In the early ’90s, when he began his pop-culture career, Dirt Nasty was better known as Simon Rex — a super-tan MTV VJ and the occasional star of screwball comedies and prime-time teen shows. Around 2007, Rex went in a new direction: He adopted the Dirt Nasty moniker and became…
It’s easy to forget that Judas Priest existed at the dawn of heavy metal, because the band’s most well-known releases are rightly affiliated with the new wave of British heavy metal. Starting out in 1969 in Birmingham, England (the home of Black Sabbath), the group solidified its classic lineup in…
Before emo became something of a joke marketed to emotionally overwrought teens, bands like Braid and Mineral and the early Appleseed Cast were lumped in with that genre. By the turn of the century, though, the Appleseed Cast had already evolved into something else. Experimenting more with the noises you…
On the home stretch of the drive from Denver to Pittsburgh, you cut at one point through the West Virginia panhandle, a roughly ten-mile stretch of winding Appalachian interstate. It’s one of the prettiest sections of the whole trip, and it also provides the setting for one-half of my exactly…
On Apple-Eaters, Thrifty Astronaut’s Nick Jones has pushed himself a little in terms of production, but he’s done so without losing the rough edges that have always made his songwriting so compelling. The title track has lyrics and a vocal delivery worthy of Jad Fair, but the music is more…
From the opening cut (“Calling of the Angels”) on Sun Comes Up, Green River Vibe’s debut, it’s pretty clear where the quintet is coming from: About halfway into a rock-infused reggae groove, the tune breaks down into a hip-hop interlude. The players, who all met while studying music at the…
Nothing Else Matters, the impressive mixtape collaboration between ProCyse (Soulfficial) and Fo Chief (Fresh Breath Committee), showcases some great writing and stellar lyrics. The seven original joints here — there are ten tracks in all — show off each MC’s diverse flow and concepts. ProCyse tends to stay in the…
The latest offering from long-running experimental guitar band IZ is filled with the kind of metallic riffs the project has often used to produce its idiosyncratic art rock. Part Frank Zappa in a heavy and unpredictable mode, part Motörhead’s gritty drive and part Dinosaur Jr’s penchant for warped, melodic aggression,…
Although these days Lizzie Huffman plays what she calls “country folk pop,” the 22-year-old singer-songwriter says she was more into hip-hop and R&B artists like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill early on. But just as she was becoming a teenager, she discovered classic country singers like Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells…
Full Flavor Fridays is about to double your pleasure: The formerly monthly event at Appaloosa has moved to Bar Standard and will hold down the dance floors on the first and last Fridays of every month. And to celebrate the debut of this double dose of underground electronica, resident Greg…
Stones Throw Records, essentially the harbinger for all things cool and innovative in hip-hop, is at it again. In an effort to drum up excitement in cities where its artists, particularly Madlib, are playing, the imprint has been leaving a box containing the complete Madlib Medicine Show series stashed somewhere…
Holy crap! If we didn’t see it with our own eyes, we would’ve never believed it. If you haven’t heard yet, brace yourself: We’ve just received word that one of the best concerts we’ve ever seen in our lifetime (and we’ve seen a great many, to be sure) is coming…
Stop showering now. You may be almost sleazy enough to enjoy Motörhead when the legendary NWBHM band returns to Denver in the February cold for Megadeth’s Gigantour with Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. The show is slated for Tuesday, February 28, at the Fillmore Auditorium. Tickets ($44.50-$57.50) go on sale this…
SKRILLEX at 1STBANK CENTER | 10/31/11Skrillex’s performance last night at 1STBANK is one for the books. Thanks to the live synched projector mapping, coupled with two towering LED screens on both sides, the electronic artist, whose given name is Sonny Moore, demonstrated just how he’s gone from opening shows at…
PAPER BIRD at HI-DIVE | 10/31/11Paper Bird stomped and harmonized its way through a raucous set last night at the hi-dive. The opening song started slowly, but Paper Bird quickly announced that this wasn’t an average show with an effortless and tight cover of TLC’s “Waterfalls.” While horns blared and…
NIGHTMARE ON BLAKE ST. AT SUMMIT | 10/29/11This past Saturday night, the Summit Music Hall was transformed into a literal haunted house for the Nightmare on Blake Street bill, which featured My Body Sings Electric, The Pirate Signal, Eldren, Shoot To Please and Valedictorian. Aaron Thackeray, one of our resident…
Bad news if you had your heart set on seeing Diggy, the precocious progeny of the legendary Rev. Run, perform on the Denver date of the Scream Tour: The show, originally slated for November 8, at the Paramount Theatre, has been canceled. No reason has been given for the cancellation…
DENVER DOES CBGB at HI-DIVE | 10/29/11While the rest of the world celebrated Halloween weekend 2011, down at the hi-dive this past Saturday night it was 1976. Less a Halloween show and more akin to a Civil War reenactment or a Renaissance Festival, the night offered romanticized time travel for…
DEVOTCHKA at OGDEN THEATRE | 10/28/11This past Friday night at the Ogden Theatre, DeVotchKa kicked off Halloween weekend with its annual scary soiree (the band played a sold out show the following night at the Boulder Theater). We were on hand at the Ogden show, and as you’ll see from…
DE LA SOUL at CERVANTES’ | 10/29/11De La Soul brought the noise to Cervantes this past Saturday. There was a notable air of nostalgia for ’90s-era hip-hop, and people simply lost their minds when Posdnuos, Dave and Maseo rocked classic tracks like “Me, Myself and I” and “Stakes Is High,”…
This past Saturday, we were on hand to witness Playing Apart, the performance art piece featuring ninety students from Bear Creek High School’s marching band playing Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Going to Take It.” The first city-commissioned performance art piece got varied reactions, from students being offered money and having…
MiM0SA at THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 10/29/11Tigran Mimosa celebrated Halloween at the Fill-Morgue with a full venue of ghouls, girl scouts, slutty devils and rabid fans. With openers Sleepyhead, GinZ and Kastle readying the filling the floor, the Fill-Morgue was plenty lively on Saturday night. Page down for a visual…
