The Outfit at Larimer Lounge, 8/24/13

THE OUTFIT @ LARIMER LOUNGE | 8/24/13 The Outfit saved one of its best songs for late in the set, and the sparkling urgency at the beginning of “What Happened To You?” perfectly framed the song’s poignant lyrics, which were inspired by a chance encounter Eric Johnston had at a…

Dave Matthews Band at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 8/23/13

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND @ DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK | 8/23/13 The skies were dark over Commerce City on Friday night as fans tailgated in the parking lots outside of Dick’s, cracking beers and playing their favorite Dave Matthews Band tunes. But the threatening clouds didn’t dampen the excitement for this…

The ten best shows in Denver this week

PHISH @ DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK | 8/30/13-9/1/13 Phish is playing at Dick’s this weekend. You know what that means, right? Yep –the end of summer. Bye-bye, barbecues and basking in the sun. Besides signifying the conclusion of the iconic Vermont band’s summer tour, the now-annual three-day extravaganza represents the…

The ten best shows in Denver this weekend

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND @ DICK’S SPORTING GOODS | 8/23-8/24 Twenty years ago, the Dave Matthews Band played Red Rocks for the first time, opening for the Tragically Hip and the Samples, and went on to build a loyal following with early shows at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. In the…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

DERRICK CARTER @ NORAD | FRI, 8/23/13 When fans of house music talk about Derrick Carter, they use words that might seem hyperbolic to those not in the know — words like “legendary.” But the truth is, every superlative that’s used to describe the man is wholly appropriate. At age…

The fifteen best hair metal bands of all time

Before grunge scrubbed the smeared makeup off of the face of hair metal and trimmed its flowing locks, an endless parade of longhaired dudes did their level best to destroy the ozone layer, fueled by a steady diet of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Oh, and, well, depending on…

Baroness at Ogden Theatre, 8/21/13

BARONESS @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 8/21/13 After the year Baroness had, it was obvious the quartet was happy to out playing again, and the crowd at the Bluebird last night was likewise amped to see the band. This was displayed none more powerfully and vividly than during the performance of…

Cassie Taylor has the blues in her blood

It was just like a Thanksgiving miracle, to be honest,” says Cassie Taylor, recalling the first time she played bass. Her father, famed Boulder-based bluesman Otis Taylor, and then-bandmate Kenny Passarelli were messing around with “Hey Joe” when a teenage Cassie walked in and said, “Well, that’s kind of a…

The Outfit puts together a smart new EP

It’s been roughly two years since the Outfit last put out an album. During that time, the band’s current members — singer/guitarist Eric Johnston, bassist Mike King, drummer RJ Powers and lead guitarist Mikael Kilates — have been developing their sound, going from its earlier, highly promising indie pop to…

Bad Weather California

Back Seats is a major leap forward for Bad Weather California, in terms of both music and songwriting. Chris Adolf has never sounded more confident or as much in his element as he does here, where the angst and emotional turmoil of the past is not as obvious as it…

Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams

No matter how Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams approach country, they do a damn fine job, as evidenced by Rocky Mountain Honky Tonk, the band’s latest release. While the five-piece clearly excels at up-tempo cuts, such as “Beaver Hat Boogie,” which features some fine steel guitar from Bret Billings, and…

True Aristocrats

Isaiah “Ikey” Owens has left his mark on more than his fair share of Colorado music in the past few years. The eight tracks on True Aristocrats’ Mary Amygdala bear the hallmarks of his production, including adventurous jazz structures and psychedelically tinged keyboard work. And although the band’s Tyler Lindren…

Maxwell Hughes

It’s easy to mistake Maxwell Hughes’s furious output on the acoustic guitar as the work of multiple players. Through percussive taps on wood, dense and dizzying fingerpicking and a two-handed approach to tapping, Hughes coaxes every possible sound out of the instrument. That majestic sound is the most consistently impressive…

Baroness battles back from catastrophe

By Jason Roche One year ago, Baroness was touring Europe in support of its critically acclaimed record Yellow & Green. The ambitious double album was generating a strong buzz for the Georgia-based band. The momentum came to a screeching halt, though, on a rainy morning in August, 2012, when the…