Concerts

After 1997’s Urban Hymns proved to be a breakthrough for the Verve, frontman Richard Ashcroft went solo prematurely — and he was punished by having quite a bit of strong music be largely ignored. Now Ashcroft is back in the band, and on “Sit and Wonder,” the lush opener, his…

While it might be tempting to overanalyze why this record is released under the given name of Omaha’s favorite sad son instead of his customary Bright Eyes appellation, any such analysis misses the point — which is that Conor Oberst is a deftly written, beautifully performed collection that might finally…

One-thirty in the afternoon on a blistering Monday in late July, and the Flobots are hardly forming like Voltron. The tour bus was supposed to leave from this Save-A-Lot off Federal Boulevard at 12 p.m. sharp to make it to a gig tomorrow night in Dallas as part of the…

Pssst… this just in: The Democratic National Convention kicks off next week here in Denver. After nineteen months of hyperventilation in all the fishwraps (including this one), on talk-radio shows and on the evening news, it’s hard to believe it’s finally upon us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as stoked…

During his three-decade tenure at Los Angeles radio station KROQ, legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer has helped break a slew of bands, everyone from the B-52s and Duran Duran to Social Distortion and the Ramones. Over the past month, he’s been spinning cuts from Cramp Your Style, the new album by…

Wale might seem like the kind of rapper only a blogger could love, but music-industry titan Jimmy Iovine’s betting he can move units to the masses. His recent signing with Iovine’s Interscope Records has been the culmination of a startlingly rapid ascent for the Washington, D.C., rapper, who, after catching…

The Dandy Warhols, …Earth to the Dandy Warhols… (Beat Records). Every other album or so, Courtney Taylor-Taylor decides that the best way to prove he doesn’t care about being a rock star is by taking a bunch of otherwise accessible tracks and goofing on them until they seem like impenetrable…

“You’re not wearing your hat tonight,” the bartender says to the guy who just walked in with a gal and sat next to me. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here without your hat on.” And this guy doesn’t even need a hat — he has a full head…

Anyone who’s been paying attention to Denver music for the last several years has probably seen or heard of Voices Underwater and Streamlined. The latter’s Luke Goodhue had written memorable space-rock riffs, while Chris White had been the impressively talented bass player in the former. For his part, White was…

In the halcyon days of the Denver dance scene, circa the late ’90s, Vitamin D was everywhere. It was rare, in fact, to see a party flier that didn’t have his name on it. These days, Vita’s focused primarily on label work, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still find…

Which song will electrify the crowd next Thursday? In a little more than a week, 75,000 lucky ticket-holders will head for Invesco Field, ready to usher in a new era of photos for their Facebook pages. They’ll walk through the closed (and possibly burning) streets of Denver, arriving hours early…

Hippie Werewolves, Old Man Stu, Assault Monday, August 18, 2008 Herman’s Hideaway There was a time when the notion of mating rap with metal seemed vital and groundbreaking. At first, there was an admitted novelty factor attached to hearing unlikely collaborations between disparate acts like Run DMC and Aerosmith or…

To Be Eaten, Dead Child, Munimula, Adai Monday, August 18, 2008 hi-dive Better Than: Most music that entertains the conceit of being heavy. Adai got the evening started off right with pieces of epic, surprisingly rich and diverse, experimental metal. Comprised of just two guys, a drummer and guitarist, the…

Just confirmed that following its just-announced show the night before at the Boulder Theater, Public Enemy is slated to appear at 2 p.m. at Civic Center Park in the Greek Amphitheater as part of an event sponsored by Recreate 68. To quote my man, Flavor Flav, yeah, boooyeee! It’s going…

Goodbye Champion, John Common, Three Cheers Faraday, Kissing Party, the Swayback Friday, August 15 hi-dive Better than: Driving to Boulder to see Denver bands. The producers at Adventure Records are shifting their focus. After four years of holding their annual CD release party in Boulder, the event’s organizers chose the…

The Shuffletones Saturday, August 16, 2008 Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Better than: Drowning your romantic sorrows in radio-friendly pop music. The Shuffletones rely on a familiar formula, a musical equation that’s been borrowed too many times to count and that’s indelibly carved into the very character of American music. Rather…

Expo 70, Temples, Three Tall Dudes with Small Trucks Friday, August 15, 2008 Glob Glob Glob Better Than: Noise shows where it’s all bent circuit manipulation and feedback. When I walked into the performance space at Glob, Temples had already been playing for a couple of minutes. A one-man act…

For more on the Flobots, check out Adam Cayton-Holland’s cover story in the August 21 issue of Westword. You can also read Dave Herrera’s 2007 profile here. Flobots, Denver’s fast-ascending hip-hop ensemble, caught a rare bit of bad press this week, when a music critic in Cleveland previewed their tour…

There will be no shortage of tears shed or beers drank this weekend, as Paul Vee is memorialized. Just over a month ago, the revered former frontman of Angellic Rage was murdered in a bungled robbery attempt in Las Vegas, where he was living most recently. His death sent shock…

LOCALS ONLY Even though hip-hop artist Bionik Brown had only lived in Denver for short time before his passing this week, he became familiar with the local music scene quickly and scored gigs easily thanks to his dope skills on the mike. In honor of Bionik’s memory, after the jump…

Update (i.e., retraction time): We just received a note from the Evolutionary Media Group confirming that this is indeed a private event, as the Good Doctor asserted below. The confusion stems from an ambiguously worded press release we received this morning from EMG that lead us to believe this event…