Critic's Notebook

A brief cartoon history of the Rainbow Music Hall.

Indie rock band Lemuria is on tour, celebrating the tenth anniversary of its debut album, Get Better. But the band’s tour line-up will include long-time collaborator Tony Flaminio on keyboards, vocals and guitar, meaning Get Better will be presented as it was recorded.

The metro Denver hip-hop and rap scene has been booming for a long time now, although there’s always that nagging feeling that people further afield should be paying more attention. We have artists here that span the various nooks and crannies that make up the genre, creating intelligent and fascinating music. Here are ten artists that could well make a big noise this year, ordered alphabetically.

What happens when you juxtapose Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9 in D Minor,” an orchestral masterpiece whose sublime grandeur seems impossible to rival, with Kevin Puts’s much gentler (albeit not that gentle) “Symphony No. 2,” a modern orchestral work the contemporary composer wrote in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks?

Brooklyn hip-hop artist and social activist Talib Kweli has built a career on incisive, intelligent lyrics with his thought-provoking rap. Surrounded by a family of university educators, Kweli came to the public’s attention in 1996 when he appeared on the album Doom by Cleveland group Mood. It was in 2002, with the release of his debut solo album Quality, that he saw his reputation blossom nationally.

From the opening lines of Qbala’s new track, “So Alone,” the MC establishes themselves as a fluid being, unbound by binary gender and what can be contained in merely a human form.

Over 30 years, through numerous line-up changes, murderous scandals and tumult, Norwegian black metal band Mayhem has defied death.

Youth Code may not have its roots in the Goth scene, but the duo is arguably the most popular of the current wave of bands influenced by early industrial music.

The professional singers and conductors in The Evans Choir perform and promote choral music, hoping to lure in new audiences.

Guitarist and singer Gabriel Albelo came up with the band name Silver Face and its first batch of songs while he was living in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

In honor of August Burns Red’s Denver stint, Westword compiled a list of the top five Christian metalcore bands.

Nissen Isakov and his wife flew from Philadelphia to Denver, Thursday afternoon, to watch their son, Gregory Alan Isakov, perform two sold-out nights with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Concert Hall.

The story of Christian metalcore outfit August Burns Red is a “weird” one, says longtime guitarist JB Brubaker.

From Swells and Barbed Wire to Screwtape, these are twelve of the best punk bands to play in Denver in 2016.

Ryan McRyhew decided to drop “Thug” from his moniker, “Thug Entrancer.” Here’s why.

Art collective Moon Magnet’s building is scheduled for demolition. Saturday, the group held its last hurrah in its current location.

Celebrated American jazz trio the Bad Plus knows no limits when it comes to taking on a variety of sounds, styles and genres.

Here are ten of Denver’s best heavy metal bands.