David Dondero

David Dondero invented Conor Oberst. Well, that may be a slight overstatement, but it’s no big secret that the poignant songwriting and uniquely emotive vocal style of the former were heavily influential on the latter. His work, however, stands up as far more than the jumping-off point for Bright Eyes…

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Many people think of folk music as precious and pretentious in equal measure — the equivalent of arming whiny occupants of reality-show confessional booths with an acoustic guitar. But Canada’s Rural Alberta Advantage, performing with Great Room Victorian and Sandusky, proves that the genre doesn’t have to be a drag…

Drop Dead, Gorgeous

Plenty of haters ripped into 2007’s Worse Than a Fairy Tale, accusing Drop Dead, Gorgeous of softening its assault to up the accessibility quotient – and the act’s latest will likely be slapped with the same criticism, even though The Hot N’ Heavy is frequently both. Sure, there are missteps,…

Tangible Stereo

The urge to release must be mighty, but Tangible Stereo isn’t doing itself any favors. True, you can’t sell product if you don’t have product, but when your product is as shoddy as this one — a beat-up CDR with the group’s name scrawled in Sharpie, in an ugly-ass, brown-paper-bag…

Postmodern Troll

With analog synths blending in with the most cutting-edge sounds these days, this album sounds like it could have come out at any time post-Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise? Except that Kyle Person, the act’s only member, couldn’t have composed and put together the music alone as well…

Broken Tongues

When the fusion of hip-hop and rock was first conceived, it was meant to amplify the respective appeal of each style of music. Yet the hybrid has consistently resulted in prosaic lyrics and inferior beats. Broken Tongues’ debut does nothing to buck that trend. Worse, the duo delves into a…

Harmony Interactive Music Experience postponed

Just received word from our friends in Rexway that the Harmony Interactive Music Experience event they were slated to play at this weekend in Glendale has been postponed. The inaugural event, presented by Ryan Dykstra Nightlife and Colorado Music Buzz Magazine and slated to take place this Saturday, July 11,…

Magic Cyclops + Lion Sized = The Germs?

In the realm of unlikely collaborations, it seems as if Magic Cyclops joining Lion Sized to cover the Germs would be near the very top of “least likely to happen” category. After all, Lion Sized is a balls-out, kickass rock band seemingly without pretense or pose. Magic Cyclops, on the…

Last Night’s Show: The Rouge at Red Rocks

Imagine that you are a member of the Rouge. You’ve just completed your first tour. One of the stops was at L.A.’s Knitting Factory, where you played for six labels and a couple of them showed interest. Less than a week later, you come home and play Red Rocks, which…

Motorhead, Black Crowes, Butthole Surfers shows announced

When Motorhead rocked the Fillmore Auditorium last September, Lemmy and crew had the Misfits in tow. When the band hits the venue again on Saturday, September 26 the metal legends will co-headline with Reverend Horton Heat, and Nashville Pussy gets things warmed up. The Black Crowes also return the Fillmore…

Michael Jackson tribute planned tonight at Film on the Rocks

Just received word from our friends over at Theaters and Arenas that the Denver Film Society is planning some sort of special Michael Jackson tribute tonight after the Rouge’s set, which kicks off at 6:45, and just before the screening of Jaws at dusk. Despite our dogged persistence, our peeps…

Stream Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan’s new split

Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan have completed work on their split LP/cassette. Notice we didn’t mention anything about CD? That’s right, this release will not be available on disc. Inexplicably, however, it will be available on cassette. (?) Before you head over to Suburban Home Records to pick up your…

3 Kings owners finalize purchase of the Oriental Theater

There’s been rumors swirling for the past two or three months regarding the Oriental Theater, the most intriguing (and viable) of which being that the owners of 3 Kings Tavern, Jeff Campbell, Jim Norris and Marty Kilorin, were in the process of negotiating the purchase of the theater. While we…

Michael Jackson memorial coverage

Clearly, Michael Jackson’s memorial, which is being held in a few hours in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, is the biggest music news story of the day — and perhaps the year. Amongst all the wall-to-wall coverage (KCRW, the public radio station out of Santa Monica, is slated to…

Over the weekend: Wilco at Red Rocks

Wilco and Okkervil River Friday, July 3, 2009 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Better than: Wilco’s show at the Pikes Peak Center last year. Just as Wilco took the stage, the theme from the Price is Right played and two people cloaked in a camel suit pranced across the stage. Sure, it…

Analyzing MJ’s influence on hip-hop.

We stumbled across this enlightening graphical breakdown yesterday as we made our way across the Twitterverse. Somebody named Ethan Hein, a cat who evidently has a great deal of time on his hands, took the time and painstaking effort to deconstruct and then chart Michael Jackson’s influence on the hip-hop…

Last night: Jonathan Richman at Lion’s Lair

Jonathan RichmanWednesday, July 1, 2009Lion’s LairBetter than: Seeing an energetic and earnest singer/songwriter play at the Bluebird or the Fillmore. It seemed perfectly appropriate that Jonathan Richman opted to perform in the cramped confines of the Lion’s Lair. The bar’s small scope and understated feel served as a perfect complement…

Hot rods and hard rock at the Wide Open Saloon

I’ve been fascinated by bikers since I first saw Gimme Shelter, which documents what happened when the Rolling Stones supposedly asked the Hells Angels to act as security for a concert at Altamont Speedway in December 1969. After that, I read two of the books by Hells Angels founder Ralph…