Concerts

It’s fairly evident from “Jackson Town,” the opening cut on the Railsplitters’ twelve-song, self-titled debut, and tunes like “Lonesome Feeling” and “Blue Moon” that the Boulder-based quartet has a respectable handle on traditional bluegrass. But elsewhere on the disc, it’s clear that bluegrass and roots are also something of a…

On his new EP, Man Mantis demonstrates how a year or two of experimentation across a handful of singles has sharpened his creative output. Compared to the material on his last album (Cities Without Houses), the rhythm palette has been expanded, and the sense of space within arrangements has improved…

Pruitt Poythress (due at Artopia this Saturday, February 22) has crafted a sound that translates his fascination with the storytelling styles of hip-hop’s golden era into modern dance music. Creating big-room sounds minus the same old build-and-drop structure of most electronic sets, Pruitt works the ebbs and flows of his…

Carter Matthews, better known these days as Toy Box, is bringing a new voice to the Colorado EDM scene. With a live show complemented by live instrumentation — namely, a 1911 Gibson mandolin — Matthews is putting a new slant on dance music. We spoke with the young producer about…

Back with another edition of In the Mix, a feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from local producers and DJs. This week, we’ve got a tech-and-trap mix from Andy Immerman and Geodesic of the Souls In Action crew, a Valentine’s Day cut from Late Night Radio…

DEAFHEAVEN at MARQUIS THEATER | 2/16/14 There was some real emotional heft to Deafheaven’s set at the Marquis last night that was more visceral than most mere post-rock. Musically it felt like a fusion of black metal and a late ’90s post-hardcore, even treading into emo territory. The heaviness was…

TUES | MANOWAR at OGDEN THEATRE | 2/18/14 Manowar is powered by lyrics crowned in fantasy-flamed swords, armor, and everything having to do with metal warfare clashing into Norse mythology. Eric Adams’s powerful vocals are steeped in wordy wizardry that really drives home the aggressive themes. “Man o’ War” was…

PIXIES at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 2/13/14 Like the Ramones, the Pixies took stage and had little in the way of breaks between songs. There was no banter, no awkward joking and no meandering dialogue while anyone tuned or tried to read a set list. The only interruptions came when the…

FRI & SAT | DEVOTCHKA at MERCURY CAFE | 2/14-2/15 DeVotchKa is for lovers. So is Valentine’s Day. An absolutely ideal pairing, the two have been making beautiful music together for years, and the former is celebrating the latter with a three-day run, the second night of which is slated…

FRI | WINTER WARMER FESTIVAL at FILLMORE | 2/14/14 Since dropping his debut solo album Dreaming of a Bigger Life, Michal Menert has been steadily touring the country building a grassroots following in the same way Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights did when he first hit the scene. Menert…

Sure, romantic gestures are always a nice way to observe Valentine’s Day, but so is going to a good concert or dancing the night away with your significant other. Looking for something to do tomorrow night? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a comprehensive rundown of ways…

STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS at GOTHIC THEATRE | 2/12/14 During their time in Denver, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks were apparently staying in a hotel in Cherry Creek. We know this because Malkmus asked if anyone hung out there or skateboarded in Cherry Creek or went rafting in it…

Artist Drowning doesn’t stick to one kind of sound or formula on Driving Home In Reverse, the debut studio album from the Boulder-based indie-rock outfit. That diversity is for the best, considering that the record weighs in at an ambitious nineteen tracks, which include understated instrumentals like “Darkness Coming” as…

While the Hayward Strangers have a few high-octane foot-stomping bluegrass cuts, like “Drinkin’ Ain’t Hard to Do” and “Standing in the Kitchen,” on their fifteen-song debut, Making Ground, it’s fairly clear elsewhere on the disc that the six-piece isn’t solely a bluegrass act. Sure, these folks have an affinity for…

On Hyperspace, Jay Jaramillo’s fourth 1320 release as Project Aspect, he keeps things pretty status quo. On “The Beat Drops,” which features fellow Mile High Sound Movement member Kruza Kid and Boss Miller, the vocals are chopped and repeated until, well, the drop. Some of the tracks seem a little…

“Fox,” the opening track on Paw Paw’s new three-song EP, 3 Eye, immediately separates this release from the band’s 2012 album, Lay Down In the Flower Bed. Whereas that effort was bright and glistening with luminous, uplifting tones, these songs are darker and more organic. They’re the next step in…

On every album that drummer Brian Blade has made with his group the Fellowship Band, from the act’s 1998 self-titled debut to its forthcoming release Landmarks, there’s a cohesive group sound that’s immediately recognizable. “I have to attribute that evolving oneness to everyone in the band,” Blade says. “I’m thankful…

PAUL SIMON & STING at PEPSI CENTER | 2/11/14 When Paul Simon and Sting took the stage together, they were each accompanied by their full bands, which often appeared on the stage with them at the same time throughout the set, working together to create an even more lush and…