Metz

Even though the band has been around for five years, Metz just released its self-titled debut full-length on Sub Pop this year. Prior to that, the Toronto-based trio released a few seven-inches. Mostly, though, these guys have spent their time focusing on developing as a group, and on touring and…

Jackson Browne

Of all the fiercely talented singer-songwriters to emerge in the 1970s, even among the crowded field of fellow West Coast transplants like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor, Jackson Browne has always stood out for his lyricism. Browne’s words eloquently captured the heartache, resignation and bittersweet bewilderment of love…

Wovenhand

Over the past decade, Wovenhand has delivered many an intense show as a trio fronted by David Eugene Edwards. While some of the band’s previous six recorded efforts wrangle a fair amount of that visceral energy, none come as close to capturing it as The Laughing Stalk, the act’s heaviest…

Bill Barwick

With his signature smooth, deep voice, Bill Barwick presents a collection of story songs reminiscent of what Jimmy Dean was doing in the early ’60s. Barwick has a similar gift for vocal cadences, and in a similar tradition of country music, where such nods to your roots are often expected,…

Fiction Is Fun

The indie-folk movement has grown considerably over the past few years, and though it draws from folk and bluegrass, Denver-based Fiction Is Fun takes a more adventurous route. On You Die Every Time Always, the seven-piece — which started as a trio and at one time ballooned to nine people…

Tonic Alize

Paper 2012 is music made for a niche within a niche. The Latino hip-hop movement is often overlooked, but Tonic Alize’s star-studded lineup and radio-friendly production make it hard to ignore. With features from Lil Flip, Do or Die, Amanda Perez, Lil Rob, MC Magic, Brown Boy and Baby Bash,…

Input sheds some light on his past and his music

Gustavo D’Arthenay is better known these days as Input, an emerging rapper who’s been grinding hard for the better part of the past decade. With a half-dozen releases and two more — including Bomb’s Over Everything, a seven-track album produced by Supa Hot Beats (aka Will Power, an Atlanta producer…

Emancipator hits the decks for three Colorado shows this week

Ten years ago, Douglas Appling — better known in most musical circles as producer and live P.A. impresario Emancipator  — picked up some production software and started playing around. He’s come a long way since then, touring and sharing stages with some of his biggest influences (Bonobo among them), and…

The five best jazz shows in Denver this month

Like fans of pretty much every other genre in this town, the jazz connoisseurs here are spoiled with a steady stream of great shows. In the past few months, we’ve been treated to shows from the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Ron Carter, the Bad Plus, the Vijay Iyer Trio, Keith…

The ten best concerts this week: November 5-9

Another week, another batch of great shows on tap. We’ve got all of the shows listed in our concert calendar if you’ve prefer to take a more hands-on approach to planning your itinerary. If you’re looking for a more curated experience, however, as always, we’ve put together a list of…

Leonard Cohen at 1STBANK Center, 11/03/12

LEONARD COHEN @ 1STBANK CENTER | 11/3/12 There were no low points in Leonard Cohen’s perfectly paced show at the 1STBANK Center — impressive, considering it went on for three and a half hours. The high point came when Cohen and his band went into “Hallelujah.” The crowd sang along;…

Aaron Freeman at the Fox Theatre, 11/2/12

AARON FREEMAN @ FOX THEATRE | 11/2/12 Aaron Freeman’s set at the Fox felt decidedly familiar. The former Ween frontman may have officially shed the musical alter ego of Gene Ween since his last appearance in Colorado, but a lot about his act has stayed pretty much the same. That…

Matt & Kim at the Ogden Theatre, 11/02/12

MATT & KIM @ OGDEN THEATRE | 11/02/12 Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino are no joke. Really. The two of them have a reputation to uphold, garnered by countless rave reviews — and uphold that reputation they have. And then some. With a face-fucking set at the Ogden, Matt &…

The ten best concerts this weekend: Nov. 2-4

Welcome to the weekend! We made it. And as we already noted in Dance Card, there’s an extra hour for you to enjoy. Depending upon how hard you go, this will either give you more time to imbibe or an extra hour to sleep off the effects of the night…

The Head and the Heart at CU Boulder, 11/1/12

THE HEAD AND THE HEART @ COORS EVENT CENTER | 11/1/12 President Obama’s speech last night at the University of Colorado’s Coors Event Center marked the umpteenth time the Commander in Chief has stopped in the Centennial State this campaign season — just last week, he was touting his record…

Skrillex and Knife Party at 1STBANK, 10/31/12

SKRILLEX AND KNIFE PARTY @ 1STBANK CENTER | 10/31/12 As a katana of turquoise and green lasers sliced through the Skrilliens on the second level of 1STBANK, the tag-teaming headliners Skrillex and Knife Patty traded licks on the crowd with effortless chemistry. First it was Dillon Francis’s “Masta Blasta,” and…

Dan Deacon at Bluebird Theater, 10/31/12

DAN DEACON @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 10/31/12 Before going into “Guilford Avenue Bridge,” Dan Deacon told us to gather as much to the west side of the theater as possible to create a pathway on the left side stage ramp to the back of the theater. He then told us…

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Ogden, 10/31/12

KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE @ THE OGDEN THEATRE |10/31/12 Things witnessed last night at the Ogden Theatre, in no particular order: Rosie the Riveter breakdancing with a samurai; a priest making out with Little Orphan Annie; Milli Vanilli’s Rob and Fab sharing a smoke outside; and a drunk monk. On…