“Katy Perry breaks another record” — how many times have we heard that this summer? Not enough, apparently. Perry, whose last two singles, “E.T.” and “Firework,” have both been certified 4x-platinum, may claim yet another chart record title with her fifth single, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” For her most recent…
In the constantly evolving world of jam, bands are increasingly being overshadowed by DJs who rely on samples to formulate their sound. After nearly a year-long hiatus, the Frozen Movement returns to the scene to remind us of the merits of live instrumentation (Mike Stewart uses seven keyboards on stage)…
For this week’s print feature, we spoke with Laura Taylor, Vice President of Operations for Guitar Center regarding the company’s recent initiatives to improve the treatment of female customers in the company’s 219 stores across the country. When we spoke with Taylor, she was very candid about the steps the…
With her classical training and her background singing country music, Lizzy Allen brings impressive chops to her role in Vitamins, which got its start in Greeley. And tonight at Red Rocks, she’ll be putting that talent to work with the Flaming Lips, who have asked her once again to provide…
Ask someone who doesn’t know anything about electronic music to name a big DJ, and odds are, they’ll pick John Digweed’s name out of the crowd. He played the Big Name DJ (as himself, of course) way back in 2000 in the raver flick Groove, and he hasn’t lost any…
This week in rap, we have many dimensions of hip-hop for you. From Mcbig House and Gyp’s stripped down video for “Prize” to Pries’s more introspective take on Goapele’s “Closer” titled “Closer to Nothing” to Solomon Words ode to an old school line with “Can I Kick It.”…
In the eloquent liner notes of Sin Desires Marie, the band’s sole full-length, bassist Yoon Park explains that Sin Desires Marie (due tonight at Glob for this weekend’s Titwrench Festival) was started by friends who learned how to play their respective instruments as they learned to play together as a…
Since the beginning of the year, The Flaming Lips (due Wednesday, August 3 at Red Rocks) have been collaborating with a number of artists from Neon Indian, Prefuse 73, Lightning Bolt and Nick Cave, as well as releasing their own material in unconventional methods like USB drives embedded in gummy…
Behold, Untold Stories, another new periodic feature on Backbeat. As you’ve probably deduced from the name of this feature, Untold Stories will feature first-hand accounts of momentous occasions involving local folks that have never really been highlighted — thus the Untold part of that equation. The inaugural installment comes courtesy…
Alela Diane (due tomorrow night at the Fillmore Auditorium with Fleet Foxes) was born in the small town of Nevada City, California, where she got a nudge from her friend Joanna Newsom to perform her solo material for the first time. After issuing her debut album, Forest Parade, in 2003,…
When Suzy Bogguss hits the Soiled Dove Underground tomorrow night, she’ll be delving into her musical roots a little bit with songs from her latest release, American Folk Songbook, which spotlights standards from the American folk tradition. For an artist known more for her country success, tunes like “Froggy Went…
Mike Acuña is a hip-hop OG. Better known on stage as ILL Se7en, he’s been in the game for more than a decade. The MC got his start as one-half of the group Isolated Generations with Ben “Opt Won” Chavez back in the day, and he continues to collaborate with…
When Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica, he decided to from his own band that would be bigger, faster and heavier. So with that in mind in 1984, he enlisted the help of an eighteen-year old Minnesota transplant named David Ellefson on bass and formed Megadeth. Over the years,…
Update: Photos from Sunday’s Mayhem Fest (including Machine Head) have been posted! This fall, Machine Head (due at Comfort Dental Amphitheater this Sunday, July 17, as part of Rockstar Mayhem Festival) will release their seventh studio album entitled, Unto The Locust, and judging from the first single, the album’s title…
Local jazz veteran Neil Bridge has been a longtime fixture on Denver’s jazz scene, both as a performer and as a teacher in the Denver Public Schools, where he also started jazz combo programs. In advance of his show at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret this Sunday, we spoke with Bridge about…
Tons of fresh local hip-hop for you to vibe on this week. We’ve got a snippet of Mic Coats from the Food Chain spitting over a Mass Prod beat from the crew’s new “brunch” project, a new track from Anxious from his forthcoming Almost Famous album, a new joint from…
Hindershot (due tonight at 3 Kings Tavern with Force Publique, Achille Lauro and The Show is the Rainbow) started out with songs lead singer and guitarist Stuart Confer wrote in his bedroom a few years before. In just over a year, Hindershot became one of the more popular bands associated…
This week in rap, we have the latest video from Aires Jackson, a project featuring Lenny Lenn and his brother James Ray, a brand-new funk track from Naeem Oba that’s so ill it came with a “this will make you dance” disclaimer, another new video snippet from Spoke In Wordz,…
A fiercely independent artist with a diverse, dedicated and ever expanding cult following, Tech N9NE (due tonight at the Fillmore Auditorium) has a hustle that simply cannot be knocked. Currently in the midst of an 82-date tour in support of his latest album, All 6’s and 7’s, the rapper has…
Aaron Johnson has a lot on his plate right now. He teaches fifth-graders by day, and by night he’s taking classes to get certified in teaching English as a Second Language. He’s also a Geeks Who Drink quizmaster. But tonight? Tonight Aaron Johnson (aka Ukulele Loki) is performing at Red…
You can’t really talk about guitar building in this town without mentioning Scott Baxendale. About a year and a half ago, one of the area’s most respected luthiers picked up stakes and moved to Athens, Georgia — home of the Drive-By Truckers, an act that holds him in such high…
For the past eight years, Action Friend (due Saturday, June 25, at the Meadowlark) has been evolving the kind of music played by what many would say is “a musician’s band.” Although all the players in the band are highly skilled, it’s the inherent weirdness to its compositions that has…
