Concerts

The Loudwire Music Festival, named for the rock site of the same name, will launch next June in Grand Junction. Linkin Park will headline, and promoter Townsquare Media, which also owns Loudwire, promises a lineup featuring “all genres of rock — hard, classic, alternative, metal and indie.” See also: 25…

Last week we brought you the news that a bust of John Denver, on loan to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame by the legendary singer’s estate, had been stolen from the 1STBANK Center. When security at the venue realized the bust was missing, they filed a report with the…

For the past few months, we’ve been working on a comic strip story here and in the pages of Westword titled “Rufus Baxter: The Oldest Unknown Rock Star.” The story took a leap forward with the full-page installment found in this week’s issue of the newspaper, and when it is…

One of Boulder’s most promising new art spaces is Dead Leaf, founded by Tom Abraham and Colin Wilcox. Abraham is soft-spoken, every careful word seeming to come from an organized mind that, in the case of setting up events at Dead Leaf, is focused on smoothness and detail. In contrast,…

[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an ’80s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. Last Week’s Episode Of Rufus Baxter…

Colorado is a pretty great place to be a music fan. Denver has more music venues than Austin, and several of them are among the busiest in the world. People living here spend twice as much as the national average on music. The local scene is experiencing unprecedented success. All…

The tone for DeVotchKa’s annual Halloween celebration was set as soon as I walked into the Boulder Theater behind a tall man with a tall, faux-bug-light apparatus attached to his head. The Boulder Theater has a capacity of 850, a far cry from the 9,500 that can fit into Red…

On Halloween night, Lucinda Williams cut into the core of her songs, performing a bare-bones acoustic set at Twist and Shout and offering a preview of her appearance tonight at the Ogden Theatre. Upon entering, fans were given the option of purchasing her excellent new album, Down Where The Spirit…

Holy moly. We didn’t even list all the interesting shows going on tonight, because you have to draw the line somewhere. And Bob Dylan is in town tomorrow! OK, right to it: See also: The Costume-Based Guide to This Year’s Halloween Concerts in Denver…

If you’re the kind of Coloradoan who enjoys listening to Big Head Todd and the Monsters while drinking hard alcohol, perhaps at the band’s annual Red Rocks show, then their is something new you should put at the top of your holiday shopping list — Colorado Sun ‘Shine. See also:…

Youth On Record, a Denver non-profit focused on music education, was recognized Monday night in DC during the Future of Music Coalition Honors Dinner. The FMC Honors award “celebrates pioneers who have made meaningful contributions to the music community.” See also: Flobots.org Break Ground on $2.75 million Youth Media Studio…

Run the Jewels is one of the most exciting musical projects happening now. The collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P is having something of a heyday, raising an amount of money that surprised even them for a cat-related remix project called Meow The Jewels, getting featured everywhere from Rolling Stone…

When John Denver became the first inductee in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the legendary singer’s estate donated a bronze bust to the the Hall’s collection. It has been on display in the 1STBANK Center for the past three years, where it was at the start of Tuesday’s Saints…

Alt-J is among rare company as an internationally successful pop act that attracts mostly 20-somethings who danced elegantly on every spare piece of Fillmore floor – and stairway, to security’s dismay. Nowhere to be seen were the loud-mouthed bro-downers and screaming teenagers frequently populating the concerts of the band’s peers…

I’m a 24-year-old One Direction fan. One day, years ago, a friend suggested I listen to the band while I was studying for finals in college. I had never heard of those five boys from the British X-Factor, but I gave their music a chance, one thing led to another,…

When David Obuchowski, of the hardcore band Goes Cube and Distant Correspondent, moved out to Colorado with his family a few years back, he had no idea he would end up starting a new band out here. But after some conversations over beers with fellow punk veterans Brett Bamberger of…

Happy Halloween week, everyone! Time to figure out what pun costume you can accomplish with the clothes you already own. There are plenty of good shows before the actual weekend hits, though, including Avi Buffalo, a pair of Cut Copy dates and the 106.7 KBPI Saints & Sinners Halloween Ball…

[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. Last Week’s episode of Rufus Baxter…

The outdoor concerts may be over, in spite of the summer weather going on in Denver right now, but there are plenty of shows to keep you busy. We can strongly, strongly advise seeing Flatbush Zombies, either in Fort Collins or Denver. Polica is wonderful. There are plenty more, observe:…

It’s not every day you get to brush feathers with rock and roll legends like Ace Frehley and Slash, but in Denver, all it takes is a visit to the zoo. Brittney Weaver started working at the Denver Zoo about six years ago. She also happens to be a big…

Pearl Jam’s 24th anniversary – which the band celebrated last night with a raucous, rarity-filled, tour-ending barnburner of a concert at the Pepsi Center – closed with lead guitarist Mike McCready playing “the Star Spangled Banner” Hendrix-style while the rest of the Seattle quartet sprayed champagne on the Denver crowd…