Billy Strings and the Best Concerts in Denver This Week

Irish post-punkers Fontaines D.C. play the Ogden tonight, while Slaughter Beach, Dog storms Globe Hall.

On Tuesday, Ray LaMontagne plays Red Rocks, and Big K.R.I.T. takes on Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom.

The much-anticipated Billy Strings run at Red Rocks begins on Thursday.



Fontaines D.C.
Monday, May 9, 8 p.m.
Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax Avenue
$25.75
Fontaines D.C.is a relatively new band, forming only five years ago in Dublin, and singer Grian Chatten doesn't disguise his natural Irish accent. Irish rock band Just Mustard is also on the bill.

Ray LaMontagne
Tuesday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$59.50-$99.50
Ray LaMontagne plays folky rock music with some soulful undertones. On his most recent record, Monovision, he played all the instruments — vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, bass, drums, percussion. Red Rocks is a big place, but fair warning: He yelled at a couple for talking at one of his shows and refused to play until the couple left. So talk at home, maybe.

Car Seat Headrest
Tuesday, May 10, 8 p.m.
Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax Avenue
$30-$75
Car Seat Headrest started as a solo project by Will Toledo in around 2010. He released a dozen albums on Bandcamp before acquiring a full band of musicians and signing to Matador records several years later. Catch the act the following night in Boulder.

Big K.R.I.T.
Tuesday, May 10, 8 p.m.
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton Street
$29.95-$214.95
Slide on over to Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom for some hip-hop courtesy of Meridian, Mississippi's Big K.R.I.T. A prolific fellow, he's released five studio albums, five EPs, fourteen mixtapes, 45 singles (including 24 as a featured artist) and three promotional singles since 2005. His most recent full-length, Digital Roses Don't Die, was released in February.

Ashe
Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m.
Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake Street
$25.50
Ashe's verse on "Moral of the Story" pushes the boundary of music and talking, but the piano and electro-pop drums bring it back. Ashe grew up listening to Christian radio exclusively, but her grandfather turned her on to Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane. She counts Diane Keaton and Carole King as influences. Her debut record, Ashlyn, came out last year.


Frontline Assembly
Thursday, May 12, 8 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
$25-$200
This Canadian industrial band was started by a member of Skinny Puppy in 1986. The music is excellent for dancing and for highly choreographed fight scenes with malevolent computer programs in a Matrix-like scenario. The band even has an album called Tactical Neural Implant to help you get started.

Billy Strings
Thursday May 12, 8 p.m.
Friday, May 13, 8 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$55-$89
With a name like Billy Strings, he was destined to become a bluegrass musician, and he's quickly become a favorite in the scene. He'll be pickin' and grinnin' at Red Rocks for a two-night run beginning Thursday. We'll see if he can top the Grateful Dead-filled set he just played with Bob Weir in Nashville.

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