The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

DAVID BYRNE & ST VINCENT @ BOTANIC GARDENS CHATFIELD | 7/13 David Byrne and Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) initially met at an AIDS/HIV benefit in 2009. But after they ran into each other at a collaborative performance between Björk and Dirty Projectors, it was suggested to Byrne that he…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

DJ TENNIS @ NORAD | SAT, 7/13/13 Like much of the electronic world’s cream of the crop these days, DJ Tennis lives in Berlin, but he grew up in New Jersey and moved to Italy to play semi-professional tennis (hence the moniker), where he threw parties at his tennis club…

Chimney Choir

Since the 2011 release of (feather), its debut EP, Chimney Choir has put out another EP, (turtle), and a full-length, (ladder), which came out last year. Not only is the band prolific, but it just keeps getting better, as evidenced by the sizable catalogue of really good material it’s amassed…

Qknox

For those in search of a chill soundtrack to fight the summer heat, the prolific Qknox has delivered right on time. From back-room, cool-jazz musings to pulsing, post-Dilla neck-snappers, the eight tracks that make up On a Remote Frequency Outpost in Space deliver across the spectrum of beat-driven possibility. The…

(G)nosis

Rapper (G)nosis’s new album, The Midnight Drifter LP, is conscious but not preachy, deep but not overwrought, forward-thinking but not inaccessible. More impressive, there aren’t any bad songs to be found here, and that’s most certainly a feat for such a lyrically ambitious project. On Midnight Drifter, (G)nosis challenges you…

Fingers of the Sun

It’s clear from the material on 3 that the members of Fingers of the Sun have greatly matured as songwriters. A tune like “Skinny Pert and Cool,” for instance, sustains the band’s signature knack for infectious melody while commenting on the beautiful ignorance of youth versus the depressing security of…

Rick’s Tavern is now officially closed

Update, 12 p.m. 7/10/13: The final celebrations slated for this weekend have been canceled because the buyers of the business received their liquor license earlier than anticipated and will take possession of the business tomorrow, July 11. Rick’s Tavern is now officially closed. After more than two decades of being…

Barry Manilow donates piano for Jeffco Public Schools instrument drive

Pop icon Barry Manilow is donating a new Yamaha piano to launch an instrument drive for Jefferson County Public Schools, which is partnering with The Manilow Music Project, which provides musical instruments to high schools and middle schools as well as music scholarships at universities throughout North America. Anyone who…

Tryst to reopen at 1320 15th Street next weekend

After eight years at 1512 Larimer Street, Tryst is set to reopen next week a block west at 1320 15th Street in the former Mix Music Lounge location between the Drink and Chances. In honor of the occasion, Tryst is hosting a pre-party on Friday, July 19, from 8 to…

The Weeknd at 1STBANK Center on 9/20/13

Super-smooth Canadian crooner the Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is bringing his Kiss Land tour to town for a show at 1STBANK Center on Friday, September 20, with Anna Lunoe and Banks. Tickets for the show ($35-$45) go on sale this Friday, July 12, at 10 a.m. See also: – Voice…

The Uncluded at Marquis Theater, 7/5/13

THE UNCLUDED @ MARQUIS THEATER | 7/5/13 The heaviest part of any show that Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson play together is almost always “Walk Like Thunder.” There’s a raw, poetic honesty and heaviness to the track, which comes from Kimya Dawson’s Thunder Thighs, and this performance certainly proved to…

The ten best concerts in Denver this week

ROBERT PLANT @ RED ROCKS | WEDS, 7/10/13 Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant returns to town this week with his newest backing band, the Sensational Space Shifters. The lineup features members of his early-’00s band the Strange Sensation and has Plant revisiting both blues-rock and world-music influences after exploring…

The ten best shows in Denver this weekend

MAYHEM FESTIVAL @ FIDDLER’S GREEN | SUN, 7/7/13 Established in part by Kevin Lyman, one of the founders of the Warped Tour, this traveling showcase features a stacked lineup that caters to metal fans, with side activities for your downtime throughout the day. With a roster including acts as diverse…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

JOSH WINK @ NORAD | SAT, 7/6/13 Before the days of CDJs and beat-matching software, mix masters spun sets on vinyl turntables for packed warehouse parties filled with dancers. Those were the days when Josh Wink first rose to prominence. The legend’s Philadelphia roots have been well documented elsewhere, and…