Already more than a dozen albums and slightly fewer years into his insanely prolific career in the Memphis scene, the major labels came calling for Jay Reatard. They told him they’d make him the next Kurt Cobain and that he was going to kill emo. Neither seemed out of his…
I was so sick of electric guitar,” declares John Common. “I remember being on stage at the Oriental, and I was literally in the middle of a solo, packed house, great show — this is supposed to be why we play music, right? — and I was so bored, I…
Many people, particularly people of the gothic and industrial persuasions, still miss Rock Island, the club that opened back in 1986 at 1614 15th Street, long before lofts crowded the area. The sketchy neighborhood didn’t keep fans from flocking to the venue to dance and see acts like Skinny Puppy…
Some of their recordings conjure a straightahead blues band with a knack for mimicking surf rock, but that’s a bit misleading, particularly for a group with a name like Carnivores. You would be excused for thinking the handle was some kind of ironic moniker. But while these guys wouldn’t exactly…
On its recent and aptly named Tour EP, Canada’s Cancer Bats cover Tegan and Sara, the Faint and Murder City Devils — which, of course, gives not the slightest indication as to what the band actually sounds like. Bred on metal and honed by hardcore, Cancer Bats infuse their latest…
Though its music has been referred to as “orchestral punk,” Mount Righteous, which hails from Grapevine, Texas, is more akin to sprawling indie-pop outfits like the Polyphonic Spree. Unlike the latter, however, this nine-piece plays its shows without electric instruments, which has given Righteous the ability to perform in more…
The toughest band to ever take its name from a Counting Crows lyric, Between the Buried and Me snuck into the nascent metalcore scene at the beginning of the ’00s with its raw, self-titled debut from 2002. From that modest beginning, the group has gone everywhere but down — but…
Having veterans of the Grand Ole Opry in the lineup should be pedigree enough for a solid band. But the Grascals took things a step further in the first year of their existence when they released a critically acclaimed debut album. That release caught the attention of country-music legend Dolly…
Zach Boddicker, who plays pedal steel in Drag the River, covers similar alt-country ground with his own project, 4H Royalty. The subtle differences between Drag and 4H, in which Boddicker sings and plays electric guitarist, become more pronounced the more you listen. Veering from twangy power pop to sultry Southern…
One possible narrative for Bass Drums Guitar: A man is chained to his life. The minutiae, the rules, the injustice is all inescapable. He struggles to free himself completely, but the binds are too strong. So he finds fleeting salvation in booze and drugs and, of course, rock and roll…
Like the gorgeously haunted music of bands like the Horrors and Bell Hollow, the Twilight Garden’s songs are devoid of ironic detachment, which gives each one a refreshing immediacy, despite the overall melancholic tone of this album. The exquisite “I Am Echo” opens, with a perfect blend of mid-’90s Underworld…
One of the finest bluegrass acts to emerge from these parts, Fort Collins-based Head for the Hills serves up quite a collection of tunes on its self-titled sophomore release. The quartet (along with some help from Bill Nershi, Drew Emmitt and others) digs in and kicks up the dust on…
Detroit-born Jeremy Ellis, sometimes known as Ayro, got a good start by being born into a family of musicians. Before he became known within the Motor City dance scene, he spent his early years studying classical and jazz piano. On record, Ellis shows himself to be an impressive, versatile talent;…
The Meadowlark hosts Neighborhood Appreciation Night every Tuesday, featuring dollar PBRs and an open mic. According to photos of last night’s version, from Coleen Whitfield, it’s a much more sedate evening than you might expect. We’re disappointed in you, Hipster Nation…
This week we had lots of fine material to choose from, but this flier stood out even among the wonderfully crowded field of great images and cool design. We’re not too sure what, if anything, the image is supposed to represent — is it a circuit diagram? cell mitosis? what…
Note to the People of the People’s Republic: In case you somehow haven’t heard yet, your prayers have been answered. The astroid you’ve been praying for to hit your town has … uh, what’s that? Ah, right. That makes more sense, we suppose… Ahem, actually, go ahead and disregard that…
Band of Horses recently finished recording a new album, Night Rainbow, which the act has been playing songs from at shows since. While there’s still no word on when the disc will be issued, chances are better than good that the band will be playing new material when it hits…
Pop Tart Charts: 3OH!3 is atop the iTunes chart, thanks to their collaboration with Ke$ha. The pop tart’s wittily titled “Blah Blah Blah (feat. 3OH!3)” might be “face-shooting pablum” (as we called her work the other day) but this “unholy, completely sexless union of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga” (as…
Photo ninja Aaron Thackeray ventured into the wild on Friday night to dance with the restless natives, at Suite 200 (he missed LeBron, apparently) and something called Croc’s. His resulting photos are on display at westword.com/slideshow…
Here’s a little public service announcement for you, just a quick heads-up in case you’re blissfully unaware: As tempting as it may be, do not — we repeat DO NOT — park in the bank parking lot on S. Broadway and W. Archer (directly across from 3 Kings Tavern). Doing…
Acoustic Profanity Friday, January 8, 2010Bender’s Tavern Better than: MTV Unplugged. Acoustic Profanity was about what you’d expect from the name: Get a bunch of punks together and take them out of their element a little by handing them acoustic guitars and sitting them on some stools. Over the course…
While many of us are daydreaming of summer while trying to keep warm shoveling snow, word that the Hot Sounds at the Denver Pavilions weekly concert series will not return in 2010 takes away one more fun thing to look forward to during the upcoming months. The outdoor music event…
