Best Graciousness From a Big Deal Band 2008 | The Fray | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Graciousness From a Big Deal Band

The Fray

A multi-platinum band in an era when such a thing essentially no longer exists, the Fray has earned the right for its members to be pretentious jerkwads if they choose. Thing is, they're anything but. During their sold-out three-night stand at Red Rocks, the guys used all local support — Single File, Meese, Born in the Flood, Dualistics, Bright Channel and Flobots — when they could've given those slots to virtually any national act. And this past February, the outfit played three rare, intimate performances at the Bluebird, treating fans to a sneak peek of its new material. And if that weren't enough, several members of the Fray's road crew are locals. Love 'em or hate 'em, no one can accuse these guys of forgetting where they came from.

Best Graphics Acquisition

Psychedelic rock posters
Denver Art Museum

Courtesy Denver Art Museum
Over the years, Boulder collector David Tippit has gathered up nearly 900 psychedelic rock posters dating back to the 1960s and '70s. In February he announced his intention to donate them to the Denver Art Museum's Department of Architecture, Design and Graphics. Included in the collection are examples by the biggest names in the movement, such as Rick Griffin, Stanley "Mouse" Miller and Victor Moscoso. Although the posters are not yet on display, the museum plans to rock and roll with them some day.

Best High Culture for the Cool Crowd

Telling Stories

Sure, you say you like classical music and great literature, but that's usually just to impress the hottie at the bar. When was the last time you actually attended a classical-music show or literary reading? Yeah, we thought so. Fortunately, there's still hope for us lowbrow slobs, thanks to Telling Stories Music and Readings, the brainchild of local classical musician and writer Jennie Dorris. This merry troupe of young virtuosos is bringing high culture to the Facebook crowd, putting on casual presentations of chamber works and readings of original essays at venues like the Laughing Goat Coffeehouse in Boulder and the Mercury Cafe in Denver — places where the show can be enjoyed over a foamy latte or sudsy beer. Each event has a clever theme; one show, "Rockstars," featured all rock transcriptions. Get thee to Telling Stories, and the next time you say you like cerebral stuff, you'll actually mean it.

Best Hip-Hop Crew

Boostwell

Headed by production maestro SP Double, the Boostwell crew boasts plenty of talent. Whether it's the banging beats of SP or Flawless, the one-two punch of On Point, the lyrical mastery of ManDaMyth or the rapid-fire flows of Catch Lungs and Purpose, the consistent quality of this crew's musical output is unmatched. This year, Boostwell will drop albums from Lost Gems (Myth, SP, Procise), On Point (Flawless, Fo-Chief), SP Double, ManDaMyth and mix tapes from Purpose and Catch Lungs, with contributions from other crew members EMB and Kontrast slated for the near future. While the crew may not be running the Colorado hip-hop scene yet, they're making moves.

Best Hip-Hop DJ

Cysko Rokwel

Over the past few years, DJ Cysko Rokwel has become one of Colorado's elite DJs: He has a weekly residency at Boulder's Round Midnight, spins on Radio 1190's hip-hop-centric Basementalism show every week, and backs up local artists A.V.I.U.S., Es-Nine and The 6th Grade on records and at live shows. But his biggest accomplishment to date was placing second at the DMC USA DJ finals in Delaware, making him one of the best turntablists in the nation. And as soon as the video of his DMC routine hit YouTube, a heated competition between Cysko and a California DJ broke out in the comments section, setting the stage for a possible DMC battle this year. We got Cysko's back!

Best Hip-Hop DJ Hustlers

DJ Bedz and DJ Quote the Beatmaker

Aesthetically, DJ Bedz and DJ Quote have different styles — but their hustle is nearly identical. Both have worked tirelessly over the past few years to gain national notoriety for themselves and the city, with striking parallels in their individual trajectories. They both got their start in the clubs before branching out into the mix-tape game and then garnering slots on the radio — Bedz first on KS-107.5 and now on One-FM and XM radio, and Quote on 96.1 the Beat in Colorado Springs — as well as landing guest spots on Rap City and becoming members of several highly respected DJ crews. Bedz has also gained renown as the official DJ of the Denver Nuggets, while Quote has become an in-demand touring DJ, performing at high-profile parties across the country. Can't knock the hustle.

Best Hip-Hop Label

Jewell Tyme Music

Jewell Tyme Music launched in the heart of east Denver in 2002, headed by rappers 800 the Jewell and F.O.E. But it wasn't until last year that the imprint caught the attention of the rest of the city with the Joe Thunder/Selector Sam mix tape Drama Kings, starring F.O.E. and B Blacc and featuring the entire Jewell Tyme roster and its affiliates. And that was just the beginning: The label plans to release over ten projects in 2008, including albums from F.O.E., 800 the Jewell, Duce Wyld, Meezly and Haven and more comps from Joe Thunder, Selector Sam and DJ K-Tone. This is the type of hip-hop that Public Enemy's Chuck D was referring to when he termed it "the Black CNN" — hip-hop that gives you real insight into what's happening on the streets.

Best Hip-Hop Night

The Solution
Funky Buddha Lounge

DJs Low Key and Sounds Supreme (aka Justin Green and Nate Watters) originally started their weekly underground hip-hop parties in the basement of Shelter, with the goal of creating a night they'd want to attend themselves, one they could take pride in. Well, it looks like the duo has succeeded. Whether they're throwing tributes to some of their heroes — cats like J Dilla or Notorious B.I.G. — or just playing everything from old school to new school to soul, these fellas know how to get the party started and the crowd grooving. And now the dudes are moving up as well, going from Shelter's basement to the roof of the Funky Buddha Lounge every Thursday and becoming residents at Vinyl on Friday nights alongside DJ MU$A.

Best Hip-Hop Teamwork

Dojo

Because hip-hop is such a highly combustible medium, few collectives stay intact over the long haul. Yet Analog Suspect and Selecta Roswell, the artists behind Dojo, have been making compelling music together for years; their ability to work in harmony with a range of collaborators, including each other, is a big reason why. On Duality, their latest recording, they gain inspiration from such guests as DJ Trauma and Le Parasite, and it carries over into "Kali's Revenge" and a slew of other memorably deep cuts. The Dojo duo is a perfect match that no man should set asunder.

Best House Concerts

Highlands House Concert Series

Taking in a show at Dwight Mark's charming home in Highland is more like attending a friend's dinner party than seeing a concert at a formal venue. Prior to the performance, folks nosh on light hors d'oeuvre and chat, then eventually make their way to the living room for intimate, one-of-a-kind performances by an array of engaging acts, from celebrated local talent to well-regarded imports. And while the idea of living-room concerts might alarm the neighbors, Mark is careful to keep the music at a reasonable level — so much so that when you're standing on the porch, you can only faintly hear the sounds coming from inside. Props to Mark for a unique experience.

Best Of Denver®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy Westword may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Denver Westword, LLC. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation