In southern Florida, Mike Diaz has been evolving MillionYoung from a promising synth-pop project into something that doesn’t really fit into that whole “chillwave” category so much as it captures the image those of us living in colder climates have of warm nights and lazy days in tropical climates. Florida…
Occasionally, an artist from in or around Denver will put out a release that captures the spirit of the moment and forever reminds you of that time. This seven-inch record from Gauntlet Hair is effectively that release for 2010. The songs echo and shimmer like spring sunshine through trees sporting…
Some folks say the more trichomes (or crystals) there are in your weed, the higher you’ll get, since there’s a lot of THC in them. Nowhere in the Fort Collins-based Trichome’s materials does it say that that’s what the band’s name alludes to. But considering that Trichome is a reggae…
Eolian’s connection to past prog-rock giants shows on Egg, the band’s 35-minute, single-track concept album. The group — frontman Ian O’Dougherty, drummer (and occasional Backbeat contributor) Sean Merrell and bassist Adam Edwards — offers a wide range of sounds and contours, summoning giants of the genre like Geddy Lee and…
Julia Libassi and Scott Conroy met while attending Tufts University and played in and around Boston with their band Stop Switch before moving to Denver in the summer of 2009. Upon arriving here, the pair sought out potential bandmates on Craigslist. A terse comment to their post — essentially proclaiming…
The first thing you will notice about I Know You, Rider is that it’s an instrumental band. But its music is not just spontaneous noodling: The outfit has been working on its debut EP for over a year now. The four tracks on La Bufadora are driving rock songs, albeit…
Mochipet’s ramshackle rambling through the world of music highlights just what can be done with a little technology and a lot of imagination. The experimental/hip-hop DJ (also known to the world at large as David Wang) is all over the place, remixing everyone from Kraddy to Michael Jackson, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony…
This is not a token “throwback to the early days of Lipgloss party.” We repeat, this is not a throwback. Creep, which kicks off December 15 at Beauty Bar, is a totally new night brought to you by one of the DJs who birthed Lipgloss, but Michael Trundle, aka Boyhollow,…
At this point in his career, Tech N9ne needs no introduction to Colorado. The independent and highly successful Kansas City rapper — who makes his fourth and final stop in the state tonight for this round of his tour — found a niche for his bizarre hip-hop style in and…
TAME IMPALA With Achille Lauro 12.04.10 | Bluebird Theater Stardeath and the White Dwarfs were originally slated to be part of this bill but couldn’t make it, so at the last minute, local band Achille Lauro was added, which is just as well, because that band shares a bit of…
We’re putting together our annual New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day guide, and we want you to be a part of it. Send your music- and club-related New Year events to newyear@westword.com today so we can add you to our listings. And thanks!…
Derek Vincent Smith, a/k/a Pretty Lights played Belly Up in Aspen last night, and photographer Soren McCarty brings back these photos from the show…
By now, its no secret: Tennis was born out of months at sea, after which newlyweds Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley came home and made and record. A whirlwind of interest in the band and a deal with Fat Possum Records followed, and now the duo is readying the release…
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN & THE 4TH DIMENSION 12/4/10 | Boulder Theater John McLaughlin knows a few things about playing fast. The 68-year-old McLaughlin, who some consider the fastest jazz guitarist in the world, has been honing his chops over four decades playing on albums like Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and In…
THIS END UP J. Phlip • Three • DJ Laura 12.4.10 | Casselman’s Casselman’s spacious back room was just starting to come alive when I arrived at the venue last night for “This End Up,” an ambitious, multi-headliner event showcasing resident DJ’s from San Francisco’s infamous after-hours club, the Endup…
MINI MANSIONS Wire Faces • Action Friend 12.4.10 | Moe’s Original Barbecue Mini Mansions is defined by comparisons. First, to Queens of the Stone Age, because Michael Shuman is a member of both. And while the two bands have little in common musically, it is interesting to think about what…
PANTyRAiD with Project Aspect 12.3.10 | The Boulder Theatre PANTyRAiD and Project Aspect provided some much needed relief for students of CU who are suffering through finals right now. The sold-out show at the Boulder Theatre only had two acts, but both of them came King-Konging onto the stage and…
Raised on a steady diet of Chicago house music as a kid growing up in Champaign, Illinois, Jessica Phillippe emerged as one of the most in-demand underground female DJs over the past few years. Also known as J. Phlip, Phillippe studied engineering at the University of Illinois before relocating to…
If you haven’t picked up your tickets for Artopia, what are you waiting for? Yes, we know it’s not until February, and right now, you’ve probably got your hands full with the holidays. Be that as it may, here’s two compelling reasons to get your tickets now. The Hood Internet…
TALIB KWELI With Chicharones • Food Chain 12.03.10 | Cevantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Talib Kweli embodied the tried-and-true show-business rule that no matter what, the show must go on. Having seen him live tons of times, I usually come with the premise that if you’ve seen the Brooklyn MC rock once,…
San Francisco’s Max Vangeli has had quite a year, remixing everyone from Gorillaz to Switchfoot and having his tracks spun by such superstars as Tiesto and Swedish House Mafia. Tonight, he’ll be at Beta, 1909 Blake Street, and to get you in the mood, here’s a sampling of his work…
There are plenty of U2 tribute bands, Beatles impersonators and more Sublime cover bands than there are Sublime albums. But perched on top of the replication heap is definitely Hell’s Belles, a riotous AD/DC tribute that has been doing serious justice to “Highway to Hell” since 2000…
