Furthur

Since Jerry Garcia’s passing fifteen years ago last month, the surviving members of the Grateful Dead have gone through several different projects. None, however, have come as close to capturing the sound of the original Dead as the current incarnation of Furthur. Guitarist John Kadlecik has an uncanny knack for…

Nate Birkey

Although Nate Birkey grew up in Evergreen, the trumpeter spent a lot of time in Santa Barbara, where he split his time playing in jazz clubs and with local indie-pop band Spencer the Gardener. For the past five years, Birkey has lived in New York City, where he’s refined his…

Strung Out

If there’s one thing Strung Out represents, it’s longevity. Formed in 1992, the California quintet has been pumping out its brand of metal-infused punk over the course of seven full-length albums and numerous EPs and seven-inch releases. Fronted by founding member Jason Cruz, it has the distinction of being one…

Le Divorce

“A Pixies album at 3 a.m./’Cause it’s the small things that win in the end,” sings Le Divorce’s singer-guitarist Kitty Vincent on “Analogue,” one of five songs on the band’s debut, Pull Yourself Together. But don’t read into that too literally. Le Divorce doesn’t sound anything like the Pixies; rather,…

Onic Deemo

Dirty Tricks, Onic Deemo’s latest effort, is made up of twelve distinct tracks that at times recall Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren, but mostly seem to be influenced by trance legend DJ Micro. The album begins with a classic (albeit dirty) trance sound for the first several tracks…

The Knew

It took six months for the Knew to make Pulpería, its long-player released earlier this summer. In contrast, the guys banged out the three songs on this seven-inch vinyl EP in a weekend. While both recordings prove that the Knew can put out quality stuff whether it’s months or days…

Alan Alda

On II’s opener, “Allison,” Alan Alda steps away from its proggy indie-rock sound for a few moments to allow Luke Goodhue to croon about a bittersweet memory. “Logarithms,” meanwhile, finds the band striking melodic atmospheres bolstered by muscular rhythms. The song’s dark tone is a bit of a departure for…

Wolfgang Gartner at Skylab

There will be plenty of acts vying for your attention at Skylab this year, but the one you won’t want to miss is rising electro sensation Wolfgang Gartner. His stated intention is to create something entirely new in the world of dance music, and while it’s debatable if that’s even…

Matt of Matt & Kim doesn’t have stage clothes

Birthed from the DIY music scene in New York City, Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino didn’t start out trying to have a proper band. But at their first show, respected underground promoter Todd Patrick gave the then-unnamed duo a fairly obvious moniker that managed to stick. For the past few…

Ted Leo’s upbeat, and the Pharmacists play Denver September 29

Idealism doesn’t age as well as cynicism. Perhaps that’s why punk’s earnest socio-politics evolved into the ironic distance of indie rock. It may also be why there are so few artists like Ted Leo, who’ve retained both the brash tone of their rhetoric and punk’s compassionate spirit through two decades…

CMJ 2010 partial list of performers announced

This afternoon, the second round of artists due to perform at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York on October 19-23 was revealed. In addition to DeVotchKa, which had already been announced, near as we can tell after wading through the massive list, three more Denver acts have been…

Rusko, M80 Dubstation at the Ogden Theatre – 09.21.10

RUSKO M80 Dubstation 09.21.10 | Ogden Theatre, Denver Last night, the first of Rusko’s two sold-out shows in Colorado had the Ogden bursting at the seams, with glow bracelets (as opposed to the glow sticks popular at ’90s raves) dotting the crowd. Denver has earned a reputation for being one…

Illegal Pete’s to feed Starving Artists coming through Denver

So this is a rad perk for touring acts coming through Colorado. Suburban Home Records honcho Virgil Dickerson and our own Andy Thomas have teamed up with Illegal Pete’s to establish the aptly dubbed Starving Artists Program, which is exactly what it sounds like: setting up weary bands on the…

Treeverb and Ross Etherton and the Chariots of Judah at 3 Kings Tavern

Treeverb • Ross Etherton and the Chariots of Judah 09.17.10 | 3 Kings Tavern, Denver Three years ago, Bright Channel and Red Cloud were two of the highest-profile underground bands in Denver — not to mention the most interesting and consistently compelling live acts in town. Despite having widely disparate…

STS9, the Heavy and Dimmu Borgir shows announced

After selling out a two-night stint at Red Rocks and a show at the Boulder Theater earlier this month, STS9 has announced its return to the area for a three-night stand at the Fillmore Auditorium, from Wednesday, December 29, to Friday, December 31. While tickets for the New Year’s run…

No more live music after next month at PT’s Club Inferno

Throughout the late ’60s, 1601 West Evans was a prime destination for live music, with acts like the Doors, Cream, the Grateful Dead and Van Morrison performing in the space now occupied by PT’s Showclub. Four years ago, rock returned to the building when the folks at Left Nut Entertainment…

Rose Hill Drive debuts new music this weekend at the Fox Theatre

Just as the last of the Amber Alerts are set to expire, we’ve received word and indication that the members of Rose Hill Drive are emerging from their self-imposed hiatus. Although the act has played a couple of dates recently, for all intents and purposes, it’s been a good year…