Matt Berninger’s warbling baritone has the gruff, amber warmth of whiskey. As intoxicating as his band’s songs are, it’s arguable that his voice is at least 80 proof by itself. Berninger, of course, is frontman for the National, a gorgeously morose outfit that has become one of the brightest talents…
Fred Cole was a teenager in Las Vegas in the early ’60s when he recorded with his band, the Lords. For the next decade and a half, Cole soldiered on through various projects, forming the Rats with his wife, Toody, in the wake of punk rock. But Cole wasn’t following…
This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem’s third album, has a notable duality to it. Although the music is impossibly catchy and danceable, James Murphy’s lyrics — which have always contained a certain amount of bile — seem a little more toned down, and, well, perhaps a little depressed. But the album’s…
To get a good idea of what Tjutjuna’s self-titled album is all about, look no further than the cover: It’s a depiction of the band’s namesake, the Siberian equivalent of Sasquatch, wearing sunglasses with rainbow lenses, the universe and stars behind him. He looks as if he’s peeled back the…
On their latest, Gristle Gals tell a familiar tale of heartbreak and the whiskey abuse that follows. But the way they tell it is far from familiar. Rather than putting on country airs and busting out the steel guitar, the trio tells the tale of an unscrupulous ex with a…
After hearing Joey DeFrancesco’s Live at the Five Spot, a sixteen-year-old Pat Bianchi, who had already been playing organ and piano for about nine years, knew he wanted to play jazz organ. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music in the late ’90s, the 21-year-old Bianchi moved to Denver…
German DJ/producer Martin Roth has dubbed his take on dance music “NuStyle,” which involves blending elements of minimal techno, trance and electro into something that, if not “nu” enough to deserve its own genre classification, is at least a relatively fresh take on progressive house. Sounding like a tougher take…
Some bummer news from over the weekend: Early on Sunday morning, the king of rock and soul, Solomon Burke, died of natural causes after arriving at an airport in Amsterdam. Burke left behind a hell of family legacy — 21 children, 90 grandchildren and 19 great-children — as well as…
Over the weekend, NBC summer show America’s Got Talent held open auditions here, attracting, well, all sorts of people. You know, the kind of people you see on America’s Got Talent. We sent intrepid photog Britt Chester to the auditions for the purpose of taking pictures of twenty randos in…
Tommy Metz, the talented maestro behind Iuengliss and one half of the intriguing Yawn Tron duo, has entered into a remix competition sponsored by Warp Records, in which Metz is being pitted against other would-be remixers from around the country. For his part, Metz has remixed a song by Gonjasufi…
RED BULL THRE3STYLE 10.09.10 | Beta, Denver, CO Red Bull has been steadily establishing a reputation for championing the artistic expressions of up and coming artists, and this evening was no different. At Beta this past Saturday night, the Red Bull Thre3Style brought ten DJs from across the country together…
SURFER BLOOD With the Dewars and the Drums 10.10.10 | Bluebird Theater From the moment the Dewar brothers took the stage and opened with “Life is Like a Merry Go Round Until the Burial Ground,” it was clear that they had ample personality and presence, something one of the brothers…
RE: DEFINITION – NIGHT TWO The New Deal • MartyParty • Orchard Lounge • Raw Russ • DJ Rootz Future Rock • The Floozies • Tokimonsta • Sonkin 10.9.10 | Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom/The Other Side Dubstep is here to stay — at least for a while — and last night…
RE: DEFINITION – NIGHT ONE MiMosa • Two Fresh • Brothers Past • Raw Russ, Sacred Science 10.08.10 | Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Last night Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom hosted a night of dub-stepping, electronic, jam band and drum and bass-infused mayhem with headliners MiMosa and Two Fresh selling out the newly…
About 1,500 people packed into the Grizzly Rose (5450 North Valley Highway) on Friday, October 8, 2010 to see singer Mark Chestnutt perform, to put back a few longnecks and cut loose. Photos by Aaron Thackeray. Below are a few highlights and the full slideshow is here: Mark Chestnutt at…
THE YARD DOGS ROAD SHOW With Devil Makes Three 10.08.10 | Ogden Theatre view slideshow of the Yard Dogs at the Ogden Outside of the Ogden last night, there were a few punks sporting foot-high Mohawks and wearing studded leather jackets standing next to hippies and guys wearing in vintage…
NATHANIEL RATELIFF Gregory Alan Isakov • Danielle Ate the Sandwich 10.08.10 | Gothic Theatre The capacity crowd that filled the Gothic Theatre to busting on Friday night had no problem staying calm for three hours, for the co-headlining show of Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov. The audience remained rapt…
In what has to be one of the most natural pairings we’ve heard about in recent memory, we just received word that the estimable Drag the River dudes, currently on tour in Europe with Austin Lucas and Cory Branan, have been tapped to accompany Lucero on at least nine dates…
WIZ KHALIFA With Yelawolf 10.07.10 | Ogden Theatre Last night at the Ogden Theatre for the Denver leg of the Waken Baken tour, Wiz Khalifa completely set it off. The scene at the beginning of the night was set by throngs of teenage girls in Wiz Khalifa shirts, mixed in…
In 2003, local songwriter Gregory Ego — formerly of the band Ham Hoc War Lox — released a CD called I Want to Be a Billionaire, which included a song with the same title. The tune didn’t get a lot of attention — until now. Earlier this year, Ego began…
While the mice were at play down the street at the Fillmore last night, the cats were, well, they were tearing shit up with reckless abandon at the Ogden Theatre. To wit: The Sword brought its ferocious, corrosive brand of metal to the Mile High City in the company of…
If you haven’t heard (or don’t check Pitchfork like its your Twitter account), Steve Albini is pissed off — again. In a Q&A with GQ.com published this week, everyone’s favorite producer/indie curmudgeon decided to attempt to assassinate Sonic Youth’s impenetrable DIY credibility. Serving up some deep cuts — mostly in…
