BIG GIGANTIC @ RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE | 9/29/12 As Dominic Lalli, the sax man who forms one half of Big Gigantic, introduced “Colorado Mountain High,” a projection of the Centennial state’s flag draped Ship Rock and Creation Rock. The crowd went wild, and the duo performed its best set yet…
On Saturday night, Big Gigantic sold out its first ever headlining show at Red Rocks. We’ve been following the talented duo since the early days, so with the eagerly anticipated arrival of Rowdytown, the aptly named night for the penultimate show at Red Rocks, we followed the guys around to…
THE OFFSPRING @ FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 9/27/12 It was maybe four songs into the Offspring’s set — somewhere around “Days Go By” and “Have You Ever,” that the message became clear: Purists be damned. Frontman Dexter Holland looks every bit of his 46 years, and if his band didn’t want…
By B. Caplan Unless Genghis Khan comes back to life in the next 48 hours, the most badass dude in Denver this weekend is going to be Cody ChesnuTT. No bones about it. That’s Mr. ChesnuTT in the picture above. And he’s cooler than you. Sorry. He wears an army…
After an exhaustive 72-month long search in which we literally sacrificed the best years of our young lives combing through and examining reams and reams of articles, spread sheets and op-eds, and wading through countless more hours of supposed expert opinions miring us in endless conjecture on the subject, we…
MONO @ LARIMER LOUNGE | 9/27/12 Mono’s entire set felt like a grand meditation on the interconnectedness of patterns from the tides coming in and out daily in step with the tides of the moon, and changing in character with the changing of the seasons. The flow and evolving levels…
In this very special edition of Heavy Rotation, you not only get a through-the-keyhole view of our musical proclivities, but you also get a few words from us on our top pick of the week. Keep reading to find out what Mark Sanders considers musical comfort food, why Kelsey Whipple…
While Big Gigantic’s sold-out show tomorrow night at Red Rocks is probably the most high profile show in town this weekend, there’s plenty of other dance music and otherwise bustling nightlife to enjoy this weekend. From the shooting superstar Laura Jones to Designer Drugs at Bar Standard, the Dance Card…
Hell yeah! It’s finally Friday! Welcome to the weekend! Feel like tossing back a few cold ones and seeing some live music? You’ve come to the right place. There’s an overwhelming number of outstanding shows for you to check out this weekend. We’ve got all of them listed in our…
Rockbar’s liquor license is up for renewal, and yesterday, a hearing officer recommended that it not be renewed. On Monday, a hearing was held, and subsequent to the proceedings, William Hobbs, the officer considering the matter, recommended that the license not be renewed for the popular Colfax bar that Jesse…
Chris Brokaw has had a career in underground music that sounds like it can’t possibly be true: He went to Oberlin College in the ’80s, where he met Sooyoung Park, Liz Phair, John McEntire and Stephen Immerwahr. After graduation he played drums briefly with GG Allin, and from there he…
ESPERANZA SPALDING @ OGDEN THEATRE | 9/26/12 Last night’s Esperanza Spalding performance was unlike most that the Ogden Theatre sees — or has seen, for that matter. The presence of chairs (chairs!) in front of the stage was testimony to this. The Ogden is a rock club, first and foremost…
After eight years of being next door to Pasquini’s at 1312 South Broadway, Tavern 13 is moving a few blocks south to 1643 South Broadway, in the space of the former Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli. Owner Natalie Robles, who took over Tavern 13 in May 2009 after managing it, says she’s…
When Tim Bruns and Mike Morter came together with the other members of Churchill — drummer Joe Richmond, bassist Tyler Rima and pianist/vocalist Bethany Kelly — their goals were rather humble: They just wanted to play at the hi-dive and then eventually make music for a living. “Right away,” says…
Mining the past is nothing new, and goodness knows we’ve heard enough of the usual classic-rock canon being reinvented for the modern era with little being added. Some may see the Cutthroat Drifters (due Saturday, September 29, at Bender’s Tavern) and dismiss it as yet another blues-inflected rock band, but…
Holy hip-hop star Lecrae resides in Atlanta now, but the MC spent his early teens in Denver, so this is still a hometown show. The Dove Award winner and Grammy nominee has put in years of persistent grinding, which has helped him become one of the few gospel rappers to…
Within two years of forming in 1999, Mono came to the attention of noted American avant-garde musician John Zorn, who released the band’s debut on his Tzadik label as part of the New Japan series that included Merzbow, Melt Banana and Ruins. Under the Pipal Tree (a reference to the…
In addition to performing with singer-songwriters like Ani DiFranco and Natalie Merchant and touring with Brandi Carlile for the past few years, the in-demand and innovative drummer Allison Miller, who’s been wielding sticks since she was ten years old, has also played with such jazz heavies as Marty Ehrlich and…
Before Venom came along to combine the sludgy, dark psychedelia of Black Sabbath with the aggression of punk, there was Los Angeles’s Saint Vitus. Although clearly taking some cues from Tony Iommi in its guitar sound, Saint Vitus also cited Black Flag as an influence. (Anyone more than casually familiar…
Blatantly employing a familiar pronoun in their name, Thee Dang Dangs are not shy about revealing their influences. Their sound directly mirrors that of San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees, and the acknowledgement of it in their handle frees up the listener to sincerely enjoy how expertly the band delivers that…
The free association that characterizes JDirty’s new mixtape is a double-edged sword: While his lyrics are unpretentious and seemingly effortless, they often come off as too effortless, with obvious, sometimes sing-songy rhymes prevailing. Still, it’s nice that the MC doesn’t take himself too seriously, dishing some legitimately funny lines: On…
On Ninth and Lincoln’s last effort, Static Line, leader and composer Tyler Gilmore moved away from the standard big-band form and went in a different direction, one inspired by twentieth-century composers and minimalism. Now he’s lending his innovative composing and arranging skills to indie chamber group Small Dream Ada, which…
