Eliot Fisk on collaborating with Bill Frisell and improvisation

Although classical guitarist Eliot Fisk and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell have known each other since they first met in Germany nearly 25 years ago, they’ve never performed together — until now. Both are due for solo set tonight, January 20 at DU’s Newman Center, where they’ll join forces for a…

American Idol is dead. What’s next?

Well, that was fun while it lasted. American Idol had its worst season premiere ever, coming off the heels of its first season where winning didn’t translate to commercial pop success. Turns out J-Lo and fossilized Steven Tyler are pushovers trying to make their own careers as much as anyone…

Meet Force Publique, our latest infatuation

There are few things that bring us joy quite like finding a new act to get all excited about. It’s kind of like finding a twenty-dollar bill in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn in a while. We’re enjoying that feeling right now listening to “Still Falls Apart,”…

Misogyny: Do women get a bad rap in hip-hop?

Misogyny, as a concept and as a behavior, is a major issue in hip-hop. Women are frequently marginalized and suffer extreme sexist treatment. As I began to examine the pronounced gender bias in the hip-hop community for this week’s feature, I interviewed a wide range of ladies to get their…

Ten pop music paradigm shifts in 2010

Teen dream Justin Bieber is arguably the biggest pop star in the country and Simon Cowell isn’t doing American Idol. A lot’s changed since last year in the world of pop. Institutions fell, ideas were challenged, and the Black Eyed Peas didn’t have the number one song in the country…

Susan Boyle vs. Ke$ha: Pick your champion

With two weeks left in the year, Billboard has posted it’s 2010 year-end charts. The top single of 2010? Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.” Wouldn’t necessarily have been our guess, but fair enough — seems like one of a handful of 2010’s defining singles. The album race, however, has more shocking (and…

YTCracker on the virtues of Nerdcore and the finer points of hacking

YTCracker rolls with a crew and movement known as “nerdcore,” the epicenter of all things sophisticated and geeky. The rapper — aka Bryce Case, who pronounces his name as “whitey cracker” — and his contemporaries, guys like MC Lars, MC Frontalot, MC Chris and Dual Core, aren’t your average pocket-protector…

Low’s Alan Sparhawk on Joy Division and radio

Since its inception in 1993, Low (due at the Larimer Lounge this Saturday, December 18) from Duluth, Minnesota, has created a body of work characterized by a fragile intensity. Although often lumped in under the banner of “slowcore” with a group of bands of similar sonic leanings, like Red House…