Gary Numan (due Friday, April 4, at The Gothic Theatre) is most widely remembered for his 1980 hit song “Cars.” That song was merely the most popular in an influential career that had a direct impact on artists as diverse as Prince, Beck, Lady Gaga and, of course, Nine Inch…
Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wrong. Send your problems to her –…
There are albums you love and albums that alter the way you listen to music. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s 2002 masterpiece, Source Tags & Codes, fits squarely in the latter category. Damn near everyone loved this thing; Source Tags was like a long-lost Led…
Sports Authority Field at Mile High is often filled with fans who provide unfaltering support for their home team, who come out in droves and weather malicious snowstorms, biting wind and blinding sun to be a part of something special. With the silhouette of the Rocky Mountains to the west…
Intentionally recorded in super-lo-fi mode, Already Dead’s I Want to See You Rot delivers the kind of sound that will never be fully appropriated by the mainstream. Though musically different from early black-metal efforts such as Mayhem’s Deathcrush EP, Already Dead’s project rivals that one in its rawness. On “Joke,”…
As guitarist and pedal-steel player for 4H Royalty, Jamie Mitchell undoubtedly knows his way around the alt-country. That fact is also in evidence early on his seven-song disc Love Songs of the Profane, which kicks off with “Hotel Room” and is similar to A.M.-era Wilco. Mitchell injects twangy guitar into…
The four tracks on the Friends From the Bar EP actually do sound like an attempt to capture a meeting at a bar somewhere — in Berlin, maybe. If there is an overarching style here, it seems to be one that synthesizes house, ambient and downtempo. Kaster Cordalis’s “Soul Romance”…
The weed-laced sagacity of Whygee’s delivery and Gypdahip’s crisp, deep-crate samples are a natural pairing. Don’t wander into their joint release, called Please Forgive Us, looking for Top 40. As WhyGyp, the duo juggles a sound that’s both progressive and classic: golden-era schooling by A Tribe Called Quest and De…
Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver asks a Colorado band or musician four questions and then draws their conversation. We call the resulting comic “4 Questions: Comic Strip Interview” because we have no use for obscurity. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work and even buy it…
BRAD MEHDLAU TRIO @ BOULDER THEATER, SUN, 4/6 Over the last two decades pianists Brad Mehldau has recorded and performed in various formats (his latest effort, Mehliana: Taming the Dragon, is a duo recording with drummer Mark Guiliana), but he seems most at home with his trio, which includes long-time…
Carcass (due Wednesday, April 2, at The Summit Music Hall) were pioneers of grindcore alongside their friends in Napalm Death. By the time of its classic 1993 album Heartwork, the band had transitioned had all but fully into its melodic death metal phase. Carcass had already had a lasting impact…
From the beginning of last night’s first Neutral Milk Hotel show in Denver in some twenty years, when Jeff Mangum stepped on stage with his guitar to play “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. I” it was immediately powerful, no nostalgia necessary. Then, the rest of the band joined him, and…
Sub.mission dubstep is arguably the most influential music authority in Denver. Consistently winning Westword’s Best Of Denver awards for various shows and events, Sub.mission has been bringing the underground dubstep sounds to Denver for seven years. Thanks to founder Nicole Cacciavillano, and a crew of street teamers, resident DJs, loyal…
The Black Lips (due Wednesday, April 2nd, at The Bluebird Theater) are the notorious rock and roll band from Atlanta, Georgia who had to flee India for fear of persecution over on stage antics involving band members kissing each other. Their show at the club Heaven in London in September…
Widespread Panic returns to Red Rocks for a three-night run from Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29. Tickets ($57.50) go on on sale on Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m. Now with Christine McVie back in the fold, Fleetwood Mac will embark on a 33-city North American tour that…
In 2014, you should’ve already figured it out by now: Your dumpy, forgettable band with few fans should be touring. The need to turn your local bar band into a mobile poverty-stricken disaster unit is of utmost importance. It’s your chance to see beautiful rolling landscapes, fall in love with…
When Annie Clark of St. Vincent took the stage with the rest of her band, it was with the same kind of choreographed ritual that informed the rest of the performance. Her hair these days seems to belong to a visitor from either outer space or the future, as are…
Denver Noise Fest just announced the line-up for its 2014 festival, running Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. The annual festival is one of the largest and most eclectic of its type in the country. Both nights will feature an eclectic array of noise artists from across the country…
Maybe you saw Neutral Milk Hotel last night in Boulder; if not you have another shot at it tonight in Denver. If the line “putting fingers in the notches of her spine” sends ice through your veins as consistently as it does ours, we can strongly recommend finding your way…
Once ridiculed as the hilariously embarrassing accessory of choice for fat American tourists, the fanny pack is now a practical piece of party gear for hot, young EDM fanatics. At music fests such as Miami’s Ultra, it has become a ubiquitous carry-all for scantily clad ravers with no pockets. Easy,…
10. Believe and Be Found by Love Despite EDM fests being sweaty mob scenes, our new pal Stacey believes wholeheartedly in the chance to find love amid the uhntz-uhntz-ing masses. “One day, love will find me,” she swears. “I’m trying. It’s why I’m here.” Is Ultra, held last weekend in…
It is Texas time in Denver. All we’d need is the Geto Boys and Gary Clark Jr. to hit the spectrum of Lone Star exports: St. Vincent brings her shock of white hair to town tomorrow, the Toadies’ Rubberneck victory lap hits Englewood and songwriting genius Joy Ely makes the…
