New Jazz Label (R)evolve Hopes to Champion Inventive Young Artists

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…

The Greatest Industrial Tour in Recent Memory Comes to Denver Tomorrow

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…

How the Samples Went From Nursing Homes to the Fillmore

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…

Parker Barber Shop Raises Money for High School Band Programs

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…

Legendary Denver Pianist Joe Bonner Has Passed Away

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,…

We Need Rage Against the Machine Now More Than Ever

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…

The Nine Most Unsettling Cover Songs Ever

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…

Denver’s Rossonian Still Believes in the Power of Snail Mail

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…

My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden on Intellectualism and Lady Gaga

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…

Why Every Tinyamp Tape Is Truly One of a Kind

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…

Ikey Owens Was Great Even When No One Was Watching

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,…

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket on Embracing Awkwardness

After Toad the Wet Sprocket (due at the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, November 22) started 25 years ago, the guys in the band eventually became reluctant rock stars, partly thanks to 1991’s Fear, which included the singles “Walk on the Water” and “All I Want.” But front man Glen Phillips…

Southern Soul Assembly Brings Four Legends Back to Their Roots

JJ Grey, Anders Osborne, Marc Broussard and Luther Dickinson are currently touring as Southern Soul Assembly — but Dickinson notes that the emphasis should be on the “soul” rather than the “Southern” part of the name. The reason, he explains, is because everyone in the group draws from their wide-ranging…

Judas Priest’s Ian Hill on America and Sexuality

Judas Priest (due tonight, November 19, at the 1STBANK Center) is one of the most influential heavy metal bands in the history of the genre. From Birmingham, England (the same city that produced Black Sabbath), Priest basically created the blueprint for the sound and look of most of the heavy…