Since 1994 Michael Franti has been best known for his band Spearhead, a funk and soul outfit with lyrics that commented on social issues with an uncommon level of sensitivity and a measured critique. Prior to that, Franti had been the main vocalist in industrial rap acts the Beatnigs and…
While there a ton of bands playing at this year’s Riot Fest there are several official after-shows that were just announced, including the Aquabats, Against Me!, Lagwagon, Thursday, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Pouya and more. Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 5 at 10 a.m. Widespread Panic…
“I’ll be playing some new stuff, if that’s okay with y’all,” John Paul White told his audience at the Bluebird last night. Enthusiastic cheers and applause rippled through the crowd, indicating they too were ready to look beyond White’s past achievements. White, half of Grammy-winning duo the Civil Wars, has…
It’s been ten years since James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem graced the hallowed annals of Red Rocks, but last night, after the first performance of their sold-out two-night stay, it was like they never left. They never seem to do that, do they? A band that started as a lark…
After the big ol’ hoo-ha that Bassnectar caused at Red Rocks last year, you would think that every booking agent, venue manager, city official and their dogs would be prepared for the deep, bassy rumblings that the DJ and producer Lorin Ashton creates. Last September, Bassnectar performed at Red Rocks…
In 1996, Robbie Fulks and Bloodshot Records weren’t the oddest couple in the underground music scene, but they weren’t exactly a natural pair, either. Based in Chicago, Bloodshot was establishing its reputation as a hotspot for what it called “insurgent country,” putting out breakneck punk-meets-twang records by bands like the…
On Friday, August 5, the Open Media Foundation hosts its next monthly free Open Music Session event, which will feature musical guests Me Me Monster, the Corner Girls and Kenny Lee Young, as well as comedian Miriam Moreno. Last month, the July 2016 Open Music Session welcomed indie rockers the Take. The…
The who’s who of Colorado’s marijuana industry gathered Saturday night for the unveiling of Willie’s Reserve, Willie Nelson’s new cannabis company. To launch his new product, Nelson hosted two kick-off concerts, one last week in Washington state, and another on Saturday, July 30, at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Greenwood, Colorado…
Deerhoof has been unleashing frenetic, eccentric rock music upon the world since 1994. That the San Francisco-based band’s sound is impossible to pigeonhole has long been a part of its appeal. It has never aimed to embrace a single genre or genre at all beyond loosely categorized “rock.” “We’ve never…
In the rapidly developing River North Arts District, an underused lot is being transformed. So what’s the fenced-off, tree-bordered tract of land going to turn into? An artisanal succulent-potting co-working space? A forty-story capsule hotel/craft brewery? No. The field will remain a field — but one that will be used…
This Saturday, hip-hop duo Calm. will play its first show in three years, opening for Extra Kool at the release show for his latest album, Eight. The two acts more or less came up together, forming the early core of local underground hip-hop imprint Dirty Laboratory in the mid-2000s. Calm.’s…
“Bassnectar Chocolate! Bass Center 2016! Golden Tickets! A world of imagination!” This was the tweet posted by Lorin Ashton aka Bassnectar that ignited a buzz among Bassheads across the country on December 7, 2015. Prior to this announcement, EDM fans were concerned that this year’s incarnation of the DJ/producer’s popular…
The 2016 Underground Music Showcase: four days of numerous shows, countless forms of entertainment and music fans spilling onto the sidewalks of South Broadway. Yet one of the most striking impressions of this year’s UMS is that it felt smaller. Not smaller in terms of lacking quality or crowds, but…
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, real name Victor Kwei Mensah, is one of the most respected new names on the circuit. From his beginnings with the group Kids These Days to his collaborations with Chance the Rapper in the collective Savemoney, right through to his recent team-up with Damon Albarn’s virtual…
A reunited LCD Soundsystem headlines Red Rocks on Tuesday, August 2 and Wednesday, August 3, while Warren Haynes heads up the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration tonight at Red Rocks and Hard Red Rocks, featuring RL Grime, Savoy, Keys N Krates and more, is at the venue on Thursday. Also this week…
Indie-pop band Strawberry Runners is scheduled to perform at the 2016 Underground Music Showcase tonight, Saturday, July 30, capping off a string of high-profile local dates. You might want to make sure you catch this set, however, as the Denver-based band is about to soon become less Denver-based. Primary songwriter, guitarist…
Music festivals can be cruel to first-timers. While you’re dealing with sunburns and stolen backpacks, there’s always a properly prepared individual nearby, looking effortlessly comfortable — and not sharing their secrets. Denver’s Underground Music Festival presents its own unique challenges, since it takes place over multiple days and an entire…
Yoni Wolf and David Cohn have helped to shape and influence the sound of underground hip-hop as we know it. Under their respective creative monikers of Why? and Serengeti, the two artists have collaborated with several other artists on numerous projects. Yoni & Geti is their current joint effort with…
Bassnectar brings Bass Center to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park this weekend with a stellar lineup that includes Flux Pavilion, Flying Lotus, Lupe Fiasco, Minnesota, Wu-Tang Clan, Porter Robinson and more while festivals like RockyGrass, the UMS and Heavenfest are also happening this weekend. The Avett Brothers continue their three-night stand…
Having played with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, and Grateful Dead spinoff band the Dead for many years now, guitarist Warren Haynes is like a figure from a jam-band fan’s wet dream. Naturally, the North Carolina native is also a bit of a favorite among Colorado…
In 2016 the Minneapolis-based rock band Poliça released its latest album United Crushers. Recorded as with musicians and songwriters working together more closely and in real time than on the group’s previous records, United Crushers has a more organic feel. The songwriting also suggests a willingness to take greater risks both…
Martina McBride headlines Band Against Cancer: The Sarah Cannon Tour, which stops at 1STBANK Center on Saturday, October 8 and also features Thompson Square, Cassadee Pope and Hudson Moore. Tickets ($33.75-$125) go on sale on Friday, August 5 at 10 a.m. Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees, which features, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller…
