Metal bands that transition from the underground to the overground can suffer painful backlashes. Thus far, though, Mastodon – part of a massive Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival lineup that includes Slipknot, Disturbed, Machine Head, Underoath, Dragonforce, Five Finger Death Punch, The Red Chord, Suicide Silence, 36 Crazy Fists, Airbourne, Black…
Although better known as the backup singers for Jenny Lewis on Rabbit Fur Coat, Chandra and Leigh Watson are no slouches on their own. Having grown up in Louisville, Kentucky, these twin sisters, like many Southern kids, started singing in the church choir. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, the twins…
Hip-hop artists don’t typically reject critical acclaim, but neither do they expect that good reviews will translate into big sales – and Britisher Dizzee Rascal’s probes into the American market demonstrate why. Rascal has won raves for his spare, raw hybrid of hip-hop and dance music – a form originally…
My Feral Kin took root in the artistically fertile DIY soil of Phoenix, Arizona, and is currently one of the promising groups across the country tapping into a more tropical sound born of non-English-speaking folk traditions. Stands to reason: Julio Mendoza Jr., Kin’s primary creative force, is the son of…
Danger Mouse is arguably the most adventurous producer to tackle a Beck project since the Dust Brothers helped birth a 1996 baby called Odelay (the Dusters’ return for 2004’s Güero doesn’t count). The resulting sound is satisfyingly dense and intricate; the neo-surfisms of “Gamma Ray,” the delicate psychedelia of “Chemtrails”…
On Coldplay’s fourth and latest album, producer Brian Eno attempts to use the same formula that worked for U2 by freshening up the band’s reliable brand of emotive lyricism and comforting melodies with his signature ambient infusions. Unfortunately, this approach just ends up making Coldplay sound like U2. And that’s…
According reports filed by NME and the Washington Post, Kanye West is reportedly in talks with AT&T to perform at a party being thrown on behalf of Bono’s One Campaign, a non-partisan organization whose primary mission is to raise public awareness in the areas of global poverty, hunger and disease…
Matmos Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Boulder Theater, Boulder Better Than: Just about any other electronic show I’ve seen. Balloons. Last night, the Boulder Theater was all about the balloons. I arrived just as Lexington, Kentucky-based openers Offthesky started its set. Accompanying the outfit’s de rigueur abstract video projection was a…
Ween Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins Better than: Any rock show in Fort Collins in recent memory. There really is no precedent for last night’s show in Fort Collins that feels worth mentioning – none that I’m aware of, anyhow. As far as momentous occasions go…
Des Tours, the Don’ts and Be Carefuls, Pleistocene Tuesday, July 14, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: The generic Mariachi music I hear in my mom’s neighborhood. Due to a prior commitment, I missed all but the tail end of the final Pleistocene song. Too bad, because the group sounded especially…
The members of Tickle Me Pink have announced plans to soldier on in the wake of bassist Johnny Schou’s death. The band has enlisted longtime friend and former Brotherhood of Dae Han guitarist, Joey Barba, to fill Schou’s slot, and will resume its tour this Friday in San Diego…
Depending upon who you ask, Lazyface is no more. Lead singer Sam DeWitt, who recently parted ways with the act, contends that he opted to dissolve the band that he and Jonathan Kosares co founded, prompted by the fact that the two are longer with the outfit. The remaining members,…
Sounds like Nick Forster has cause to celebrate. The founder and president of etown has reached an agreement with Stephen Tebo for his organization to purchase the historic church Tebo’s family owns on the corner of 16th and Spruce in Boulder. According to Forster, Tebo dropped the price of property…
HEALTH, Spellcaster’s Rock and Roll Time Travel Committee, Pictureplane, BDRMPPL, the Late Severa Wires, the Don’ts and Be Carefuls Monday, July 14, 2008 Rhinoceropolis Better Than: Music that pretends to be wild but really isn’t. Greeley’s the Don’ts and Be Carefuls seem to embody a similar artistic outlook as its…
Charlie Hunter Trio & the Nels Cline Singers Saturday, July 12, 2008 Bluebird Theater Better Than: Any other bill with two guitarists that’s come through town in the past year years. I used to see the Charlie Hunter Trio a lot in the mid-‘90s when I lived in the Bay…
Film School, Moonspeed and Ascaris Sunday, July 13, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: Having to catch the next Moonspeed show at Red Rocks, where most of the crowd won’t appreciate the music. The sound at the Larimer Lounge didn’t do the band as much justice as its previous gig. The…
Nashville Pussy w/Black Lamb Saturday, July 12, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: The latest generation of neo-Southern rock bands. Click here for a slide show. I missed Holly 750 thanks to the naked bike ride demonstration going on downtown. That’s the kind of stuff you can’t make up. Not that…
Fucking Orane, Madraso Friday, July 11, 2008 3 Kings Tavern Better Than: Another doomy, sludgy, wannabe experimental heavy rock show. Because there was some issue with a couple of touring bands getting to the venue late (I think one of them ultimately did turn up), the show started a little…
Fans of Supergrass (pictured) and Year Long Disaster will reap an unexpected benefit from the postponement of the Foo Fighters’ July 14 and 15 Red Rocks shows (click here for those details). While Dave Grohl is too sick to perform on those dates, the aforementioned bands, who are opening for…
I, for one, was looking forward to the Foo Fighters’ Monday, July 13 gig at Red Rocks — the first of two nights at the venue. But I’ll just have to put my enthusiasm on hold for a couple of months. Moments ago, a press release came through announcing that…
Girl Talk, teamAWESOME Friday, July 11 2008 Fox Theatre Better Than: Keeping some of the best moments of pop music to yourself Whether up on the highly prized stage next to Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, or down in the filled-to-bursting pit, last night’s show epitomized the sweaty catharsis that…
The Ideal Fathers, I’m a Boy, the Bluebird Equation Thursday, July 10, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: A totally random assortment of indie bands on the average Thursday night at the Larimer Lounge. The Bluebird Equation had already started by the time I made it to the Larimer but it…
