Savage Henry at the Gothic

Taking its name from a heroin dealer in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Savage Henry has paid its dues for the past several years, juggling regular gigs and a tour schedule that extends well beyond the efforts of most of its peers. More impressive, the band has managed to…

Claude VonStroke at Beta

Ah, Claude VonStroke. The name screams Eurodouche, and for good reason: It’s the nom de beats of Barclay Crenshaw, who came up with it while making up ridiculous European DJ names with friends. But it’s a name that’s come to mean incredible dance music, whether he’s producing, remixing or deejaying…

LA Riots

Daniel LeDisko and Jo’B, the twosome currently causing LA Riots, are the remixers of the moment — definitely a short-term position given the trendiness of the international club scene, but one that can occasionally lead to greater things. The duo, who’ll share the console with Felix Cartel, have only been…

Michael Dean Damron

This time last year, Michael Dean Damron, former frontman for I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House, was planning a trip to Denver with his current combo, Thee Loyal Bastards. But he ultimately canceled the gig, and the rest of his tour, due to high gas prices. “Michael was…

War Tapes

Los Angeles’s War Tapes evokes the most insidiously catchy synth-pop bands of the ’80s mixed with the darkness of that era’s death rock. Imagine Sisters of Mercy with a dynamic rhythm section and without the humorless demeanor. The songwriting, however, isn’t exactly on a retro-nostalgia kick, despite clearly being inspired…

Other Girls

With quirky pop hooks and song dynamics that are just shy of anthemic, Cleveland’s Other Girls writes songs with a surprising level of sophistication and polish while maintaining a certain urgency and exuberance that makes each performance count. With atmospheric flourishes reminiscent of Band of Horses and a nervous energy…

Son Volt

Jay Farrar has never been all that interested in experimentation. Hell, his desire to plow ahead, nose to the grindstone, was one of the contributing factors to the dissolution of Uncle Tupelo all those years ago. But his musical trajectory since is proof that he wouldn’t have it any other…

Death Hickey Blues

Although the music on this four-song EP doesn’t skimp on commercial elements, it’s actually quite an odd hybrid. For the most part, lead singer Nasir Malik’s vocals sound as if they’ve been fueled by ramen — but the music he makes, along with guitarists Samuel Pritchett and Joshua Lee and…

Born in Winter

Upon first listen to Paper and Roses, Born in Winter’s latest, inevitable comparisons to Evanescence and Annette Olzon-era Nightwish are bound to crop up, particularly since these eight songs are similarly rooted in melodic, progressive metal and driven by female vocals. However, the material here doesn’t come off saccharine, like…

White Leather

Is White Leather for you? Find out by answering “true” or “false” to the following three statements: 1) My record collection is full of ’90s pop punk and ’80s glam metal, and I always wished someone would combine the most egregious clichés from both. 2) As far as vocalists go,…

Take the Mickey

Scrappy, dark, comedic synth-punk isn’t exactly a formula for surefire success. And on They Clean Up Nice, Take the Mickey isn’t able to pull those elements into something compelling — or even mildly enjoyable. Then again, the EP’s creation was plagued by misfortune: A hard-drive crash prior to a CD-release…

Remembering the King of Pop

Love him or hate him, I think we can all agree that Michael Jackson was an icon. Although in recent years, his vast musical accomplishments have been overshadowed by the tabloid headlines, he’s still the best-selling artist of all time, a rare performer whose appeal spanned generations and transcended gender…

Sonic Youth signature Fender Jazzmaster guitars on sale today

Sonic Youth guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo have a strong affinity for their Fender Jazzmasters. which they say have defined the Sonic Youth sound for more than two decades. According to Fender’s press release, the guitarists have always modified their Jazzmasters by removing any extraneous controls and just leaving…

3OH!3 grace the cover(s) of AP. Again.

Update: Last week’s scuttlebutt turned out to be true. 3OH!3 indeed officially has the number one song on the radio in the country right now, and unsurprisingly, “Don’t Trust Me” has reportedly gone double platinum.Yeah, and it don’t stop, and it don’t quit. Speaking, of course, of the redamndiculous exposure…

SP Double returns with mixtape and upcoming projects

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from SP Double, especially since the dissolution of his Boostwell crew. But from the ashes, he’s dusted himself off and is gearing up to drop a collection of projects over the next six months. His new album, Loyalty, Honor, Respect, is due out…

Remembering Tickle Me Pink’s Johnny Schou one year later.

A year ago today, Johnny Schou died tragically at the young age of 22. Hard to believe that it’s already been a year since the talented Tickle Me Pink bassist passed away. Schou, as you might remember, in a cruel twist of fate, died the morning that his band released…

Flier of the Week: Get Down at Beta Friday, July 3

Our flier of the week is a doozy this time around. It’s for the Get Down party, which is moving to Beta this Friday, July 3, bringing a whole slew of talent including Whygee & Brikabrak, Input, 1984 and a bunch more. But most importantly, for FotW purposes, it gives…

Last Night’s Show: Meese at Twist & Shout

The Next Denver Band To Make It, Meese, anointed by Atlantic Records way back in October of 2007, yesterday delivered their debut LP Broadcast. They celebrated by playing a free show for maybe a couple hundred of their closest friends at Twist & Shout. The brothers Meese and Co. played…

Mutemath, Matt & Kim, the Bad Plus shows announced

Mutemath kicks off its North American tour this fall in support of the release of its forthcoming album, Armistice, which hits the stores August 18. Along the way, the New Orleans-based rockers will stop at the Ogden Theatre Wednesday, October 14. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 3 at 10…