I’m just going to be real, if you were born after 1996, this article is for you. Not only did you miss out on possibly the peak of modern hip-hop, you missed out on an entire culture. Do you remember when Tupac died? If so, this article might not be for you. I…
Steve Diggle didn’t really intend to be in Buzzcocks, a band that, along with the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Jam and the Damned, formed the nucleus of England’s punk explosion four decades ago. In fact, Diggle might have ended up in a different band altogether. In the summer of…
Chromeo has been at the music thing for about ten years now, pumping out one synthy, upbeat and dancey track after another. You might think it’s effortless for the duo. But according to the group’s lead vocalist Dave “Dave 1” Macklovitch, Chromeo’s aesthetic isn’t effortless at all. He and the…
When the duo GO DARK released its first EP on Halloween 2014, it was speculated that one member was prolific rapper and beat producer Doseone. Eventually it was revealed to be true that the pioneer of alternative hip-hop had teamed up with newcomer Ash, who had never before been part…
Transitioning back to society after ten and a half years in federal lockup was no walk in the park for Ronald Cosby, who’s now one of the most respected and important figures in Aurora’s hip-hop community. Better known by his nickname, “the Hood Father,” Cosby remembers leaving prison in 2008…
John Baizley, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for Baroness, which is part of the Project Pabst lineup on Saturday, May 21, is among the most fascinating figures in contemporary music: smart, complex, conflicted, inquisitive and piercingly articulate. Just as important, his band’s twist on progressive metal operates within the traditions of…
In late 2005, a group of musicians moved into a house at 2155 Franklin Street, blocks from Five Points. The neighborhood, once called the “Harlem of the West” for its thriving jazz scene, had changed a lot by this time, and there were cheap (if neglected) spaces for the young,…
When you’re in a band, starting at the bottom and perhaps still learning your trade, few things are more rewarding than gaining the respect of your peers. If one of those peers happens to run a record label and wants to sign you, then all the better. That’s pretty much,…
Denver’s Braden Smith, aka Ancient Mith, put together a project called YAWL in late 2014 with German producer Dot. The duo’s debut album, A Pile to Keep, A Pile to Burn comes out on May 5 on Anette Records, the imprint that issued Smith’s previous full-length, 2013’s synth-infused And the…
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…
It’s hard to remember how I felt about death before the Internet. Well, maybe how I — we, collectively — processed death prior to social media. Social media gives us a space to prove our love; it is a place to instantly create memorials and collages for those we have…
It’s easy to be a man in rock and roll. The music world has always been more effortlessly navigated by men (straight-presenting, white men, mostly), but Prince never took that easy route. Throughout his storied career, the singer, songwriter, musician and producer took every opportunity to collaborate, mentor and work…
At this writing, news about the death of Prince Rogers Nelson is still being digested by stunned, shattered fans across the globe — including this one. But while I cherish the memory of the one time I caught His Purpleness live (in 1997, at Fiddler’s Green), the memory that sticks with me most…
There was a time when Mikey Smith would show up with his keyboard to the Meadowlark’s Monday-night jazz jam not knowing if he’d have a drummer to play with. Now there are nights when nine or ten different drummers show up, each hoping they’ll have a chance to play more…
Band reunions and reincarnations can get downright weird. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. Really, this shit is nobody’s fault but our own. The most hardcore of the hardcore music fans are like an even more twisted Dr. Frankenstein, because we won’t accept death. We’re just not having it, and…
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…
What is Denver hip-hop? What does it sound like and what does it stand for? There is a lot of discussion surrounding these questions, trying to pin labels on the Colorado hip-hop community. While definitive answers are in short supply, talent is not. As an introduction, here are nine hip-hop…
We are pleased to debut the release of the new video for the song “Desert Minded” by Fort Collins-based rock band Slow Caves. The song will be issued on the band’s upcoming EP of the same name on the Grouphug imprint. Slow Caves, nominated for a 2016 Westword Music Award,…
In 1967, when producer Tony Visconti first met a young David Bowie, in the office of David Platz, head of London-based publishing company Essex Music, the first thing Visconti did was stare into Bowie’s eyes, which appeared to be two different colors. “I didn’t know which one to look 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…
“I want everything to be a little more laid-back,” says Neil Michael Hagerty, singer/guitarist with the Howling Hex. It’s a sunny April day in Colorado, and, tall and lean, he’s sporting a pastel tank top; his long brown hair is touched with gray at the sideburns. His drummer, Eric Van…
Dead & Company are returning to Colorado this summer with a special performance at Folsom Field in Boulder, but any time is ripe for fans of the Grateful Dead to eat up the band’s music and history. To answer that call is Buzz Poole’s examination of the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead. …
