On the Bottesini Project’s outstanding self-titled debut, leader and saxophonist Paul Riola recruited high-caliber musicians like Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer Scott Amendola to play on tunes that were largely improvised. For its followup, Naima’s Grass Pajamas, Riola assembled a new cast of players, among them Wilco guitarist Nels…
Mirror Universe isn’t a subsidiary of Siltbreeze, but the ultra-lo-fi production on this album’s nine tracks makes it sound like it is. From the beginning, it’s a bit like what you might get using an old reel-to-reel machine you picked up at a garage sale to listen to some unmarked…
Nimble-fingered Leftover Salmonite Drew Emmitt teams with String Cheese Incident strummer Bill Nershi for a soul-warming platter of acoustic fare. The shimmeringly clear recording enables a rootsy blend of strings to ring through on everything from the Gypsy jazz-inspired instrumental cut “Surfing the Red Sea” to the Latin-infused track “Mango…
For the past fifteen years, Matthew Kelly has been entrenched in the local hip-hop scene. Although his stage name has changed over the years, Kelly, now known as Babah Fly, has been one of the most consistent artists in that scene. Whether he’s putting in work as a solo artist…
Few, if any, living guitarists can match Adrian Belew’s impressive resumé in terms of depth and range of accomplishment over the course of his four-decades-long career. Belew first came to prominence as a player on Frank Zappa’s 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti, which led to his long-term role in King Crimson…
Although the Pogues’ storied career spans nearly four decades and includes several tours to the States, the London-based band has never played Denver before. Instead, the Irish punk-folkers stuck primarily to the East and West coasts, with occasional forays down south, even when boisterous frontman Shane MacGowan was ousted in…
At some point in the future, all music is going to transmogrify into one big crazy-ass mess of sound, and the smart money says that future fusion is going to sound a lot like what Mochipet — aka David Wang — is doing right now. He’s worked with everyone from…
I only went to Shakespeare’s once after it moved to 2620 Walnut Street, and I never ventured beyond the front section of the bar, so I had no idea how massive the space was until I met with Adam Ranes, who took it over after Shakespeare’s moved out. This was…
Evidently, Nathaniel Rateliff’s trip to the Big Apple for CMJ has proven to be very fruitful. According to Brooklyn Vegan, who covered the show, Rateliff wowed the crowd last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The showing should give Rateliff and his Wheel bandmates, who have reportedly inked a…
You may have downloaded The Foodchain EP, you may have seen Foodchain members giving away their EP outside of venues during hip-hop shows, and you might have even seen the group perform live at release parties and award shows, but do you really know who the Foodchain is? The act…
The aesthetics of this week’s flier match the aesthetics of the band so well, we couldn’t help but pick it as our top design of the week — that, and the dude with the pipe reminded us of our stint in the Church of the SubGenius (all hail Bob!). The…
Just received word that the Damned, slated to appear at the Bluebird Theater with Danko Jones and the Nicotine Fits on Wednesday, October 28, has been forced to cancel all of the dates on its upcoming American tour. According to a post on the band’s site, the cancellation stems from…
Updated: The farewell performance is Saturday, October 24, not Friday. DJ Miss Audry, one of the best-known female DJs in the city, is retiring after more than a decade behind the decks. “It’s been a long and amazing DJ ride for me, but after thirteen years, I have decided to…
Billy Joel and Elton John, both legendary pop singers and pianists, have been on their Face 2 Face tour since March will visit the Pepsi Center Sunday, November 22. After opening the show with a series of duets, each playing pianos and trading vocals, Joel and John will play sets…
Square Rot Hot Congress Prevue House Show Night of Joy, Fissure Mystic, The Jim Jims, Old Radio, Lil’ Slugger, Vitamins Friday, October 16, 2009 Patrick Kelly’s Crib Better Than: Paying mucho dinero for parking, tickets, and beer at a standard venue. Nothing screams house show quite like a porch full…
The Bottesini Project Friday, October 16, 2009Notably Fine AudioBetter than: Any other local collective improvisation group. One of the great things about Bottesini Project shows is the uniqueness of each performance. Since the shows are based completely based on collective improvisations, there’s a freshness and vibrancy about the performances…
A Hawk and a Hacksaw, The Hand That Rocks the Dreidel and Damon and Naomi Friday, October 16, 2009hi-dive Better Than: Having to see the out of town bands at a bigger venue. The Hand That Rocks the Dreidel, a four-piece this time out including two drummers — one with…
Gregory Alan Isakov, Elenor, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Andy Thomas Bluebird Theater October 17, 2009 Better Than: A full tank of gas and the lonely, open road before you. A local artist sold out the Bluebird for his vinyl release show, which is impressive. This probably says more about the…
After six weeks off the road spent working on new music and revamping its live show, Meese is back on tour. The outfit is kicking off its upcoming series of shows tonight with a gig at the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, followed by nearly two dozen dates…
DJ Stupac splits his time between Denver and Dallas and will occasionally connect with Denver’s DJ KTone for a mixtape every now and then. Apparently the folks down south are really enjoying their efforts. The 7th Annual Southern Entertainment Awards is going down on March 7, 2010 in Memphis, Tennessee,…
Okay, so how many times have you went to a show, watched a band and thought to yourself, I can out sing that dude in my sleep!? If this sounds like you, here’s your chance. If you’ve secretly harbored the desire to get up onstage and showcase your pipes but…
This Sunday morning, early risers who make it out to the Denver Marathon will be treated to a diverse array of local talent along the race route. Perhaps taking a cue from the Bolder Boulder, marathon organizers fielded a number of suggestions from the runners before settling on a half-dozen…
