When Raekwon Played With Lady Wu-Tang: Ten Great Music Moments at Casselman's

While Casselman's Bar & Venue, which is closing this weekend after a six-year run, brought in a wide variety of local acts, it also booked a number of stellar national acts, including Raekwon, Stryper, Das Racist and Too $hort. Here's a rundown of ten great moments at the venue. 
10. STRYPER  - August 1, 2014
Christian metal band Stryper opened its powerful twenty-song set with "God" and "Revelation." 

9. PREFUSE 73 - January 19, 2013
"Prefuse 73, the production alias of Guillermo Scott Herren, pushes the outer boundaries of hip-hop into the terrain occupied by Aphex Twin and Autechre. Slippery snippets of micro-edited samples dance elegantly for a few measures, then stop and chatter away in alien tongues." –  Cory Casciato


8. VINEFIELD AGENCY SHOWCASE - December 16, 2010
"It's an ambitious task fitting close to a dozen diverse acts into a five-and-a-half-hour show, but the folks at the Vinefield Agency pulled it off as part of the new company's launch party and showcase. Local standouts like the Knew, Achille Lauro, John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light and others all delivered strong, compact, five-song 25-minute sets." – Jon Solomon 


7. LOVE WITH DJ DOC MARTIN AND DUBTRIBE - February 26, 2011
"The aptly named LOVE party at Casselman's last night featured two epic sets by some of the very best names in house music, Doc Martin and Dubtribe Sound System. The headliners brought the energy up to a new level — but first, the Tribe's own Jasun Lovejoy warmed up the crowd." – Amber Taufen

6. RAEKWON - January 26, 2012
Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon invited Lady Wu-Tang, a local all-female Wu-Tang Clan tribute band, on stage for their first performance ever with a member of the Clan.

More Casselman's memories on the next page.

5. VELVET ACID CHRIST - February 9, 2013 
"At one point or another during Velvet Acid Christ's set, Bryan Erickson became winded, and he joked about how it was the altitude. He then said it was probably that he was out of shape because of too much eating, and then noted how at this age, he would have to eat less and less in order to lose weight. All joking aside, Erickson proved to be a lively performer whose sense of humor did nothing to distract one from the visceral power of this music live." – Tom Murphy
- 4. SEAN PAUL - December 2, 2011
"Setting things off with joints like "Temperature," "Get Busy" and "Like Glue," Sean Paul turned Casselman's into a Jamaican dance hall during his forty-minute set. Dressed in all black, save for his gentleman's tie, Sean Paul transported the entire place back to 2004." - Ru Johnson

3. FIVE IRON FRENZY - December 31, 2012
"From the very beginning of its New Year's Eve set at Casselman's Bar & Venue in Denver, Five Iron Frenzy brought an enormous amount of energy, fueled by a clear sense of joy in performing. The old fans were incredibly happy to get to see the band again, and the fans who never got to see the band the first time around were equally charged, with their enthusiasm matched by the enthusiasm coming off the stage. The exuberance was infectious. Even if this was your first time seeing the group, it felt like seeing friends you haven't seen in a while." – Tom Murphy [While the video above is from the band's show earlier that year, the New Year's Eve show was just as energetic.]

2. TOO $HORT - May 6, 2011
Too $hort performed with DJX, Shade Loc G, Hypnautic, King Tef, Johny Rocketz, 20:12, Nominee, Mya Rose, Spoke n Wordz, Playalitical and Felisa Latin Soul. Here is Too $hor tearing it up on "Blow the Whistle." Watch him do "Life of Da Party" and "Shake That Monkey" here. 


1. DAS RACIST - November 19, 2010
"Heems had taken one of his own band's T-shirts from the merch table and put it on. Dap was wandering silently through the venue. And Kool A.D. was sitting by himself in the green room messing around on his phone. It seemed like there was no way Das Racist's set would be anything other than a hilarious shitshow. They took the stage at 1:15 a.m. and dispelled that notion in about thirty seconds. Holy shit, are these guys good." – Kiernan Maletsky