Mouth House, located at 2858 California Street, was host to the most eclectic shows in the DIY circuit. From 2011 to 2013, it had a festival called Festibowl that included comedy and the kind of music you weren’t going to often find playing in bars or more commercial venues. It…
Imagine that you’re in a band going out on your first major tour. At most of the stops outside of your hometown, away from your friends, there are ten to twelve people watching your set. But at one show, 200 kids are packed into the venue, actually waiting to see…
The Goth and industrial bands from Denver enjoyed a kind of heyday in the ’90s in Denver, with several active bands playing live. There was even a high-profile festival for a handful of years: the Denver Dark Arts Festival (later Tte Colorado Dark Arts Festival). When the momentum behind any…
Colorado’s last great soul-funk band was formed in 1966 in Phoenix, Arizona, where it was known as Freddi-Henchi and the Soulsetters. In 1968, founding members Freddy Gowdy and Marvin “Henchi” Graves decided to move the band to California in hopes of engaging a national audience and obtaining a record deal…
The members of good-times punk band SPELLS will happily share their opinions on any number of things. Mythical creatures, for example: “I think Bigfoot is just John Lithgow in a costume,” says Peter “P” Bohner. “That’s where he vacations. Some people go to Vail or Aspen…”A band that isn’t short…
“Denver is tight,” says P.O.S with a chuckle when asked about the music scene here. The rapper, producer, part-time punk-rocker and founding member of Doomtree will be heading here at the end of this week. He’ll be playing the Bluebird Thursday night, and Friday night he will be heading to…
Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wil Guice launched his Love Money Music tour from the Roxy Theater late last week. Welcome to Guiceland was the start of the next step for a vocalist who wants to bring back the roots of R&B — he feels that talent is now trumped by image…
While studying jazz at the University of Northern Colorado, saxophonist Jared Atol and drummer Nick Spreigl, who also plays with Air Dubai, saw a lot students spending a good deal of time practicing and composing. Some would put still more time into recording albums, but then not doing anything with…
Front Line Assembly is part of what is arguably the greatest electronic industrial music tour in years. Alongside Skinny Puppy, Haujobb and Youth Code, FLA will take the stage this Friday, December 12, at the Ogden Theatre. All together, the lineup represents major stars of experimental electronic music from their…
Chella & The Charm is releasing its self-titled, full-length album at the hi-dive on Friday, December 12. The folky Americana project is the latest incarnation of a band fronted by primary singer and songwriters Michelle Caponigro. Performing as Chella Negro for the last several years, Caponigro has established herself as…
Being the torchbearer of the modern American doom metal movement can be a tough job, especially when you list Kansas as one of your favorite bands. But it makes sense, according to Pallbearer bass player and vocalist Joseph D. Rowland, who will be in Denver with his band this Sunday,…
The Samples are among the most successful bands ever to come out of Colorado. But primary songwriter and singer Sean Kelly got his start far away from the mountains, playing for unlikely audiences.As a young man, Kelly and his fledgling band, the Last Straw, couldn’t get the time of day…
The Czars were one of the more popular bands from Denver in the 1990s and early 2000s. Theirs was a style of music could never be limited. It wasn’t dream pop or shoegaze or slowcore. It wasn’t even really just moody post-punk. It was all of that, and its dynamic…
Dan Briechle’s first drum set is small and old. It’s a shiny silver and would look more at home at a jazz club then a five-year-old’s bedroom, but it worked. His father made him take it a part and clean it every month, much to Briechle’s chagrin. But something in…
Barber shop Roosters of Parker dedicated last month to local high school band programs. Jesse Shapiro, the shop’s owner, donated five percent of all sales between October 28 and November 28 to band programs at Legend, Ponderosa, and Chaparral High School. See also: Denver’s Newest All-Ages Venue Is Inside a…
Joe Bonner was a brilliant jazz pianist who collaborated with some of the genre’s legends and developed a worldwide reputation for his moving style. He passed away in his sleep on November 20 from heart disease. Bonner moved to Colorado in 1976, when he was 28 years old. By then,…
By Gabriel San Roman It was no coincidence that Rage Against the Machine released The Battle of Los Angeles in 1999 on what is traditionally observed as Election Day in the United States. The 2000 election season was already in gear, with Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore…
Whenever an artist covers a song they take a risk, particularly if the song they are covering is a classic or at least already burned into everyone’s minds a certain way. Some covers don’t feel right because it’s a classic is getting mangled, other times it’s uncomfortable because a song…
What sets Seth Evans apart from most local bandleaders is that he understands the importance of making personal connections through marketing. Since his band Rossonian formed in 2012, Evans has used physical “thank you” notes and cards to not only grab attention, but to connect with fans. Before Rossonian left…
Shara Worden, the artistic force behind My Brightest Diamond, makes smart music for smart people. But if her descriptions of creating This Is My Hand, her mind-expanding new recording, can seem academic at times (she talks about searching for the album’s “thesis statement”), she’s hardly anti-populist, as the key inspiration…
House venues are unofficial by nature. There are no real rules at a house show other than to respect each other and the space. There are no tickets, only donations. There’s no promotion, no bar, no third-party marketing team. What is created right then and there at each show is…
Isaiah “Ikey” Owens would have turned forty on December 1, but heart failure on October 14, 2014 took him from us before that could happen. Those who knew him best have already offered their memories and condolences. He was a great mentor and friend to various musicians around the country,…
