Throughout the weekend, Westword writers have been sending more in-depth dispatches from the 2016 edition of Riot Fest Denver at the National Western Complex. Sometimes, however, the most useful review is the snap judgment, so here are postcards of the highlights — or lowlights? — from thirteen Riot Fest sets,…
“Let’s put all these words away…” “Let’s put all these words away…” “Let’s put all these words away…” With each repetition of the line, Gregory Alan Isakov’s singing became softer and softer, until finally the words were but a whisper, the last syllables fading without a trace into the windy…
Riot Fest 2016 will be remembered for the fact that, after more than thirty years, the Misfits finally put differences aside and got on stage together. But this is a three-day festival, and a lot happens between each evening’s headliners. Still though, the Misfits! Juliette Lewis & The Licks It’s…
For the last decade, Riot Fest (a three-day festival that takes place each year in Denver and Chicago) has been the place where childhood punk-rock dreams come true. For instance, two years ago outside Mile High Stadium I got to see the Descendents tear through Milo Goes to College, which…
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a hundred times: Don’t sleep on the first day of Riot Fest. Skip school. Quit your job. Bail on that family vacation. Whatever you have to do, it’s always worth it. The 2016 edition of this annual punk/rock/metal melee was no exception…
The great thing about writing about music for a publication like Westword is you never really know what’s going to land itself on your task list from one day to the next. Never is that more true that right now because, just as we were winding down in preparation for…
While Denver-based band Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats played a “triumphant” homecoming headlining show at Red Rocks last month, many in the audience wondered about the absence of popular trumpet player Wesley Watkins. Watkins has not been touring with the Night Sweats for a couple of months, which the…
American Babies refuse to be typecast. Described by the group’s founder Tom Hamilton as a progressive Americana band, American Babies’ consistent desire is to remain fresh. Whether recording in the studio or performing on stage, Hamilton ensures that the creative process is not forced, allowing the group to settle around…
A slew of bands will perform this weekend at Riot Fest, which starts tonight at the National Western Complex. The lineup includes acts like Jane’s Addiction (performing Ritual De Lo Habitual), Death Cab for Cutie, Deftones, Ween, Sleater-Kinney, the Original Misfits, Nas and many more. Phish returns for its annual three-night Labor…
Last night the town of Morrison, famous for the discovery of dinosaur bones and John Brisben Walker’s vision, hosted another event that the thousands in attendance may come to consider historic: Tame Impala’s first headlining show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tame Impala, the genius project of Australian musician Kevin Parker, played…
It’s been ten years since local indie-folk band Paper Bird formed, and just under that since its celebrated debut album, Anything Nameless and Joymaking, was unleashed. The band has managed to maintain commendable traction since then, and the musicians are about to celebrate their decade in existence by releasing their…
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will perform Prince’s Dirty Mind with Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore at the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, October 29. Tickets ($25) go on sale Friday, September 2, at 10 a.m. St. Lucia, who recently played at the RiNo Music Festival, will headline the Ogden Theatre on Friday, October…
Toto is probably most remembered for its string of hits from the late ’70s through the mid-80s; songs like “Hold the Line,” “Rosanna,” and “Africa” are still staples of classic rock radio. But beyond being a talented pop and rock band, the members of Toto were some of the most prolific…
Last night, the forecast of “light rain” left out the bit about two full hours of torrential rain, mild flooding, and seriously limited visibility issues on the roads. Driving through these conditions to get to Red Rocks either inspired a bit of foolhardy bravado or the urge to turn back…
When Jane’s Addiction released its debut studio album, Nothing’s Shocking, in 1988, it was a watershed moment in what came to be called alternative rock, though at the time, there wasn’t such a clumsy genre tag for it. Still, Jane’s Addiction didn’t really fit in with any popular trends of 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…
Last night, Coldplay bounded on-stage to the euphoric strains of “Head Full of Dreams,” the title track of its latest (and rumored-to-be final) album and current world tour. The Pepsi Center pulsed with the glowing wristbands given to the audience upon arrival, the colors changing and blinking in time with…
Gregory Alan Isakov is stressed about the weeds. On a break from touring in support of his latest record, Gregory Alan Isakov With the Colorado Symphony, he sits on his porch and cradles a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. From here, he can see very little of his…
It’s easy to forget sometimes that the people who play music are also usually big fans of other bands. Converge bassist Nate Newton isn’t afraid to wear his adoration on his sleeve. He’s a big fan of the Smiths and doesn’t hesitate to say that he’ll fly halfway around the…
It’s a summer afternoon, and Joseph Olenik, better known as Partylord, is sweating his ass off. His backyard studio, which he shares with fellow artist and roommate Pickle Palmer, has no circulation, and the screen-printed beer koozies and wood cuts filling the space only serve as a sort of stuffy…
On August 17, the website Blabbermouth.net reported that Denver thrash metal band Havok had been kicked off of a tour with Megadeth, just as it was about it hit Mexico. The tour, which also features Suicidal Tendencies, Amon Amarth and Metal Church, was just the latest in a series of…
The summer is coming to an end and that means the beautiful, scorching-hot Colorado weather is going to turn into a beautiful, less-scorching Colorado fall. In just a few weeks, the summer schedule at Red Rocks, Fiddler’s Green and Hudson Gardens will be done for the year, and the outdoor…
