Concerts

Considered a legend as much for his distinctive production style — which helped propel the West Coast movement in the ’90s — as he is for his perfectly groomed head of hair, DJ Quik is a staple in the hip-hop game. Stepping onto the scene with his debut album, Quik…

Shortly after forming their band in 2000 in Concord, North Carolina, the Avett Brothers, led by Scott and Seth Avett, released their debut album, and they’ve seemingly been on tour ever since. Their diligence has paid off — not just artistically, in terms of having experiences worth writing songs about,…

When Alkaline Trio got its start in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, it probably had no intention of being an exemplar of emo, the brand of melodic punk that dared to talk about feelings. Nonetheless, the band’s earnest songwriting and emotionally charged live shows struck a resonant chord with plenty…

A sequel, almost by definition, must accomplish two fundamentally conflicting tasks: It must be like the original, but it must simultaneously differentiate itself from the original. Generally, that second task is accomplished through the prodigious addition of extra. Extra explosions. Extra deception. Extra hilarious poop jokes. Whatever the original had,…

Throughout history, men have muttered a multitude of cheesy lines in attempts to lure women into bed. On their latest album, Spark the Revival, members of the Alan Baird Project seem to have gathered as many of these lines as they could and put them to music. With a sound…

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Sparkler Bombs had just stepped out of a time machine dialed back to the period following the release of Modest Mouse’s The Moon and Antarctica — at least that’s the era the first three tracks of this EP recall, particularly the music’s ability…

Independent, the latest release from the rapping/producing duo of James Ray and Lenny Lenn, is brilliantly unapologetic from the start. Over the course of fifteen solid tracks, which are chock-full of guest appearances, the brothers declare their independence with sturdy rhymes over diverse prodution. On the standout “You’ll See,” featuring…

For the past decade, Playground (also known as the Playground Ensemble) has been one of the few groups to delve into adventurous, forward-thinking, avant-garde chamber music while also exploring a variety of other genres such as jazz, world music and rock. “NO one To kNOW one,” the opening track on…

No one can accuse the members of ManCub — Danny Stillman and Alex Anderson — of not being original. Their respective musical backgrounds are both centered around traditional music styles, from metal to mathy indie rock, but with ManCub, the pair decided to do away with the traditional format of…

Dubstep just might be the new trance, and in case you’ve been under a rock for the past three years or so, take note: The Denver/Boulder area represents dubstep like few other major metropolitan areas, and acts like Robotic Pirate Monkey are a big reason why. Robo-Pi-Mo, as it’s affectionately…

TECH N9NE at the FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 7/1/11You have not seen devoted fans until you’ve seen hundreds of folks styled in red and black with faces painted and ready for lyrical war at a Tech N9NE concert. Last night at the Fillmore, the Kansas City heavyweight shut it down with…

So, the Fourth of July falls on a Monday this year, but that doesn’t stop the celebrations from starting early this weekend. There’s tons of shows this weekend, beginning with Tech N9NE tonight at the Fillmore. Tech’s been on a constant grind, and shows no signs of stopping. Read our…

It’s July already — do you know where you’re getting your dance on this weekend? If you’re not planning on visiting the Whomp Truck’s monthly First Friday bash — featuring Thorazine, Citrus, Coult 45 and Just Ben this month on 7th and Santa Fe, starting at 6 p.m. — well,…

RICHIE HAWTIN at BETA | 6/30/11The closest thing to a household name in the world of underground electronic music, Richie Hawtin has been one of techno’s greatest artists, innovators and statesmen for more than two decades. Consistently recognized as one of electronica’s most successful and accomplished talents, the Canadian-reared musician…

After a lot of hard work and some trying starts and stops, Houses will be releasing Winter, the fourth EP in its seasonally-themed album series on August 5 and 6 at the Hi-Dive. The two-night stint will bring the band together with the likes of Bad Weather California, Fingers of…

MUSIQ SOULCHILD at CITY HALL | 6/30/11I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m cynical about R&B shows. Too often it’s a bunch of love drunk couples slow writhing under dark lighting and not enough bass for my hip-hop heart. But last night at City Hall, soul champion Musiq Soulchild…

To commemorate surviving yet another week on the grind, we’ve brought you the list of the lists for how to spend your Thursday night. Thursday, you ask? Who goes out on Thursdays? Everyone. Thursday is the new Friday, and here’s what’s shaking. As always, if you’ve got something that we…

So on Friday and Saturday night, there’s this show happening at the hi-dive that’s dubbed, appropriately, the Hi-Dive Hullabaloo. Not sure if you’ve seen the lineup for this thing yet, but it’s absolutely bonkers, daddy-o! Night one features Zebroids, Glass Hits, Warhawk, Night of Joy, School Knights and The Down…

Behold the latest entry in the annals of political theft of music. Earlier this week, presidential hopeful Michelle Bachman got slapped with a cease and desist notice from Tom Petty, pleading with the congresswoman to, you know, please stop playing his song, “American Girl,” at her campaign stops, lest anyone,…