Riot Fest’s new Denver location: Five places it could go

While the folks behind Riot Fest were recently denied a temporary-use permit to hold the event at May Farms in Byers the third week in September, organizers will reportedly have a new venue announced in the coming days. Sure, it’s a major pain in the ass for everyone involved to…

Crowd-pleasing Cloud Nothings defy labels at Larimer Lounge

There’s been some discussion as to what to label Cloud Nothings. Punk, noise-rock, garage-rock, grunge and even emo have been tossed around when referring to the Ohio-based trio. But to put it into one of these labels would be a disservice. As the band proved at the Larimer Lounge last…

How a fourteen-year-old Weezer holy grail leaked last week

Weezer is the official band of AOL Instant Messenger. The years between 1996 and 2001, in which they went from well-reviewed one-hit-wonder to (briefly) unimpeachable generational touchstone, were peak-Buddy-List; in 2002 they demoed a song called “Private Message,” which is exactly what it sounds like. At some point every word…

Judas Priest, Interpol, Macy Gray shows on sale this weekend

In support of its seventeenth album, Redeemer of Souls, released July 8, the legendary Judas Priest brings its fall North American tour to the 1ST Bank Center on Wednesday, November 19 with Steel Panther opening. General admission and reserved tickets ($45 to $65) go on sale on Friday, July 18…

Taste of Mayhem was a gift for dedicated fans of metal

Rockstar Energy’s Taste Of Mayhem Fest gave Denver’s metal community the chance to see the bulk of bands on tour at an indoor venue, separate from main stage headliners, which will play tonight at Red Rocks. The supposed undercard for this year’s fest nevertheless sold out as fans clamored to…

Syntax Physic Opera proves its potential on opening weekend

Despite the closure of Broadway south of Alameda, it wasn’t too difficult to find one’s way over to Syntax Physic Opera on opening weekend. Walking through the front door felt like exiting Broadway in Denver on a hot July evening and entering a ’50s jazz lounge or after-hours club, with…

The eight best shows in Denver this week

It’s a particularly good week at Red Rocks, with something like half of our recommended shows taking place at the World’s Sexiest Natural Ampitheatre. There is a particularly appealing collection of Colorado talent taking that stage on Thursday, when DeVotchKa joins the symphony orchestra for what is becoming an annual…

Riot Fest denied a permit by Arapahoe County to host festival in Byers

UPDATE: Riot Fest’s organizers announced plans on July 18 to move the festival to the grounds of Sports Authority Field. In addition, organizers said they would offer any Byers residents interested in attending Riot Fest free admission, as well as free shuttle service to the venue. “Simply, we were duped,”…

The twelve best shows in Denver this weekend

Another several-night stand at Red Rocks this weekend: The Avett Brothers play three shows at the World’s Only Natural Amphitheater. Elsewhere, Ms. Lauryn Hill will confound you with a bunch of songs that sound absolutely nothing like the hits your remember. And Joan Baez goes from Denver to Fort Collins…

Eleven lessons I learned at my first metal show

I love music. I really do. But I need to get something out in the air: I have been guilty of not giving all genres of music a chance. Because of that, I have never been to a serious metal show before. That all changed a few weeks ago when…