Ben Hanna

“Well, I’m a pretty funny guy, but I’m not hilarious/I don’t make a lot of sense, but I’m not mysterious/And you know, sometimes I just stare at the wall.” Those are the first lines from “Every Time You’re Near Me,” the opening cut on Ben Hanna’s We Were All Like…

Kid Vegas

Kid Vegas has generated a great buzz locally, but his latest effort doesn’t match it. The release lacks cohesiveness, and the production and lyrics seem scattered, with overused weed references, particularly on songs like “KeishaMolliMary,” which is difficult to digest: Besides the fact that the content is so predictable, when…

Tamed Animals

“Repressed Memories,” the lead track on this latest release from former Gang Charger drummer Dan Barnett, sounds like something at the nexus of industrial and IDM. Spectral synths haunt the album’s stridently mechanical beats and textures. “Gate” is more overtly musical, but its dense composition suggests Giorgio Moroder trying his…

More benefits slated for Mike Marchant

In an ongoing testament to the generous spirit of the people that make up our local music scene, the number of benefit shows devoted to Mike Marchant, one of our town’s prized songwriters, who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and is in the midst of undergoing chemotherapy, continues to grow…

Phibstock returns to Hartsel for second year

Last year, Phibstock became the newest addition to the Colorado family of music festivals. One of the more intimate fests, Phibstock drew bluegrass and jam band fans in droves to its off-the-grid location in Hartsel, Colorado. The festival is returning to Hartsel for its second year on Friday, August 2…

The ten best concerts in Denver this week

KEGGS & EGGS @ LODO’S | FRI, 3/15/13 In addition to being a Denver institution at this point, Keggs & Eggs has become a signifier of spring and annual monument to daytime drinking. No matter who’s playing KTCL’s free St. Patrick’s Day shindig, the lines start forming in LoDo just…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

FUR COAT @ NORAD | SAT, 3/9/13 Fur Coat hit the international scene hard last year after Damian Lazarus signed the act to his illustrious Crosstown Rebels label. Riding that wave of exposure, tracks like “Fall’s Out,” “You and I” and “Space Ballad” garnered hundreds of thousands of spins on…

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

ALABAMA SHAKES @ OGDEN THEATRE | SAT, 3/9/13 A number of bands are returning to a Southern-rock sound these days, but much of the music they’re making is too derivative to be interesting. Alabama Shakes, fresh off a date warming up for Neil Young, bucks that trend. The group’s members,…

The SnowBall Music Festival 2013 survival guide

The third edition of the annual SnowBall Music Festival kicks off tomorrow night in Winter Park. Seasoned veterans that we are, we’ve put together an exhaustive survival guide for you to ensure that you have the best possible experience and don’t become a human popsicle. We know what to bring,…