Of all Madonna’s children, Katy Perry is the fastest addiction: The first artist to not leave the Top 10 for a full year, she’s all stadium-bright hooks, with a disco bounce like United State of Electronica on a Pentagon budget. She’s also the hardest crash: “Firework” is at once industrial-strength…
As my semi-autistic friend Steve once observed, Time Is Numbers — and that’s true enough, but it’s also true that people don’t really like to think about the latter that much, because, well, math is boring and generally only enjoyed by nerds. That’s why it’s convenient, if you are ever…
Oh, sure, from the jump this album screams “21st century post-punk!” And, yes, it was recorded by the Faint’s Kyle Petersen. But there is something more desperate, spooky and urgent in these songs. “Stars” breaks out of any expected mold with a dissonance that seems to warp out of the…
En Stereo, the brainchild of Mane Rok and Prime Element producer Es-Nine, is the quintessential tribute to the DJ/MC combination. Mane’s writing is determined, and his execution on each track is classic, reminiscent of the rapping style that birthed hip-hop. Es-Nine, who crafted all the beats, exhibits an especially strong…
After several years as director of show development for the Up With People organization — where he was charged with writing songs, co-producing shows and worked in talent development — Pat Murphy got back in the local music scene and started playing with the Nacho Men around 2004. On his…
Sarah Slaton’s West Texas EP couldn’t be any more nondescript: Aside from two stamps, one in black and bearing Slaton’s name, and the other in red with the title of the record (which, incidentally, is inspired by the ill-fated show Friday Night Lights and the idealized love depicted between Coach…
Eric Johnson has only released a handful of studio recordings over the past three decades. Although hailed as a guitar virtuoso, Johnson has also been known as something of a perfectionist when he’s in the studio, which might explain the four- and five-year gaps between albums. Johnson took a slightly…
Team AG has been bringing in some big names for its Thursday-night shows at the Jet Hotel, from Mark Farina to Doc Martin to Sunshine Jones, who’ll perform his special blend of live PA and mixing there on July 21. Best known for his longtime association with Moonbeam (he was…
Last month, when Phil the Fan passed away, the Denver music scene lost one of the most cherished members of our artistic community. As the overwhelming number of comments and Facebook shares of that post attest, Phil — who would’ve turned sixty on August 11 – was quite beloved and…
Carbondale-based non-profit Feed Them with Music has a business model that they hope will bring small musical acts more exposure and bigger audiences, while simultaneously feeding the Third World. It works like this: Paul Frantzich and Ashley Mosher, the duo who run the organization, manage and promote the show. The…
As The Blow (performing tonight at the Larimer Lounge with He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister and Shaky Molars), Khaela Maricich has been making albums since the late ’90s, and has been doing so through influential Pacific Northwestern label, K Records, for most of that time. The Blow’s minimalist approach…
SOUNDGARDEN at RED ROCKS | 07/18/11With turrets of light bathing the stage in purple, the opening strains of “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” set the stage perfectly for the entrance of Soundgarden. It certainly felt like these guys believed in their music again, and as one of the band’s…
Evidently, all you’ve gotta do to entice world class musicians to join you in the studio is ask nicely. Well, ask nicely when they’re in town, that is. So last week, we told you about FaceMan extending an invitation to members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to join them…
After spending over a decade on hiatus, Soundgarden (playing tonight at Red Rocks Amphitheatre) reunited in 2010, to the open arms of fans new and old, some sticking around since the band’s 1984 inception. Drummer Matt Cameron spoke with us about the band getting back together, the current tour and…
Our ace photographer and man on the metal front, Brandon Marshall, set up shop yesterday at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre for the local stop of Rockstar’s Mayhem Festival — featuring Megadeth and Machine Head, a pair of acts (the latter of which gave us a track-by-track breakdown of its new album),…
On Friday night, Ian Cooke, Danielle Ate the Sandwich and the Missing Parts played the Fox Theatre. We sent out one of our intrepid, resident shutterbugs, Kelly Kaoudis, up to Boulder to capture the magic, and she brought us back this wholly captivating collection of photos featuring the inimitable Mr…
In 1984, Soundgarden (due at Red Rocks tonight with The Mars Volta) started out as a three piece with Chris Cornell on drums and vocals, Kim Thayil on guitar and Hiro Yamamoto on bass. Within a year, the trio recruited Scott Sundquist to play drums, so that Cornell could cultivate…
Having people run away from you in herds while you’re performing is not particularly desirable, generally speaking. Unless, of course, you find yourself playing on the side of the road on a Sunday morning at some godforsaken hour for musicians (anytime before the crack of noon) during a marathon. In…
Cue Boyz II Men: Ideal Fathers have evidently come to the end of the road. “The report of our death is not entirely an exaggeration,” the outfit confirms. “We are, individually, in good health and spirit, though it is with somewhat heavy heart that we deliver the news of our…
GLOBAL DANCE FEST at RED ROCKS | 07/15/11The line-up for the second night of Global Dance Festival had some big names on the main stage including Skrillex, Nero, Major Lazer and the night ending, ultimate party killer, LMFAO. To hit all your favorite artists would be impossible, unless the times…
Inspired by Philip Bailey’s song of the same name, One Eyed Kings, the MC/producer duo of Bravo One and Mr. Bostic, have produced a new track called “Children of the Ghetto,” which is built around a sample of the Bailey tune and features Molina, Akir, and Big Samir. The outfit…
Dred Scott may be homeless, but he’s also got a real gift, a gift for performing R&B covers as if he were Marvin Gaye himself. The guy has chops, and thank God Tyler Ward, a Denver pop/rock artist, found him on 16th Street one day and chose to feature him…
