There is nothing I can say about the clip embedded above that would possibly prepare you for the awesomeness contained within, but I am going to try: Imagine A-Ha’s seminal “Take on Me” clip, then replace the cool animation with live-action roleplayers and production values on the level of your…
Received word over the weekend from Chris Kresge, aka Chris K, the host of Colorado Sound on KRFC in Fort Collins, that Ozric Tentacles, a lauded British prog-rock act with 25 releases to its credit in its nearly quarter century existence, has relocated to the Fort. Word comes on the…
Photo: Chad FahnestockSmashing PumpkinsFriday, December 6, 2008Ogden TheatreBetter than: the band’s Red Rocks show last year.Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan said he the stomach flu the day before Friday’s show, but it didn’t stop the guy from soldiering through nearly three hours of new songs, hits, obscurities, solo acoustic cuts,…
Oasis, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Matt Costa Monday, Dec. 8 Broomfield Event Center Better than: Seeing a band that’s past its prime play in a high school auditorium. Circa 1997, an Oasis concert would have filled a venue the size of the Pepsi Center, with its official capacity estimated…
The Christines with I’m A Boy Saturday, December 6, 2008 hi-dive Better Than: Passing on seeing two of Denver’s best bands on the same bill. When I got to the hi-dive, I’m A Boy had just begun its set. As usual, it was pure, inspired rock and roll from the…
Tomorrow night at 3 Kings Tavern, a cavalcade of current and bygone Denver acts and musicians will be on hand to celebrate the life of Wendi Wikstrand, aka Grandma Dynamite, a very dear friend of mine and the scene, who passed away at the end of October. Slated to appear…
I love a good cover. Today, I ran across this list of the best and worst covers of all time and it got me thinking about the art of covers. I know people who hate them, regardless of quality and a lot of people just don’t seem to get the…
Colorado rap star — and yes he is a star — YtCracker, is one of the most booked hip-hop artists out of the state. For some reason, the Nerdcore hip-hop music he does is in high demand. He’s currently on a nationwide tour with other Nerdcore artists like MC Frontalot…
Guitar virtuoso/noodler extraordinaire Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay, claiming the band’s song “Viva la Vida,” title tack from their latest opus, lifts a riff from his 2004 track “If I Could Fly.” I can’t be the only one who finds this utterly bizarre. Admittedly, my knowledge of both Satriani’s guitar…
In speaking with Westword’s Rap-Up recently, On Point’s Flawless announced the formation of a new crew called the Fresh Breath Committee. The crew consists of former Boostwell group On Point and solo artists Catch Lungs, Purpose, Kontrast, singer Crystal, and DJ Skip Ripken. They’ve done some shows together but we’re…
There are few organizations In the history of electronic music that loom larger than the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.They helped develop techniques and technologies that went on to become the mainstay of electronic musicians to this day, not to mention helped condition the masses to accept, even love, the strange, unearthly…
At first the sensation of interviewing Everything Absent or Distorted (a love story) — known among themselves as Eaod (pronounced ee-odd) — is akin to wrestling an octopus. All eight members are constantly in motion, making jokes, talking over each other, spinning off into side conversations. Even when five or…
Before I moved back to Denver, I lived in a 350-square-foot studio in Brooklyn. The kitchen was the size of a telephone booth, and the bathroom wasn’t much bigger. The doorway to the bathroom was so narrow I had to turn sideways to get through it, and the sink was…
Carbon Choir (due at the Larimer Lounge on Friday, December 5) is a band whose virtues compound with each song. At first you might be drawn in by the music’s delicate atmospherics and expertly measured pacing, because the band’s sound is definitely made for reflective moments and thoughtful observation. But…
This weekend, you can get down with your bad self and do something good for little kids at United: A Toys for Tots Benefit Show, featuring a bunch of top local talent spinning all varieties of dance music. It’s a great chance to sample some of what our vibrant scene…
Back in 2004, French singer-songwriter Sebastien Tellier released Politics, an album that took on what most people see as a critical topic. But with the release of Sexuality, his latest recording, Tellier says he’s found a more important one. “I have no more interest in politics, because politics is not…
Noel Gallagher has returned to his roots. For the Oasis helmsman, the homecoming has not involved laborious genealogical research or reuniting with childhood friends. Instead, it’s meant ceding control of production duties on the band’s latest album, Dig Out Your Soul, setting out on a worldwide tour and getting drunk…
The Haunted Windchimes paint an evocative and compelling musical picture with familiar hues of folk, blues and Americana. The best tracks are the first few, particularly the opener, “Don’t Be Afraid,” a haunting, mournful dirge, and its polar opposite, “Leaving Here,” a bouncy, up-tempo effort that skews toward pop territory…
Anyone amazed by the amount of racket the White Stripes can generate with just two members will be positively flattened by Adai’s latest — an EP recorded and self-released in 2006 that’s now getting national distribution. With assistance from producer Kurt Ballou (whose credits include work with Genghis Tron), guitarist/vocalist…
Remarkable things can happen during musical improvisation when there are no preconceived ideas, no preparation or discussion. In fact, part of the magic is not knowing what will happen, especially when you have guys like Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, Nels Cline drummer Scott Amendola and cornetist Ron Miles along for…
There is no musical genre that can contain Hunter Dragon’s songwriting, because it truly runs the gamut of styles and sounds. However, within each release, there is a sonic consistency. This time out, Hunter opted for a duskier, lo-fi sound and treatment for each song. In the live setting, a…
Comprising members of the well-known noise-rock outfit Racoo-ooo-oon, Wet Hair dispenses with live guitars entirely, but not the former’s intense drones and emphasis on rhythm over melody. Still, the electronic sounds are resonant and expansive rather than abrasive; at times the band sounds as though it’s playing a tape of…
