Genre-defying pioneer David Bowie succumbed to an eighteen-month battle with cancer on Sunday evening, and left a massive hole in the world’s musical landscape. A statement issued on his social media accounts said that he “died peacefully surrounded by family.” Bowie was an artist in the truest sense of the word, never afraid…
When Radiohead demanded public access to Prince’s fantabulous cover of “Creep” recently, I couldn’t help but recall falling in love with creative covers as a teenage drummer and finishing all my own shows in the clubs, bars and garages of Pittsburgh with the punk trio Falling Short by blazing through…
Last Saturday, the mood at TRVE Brewery was somber yet jovial as patrons watched the live stream of Lemmy Kilmister’s funeral on a TV in the corner above the bar. There were drinks, laughter and pizzas, but overall the affair had an air of subdued reverence. Kilmister, beloved singer of…
This Saturday, rock fans around the world will raise a glass of Jack Daniels to the memory of Lemmy. On Motörhead’s official Facebook page, the band issued this invitation to its audience to livestream the funeral service for frontman Lemmy Kilmister, who died at age 70 on December 28: “Wherever…
Before the Kevin Costner Suicide Pact, there was Fellow Citizens. Fellow Citizens was far better than your average indie rock band in the early 2000s. Initially based in Boulder, it somehow combined Americana, shoegaze and pop into consistently compelling songs. But its members graduating and otherwise moving on with other…
Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work…
Nearly a year ago, David Bowie made an unannounced trip to the intimate 55 Bar in New York City’s West Village to hear an innovative jazz group led by saxophonist Donny McCaslin and featuring keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana. Bowie dug what he heard and…
To celebrate its ten years of existence, 3 Kings Tavern is throwing a free show featuring the musical projects of the club’s staff. This event will also mark the last day at the club for Jim Norris, who opened 3 Kings with Jeff Campbell and Martin Killorin in January 2006…
Thankfully, New Year’s resolutions are like most rising EDM producer’s beats: Shortly after being revealed to the world they are forgotten about and never again talked about. That’s not a jab at rising producers (we support you and your efforts – take a joke, sheesh) but more a stab at…
Editor’s Note: Westword’s resident jazz expert, Clubs Editor Jon Solomon, picks his favorite jazz albums of the year. ADVENTURES IN JAZZ While there were a number of great straight-ahead jazz albums released this year, some of my favorites (the top ten are listed below) were more on the adventurous side,…
Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, bassist and singer with Motörhead, died on December 28, 2015, after a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer that sources say he had only learned about on December 26, though fans and observers had begun to worry earlier. He had just turned 70, and he will be…
Subscriber-based geek-culture box-senders Loot Crate are no strangers to a gimmicky Youtube video. Damn, over 150,000 people regularly tune in just to watch somebody open one of their boxes and reveal a pair of Star Wars socks or a Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pin. Meanwhile, Arizona-based Cody Strong (Youtube handle AngryPicnic) loves a musical…
“My Mother said, ‘I’m a survivor, I pull together Christmas, every year.'” So says Cristina in her 1981 song “Things Fall Apart,” an ironic new wave take on the trials and pressures of the season and life in general. Not all the tunes below are so icy, but they are…
Isaiah “Ikey” Owens was more than merely the genius keyboard player of the Mars Volta. He was more than a key figure in the Long Beach music scene of the ’90s and the 2000s. He was more than a mentor/producer to underground bands like Rubedo, Holophrase and True Aristocrats from…
Psychodelic Zombiez were one of the most popular and beloved bands in Denver in the 1990s. Its blend of funk, punk and Danny Elfman-esque strangeness early on set it apart from many other bands of its day. Its rowdy antics on- and off-stage garnered the band a bit of a…
On a typical weekday, Roy Dockery can be found inside a wide, one-story brick building in a northeast Denver industrial park. The corporate setup appears to be modeled after an advertisement in an office-supply catalogue, with high-walled cubicles forming a maze across the center floor and a few closed-door offices…
This was the year of call-out culture, viral backlash and Facebook activists — but 2015 also saw frequent in-person, organized demonstrations for a variety of causes around the world. Denver’s Flobots make conscious music of and for the current social and political moment, but their new projects are a continuation…
Denver-raised rapper Cisco the Nomad might be the busiest twenty-year-old in the state. In between classes at Colorado College, Cisco, whose birth name is Clay Edwards, finds time to write plays, act and rap. Below you can hear his latest single, “Vinyl,” off of his upcoming LP Future Real Estate,…
What’s your stoned soundtrack of 2015? Yesterday WeedStream.net released its list of the top ten weed-related songs of the year. The list includes tracks from a few usual suspects, including Snoop Dogg and Kottonmouth Kings, but also notes surf-rockers Best Coast (“California Nights”) and British dance-pop duo The Ting Tings…
There’s no doubt that headbangers enjoyed another banner year in 2015. These last 12 months proved to be a successful for many established, and up-and-coming metal bands from various sub genres. Through it all, we’ve been keeping track of our favorites and the bands that surprised us the most.This was…
Psychic TV is making its first Denver appearance since 1990, but the one-of-a-kind music project has long maintained special connections to Denver. Formed in the wake of the 1981 break-up of foundational industrial band Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV continued to foster a community of like-minded individuals aimed not just at…
Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work…
