Denver’s Chimney Choir will be playing at Syntax Physic Opera tonight. But playing is really an understatement. As the flyers pronounce, this is “The Launch.” See also: Denver’s Ten Best Small Venues…
The Rocky Mountain Hemp Association is a non-profit that works as an advocate for the hemp industry in Colorado, with particular emphasis on the actual growth of the plant on farms. So it is especially fitting that it is raising money by auctioning a guitar autographed by Willie Nelson: Noted…
Hopsin has done well in Colorado, playing to packed rooms in Denver and elsewhere for several years now. But something strange happened at his scheduled January 30 show at the Aggie Theater. He was supposed to play alongside Dizzy Wright, DJ Hoppa, and Black Pegasus. But, without explanation, he didn’t…
Update: And our winner is Rach12, with some lines from “The Shiznit.” Enjoy! We welcome our new weed-powered overlords, who fund our schools, drive tourism and, more and more, throw concerts. The biggest non-4/20 show expressly affiliated with the marijuana industry will be this weekend, when the Gypsy Jane Cannabis…
It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the world of music no one appreciates a copycat, especially those who work for months and sometimes even years to bring something new and original into the world. Tribute shows — that is, those with bands whose…
All illustrations by Dave Watt.Although musicians are infamous for walking out on bar tabs, trashing hotel rooms and hijacking chuckwagon sandwiches from gas stations, there is one thing they deserve: the ability to torture society with their particular brand of art. Sadly, it happens all too often that bands’ tours…
Wesley Davis has long been hosting his Textures series, with its focus on live ambient music. A couple of years ago, he used to host Textures in the basement of Gypsy House Café, but at the series’s new home, Mutiny Information Cafe, he doesn’t have to bring in a P.A.,…
By Chris Walker Do you have anything that goes well with Beethoven?” The clerk at the Denver Wellness Center looks at me strangely before motioning me over to a display case full of various THC-infused candies and baked goods. “Well,” he says, “we’ve got weed cookies, gummies, lollipops, chocolate…. I…
There’s an Internet meme that tells you what band you’re probably into based on state. For Colorado, that band is Naked and Famous. In 2013 that band played at the Fillmore to a large crowd. That sort of mixture of rock and synth pop and R&B finds a different manifestation…
It’s no secret that Denver is blessed with an overwhelming amount of music venues, places boasting calendars packed full of local and national acts every night of the week. We wanted to highlight some of the best of the little guys — venues that can hold crowds under 500 people…
. In recent years, fall has come on with a vengeance: with uncharacteristically heavy rains and early snow, and winter has refused to leave. But this year it has felt more like we’ve been given a reprieve. That climate, that natural ambiance perfectly suited a place like Chautauqua Auditorium and…
Sixteen-year-old me would’ve been obsessed with Lorde. Seriously: her number one fan. I would’ve bought tickets to her 1ST Bank Center show as soon as they went on sale, gotten to the venue early, and would’ve been the girl randomly cheering from the front long before Lorde appeared on stage…
STS9 headlines the Fillmore Auditorium on New Year’s Eve, and tickets ($75) go on sale on Saturday, October 4 at 10 a.m. Jane’s Addiction will perform Nothing’s Shocking in its entirety and more songs at the Ogden Theatre on Wednesday, November 19. Tickets ($85) go on sale on Saturday, October…
Itchy-O is a band that defies explanation: It’s a massive, noise-making horde of masked weirdos, an ecstatic jumble of influence and culture and myth. The Denver-based mobile unit is celebrating the release of its first full-length album, Burn the Navigator, on Alternative Tentacles. It headlined a show over the weekend…
Boulder-based Big Gigantic — the instrumental livetronica, hip-hop, jazz and electronic duo — took the Red Rocks stage this weekend for its third annual “Rowdy Town” show. The group collaborated with Denver-based funk band the Motet to do a full band set each night. Dominic Lalli, saxophonist of Big Gigantic…
Whenever someone mentions Ty Segall to me, I immediately feel compelled to tell the story of my friend Kevin. Years ago, at the sadly-defunct Boulder warehouse venue Astroland, a Ty Segall show got a bit insane, the band threw the drum set into the crowd, and Kevin’s head collided with…
Editor: Please see the Author’s note on this new photo-driven series at the end of this article. Ian MacKaye once said that the most relevant bands are those that exist right now, because they exist and you can go see them. I couldn’t agree more. One of the reasons I…
[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. Rufus Baxter: Part Eleven Rufus Baxter:…
You know Mike Dunafon: Mayor of Glendale, married to the owner of Shotgun Willie’s strip club, libertarian candidate for Colorado governor. He may not have a political resume with quite as much heft as his opponents, current governor John Hickenlooper and congressman Bob Beauprez. But he does promise to make…
Justin Townes Earle is playing at the Fox Theatre on Saturday, September 27. What you see here is a portion of the cover for his latest album, Single Mothers. It is another jewel in a growing catalogue of remarkable work. Earle has a unique ability to see the dignity and…
Tonight, the Savoy Events Center will once again be filled wall-to-wall with people from all walks of life who came for one reason: Rocking the mic. MCs from across Colorado will come together for the second Rap-A-Thon, which will feature art, fashion and hours of rhyming. See also: The “Controversy”…
Last weekend, Skylab, which featured headliner Tiesto, brought some 10,000 people to the Denver Coliseum. Among those were approximately 150 members of the online rave community Colorado EDM Family. A few of the “EDM Fam,” as they call themselves, saw a young girl fall to the ground outside the venue…
