Concerts

When the UMS line-up was first coming together, I had no intention of attending. There were so many reasons not to go. The last two years’ shows have been diabolically crowded, and there are always other, less packed places to see local bands. Besides, summer in Denver of late has…

This past weekend, I made a joke on Twitter that the hardest part about attending UMS isn’t trying to see as many bands as you can fit into your schedule, but actually getting from one venue to another without running into (and talking to) 2,500 people along the way. As…

Watching Street Fever feels like going to a dance party in the Mad Max universe. The DJ, in a tight leather jacket and a heavy-metal mask with eyes that glow and change colors with the beats, looks like an alien. In front of him, standing on a chair, is a…

Melt-Banana brings its manic and disorienting noise punk back to Larimer Lounge this Friday, July 24. Melt-Banana is pretty much impossible to forget — its shows are such an electrifying barrage of sounds and dynamics. To the group’s credit, it looks like it’s unleashing personal demons on stage as well…

To say that High Fiction is a relatively obscure pop duo that has yet to release a record would be strictly true, but its members — Gary Grundei and Amy Shelley (who, turns out, is distantly related to the Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein) — have had a pretty atypical career,…

Sometimes a geographical change is necessary for a band to find its own path. For Cassie McNeil and James Wayne, the Pacific Northwest felt like the right part of the country to re-root the duo’s work as Force Publique. Both musicians grew up in different parts of Colorado, eventually landing…

The Underground Music Showcase launches on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Sunday, July 26 in various venues, from as far north as 6th Avenue to Alameda. The yearly festival, originated by the Denver Post, brings together a huge array of local and touring bands, and the event as a whole…

Riot Fest is a little over a month away. The lineup includes some monster names (Iggy Pop, Run DMC, etc.), but you don’t necessarily have to go in for the whole thing in order to get a sampling. Today, the organization announced a series of after-shows, featuring artists like Rancid,…

One of the biggest metal events of the year is the Denver Black Sky Fest, held at the Gothic Theater. In the past, big metal festivals have been relegated to the coasts, but the metal scene in Denver is blossoming into its own beast. So it is only fitting that Denver…

In a concert season that continues to expand, Red Rocks Amphitheatre has officially announced its first-ever Halloween show on October 31, featuring headliners Mac Miller and Action Bronson, with Flatbush Zomies, Tory Lanez, GoldLink, Domo Genesis. Tickets will be available for purchase this Friday July 24 at 10:00 a.m., starting…

Global Dance Festival took over Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the weekend — it’s the last true, unapologetic rave at this historic frontier. EDM lovers brought the heat, the light up swords, and the cannabis. The artists sets are stacked one on top of another, not giving the audience members time…

There were serious Denver connections at this weekend’s Melvins show. Andrew Novick did one of his GetYourGoing slide shows to start off the night. The affable and intelligent Novick can be found at all sorts of events, including his own a pop-up ramen shop, a Beyond Thunderdome-themed party and —…

Good Old War took a high-energy and lively crowd at the Bluebird Theater and, by the end, transformed it into a quiet and transfixed audience that hung on the band’s every word. The Philadelphia trio managed this by playing a show full of carefully written pop songs that are poignant…

Death Cab for Cutie, playing its first tour without founding guitarist Chris Walla, stopped at Red Rocks earlier this week. After an opening set by tUnE-yArDs, the legendary band proved it still had plenty of power. Photographer Miles Chrisinger was there to capture the scene — check out a few of…

The inaugural Bluebird District Music Festival hit East Colfax last weekend, and if you weren’t there, you missed three days of insane local talent. We were there, wandering the wickedest street and taking in all the music. Here’s what we thought of BDMF, volume one:  1. Lost Lake is the…

The Colorado installment of Riot Fest is a month and a half away. We told you about this year’s lineup earlier — it includes Ice Cube (and special guests), Iggy Pop, Modest Mouse and more. Yesterday, Riot Fest announced its single-day lineups, tickets for which go on sale Thursday at…

Mark Sundermeier was driving home late one night in September 2011 from the Toad Tavern, where he was serving as talent buyer, when a semi ran his car off the highway. He can’t remember the accident at all — nor can he remember the two days before it. He slipped…

The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson co-headlined a show last night at Red Rocks as part of the End Times Tour. One of those bands drew a ton of fans. We’ll give you a hint: It’s the one who played at the enormous Fillmore Auditorium in February. The other one…

Jim White is a music legend — if you don’t know him, you probably still know his work. As the drummer in Dirty Three, White came to prominence in the ’90s alternative rock world. He became known as a gifted and intuitive percussionist and regularly worked with the likes of…

The drive to Conifer for the Living Spaces showcase offered a preview of the spirit and quality of the event. To get there, you took I-70 to highway 285, into a neighborhood without pavement called Aspen Park, a small town next to Conifer. While they weren’t quite log cabins, the…