Josh Ritter (due Saturday, October 11, at the Paramount Theater as part of Swallow Hill’s 35th Anniversary) is a gifted songwriter who has earned a bit of an international following for his imaginatively literate lyrics and simple yet sophisticated observational wisdom. In 2001, Ritter got a big break when he…
If you’re familiar at all with Colorado music, then the name Gregory Alan Isakov is certainly familiar. A force in modern day folk, this South African born, Colorado transplant has been making most in music take notice at whats happening in the Colorado music scene. Isakov is back with a…
Mike Doughty will bring his Question Jar Show to the Walnut Room this Friday, October 10. He’s had… an exciting relationship with the songs that made him semi-famous as the front man of Soul Coughing, originally swearing off the material before recording an album of Soul Coughing “re-imaginings.” He’s got…
Artists and weed go together like heavy drinking and pizza, so it’s no surprise to see musicians hanging out at dispensaries. Even many musicians who don’t smoke have stopped by to see what the burgeoning scene has to offer and lend their support. Native Roots Apothecary, located near 16th Street…
Editor: Please see the Author’s note on this new photo-driven series at the end of this article. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Denver music was in a time of transition. It was the local cultural equivalent of the Dark Ages. But like the more well-known Dark Ages, there…
Growing up in a digital age, I learned very young that photography could be something used quite carelessly with the hopes that maybe one click out of several hundred would turn out half decent. In high school I began messing around with disposable and old 35mm cameras I would find…
The West is not a place,” Jack A. “Papa” Weil, the founder of Rockmount Ranch Wear, was fond of saying. “It’s a state of mind.” Jack A. entered that state for good in 1928, when the then-27-year-old salesman for Paris Garters drove his brand-new Chrysler Roadster across the plains from…
The road has been rough on Paws. Last week, a thief broke into the Scottish band’s van while they were stopped in Seattle and stole money and equipment, including a laptop and a hard drive containing much of the group’s early recordings and work on planned future projects. At last…
You wouldn’t know, listening to the Felice Brothers’ latest LP, Favorite Waitress, that the record marks the first time they’ve recorded in a proper studio, abandoning the chicken coops and high-school auditoriums of their previous albums. Characteristically unhinged and scruffy without ever feeling unprofessional, the record has the warmth and…
Two of the best jazz musicians Denver has ever produced, cornetist Ron Miles and guitarist Bill Frisell, are sitting across from each other at a table in the back corner of Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge’s showroom in mid-September. Last night, they both played here with guitarist Dale Bruning, Frisell’s mentor…
When guitarist Jeff Rady, who’s played with Strange Americans, Casey James Prestwood, Faceman and other local acts, started learning pedal steel, he noticed that a lot of the instructional videos and books out there were very antiquated. He says Winnie Winston’s or Scotty Moore’s books on pedal steel from the…
Montecruz Foto/FlickrRecently, extremely dangerous pop-punk band Joyce Manor ignited controversy among true rockers everywhere after its members stopped one of their fans from stage-diving on some small women. The band even later took to Facebook to condemn the practice. Although the move is likely motivated by positive intentions, this band…
Not many veteran bands make their best album more than a decade down the line. But the New Pornographers, who’ll appear Saturday, October 11, at the Gothic Theatre, have beaten the odds with the driving, melodic, pop-tastic Brill Bruisers despite an extremely high degree of difficulty. After all, the band’s…
The legalization of marijuana for recreational use has brought an influx of musicians to Colorado. Some are interested in participating in the changing culture and some just want to experience the novelty of buying legal weed. They get to check out Colorado’s newest retail product; we get more concerts. To…
Neil Diamond, who’s set to release his new album, Melody Road, on October 21, stops at the Pepsi Center on Sunday, May 31 as part of his 2015 North American tour. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Monday, October 13 at www.livenation.com and through the Live Nation…
The Gypsy Jane Cannabis Carnival brought two remarkably solid days of music to the Denver Mart over the weekend. Saturday was particularly good for fans of classic hip-hop, with sets from E-40, Too Short, Warren G and your headliner, Snoop Dogg. Snoop has spent plenty of time in Colorado since…
Ralph Gean hasn’t played many shows in the last couple of years. So you might think the local rockabilly legend might be a little bit off his game. But that notion was quickly and handily dismissed over the weekend at Mutiny Information Cafe, when Gean got up in front of…
This weekend’s most unlikely show featured Vanilla Ice, who you know from “Ice Ice Baby” and reality TV, played at the Grizzly Rose, which you know for its mechanical bull and line dancing classes. After the opening band finished a set of country rock, the DJ played early nineties hits:…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. Last Week’s Episode: Rufus Baxter Seeks…
Tonight, Westword, Open Media Foundation and Greater Than Collective will co-hosting a live performance by Denver’s Kitty Crimes at the Denver Open Media studios at 7th and Kalamath. It’s a continuation of our Open Music Sessions, where we will create several videos based on regular live tapings of exceptional bands…
It’s a good weekend here in Denver, with hip-hop deity KRS-One playing Cervantes’ and the criminally under-appreciated Ralph Gean playing Mutiny Information Cafe tonight. Elsewhere, the Gypsy Jane Cannabis Carnival brings E-40 and others to the Merchandise Mart. The rest of our picks are below…
Jena Ardell Fans of Danzig have learned difficult lessons in the past, like never film Danzig on stage and to never punch Danzig in the face, but the best lessons are learned when Danzig talks about his beliefs. As much as Danzig is presumed to spread negativity, he also provides…
