Atomga on its new EP and the power of Afrobeat

Atomga (due this Saturday, January 18, at Cervantes’ Other Side) was founded by three friends who shared a mutual love of Afrobeat. Early on, Atomga expanded to its current size of eleven members, and although the outfit has released live recordings in the past, it is finally releasing its debut…

Why do jam bands have such a stigma?

Jam. Band. Apart, these two words are innocuous. Put them together, though, and for whatever reason, they become instantly polarizing. Whenever the subject of jam bands comes up, it seems to send some people into a frenzy of dogmatic snideness. In some cases, you get the sense that they’d almost…

The best concerts in Denver this week

FRI-SUN | MURDER BY DEATH at STANLEY HOTEL | 1/17-1/19 When Murder by Death first formed in Bloomington, Indiana, nearly fifteen years ago under the name Little Joe Gould, the outfit was somewhat of an anomaly, as the whole chamber-pop phenomenon hadn’t happened yet — and wouldn’t for another five…

Ten jam bands to watch in 2014

While the peak of the jam band scene was arguably reached somewhere in the middle part of the last decade, there are no shortage of excellent bands playing today and releasing new music who blend different genres of music together and improvise freely on stage. Granted, not all of these…

The best EDM in Denver this weekend

SAT | CEDRIC GERVAIS at BETA | 1/11/14 French-born, Miami-based Cedric Gervais crafts a brand of house that weaves threads of electro and progressive house into a big, shimmery, club-smashing tapestry of late-night abandon. On hits such as “Spirit in My Life,” Gervais displays a talent for slick, vocal-driven progressive…

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

FRI & SAT | ADVENTURE CLUB at OGDEN THEATRE | 1/10-1/11 The Montreal-based Adventure Club is a duo that started as a pop-punk act. Quickly outgrowing that hybrid, Christian Srigley and Leighton James started making electronic music, their first foray into it being a remix of Brand New’s “Daisy.” Adventure…

Coachella 2014 lineup includes Big Gigantic

This year’s Coachella lineup, which was announced yesterday, has a few marquee names such as Outkast, Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel that no doubt turned heads. The roster is otherwise dependably made up of a mixture of heritage acts and buzzed upon rock and rap acts, as well as…

The best rap shows in Denver in January

MON | EARL SWEATSHIRT at CERVANTES’ | 1/13/14 After releasing his prodigious self-titled debut at age sixteen, Earl Sweatshirt was exiled to a Samoan disciplinary program by his mother during the most exciting years of Odd Future’s meteoric rise, depriving the act’s rabid fans of his music. As a result,…

Pitbull’s “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha: Why this video sucks

In his new column, award-winning goofball Shea Serrano, whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book, writes about his life and times. Right now, Pitbull’s “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha, is number two on Billboard and number one on my GTFOH chart. I don’t remember the first time I…

Vinnie Maniscalco has big plans for the future

The first show that Vinnie Maniscalco put on was busted up by the DEA. “They were taking pictures of all our gear and taking samples of all the beer cans on the floor,” he recalls of the gig, which took place at the now-closed Primer Dome. The 24-year-old Colorado native…