LORD HURON at OGDEN THEATRE | 2/21/14 When the members of Lord Huron took the stage, they looked snappy, as though each member had actually taken the time to look like he was in a band but without hitting us over the head with a visual representation. The band’s music,…
FRI | PENTAGRAM at SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 2/28/14 If you’ve seen Last Days Here, you’re familiar with the frustrating tale of Pentagram. Formed in Virginia in the early ’70s, the pioneering psychedelic metal band should have, by all accounts, realized massive worldwide fame. Instead, success evaded the outfit, thanks…
The time is now to pick up your Westword Music Showcase tickets. Starting today at 10 a.m., if you’re one of the first 2,000 folks to buy tickets using the “music” promo code, you’ll get an exclusive pre-sale price of $25. Act now to get this deal, as ticket prices…
It’s no secret that April 20 is a big day around here, and this year at Red Rocks, it’s going to be celebrated by some of ganja’s biggest advocates, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. Both cats are obviously no stranger to the herb, so it only makes sense that they’ll…
The Lawrence Arms (due Saturday, February 22, at The Summit Music Hall) started in 1999 when former members of the Broadways, Brendan Kelly and Chris McCaughan, decided to do a more melodic punk band focused on often startlingly detailed and personal but emotionally vibrant music that didn’t wax into the…
Music is life — or at least it is for us. When we’re not writing about it, we’re thinking about it, talking about it or listening to it. These are the things that were in heavy rotation for us this week. What are you listening to? What should we be…
SAT | ARTOPIA at SOCO CLUBS | 2/22/14 Pruitt Poythress has crafted a sound that translates his fascination with the storytelling styles of hip-hop’s golden era into modern dance music. Creating big-room sounds minus the same old build-and-drop structure of most electronic sets, Pruitt works the ebbs and flows of…
SAT | ARTOPIA at SOCO CLUBS | 2/22/14 Artopia is always a blast, and this year’s lineup includes a cornucopia of producers and bands handpicked from the local scene, including Shady Elders, Confluence, FaceMan, Colfax Speed Queen, the Outfit, the Royal, Pruitt, Mikey Thunder, Decadon, Lotus Drops, Pan Astral and…
Somebody has listed a pair of Beats Pro headphones on eBay that is allegedly one of the pairs that was gifted to the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl week. According to the listing, only 108 were manufactured, and 54 were given to each team. The headphones are diamond gemmed, according…
Bummer news if you were planning on catching Slaughterhouse at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, April 1. The show has been canceled, and refunds are available wherever you purchased tickets. According to the folks at AEG, the outfit has postponed its tour to focus efforts on finishing its forthcoming album…
It was evident early on that New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton had tremendous trumpet chops. After a stint with legendary drummer Elvin Jones, Payton inked a deal with Verve at the age of twenty and went on to release seven discs for the imprint, as well as a number of…
In his weekly column, award-winning goofball Shea Serrano, whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book, writes about his life and times. 3:20 p.m.: Today I am chaperoning our school’s Valentine’s Day dance. A line of about 100 kids is already waiting to get into the cafeteria,…
A few months ago, the original Walnut Room on Walnut Street closed in its patio, put heaters out there and expanded the seating. Because of that, the spot has been a lot more busy and to accommodate for that the kitchen is being expanded and the bar in the music…
The title of “Reverend” is high on the list when Jason Downing breaks down his many duties in the Fort Collins-based quintet Musketeer Gripweed. “It’s teaching and preaching,” says Downing of his deeper mission in the folk, rock, roots and gospel outfit. “That’s what I’m interested in having in the…
Surprisingly, spoken word is not often successfully combined with rap. On Nightdreams & Daymares, however, Bianca Mikahn does a flawless job of bridging the two. Pulling from deep wells of assonance, consonance and rhyme, Mikahn dances in the ebb and flow of Dile’s dreamy production, her free association finding and…
It’s clear that the members of We’s Us put a lot of care, attention and craft into their self-titled full-length. The evidence lies in the complex melodies, nuanced effects and layered sounds that mark each of the album’s fourteen tracks. A lengthy stretch of effects-laden guitar lines and augmented chords…
It’s fairly evident from “Jackson Town,” the opening cut on the Railsplitters’ twelve-song, self-titled debut, and tunes like “Lonesome Feeling” and “Blue Moon” that the Boulder-based quartet has a respectable handle on traditional bluegrass. But elsewhere on the disc, it’s clear that bluegrass and roots are also something of a…
On his new EP, Man Mantis demonstrates how a year or two of experimentation across a handful of singles has sharpened his creative output. Compared to the material on his last album (Cities Without Houses), the rhythm palette has been expanded, and the sense of space within arrangements has improved…
Back again here with another fresh batch of homegrown hip-hop. This week we’ve got a new club anthem from Myrical, a genre-blending gem from Hwood, a new cut from Trev Rich and sweet serenade from Boozilla with some help from Dae Dai. Continue on to see what’s good this week…
Superhumanoids (due this Friday, February 21, at the Ogden Theatre) formed in Los Angeles in 2009, when friends and multi-instrumentalists Cameron Parkins, Sarah Chernoff and Max St. John came together over a mutual interest in R&B and ’80s pop music. Though much has been made of the group’s connection to…
While Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme made singing jazz standards part of their repertoire, some consider them to be more from the crooners school. Here we’ve put together a list of the ten of the best male singers who excelled in jazz, whether it be…
In his weekly column, award-winning goofball Shea Serrano, whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book, writes about his life and times. Flickr/Javier Lopez Zavala Earlier this week, I went to the funeral of a person that I cared about. While I am of course happy that…
