Back again with a fresh batch of local hip-hop, the first crop of 2014. This installment of That’s a Rap is dominated by club anthems set on partying up for the new year: Capo Coleone starts off with a big house party, G-Slick offers interesting production on a new cut…
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…
After listening to the first few songs of his self-titled debut, it’s clear that Andy Sydow is no one-trick pony; a multi-instrumentalist, he’s also well versed in a number of genres. Sydow kicks the album off with the Americana-steeped “Soul Searchin’,” which shares a passing resemblance to Billy Bragg &…
It may have taken a few years, but it seems that Pretty Lights Music artist Paul Basic has finally come out of his shell with Transient Horizons, his latest effort. “Dark Dream,” with its dancing, synthesized strings, could easily serve as a standalone single primed for remixes, but Basic brings…
The psychedelia-tinged Americana and expensive spirit of Mosey West’s Bermuda evoke Green on Red’s 1985 opus Gas Food Lodging, except that these songs have an atmospheric quality that contrasts with the earthy honky-tonk vibe of that record. “The King and Queen of L.A.” offers a gritty Memphis-via-California feel without mixing…
“On a Roll,” the first of three songs on Eric, In the Whale’s bombastic new EP, tells a story that could fit seamlessly into a vintage Sam Peckinpah Western: “Forty-five hours to the Mexican border/I got the sheriff’s daughter and he’s breathing down my shoulder,” sings Nate Valdez. Instead of…
What are the hundred things everyone should do in Colorado before they die? We posed this question to our writers and editors, and over the next week, we’ll be rolling out the answers across our blogs. Check back on January 16 for the full list — and in the meantime,…
SUN | KID MASK at SEVENTH CIRCLE MUSIC COLLECTIVE | 1/12/14 Back in 2011 and 2012, Pete Bell was the guy with the camera whom you’d always see shooting footage of shows at Rhinoceropolis. Bell was in high school then, and making a documentary about the long-running DIY venue for…
While MCs like Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore and Chance the Rapper are running the game right now — and will likely continue to do so until the next batch of hungry rappers rises up to give them a run — there are a number of MCs who are poised to grab…
Kris Barman was one of the founding members of Innerpartysystem. Before that band split, Barman had already done some program-ming and synthesizer work on his own. On one tour, in fact, he even gave pointers to Sonny “Skrillex” Moore, when the EDM superstar was getting his start in that style…
Music is life — or at least it is for us. When we’re not writing about it, we’re thinking about it, talking about it or listening to it. These are the things that were in heavy rotation for us this week. What are you listening to? What should we be…
With a new release set to drop from the A-Oks at Moe’s Original BBQ this weekend and another issued in past month from the Dendrites, the ska scene in Denver is off to a great start heading into the new year. And the momentum continues next month with the Denver…
FRI | KILL THE NOISE at BETA | 1/17/14 Finding success in signing with Skrillex’s OWSLA record label, Kill the Noise has grown into one of the heaviest producers currently touring. Jake Stanczak, the brains behind the operation, has been developing Kill the Noise’s sound for years. His powerhouse club…
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. Oh, man, 2013, so you’re officially over. That’s kind of sad. You were mostly a very dope year — at least for me, anyway, and…
Robotic Pirate Monkey started as a trio in Boulder and has since built up a national presence as a touring duo, giving a fresh new face to dance music. Working through the kinks of no longer living in the same town, Andrew Hathaway and Matt Berryhill are preparing for the…
OneRepublic is set to kick off its Native Summer Tour at Red Rocks on Wednesday, May 28, with the Script opening. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 10, at 10 a.m. Keep reading to see what other shows are on sale, what songs were played on local radio this…
Welcome back to another edition of In the Mix, a feature in which we spotlight new dance tracks and mixes from some of the hottest Colorado producers and DJs. We’ve got a variety of styles this week, from your classic club-style bangers to some glitched-out dance numbers, and even some…
FRI | NAKED RAYGUN at SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 1/31/14 In the annals of Chicago punk, Naked Raygun was one of the longest-running and most beloved of bands. But while sharing stages with the hardcore bands of the day, Naked Raygun was always just a bit more experimental than most…
When Phish set up shop in New York last week for New Year’s, there was a lot of talk about city Stop and Frisk program, warnings to fans to be mindful when hanging out outside Madison Square Garden. And while those admonitions proved to be prescient, the most pressing thing…
SLEEP at THE GOTHIC THEATRE | 1/3/14 Cannabis is legalized here in the same week Sleep comes back to Colorado to play a show. Coincidence? Whatever the case, this show surpassed the last time the outfit played at the Gothic in September 2010. Something just seemed more coherent and focused…
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…
Drawing from influences from nearly every genre, Pan Astral (due this Saturday, January 4, at Larimer Lounge) is pushing the barriers between sound and visual elements in a live show. Similar to the likes of bands like EOTO, which improvises audio and visuals live in each show, Pan Astral strives…
