManCub,…
One of the biggest live music nights of the year is upon us: The last night of the year, specifically. If you want to end the year right, you may as well go big! Here is a list of some pricey parties that promise to end 2014 with a lavish…
Maybe you’ve seen the documentary on Anvil, the Canadian metal band that formed in 1978 and reportedly influenced bands like Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica. The Independent Spirit Award-winning documentary The Story of Anvil helped bring the band out of near obscurity after founding members Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s 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 YOUTH IS WASTED. • BACKBEAT’S GREATEST HITS •- 50…
Attending a five-year anniversary party, you naturally have some expectations. You expect, as you walk down the steps to the Soiled Dove Underground, to find an air of celebration. People doing shots at the bar. Friends hugging. A raucous, excited crowd chatting away as a enthusiastic performer plays on stage…
In early 2013, the D Note in Olde Town Arvada celebrated its tenth anniversary with a two-night party. The evening also marked the changing of hands of the restaurant/music venue, as Dave and Mernie Rosenberg bought the space from the DeGraff family. Now, nearly two years after taking over the…
One of the biggest live music nights of the year is upon us: The last night of the year, specifically. You’ll pay handsomely for the privilege of drinking with strangers while bands play at plenty of places in town (and hey, if that’s your thing…), but there are also no…
Ian Cooke is a Denver treasure, a musician whose lengthy career here has proven him as talented as he is creative. The cellist and band leader has always been an ambitious writer, but he took his story telling to new levels with “Cassowary & Fruit Bat,” a song with an…
Bettina Braun/FlickrWiggity wiggity wiggity wack.Ever since dance music decided to overdose on molly, the only respectable alternative for pop music lovers is hip-hop. With that said, we’re sorry, hip-hop, but we have to start holding you to a higher standard. You don’t want to end up like EDM, do you?…
Mouth House, located at 2858 California Street, was host to the most eclectic shows in the DIY circuit. From 2011 to 2013, it had a festival called Festibowl that included comedy and the kind of music you weren’t going to often find playing in bars or more commercial venues. It…
Imagine that you’re in a band going out on your first major tour. At most of the stops outside of your hometown, away from your friends, there are ten to twelve people watching your set. But at one show, 200 kids are packed into the venue, actually waiting to see…
If you want to have an adventure that won’t leave your wallet hurting too bad this New Year’s Eve, we’ve got you covered. From bluegrass to punk and everything in between, any of these events would be a fantastic way to ring in the start of a brand new year…
I write a lot about the women who have inspired me to make art — but there are dudes in this mix, too. Steve Albini’s stance on music as an industry, Kurt Cobain’s feminism, Henry Rollins’ staunch ethos on life as a musician, Mike Watt’s positive attitude and workhorse musicianship…
Here’s a list of good shows in America’s Greatest State this week. We’ve called this period of time “the holidays” in the headline up there, but we realize why that might be confusing/misleading. Here are the holidays we’re specifically referring to (in chronological order): The final day of Chanukah, Christmas…
