Last Night: Matt Morris at the Bluebird

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…

The Roxy gets Hellbound with new goth and industrial night

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…

Westword Music Showcase 2010 tickets on sale now!

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…

Wireside Chatting with the DOM

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…

King Rat sets release date for new album

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…

Matt Morris is more than Justin Timberlake’s protege

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…

Paris Wine Bar has added music — but stamped out smoking

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…

Night of Joy at the Meadowlark

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

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…

Stockholm Syndrome

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…

Fanfarlo

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

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,…

The Knew

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…

The Dale Bruning Quintet

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…

Bill McKay

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…

Hollagramz/Iuengliss

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…