The best concerts to see in Denver this week

THURS | DEVOTCHKA at GOTHIC THEATRE | 10/31/13 It just wouldn’t be October without DeVotchKa’s annual Halloween extravaganza. This year, the beloved Denver act is holding court at the Gothic Theatre on Thursday, October 31, and the Boulder Theater on the following night, Friday, November 1. Shady Elders is slated…

R.I.P., Lou Reed

One of the largest looming and most influential icons in the history of rock and roll, Lou Reed died on Sunday at the age of 71. No word has been received regarding the cause of Reed’s death, though the “Walk on the Wild Side” songwriter underwent a liver transplant last…

Photos: Katy Perry at Lakewood High School

Katy Perry is brilliant. And, no, that’s not an assessment of her music — although, to wit, the gal does have a knack for injecting just the right amount of passion and pathos into her pop songs that makes them resonate, as evidenced by the impassioned expressions on the faces…

The best concerts to see in Denver this weekend

SUNDAY | COLORADO RISING at 1STBANK CENTER | 10/27/13 Colorado Rising is a fitting name for this benefit show. Aside from its obvious meaning, the title could also describe the homegrown acts on the bill, each of which has helped raise the profile of music being made in our state…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

FRIDAY | TALE OF US at CLUSTER STUDIOS | 10/25/13 “Epic” is a word that gets thrown around so much it’s practically lost its meaning. Yet in the case of Tale of Us, it’s one of the few descriptors appropriate to what the Italian duo creates on stage. Carmine Conte…

Get a sneak peek of Prime Element’s new EP

While the individual members have released new music in various configurations in the past few years, it’s been a while since we’ve heard new music from Prime Element. The last release from the act, formerly known as Three the Hard Way, came a few years back when Kamikazi Airlines picked…

See FaceMan’s massive shark stage at Lost Lake

Plenty of Discovery Channel viewers cried foul a few months ago when the cable network aired a bogus documentary about a prehistoric shark called the Megalodon. But that little piece of on-air fiction for “Shark Week” proved more inspirational than frustrating for FaceMan’s uni-monikered frontman, Steve. Inspired by the idea…

West Water Outlaws play outside the box on their new album

The lap steel guitar is a tough instrument to learn, but that’s exactly why Will Buck of West Water Outlaws wanted to take a crack at it for his band’s new album. “I’ve been playing guitar for about twenty years at this point,” says Buck, who co-founded the Boulder-based quartet…

Highland Ramblers

It’s hard to make an overarching creative statement in the space of just four songs. Happily, though, the Highland Ramblers keep the message fairly straightforward on Four the Pour. Although the tunes don’t boast a lot of diversity in terms of style, the quintet shows plenty of heart when it…

The Yawpers

Armed with just two acoustic guitars, a trap kit and Nate Cook’s zealous singing, the Yawpers have been known to kick up a hell of a racket not only on stage, but also in the studio, as heard on last year’s Capon Crusade. That same musical energy is more than…

Jellyfish Tuesday

If an early-’70s Laurel Canyon band were to get caught up in progressive jazz and some kind of gypsy music and then go on a decade-long tour playing experimental venues, Jellyfish Tuesday might be the result: a chilled-out version of a cabaret carnival, as Renaldo Migaldi once described Chicago’s Maestro…

Omniism

Omniism, which began life as a side project for Spools of Dark Thread frontman Chris Thomas, is blossoming into an impressive modern-rock powerhouse. A Turn for the Worst, the band’s new four-song EP, finds Omniism (due this Saturday at Herman’s Hideaway, with Lola Black, Horse and No 1 Left Standing)…

Dissonance in Design releases Sentient this week at the Marquis

Stevie Boiser is an omnipresent figure in Denver metal. He fronts Vale of Pnath and recently stepped down from Enemy Reign to focus on Dissonance in Design, a progressive/death-metal quintet that features brothers Harrison and Zac Patuto on guitar and drums, respectively, as well as Vale of Pnath guitarist Vance…

Pink’s Denver show rescheduled to January

Pink was originally slated to bring her Truth About Love tour to the Pepsi Center on Friday, October 18, but upon direct doctor’s advisement, she postponed the date until Wednesday, October 30, in order to rest her voice. After a short rest, she played a pair of shows in the…

KRS-One at Cervantes’ Other Side, 10/19/13

KRS-ONE at EXTRACT HARVEST FEST at CERVANTES’ | 10/19/13 The Extract Harvest Festival took over both sides of Cervantes’ with classic hip-hop and reggae filling the place. KRS-One was the main headliner, but all of the acts, which included the Pharcyde, Mr. Vegas and Trapzillas, among others, had the house…

Todd Snider at Bluebird Theater, 10/19/13

TODD SNIDER at BLUEBIRD THEATER |10/19/13 Todd Snider didn’t skimp on stories at his show at the Bluebird Theater. Before “Ballad of Devil’s Backbone Tavern,” he told us how his nephew is getting into singing and songwriting. Apparently he had told Snider that he didn’t sing a lot of his…