Concerts

THE BAD PLUS at THE ORIENTAL THEATER | 10/19/13 After the Bad Plus opened its set with “Pound for Pound” and “Wolf Out,” bassist Reid Anderson told a packed Oriental Theater, “We have to roll out the brand tunes because it’s that time of year,” he said. “The season changes…

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 10/18/13 Naked and Famous was in total control at the Fillmore. From the first chords of “A Stillness,” every string pluck and cymbal crash had been calculated, presumably in some sort of rock laboratory. Frontwoman Alisa Xayalith appeared onstage, clad in black,…

TUES | FLATBUSH ZOMBIEZ at CERVANTES’ OTHER SIDE | 10/22/13 As if torn out of the pages of a graphic novel, Flatbush Zombies are intense and ultra-stylized to an extent that is at once cartoonish and darkly gritty. Sometimes, in the case of very exciting music such as theirs, substance…

FRI | THE NAKED AND FAMOUS at FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 10/18/13 Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith formed this pop outfit in 2008 and recorded two EPs with future keyboard player Aaron Short when the three were students at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand in Auckland. Taking its…

SAT | LOO & PLACIDO at NORAD | 10/19/13 Artists like Danger Mouse and Z-Trip have brought the art of the mash-up to the forefront, but few take it to the extremes of Loo & Placido (aka Laurent Lupidi and Jeremy Johnson, respectively), who each played in assorted French bands…

Andrew Young loves the Denver Broncos. A lot. No, seriously, he’s a fanatic. Literally. Broncos football is what this guy lives for. He says it saved his life and gave him purpose. After being hospitalized for marijuana-induced psychosis, his life lost much of its color, but orange and blue never…

KGNU has always been about variety. For nearly four decades, the Boulder-based community radio station has followed a fiercely eclectic on-air approach, offering listeners a daily mix of news, debate and, of course, music. That model is about to change, thanks to the web and a grant of about $19,000…

Throughout the history of jazz, groups have been driven by a single leader. But when the Bad Plus formed thirteen years ago, the trio made it a point to be more of a collective. The approach had worked well for drummer Dave King’s group Happy Apple, which he co-founded four…

The Fabulous Boogienauts came together in 1996, when founder Rocky Ramjett was finally able to realize his dream of creating a disco band. Rather than the Red Hot Chili Peppers brand of funk rock that was in vogue in certain circles at the time, Ramjett, who’d been relieved of his…

Based on the layered arena-rock peak of the title track of Gungor’s I Am Mountain, which opens the album, you’d think this was a radio-friendly pop effort. And while there certainly are some vibrant pop melodies to be found, the overall aesthetic is far more cinematic in scope. The arrangements…

The genre-blurring work of Fort Collins quintet Finnders & Youngberg is so seamless on the band’s newest release, I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry, that it’s easy to overlook the album’s impressive diversity of sound and structures. With Rich Zimmerman’s speedy mandolin and Aaron Youngberg’s equally…

There’s lots of variety to be found on On the Lam, the latest album from Fort Collins’s Escape Goats. The bluesy roots of opener “I’ll See You Again” recall the music of the Band — frontman Joe Schicke’s vocals are similar to Levon Helm’s — while the trio locks into…

On Genessier’s new album, Graces the Bone, a wash of noise and a dark, abstract melody in the music rush side by side and are often punctuated by menacing electronic beats. “Emlyn,” the album’s opening track, resembles late-’80s EBM with its panning low end, samples and distorted vocals. Think Twitch-period…

Justin Henry has a pair of Rottweilers, ages seven and eight. He can’t take them everywhere, but he’d certainly like to. Specifically, a place where he could drink and have the dogs with him. With that in mind, last April he took over the former Priddy Auction Galleries space at…

FIONA APPLE @ BOETTCHER CONCERT HALL | 10/11/13 With no opening act, Fiona Apple came on stage stomping as part of the percussion. It was like she wasn’t even thinking about playing in front of a big crowd. And indeed, joined by Blake Mills, drummer Barbara Gruska and upright bassist…

MON | JUNIP at SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 10/14/13 Formed in 1998, Junip fuses an acoustic folk sensibility with a meditative psychedelia driven by synthesizers. Before the Swedish outfit took off, guitarist and singer José González had a bit of a successful solo career with songs that were used in…

This past Wednesday night, after playing a show at the Summit Music Hall, Filter made its way over to Brothers Bar & Grill to grab some food and drinks. Drummer Jeff Fabb, who has a rather large tattoo adorning his neck, was denied entry, which irked frontman Richard Patrick, who…

FRI | GARY CLARK JR at OGDEN THEATRE | 10/11/13 Austin-bred guitar prodigy Gary Clark Jr. is focused on reconnecting the blues with its roots. The electric bluesman not only cites Jimi Hendrix as an influence, but with his slender frame, long fingers and soaring bellow, he might remind folks…

JAMES HOLDEN @ NORAD | SAT, 10/11/13 James Holden has been a household name in tech house since 1999, when he released “Horizons” at the tender age of nineteen. Since then, he’s gained recognition worldwide by launching the esteemed Border Community label in 2003 and using that platform to release…

Nearly a year after Quixote’s relocated into the former Bender’s location on 13th, owner Jay Bianchi has opened up a new place. This one’s called The Donkey O.T. (get it?), and it’s at 1630 Federal Boulevard, which was the home of Atmosphere Ultra Lounge since June, 2012. Since the bar…