As the primary songwriter for Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis influenced a generation of guitarists by bridging the gap between hardcore, experimental guitar rock and psychedelia. Mascis’s songs perfectly balance sonic aggression with fluidity, and his lyrics speak deeply to a generation of people who came to realize that they will…
It’s hard to imagine that Coheed and Cambria is celebrating its tenth anniversary as a band this year. During a decade-long stint as one of rock’s only trans-media bands, Coheed and Cambria has managed to release not just a crop of solid albums, but comics and novels as well. While…
Mogwai’s evocative, largely instrumental rock adventure first gained notice in the mid-’90s with a promising debut album, Young Team. Since then, the Scottish act has produced some of the most breathtakingly cinematic compositions of recent years. The group’s textured melodies induce moments of claustrophobic anxiety, transcendent peacefulness and catharsis —…
Opposites, as Paula Abdul once noted, attract. In Abdul’s case, the opposite was Skat Cat, a rapping, cigarette-smoking cartoon feline whose straight-up making out with the live-action Paula lent the whole video a vaguely disturbing sexual undertone. In the case of M.I.A., the opposite is apparently Chris Brown — and…
This self-titled EP from Bare Bones feels a lot like fall, which could be a generic seasonal connotation that comes along with the sawing and shuffling sounds typical of Western Americana and alt-country. But the sense of an inevitable autumn isn’t a bad thing at all: The quartet’s founders, Blake…
In the liner notes to 12 Preludes and Fugues, Michael Pagán writes about how, as a jazz musician, he’s always had a fascination with the saxophone, and, as a composer, with counterpoint. So on a whim, he wrote a fugue for four voices, and he immediately heard it for saxophones…
Reverb and the Verse isn’t the first act to bring together hip-hop with experimental electronic music. The lyrics that flow across this release aren’t just rapped, though; they’re delivered like a soul song. “Split” sounds like what might have happened if Trent Reznor had tried his hand at hip-hop a…
Last year’s mixtape from Acezi was all about defecting samurai and the need to create a new system of style and art. In what is designed to be an album update of sorts, Ronin 1.1 Enter the Villain uses very dense subject matter to paint a picture of preserving individuality…
While the Swedish trio Junip got its start nearly a dozen years ago, the band took about five years off while frontman José González’s solo career took off — thanks in large part to González’s cover of the Knife’s “Heartbeats,” which was used in a Sony Bravia commercial and in…
The aptly named DJ ESP (aka Woody McBride) has a long and illustrious resumé — and not just in the electronica world. In 1988, McBride moved to Minneapolis and immediately became involved in community service, coaching basketball, tribal and Celtic-style dance, and spinning what he refers to as “spiritually oriented…
Update, 5/2: Congratulations to Gary Peck and Gina Lux, this week’s VIP upgrade winners. Didn’t win? No worries. We’ll be rolling out another contest tomorrow. Got your tickets for Showcase yet? What are you waiting for? Now’s the time. In case you haven’t heard, this is the last week you’ll…
Scottish-born singer KT Tunstall (who plays the Bluebird Theater tonight with Robert Francis and Miggs) is, essentially, a one-woman band. Utilizing her own voice and a looping pedal, Tunstall creates layers of sound and faux-instrumentation to back her powerful crooning…
Way back in 2007, a company called Amie Street introduced variable pricing for MP3 sales. The premise was simple: The more copies sold, the higher the price. The concept didn’t work out so well. Amie Street was purchased and subsequently shuttered by Amazon in 2010. That hasn’t stopped Ticketmaster from…
SHPONGLETRON EXPERIENCE with Random Rab and Hallucinogen 04.23.11 | Boulder Theater If the preview for this colossal structure wasn’t enough to get your eyes thirsting for the real thing, then get off your ass and go see the Shpongletron for yourself. With much help from Random Rab, the Shpongletron Experience…
THE DEFTONES With Funeral Party and Dillinger Escape Plan 04.22.11 | Ogden Theatre See the photo slideshow Funeral Party got the evening started, and after enduring its set — one in which ear plugs couldn’t be shoved deep enough into ear cannals to block out the horrid sounds being churned…
BAD BRAINS With Frontside Five and the Other Russia 4.22.11 | Summit Music Hall View photo slideshow While Bad Brains may not have the frenetic stage energy of three decades ago, the hardcore godfathers still managed to fuel quite a few mosh pits over the course of its 45-minute set…
MIKE WATT & THE MISSINGMEN With Il Cattivo and Lion Sized 04.22.11 | Larimer Lounge There are a small handful of bands that would have been great openers for a show like this, and Il Cattivo and Lion Sized are two of them. The former started off the show with…
The mile-high city continues to represent electronica with an array of events this weekend — starting off with tonight’s Full Flavor Friday, featuring DJ ESP (aka Woody McBride) at the Appaloosa Grill with resident Greg Campbell, plus Garret and Sound Advice. They’ll be dishing out free promo records and CD’s…
Self-described “funkabilly” duo LoCash Cowboys definitely have that typical Top 40 country swagger in their singing, but it is an observational sense of humor that sets them just a bit a part. Both former dancers and choreographers, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust have the kind of stage presence that made…
The world of heavy metal can be an exercise in absurdity and uninspired imitation played at blistering volume. With the relatively recent (and fading) popularity of “stoner-rock” and “doom metal,” as evidenced by tours including the reunited line-ups of Sleep, Saint Vitus (read our recent interview with Dave Chandler) and…
JOHN DENVER’S ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH Olivia Newton-John, Michael Martin Murphey and more 04.21.11 | 1STBANK Center John Denver fans — and let’s be clear, that accounted for pretty much everyone in the building, save for perhaps the odd service employee — got their money’s worth last night at 1STBANK Center,…
Following the smoke-filled craze of yesterday’s 4/20 celebration of all things green, we bring you the finest list of parties and places to be tonight if you want to drop it to the floor, raise it to the roof or just sit back and catch some good vibes off of…
