Concerts

“I drove off a cliff with five young rich girls in my car,” says Nate Cook, frontman of the Denver-based Americana-punk band the Yawpers.

Italy is a beautiful country. Like, stunningly gorgeous. The cities are magnificent and culturally rich. The countryside is perhaps even more impressive. It’s an amazing nation that has given the world amazing literature, poetry and, of course, opera over the years. It hasn’t, however, been known for its metal bands. There are a few bands that had a cult following for a short time, such as Ephel Duath, Linea 77, Death SS, Rhapsody of Fire and Dope Stars Inc. But goth metal stars Lacuna Coil sit at the very head of that table.

Denver-based Latin ska band Roka Hueka has organized a benefit concert in support of the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition. Dubbed “Territorio Liberado,” it will take over the stage at Lost Lake Lounge on Sunday, September 10.

Over the years, England’s Frank Turner has had a hard time keeping everyone happy. He’s come under fire for his politics and throughout the years has been called a “sellout” as his popularity has grown and his musical style has shifted. For his part though, Turner has shaken off the criticism by touring aggressively, being open about his political beliefs, and remaining active and vocal in philanthropic and charitable efforts.

“At the time, I was living by Silverthorne, so the band all had to drive down for our first gig in the city. On Sixth Avenue, a truck sped up behind us and popped off a couple of gunshots at our van before speeding off. Wow. Welcome to Denver.

The Colorado Springs-based feminist punk band Cheap Perfume released its video, “It’s Okay (to Punch Nazis),” on Friday, September 1. We told the story of how the band decided to write a song about the fight against fascism and why the musicians shifted from espousing nonviolence to deciding sometimes force is okay – particularly when it comes to stopping Nazis.

Today, on September 1, the Open Media Foundation hosts its next monthly free Open Music Session event, showcasing the rabble-rousing Latin blues-rock ensemble Los Mocochetes. It’s also community radio station KGNU’s anniversary party and comics will be on site to celebrate.

September’s here, and while there are plenty of outdoor concerts to check out, it’s time to start planning trips to some of the indoor venues Denver has to offer. If you prefer a mellow, low-key environment over a three-day Red Rocks run, check out our picks for some of the coziest spots in Denver, where you’re sure to find great music and perhaps meet some new friends.

The forward-thinking Manchester, England-based trio GoGo Penguin is a squarely acoustic act with a piano, an upright bass and a drum kit, but the group’s songs are interpretations of electronic music projects the act first builds on a computer using software like Logic or Ableton.

Over the last six years, Phish has set up shop for three nights as part of its annual Labor Day weekend run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. A Taste of Colorado returns to Civic Center Park this weekend with music by Rick Springfield, 38 Special, Sheila E., KONGOS, Five for Fighting and more.

August proved to be an incredible month for concerts in the Denver area. Legacy groups like Guns n’ Roses and Depeche Mode brought a healthy dose of nostalgia to the city, while local bands gone big like Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and the Lumineers played jam-packed venues. Here are some of our favorite images from this month in music.

The criticism that Foreigner has to face is much the same as that fielded by Journey and Boston: The current lineup touring under the classic band name bears little resemblance to the group of people responsible for recording the hits that created the brand in the first place.

It’s okay to punch Nazis. That’s the message in the newest song from Colorado Springs feminist punk outfit Cheap Perfume, the video for which drops September 1.

Local R&B and neosoul singer Danae Simone looked at the lineup of hip-hop shows in Denver and noticed something missing: women.

The Costa Mesa-based band the Growlers formed about eleven years ago, blending surf rock and psychedelia with a dark edge. When the musicians organized their first festival in 2012, they dubbed it “Beach Goth.”

Denver has built a rich electronic music scene. Here are some of our favorite places to dance to EDM.

While studying guitar making at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix in the late ‘80s, Matt Flaherty remembers people saying, “Building an electric guitar is like an eighth-grade shop project.” Flaherty, who started Texas Toast Guitars out of his Arvada-based shop in 2011, has been thinking about that quote since first hearing it.

Nobody denies it can be dispiriting to sit in a virtual waiting room, hoping to get Red Rocks concert tickets, only to find out every seat sold out within minutes of going on sale. Yet that’s exactly what happens to Denver concert goers each year.

Singer Laetitia Sadier, who co-founded the art-pop band Stereolab in 1990, likes the freaks: Young Marble Giants, Joy Division, the Residents and “those freaky freaks from overseas.” But when she was a teenager growing up in France and first discovered the surrealist French singer Brigitte Fontaine, Sadier thought, “Here’s my mother.”