There are successful, vibrant music scenes in every corner of the world. So what makes ours different? We asked several bands playing this year’s Westword Music Showcase to tell us: What is, in your opinions, the best thing about playing music in Colorado? Their set times for this Saturday are…
Here’s the thing: When you let a bunch of people into a field where there are several dozen very high quality beers in limitless supply, and then you close with a ’90s cover band, people will sing every word and hug strangers and generally head out of there with smiles…
There’s plenty to keep you busy this week. James Taylor brings his musical featherbed to Red Rocks for a couple nights, and Nas and Flying Lotus will headline Feed the Rocks right after that. The outdoor activities continue with the kickoff of both Sonic Bloom and Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Note…
Denverites Adrian Garcia (A-Trax), Lennard Daniels (Lennyx Dublyn) and Jeremy Barnes (JT) make up the core of the hip-hop collective Planes! The three have all been rapping since they were young, in the last few years started working together. “It just kind of came together,” Garcia said. “Everybody compliments each…
Summer was underway. It was. But just in case you were waiting to roll down the windows and put away your sweaters, the Ink Monstr pool party series kicks off on Sunday. There are shows for those of us no interested in thigh exposure as well — Reckless Kelly is…
While Ruby Hill Park is a popular sledding spot during the winter months, starting June 2016 the park (near South Platte River Drive and West Florida Avenue) will be home to fifty free concerts a year. Work will begin on the 7,500-person Levitt Pavilion next spring. “Our entire mission is…
Lionel Richie is real, there’s no question. His star was born decades ago and solidified through so many hits that I had even forgotten some of them were his (and the Commodores’, of course.) It was refreshing to see someone so real perform; the last time I was at Red…
There are more Denver bands than you could credibly hope to get to know right away. It’s a good problem to have — this city is rich with talent and creativity. Over 140 of the best bands in town will play at next Saturday’s Westword Music Showcase in the Golden…
Hardcore bands are often the sum of their members’ influences. Not so with Culture Shock: The band’s music, lyrics and imagery come almost exclusively from the mind of frontman and founder Geoff Diederich. “The whole point of this band was to try and sound like SSD [Society System Decontrol] if…
By Jack Spencer In my years attending punk and metal shows, often as the only one with a pen and pad in the middle, I’ve noticed that there are a few unwritten rules when participating in a mosh pit. The seemingly amorphous fits of aggression that explode from the center…
This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. To commemorate the occasion, organizer Planet Bluegrass is releasingTelluride Bluegrass Festival: 40 Years of Festivation, a book full of photos and essays by various artists who’ve performed there. We’ve reprinted the introduction, written by Telluride’s longtime master of ceremonies,…
To the uninitiated, Devo is just some ’80s band with funny hats who did that “Whip It” song that occasionally gets a nod on Family Guy or something. To the slightly wiser, they were the basis of Weird Al’s mind-bending original “Dare to Be Stupid.” Such a person might start…
Travel agencies may be dying off, but 420 EDM Tours has found a niche that even websites like Orbitz and Priceline just aren’t privy to yet: raging. The company has planned a series of bus-based tours that include stops at Colorado landmarks, tickets to concerts and, of course, a very…
The Westword Music Showcase is next Saturday, June 21. It’s our annual love letter to Denver music, with over 140 local bands playing. All of them are nominees for Westword Music Awards, and together we hope the two efforts will help a few people discover some new things about the…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his sunny outlook with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work and even buy it on his website. • BACKBEAT’S GREATEST HITS • – The fifty best rap lyrics of all time – The ten…
The reach of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival extends down the mountains, across the country and around the globe. The weekend-long celebration of acoustic instruments, immaculate songwriting and untamed nature has brought big-name artists from around the world to its stage. Next weekend, Telluride Bluegrass will celebrate its fortieth anniversary, with…
Daniel Pujol is a rock-and-roll songwriter from Nashville playing tonight at the Larimer Lounge, and he would like to communicate with you. He’s at several disadvantages there, especially if he sticks to the methods we mostly rely on these days. He could send you a text message, but they are…
It may not be unusual for a metal show to push the Ogden Theatre to full capacity, but any promoter is facing an uphill task in selling a Monday-night show. Still, Denver metal fans rallied together for Meshuggah and Between the Buried and Me with no concern for work, bedtimes…
Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest in Fort Collins brings together tons of local bands and a few touring headliners the third weekend in August every year. Past headliners have included G. Love and Flobots, and the festival has just announced this year’s crop, scheduled to play August 15-17: Big Head Todd…
The budding blossoms of summer were on full display at Stoney’s last Friday evening. ‘Twas a night for banishing the wintertime sads and celebrating the upcoming Westword Music Showcase. If you weren’t there, here’s the cool stuff you missed:…
Ryan Adams, Father John Misty, Ray LaMontagne, Train and more are part of this year’s FMQB Triple A Conference’s concerts at the Fox Theatre from Wednesday, August 6 to Friday, August 8. Tickets for the shows, which are $49.50 and include three acts per night, go on sale on Friday,…
Performers in all spheres often discuss the importance of ritual — but especially in music, where a pre-concert ordinance may be more significant to the band than we ever know as observers. One might think that rituals are reserved for witches and baseball players, but we have evidence that musicians…
