DeVotchKa’s “Enemy Guns” used in new VW Passat commercial

DeVotchKa’s music has been used in films like Little Miss Sunshine, and frontman Nick Urata has also been involved in scoring a number of films, including 2009’s I Love You Phillip Morris. The band’s cinematic and sprawling music lends itself quite well to visuals so it’s not surprising Volkswagen used…

Wavves playing October 6 at Moe’s

The folks at Moe’s Original BBQ just announced that San Diego-based surf rock act Wavves, who’s on the road in support of its latest effort, Life Sux, will be at the venue on Thursday, October 6…

Smash Mouth to replace Soul Asylum at Rock and Roll Marathon

Although Soul Asylum was originally slated perform at the finish line of the Sports Authority Rock ‘n Roll Denver Marathon on Sunday, October 9, the band won’t be able to make it due to scheduling conflicts. Smash Mouth is stepping in to fill the headlining slot for the marathon, which…

Guns N’ Roses announces Denver show

Next month, Guns N’ Roses will kick off its first U.S. tour in five years, but there are still more than a dozen cities on the band’s tour itinerary, which the band released yesterday, that have yet to have dates or venues set, including Denver. While the tour, which starts…

Rise Against, Flogging Molly coming to 1STBANK Center

Chicago-based hardcore act Rise Against, who is touring in support of its latest effort, Endgame, Celtic punkers Flogging Molly and and local pop-punk band Calibrate Me will be at the 1STBANK Center on Tuesday, December 6 as part of Channel 93.3’s Not So Silent Night. General admission tickets ($36.25) go…

Caribou Ranch documentary in the works

Caribou Ranch, near Nederland, was a major recording studio throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. The 178 artists who recorded there over the years include such legends as Elton John, Billy Joel, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa and Joe Walsh. But when a fire destroyed the control room in 1985,…

Jonathan Kreisberg hosting improvisation clinic

New York-based jazz guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, who will be performing at Dazzle on Thursday and Friday, September 22 and 23, will also hosting an improvisation clinic at the Broadway Music School from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 24. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door…

Gauntlet Hair releases new song, playing CMJ

Lafayette-based duo Gauntlet Hair, who was picked up by Dead Oceans over the summer, is set to release its self debut on the imprint on October 18. Already receiving high praise from a number of music blogs around the country for “Top Bunk,” the first single from the album, Gauntlet…

After 25 years, the Dwarves are still standing tall

Sub Pop had kind of jumped the shark on us and was making boring grunge records,” says Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia. “They didn’t really see the whole pop-punk thing coming up in their rear-view mirror.” Formed in the mid-’80s and inspired by the punk antics of GG Allin, the Dwarves…

Tennyson’s Tap ramps up its live-music offerings

Since the two owners and the manager of Tennyson’s Tap are all musicians, it’s not surprising that this spot at 4335 West 38th Avenue has turned into a full-fledged music venue. After securing a cabaret license over the summer, owners Dave Fox (a drummer) and Bryan Duncan (a guitarist) have…

Grave Babies

Many people will probably stamp this band with the “lo-fi garage” label or something equally inaccurate. But while Grave Babies’ sometimes raw recordings and live performances are reminiscent of Siltbreeze artists like Eat Skull, the group’s melancholic atmospheres are more akin to some bizarre hybrid of Sonic Youth and 154-era…

Erasure

Releasing dozens of singles over the course of more than 25 years together, Erasure has become a foundational act and point of reference for many modern electro-pop groups, with Vince Clarke’s smart, shiny and sometimes dark compositions laying the groundwork for Andy Bell’s unmistakably soulful voice, which has transcended the…

Taylor Swift

In a sea of pop starlets, Taylor Swift shines like a modest diamond: The 21-year-old singer-songwriter has been making records about innocent teenage love and heartbreak since her freshman year in high school. Stylistically, Swift has the rare gift of being a country-to-pop crossover, combining the literal storytelling template of…

Beirut

Zach Condon’s backstory, in which he left a small city to travel around Europe with his older brother, absorbing the indigenous music of the eastern part of the continent, reads like something that might have happened fifty years ago at the height of the early folk scene in Greenwich Village…

Hawk Attack

From the opening song, “Brew Ha Ha,” Hawk Attack celebrates rock’s hedonistic era. Yes, there is a hint of early solo Ted Nugent here and there in the guitar harmonics of “Set ‘Em Up,” but it’s not some ironic pose or attempt to sound just like another band. The crunchy,…

B.Sue

B.Sue frontwoman Brandi Shigley has an infatuating baby-girl voice that sounds like spun sugar tastes: It’s a guilty pleasure, heavy on the pleasure. The five songs on this EP, including the fittingly titled “Cuteness Overload,” all seem meant for Sunday mornings, smooth and cozy. You may not know exactly what…

Playalitical

Playalitical has churned out an album that is bearable, in spite of a lack of substance, lukewarm lyrics and uninspiring production. The lyrics are crass — on “Player of the Year,” he boasts of selling pussy for a million dollars and fucking virgins — and the MC seems to only…

Driftwood Fire

First meeting at college in Virginia, the members of Driftwood Fire, Lynn Scharf and Charlotte Formichella, took a small piece of Appalachia with them when they relocated to Fort Collins. There’s plenty of folk pop on the band’s excellent long-player How to Untangle a Heartache, the followup to 2008’s self-titled…

Bluetech, September 22 at Cervantes’

Like many producers, Bluetech (aka Evan Bartholomew) is a classically trained pianist who’s also adept at dealing with all the software available for producing tunes these days. Bluetech’s music is probably best described as downtempo, though he ventures into the mid-tempo range; his sound is improvisational, ambient, warm and sweeping,…