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 with another edition of In the Mix, a feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from local producers and DJs. Although we’ve got one original track, this week’s edition is pretty much devoted to remixes of other tracks. Two Fresh brings a fresh flavor with its…
Electric Six (due Friday, March 7, at the Larimer Lounge) formed in Detroit in 1996. Not content to strictly follow any particular style of rock, the band has forged its own strange and surprisingly original path. Its greatest commercial and popular success came in 2003 with its debut, Fire, which…
When Andy Roberts moved to Colorado a few years ago, he immediately recognized the scene here as something he wanted to be a part of, which ultimately birthed the idea for the Denver Winter Showcase. Now in its sophomore year as a techno/house music party, the festival is totally geared…
Sonic Bloom, the mountain music and arts festival that has made its home at Shadows Ranch in Georgetown, Colorado, for the past few years, has announced a new location: American Safari Ranch in South Park, Colorado. No word on what prompted the move, but it could have something to do…
Being recognized as a top singer for two years running by American Idol seems like it should be a high point in a vocalist’s career. For Auroran Devan Blake Jones, the experience was more painful than if he had never tried in the first place. But he credits his time…
SKINNY PUPPY at OGDEN THEATRE | 2/24/14 The outrageous outfit Ogre is seen wearing above is just one of many he donned during his band’s show last night at the Ogden Theatre. Over the course of the show, the Skinny Puppy vocalist changed costumes at fairly regular intervals, the most…
After a few years of songwriting collaboration with Max Creek’s Scott Murawski, Mike Gordon’s latest effort is finally ready for consumption with the release of his new album, Overstep. Over the years, the man also known as the bassist of Phish has released numerous albums with his own band, each…
EELS will be at the Gothic Theatre on Wednesday, May 21, with Chelsea Wolfe. Tickets are $30.75 and go on sale this Saturday, March 1, at 10 a.m. Umphrey’s McGee returns for two nights, the first at the Boulder Theater on Friday, July 4, (tickets are $45/$50), followed by Red…
Formed in 1982, Skinny Puppy (due tonight, February 24, at the Ogden Theatre) is a pioneer of electronic industrial music. The band’s dark aesthetic and its visionary amalgamation of rhythm, texture and tone cast an indelible shadow on virtually all industrial music that followed in its wake. Throughout its career,…
JJ GREY & MOFRO at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 2/21/14 This show at the Fillmore offered a full night of funk in various forms, from the cowfunk stomp of Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers to the slick and polished Motown meets Shel Silverstein funk of Keller Williams, culminating with JJ Grey…
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…
