Wax Tailor is the long-running hip-hop/downtempo project of Jean-Christophe Le Saoût. In the ’90s, Le Saoût was involved with the rap band La Formule, and in the latter part of that decade, frustrated with the creative restrictions of a major label, he established the Lab’Oratoire imprint. In 2001, Le Saoût…
Black Flag paved the way. It’s no exaggeration to say that the circuit of underground touring in America would not have happened as early as it did — or perhaps at all — without Black Flag opening the routes for so many bands, punk and otherwise, to follow. Along with…
Ben Goldberg is a virtuosic Bay Area clarinetist who grew up in Denver and went to East High School. For his outstanding new album, Unfold Ordinary Mind, Goldberg enlisted some of his favorite players, including guitar wizard Nels Cline, consummate tenor saxophonists Ellery Eskelin and Rob Sudduth, and brilliant drummer…
The Motherfucking Ruckus (or MF Ruckus, for those with more delicate sensibilities) couldn’t be more aptly named: Not only does the handle describe the musical mayhem these dudes create, both in the studio and on stage, but it’s also a perfect description of what hell the band’s sleazy hard rock…
When Ryan James recorded 2011’s Fall Systems Go under the Belle Jar moniker, he handled all of the vocals and all of the instruments. Since then, the project has grown into a six-piece; fittingly, for the recently released Union Station, the group took a collaborative approach to writing. As a…
On his latest release, Patrick Dethlefs seems to strip back the songwriting a bit from what we heard on 2012’s accomplished Fall & Rise. From the beginning, one of the virtues of Dethlefs’s songwriting has been a tastefully spare use of elements, and this remains at the core of the…
“Garuda,” the first song on Rossonian’s self-titled debut, sounds at first as though inter-dimensional aliens have taken over Steely Dan, but less than a minute in, the song shifts into syncopated, hazy pop akin to that of MGMT, only with more of a jazz foundation. “Love Clutch” has a power-pop…
Someday a monograph about punk will give Naked Raygun its proper place of prominence in the genre’s history. Naked Raygun was one of the most important punk bands to emerge in Chicago during the Reagan era. Inspired in part by the diversity of sounds in that initial wave of English…
The Dismemberment Plan formed on New Year’s Day 1993. Although the act hails from the Washington, D.C., area, it wasn’t really affiliated with the legendary DIY punk scene fostered by Dischord Records, but its eccentricity was embraced nonetheless. In its early years, the Dismemberment Plan truly explored a broad range…
DANNY BROWN & ACTION BRONSON at OGDEN THEATRE | 9/17/13 Danny Brown walked out in his $4,000+ outfit (or so I was told by a fashionable concertgoer) looking ratty as ever. It’s amazing how, when combined with Brown’s unkempt hair, missing front teeth and general aura of decay, even the…
MUSE at PEPSI CENTER | 9/17/13 A Muse show is never short on spectacle and stunning visuals, and this Pepsi Center date was no exception. One of the most impressive moments came at the beginning of “Sunburn” when a single turquoise beam came down from the ceiling to a sphere…
Ready? Riot Fest is just three days away, and if you haven’t planned your itinerary yet, now’s your chance. We’ve got the full schedule. While the entire lineup is stupid good, Saturday is the day we’re most looking forward to — The Replacements, Iggy and the Stooges, Superchunk, Rocket From…
Just received word from that Foxygen’s upcoming show at the Bluebird on Tuesday, September 24, has been canceled, and no new date has been secured. The act’s frontman, Sam France, is still recovering from a broken leg he suffered earlier this summer in Minneapolis. Refunds for the show are available…
Cage the Elephant formed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2006. And while the group’s 2008 self-titled, debut full-length was met with a great deal of acclaim in this country, it wasn’t until after the band lived in England for a spell that it gained notice. Influenced by alt-rock, the outfit…
By now, you’ve probably heard about the Colorado Symphony’s latest collaboration. After several lauded pairings with beloved local acts like DeVotchKa and Nathaniel Rateliff, with whom the players successfully teamed up at this year’s Westword Music Showcase, the Symphony backed the Lumineers on a few songs up at Red Rocks…
In advance of the National’s show tonight at Red Rocks, we spoke with Aaron Dessner. We printed the excerpts from our chat with him in this week’s paper, and today on the blog, we have the full Q&A. Dessner talks about what could be in store for the band’s next…
Robin Thicke, the man responsible for “Blurred Lines,” the uncontested song of the summer, is set to headline the Fillmore Auditorium on Sunday, March 23, with support from Jessie J and DJ Cassidy. Tickets ($49.50-$55) go on sale this Friday, September 20, at 10 a.m. Keep reading to see what…
At the end of August, the Colorado Springs-based Independent Records chain closed its store at 937 East Colfax Avenue. Angelo’s CDs, which recently opened a new store at 1959 South Broadway and has stores in Aurora and Wheat Ridge, has since moved into the space next door to the Ogden…
At his X-Factor audition at the Denver Coliseum earlier this year, which was finally shown this past Thursday on the show’s premiere, Jeff Brinkman took Kelly Rowland’s breath away before he even sang a note. Rowland gasped noticeably as the shaggy-haired, 36-year-old singer (and T.J. Miller lookalike) from Longmont revealed…
THE LUMINEERS at RED ROCKS | 9/15/13 Unsurprisingly, Red Rocks erupted in cheers at the opening strains of “Ho Hey,” the Lumineers breakthrough hit. Even though the song is kind of a delicate love song whose most prominent instruments are mandolin and drums, clearly the tune has struck a massive…
PENTAGRAM at SNOWBOARD ON THE BLOCK | 9/14/13 If Pentagram’s last show in Denver in March 2010 left a bit to be desired, this performance more than made up for it. Coming out of the gates with “Treat Me Right,” Bobby Liebling and his new line-up were in fine form,…
In jazz discussions, the saxophonists and the trumpeters generally dominate the conversation, and rightly so. Equally as integral to the music, though, is the rest of the band. While we’ve already listed the pianists, and we’ll soon be taking a look at bassists and drummers, today we focus on the…
