Maybe the name Colfax Speed Queen refers to a weird alcohol- or amphetamine-induced daydream someone had while doing laundry at Smiley’s. Or perhaps it’s a reference to some clandestine encounter with a tweaked-out lady of the evening. Whatever the case, here’s what we know: Colfax Speed Queen (due on Thursday,…
Maria Taylor grew up in Alabama, where she was part of the band Little Red Rocket with her friend Orenda Fink. Fink and Taylor ended up moving to Athens, Georgia, where they formed Azure Ray, a band that ultimately landed in Omaha and became one of the groups that helped…
In just one short year, Tigran Mimosa has gone from bass-bombing Cervantes’ and playing free shows at Boulder record stores to headlining the Fillmore. His most recent album, 58 Degrees, showcases his drum-and-bass influences while hinting at his progression into a finer, more complex realm of musical composition and cross-genre…
When Adam Granduciel moved to Philadelphia nearly a decade ago, he met lo-fi rock wunderkind Kurt Vile and started the first incarnation of the War on Drugs. Vile has long since moved on, but Granduciel kept at it, and his songwriting evolved over the course of two EPs before the…
Known almost as much for controversy and rap beef (see the never-ending feud with 50 Cent) as he is for his husky vocals, Game came onto the scene with a lot to say and even more to prove. The L.A. native has an unflinching loyalty to Dr. Dre and to…
Cedar Point, for those who tragically may not know, is probably the fourth-greatest place on planet Earth — so it’s worth noting that I have only two distinct memories of the first time I went there, on a chartered bus with about forty other middle-schoolers in 1994: One is tossing…
Presumably because there is no shortage of prominent Ryans making music these days, Ryan James decided to record his indie-folk debut under a moniker inspired by a Sylvia Plath novel. Although he has recruited a band since the release of Fall Systems Go, here he handles all the vocals and…
Rap Addict underwhelms at pretty much every level: It’s not well written, rapped, mixed or produced. Do-Rong has a deep voice and an obvious penchant for picking decent piano-heavy beats, but based on this album, that’s about all he has going for him. “Undercover Hater” is a hilarious admonishment for…
From the poppy hooks on songs like “If You Like Too” to the crazy rhymes he delivers (in the third person, with voice effects) on “The Falling,” it’s obvious that Turner Jackson has a variety of musical influences. The lyrics on My Heart Needs Space are honest and personal; Jackson…
The latest release from 3Two may have been recorded in this decade, but with songs like “Backspin,” which features a throwback robot voice and laser-beam sound effects perfect for breakin’, and “Roll Bounce,” an ode to Skate City, where preteens learned to show out, the rapper pays homage to the…
For many people in America, Portishead was their introduction to the lush, soulful, experimental music collectively stamped as trip-hop. From its debut, 1994’s Dummy, Portishead struck a wide audience with its seemingly complete disconnect from the grunge and alternative rock that dominated the era. The outfit’s cool, dusky compositions were…
Sure, there are massive parties and club nights where you can celebrate Halloween this weekend — but you’ll probably have more fun at an intimate gathering like Easy Killer: It’s a Halloween Party. Filled with local favorites — Roy England (pictured; Make Mistakes), Ejay (Hotbox, Spellbound Music), Khalib (Treehouse Collective,…
Celebrating 25 years of making music, Widespread Panic is setting out on its first-ever acoustic tour, which includes a three-night stand from Friday, February 10, to Sunday, February 12, at the Fillmore Auditorium. That stint will be followed up by a three-night stand from Friday, February 17, through Sunday, February…
If you read the Backbeat interview with Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody last week, you know he still thinks of Denver as home. And on Saturday night, Moody and his band — along with All That Remains and Hatebreed — played the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield. Resident metal-head and…
Finally! A little over a month after we posted word letting you know that Guns N’ Roses was headed to Colorado for its first tour in five years, we have a date. Mark your calendars: GNR (or at least whatever incarnation of the group Axl’s fronting these days) is coming…
TRENTEMØLLER at the OGDEN THEATRE | 10/21/11Though certainly not the dark horse by any electronic music connoisseur’s standards, Trentemøller’s performance Friday night at the Ogden Theatre was one for the books. Ribbon banners, flash-popping strobes, projectors, and a full five-piece band backed the Danish IDM musician, whose pass through Denver…
Update 10/21/11: More troubling news today out of the Springs. There’s been several reports filtering in last night and this afternoon that Aliester Wild guitarist Terry Span has passed away. We’ll post more details as they become available. Original item (10/12/11): There’s some troubling news coming out of the Springs…
Have plans this weekend? If not, as usual, there’s plenty of choices: Tonight, Jason Aldean’s at the Pepsi Center, Jim Hall’s at Dazzle and All Capitals is celebrating the release of its new CD at the hi-dive. On Saturday, Five Finger Death Punch hits the 1STBANK Center, Rene Marie’s at…
In 2009, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ticketmaster by ticket buyers who were automatically redirected by Ticketmaster to TicketsNow.com, a reseller charging prices above face value. Between 2008 and 2009, ticket buyers across the country purchasing tickets for shows by acts like Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus and Radiohead,…
Danish sensation Trentmøller will make a rare Stateside appearance at the Ogden Theatre tonight; the former Trigbag member is back and better than ever after releasing Into the Great Wide Yonder in 2010. (9 p.m., 16+, $22-$25) And that’s far from the only thing happening in electronic music this weekend;…
For close to three decades, Bob and Cathy Lyons ran the no-frills, nautical-themed Brown Barrel Tavern at 76 South Broadway. The bar was one of the last old-school joints in the Baker neighborhood, an area that was once full of them, and earned a nod in our Best of Denver…
We imagine this has been a pretty bittersweet week for the members of Gauntlet Hair. After being stranded in Montreal for a few days due to a busted van, the dudes have finally made it to New York just in time for CMJ. Though the repairs to the van left…
