Matt Morris | 02.25.10 | Bluebird Theater In a recent conversation Matt Morris and I had about his album, he sternly — well, as sternly as possible; the guy’s an absolute sweetheart — deflected an assertion that his album lacked a certain continuity. On record, Morris deftly tries on a…
We dispatched Aaron Thackeray, our trusted nightlife photographer, to the Gothic on Thursday for the Alkaline Trio show, and to the Church for a Red Bull-sponsored DJ contest. He came back with photos of strippers on stripper poles. Typical. Thankfully, he also shot what we asked, and the sweat-stained fruits…
Promoter and label owner Dave Vendetta says Denver has one of the biggest goth/industrial scenes in the country, but he’s had a hard time finding venues to book shows, especially since Rock Island closed. And then he found the Roxy (2549 Welton Street), which is open to him bringing in…
Psst. So are you excited about Showcase yet? We are. In fact, we’re giddier than a bunch of fat kids turned loose in the Twinkie factory after hours. Seriously, we can hardly stand it. Ghostland Observatory! Superchunk! Dirty Projectors! Neon Indian! Single File! Oh My Stars! Oh and over eighty…
Yesterday, we wrote about the on-going makeover of the cruel mistress that is copyright and intellectual property law (see above) and encouraged readers to let their voices be heard by another leading lady, Victoria Espinel, the first copyright czar. Today, we, or rather Denver Open Media, is offering you a…
DJ Dragon is releasing Homegrown, a limited-edition, free mix CD Thursday, March 4 at Beta to show off the best the Colorado dance scene has to offer. “Over the last few months I’ve noticed how much great music was coming out of Colorado and thought that it would be cool…
Yesterday, somebody downloaded a song from iTunes. Yeah, we know, happens every day, right? What’s new? Happening right now, in fact, as we type this. Sure. But this song was different. It was more significant than any other download in history, except perhaps one other. And this one was worth…
All right, so now this is just getting aggravating. Earlier this morning, we received word that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Thom Yorke had confirmed dates for their respective North American tours. No Denver date listed for either. That news had us bristling a bit. But now, we just…
When we last spoke with Matt Morris for this week’s profile, he was understandably excited that his first headlining gig tonight at the Bluebird tonight was nearly sold out. Since then, of course, the show has actually sold out. Don’t have tickets? No worries. You can still catch Morris tomorrow…
King Rat has set a date for the release of its new album, Everything Burns. Fifteen years after forming, the longstanding punk act, led by Luke Schmaltz, will issue its sixth full-length at Bender’s Tavern, with White Leather and Suburban Hostage. The outfit plans to unveil the new tunes on…
This time last month, Matt Morris was on stage with Justin Timberlake, performing in front of millions on the Hope for Haiti Telethon. And that was on the heels of appearing on Letterman — a thrilling gig for any artist, much less an unknown one. But right now, the thirty-year-old…
It’s Friday night at Paris Wine Bar (1549 Platte Street), and every seat in the place is occupied. People pack the aisle, too, making it tough to get to the back room, which was part of the adjoining Paris on the Platte coffeehouse until late last year, when the wall…
A few years back, there was a charming dance-pop band called the Hot House, and after the band broke up, its bass player, Bree Davies, moved to Brooklyn for a while. When she returned, she formed Night of Joy with guitarist Valerie Franz, who shared her unique taste in —…
Cursive was one of the bands that helped put Omaha, Nebraska, and Saddle Creek Records on the map. Starting in 1995, in the post-hardcore milieu that would serve as the roots of modern emo, Cursive always seemed to make music that never really fit in a specific genre outside of…
When newspaper heiress Patty Hearst began robbing banks with the Symbionese Liberation Army, she was said to have been suffering from Stockholm syndrome, a situation in which hostages bond with their captors. More than thirty years later, Dave Schools of Widespread Panic teamed up with the Jackmormons’ Jerry Joseph to…
There isn’t a thing remotely original about Fanfarlo — but that’s kind of what makes the band so endearing. Led by warble-voiced multi-instrumentalist Simon Balthazar, the group luxuriates in the kind of ebullient, upward-spiraling pop that the Arcade Fire has popularized. But there’s a ragged edge to Fanfarlo’s fluttering coo…
Rose’s Pawn Shop may forever attract cheap punchlines about the aptness of its name; after all, the group sports more instruments than the back room of a run-down secondhand shop. But a fair listen to the music should put a dead stop to any assholery. Amid the banjo, upright bass,…
Last year was a good year for the Knew. In addition to garnering a slot at last fall’s Monolith, the players also jetted to New York, where they performed at CMJ. And now, with an impending trip to Austin for this year’s South by Southwest festival and the release of…
As with guitarist Dale Bruning’s Classical Connections—Vol. I, the songs on the followup, Classical Connections—Vol. II, were culled from archived live recordings of two Dazzle sets back in November 2006 (save for the solo opener, “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”). Both volumes find Bruning and special guest Ali Ryerson dipping into…
Anyone who’s enjoyed a Leftover Salmon show over the years should be very familiar with standout keyboardist Bill McKay. While “Papa Bill,” as Salmon frontman Vince Herman sometimes refers to him, tinkles the keys infectiously in just about any genre, he drops jaws when he unleashes one of his legendary…
The Hollagramz side of this split cassette release (called “Crystal Side”) starts off like some kind of long-lost ’90s house track as envisioned by William Orbit exercising some restraint; that’s followed by a track whose circular waves of sound evolve into something resembling a crypto remix of a Low Life-era…
Ken Kadonaga started the Boulder-based Adventure Records in 2001 as a way to promote local musicians, visual artists and charities. Since then, the label has released five compilations under the title Cuvée (a wine term meaning blend or special lot), featuring bands such as DeVotchKa, the Motet, Cabaret Diosa and…
