After Brian Wilson completed the Beach Boys’ watershed album Pet Sounds in 1966, he started work on Smile, which would be his “teenage symphony to God.” While the album was never officially released (although bootlegs surfaced), Wilson reconstructed it nearly forty years later. In the past four decades, the Beach…
There are a handful of male vocalists in the modern era who possess truly breathtaking voices: Andrea Bocelli, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Luciano Pavarotti immediately come to mind. There are fewer still with that kind of otherworldly talent in the rock arena: Jeff Buckley, Chris Cornell and, some would…
The origins of Sleepercar’s music is said to date back to the last days of At the Drive-In. The former’s oldest song is said to have been written during a sound check at one of the latter’s final shows. At the Drive-In guitarist Jim Ward had long been interested in…
Music’s certainly seen its share of odd-couple collaborators, from David Bowie and Bing Crosby to Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue. No pairing has felt so strangely natural, however, or been quite so successful, as the one of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and bluegrass icon Alison Krauss. Having met while…
Moving from the underground to the overground is difficult in any musical genre, but especially in hip-hop, a populist medium whose participants generally look with suspicion upon artists who seem more comfortable with creativity than with cashing in. Such was the reputation of Dilated Peoples (on tour with Aceyalone, The…
At first blush, Dawn McCarthy seems to have been born into the wrong time. After all, the music she makes as the main force behind Faun Fables, supported at this gig by the Legendary River Drifters, draws heavily from the English folk tradition of centuries past, and the instrumentation she…
Just in time for the Friday, June 20, reunion show featuring the Fluid – among the best Denver bands of the past quarter century – Backbeat Online is offering a cyber-history of the act in words and images. The June 19 Westword includes a new profile of the five-piece plus…
The Fluid, which plays a reunion show on June 20 at the Bluebird Theater, wasn’t just a great-sounding band. It was also a highly visual one thanks to flashy lead singer John Robinson and a supporting cast that brought a variety of compelling rock-and-roll styles to the stage. Get a…
The Fluid reunited to play a handful of shows, including a June 20 Bluebird Theater concert (click here and here for details aplenty), almost fifteen years after calling it quits in 1993. Back then, the musical divorce was big news, but since it took place prior to the launch of…
Acts that call off previously scheduled concerts typically do so for predictable reasons: injury, illness, slow sales and so on. But the notice that went out regarding the cancellation of a June 20 gig at the hi dive featuring Michael Dean Damron (pictured) and Thee Loyal Bastards broke new ground…
Crystal Castles, MM/DD/YYYY and Picture Plane June 16, 2008 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Crystal Castles have been the subject of a lot of hype: Plenty of internet savvy music buffs have read the charming stories about the band’s inception having been a joke for the benefit of a few friends that…
Photos by Jon Solomon and Aaron Thackeray. First show in fifteen years, eh? Pshaw! Could’ve fooled us. Last night, the Fluid played a (not so) secret show at the Larimer Lounge and sounded every bit as tight and vital as it did the last time we saw the band back…
Paid Dues Festival featuring De La Soul Friday, June 13, 2008 Fillmore Auditorium Better than: The wack hip-hop at KS107.5’s Summer Jam Eleven hip-hop artists in six hours: Could you ask for a better night? Not to mention, Denver is only one of four cities slated to get the Festival…
Photo by Tom Murphy. Seraphim Shock, Bad Luck City and the Mansfields Friday, June 13, 2008 Gothic Theatre Better Than: Most of the Seraphim Shock line-ups I’ve seen. Even though Sid Pink didn’t, as is customary, host this show – which meant no “Think Pink” game show in between sets…
Photos by Tom Murphy. The Black Angels and the Warlocks Saturday, June 14, 2008 Bluebird Theater Better Than: The rest of the new wave of neo-psychedelia. The previous time I had seen The Warlocks was nearly three years ago at Larimer Lounge. While the music was stunningly beautiful and powerful,…
Photos by James Mitchell Evans, Soren McCarty and Bert Ross. Westword Music Showcase Saturday, June 14, 2008 Outdoor Stage Better Than: For the cost, any show in Colorado this summer On a blisteringly hot summer day, the outdoor stage at Westword’s 2008 Music Showcase reverberated with a consistently blisteringly hot…
A Shoreline Dream lives up to its name. (Photos by Tom Murphy) Westword Music Showcase Saturday, June 14, 2008 Bar Standard Better Than: Last year’s lineup. By the time we were allowed in to Bar Standard, the first band of the afternoon had already started. A Shoreline Dream is probably…
Photos by Aaron Thackeray and Dave Herrera Westword Music Showcase Saturday, June 14, 2008 DC10 The feel for most of the day at DC10 was a sense of community. Hip-Hop fans and artists alike mingled in and around the venue shaking hands, giving pounds and enjoying the Colorado hip-hop vibe…
The scene on Bar Standard’s rooftop patio. Westword Music Showcase Saturday, June 14, 2008 Bar Standard patio Better than: Most other reasons to stand in the sun all afternoon. Bright afternoon sunshine and the accompanying blistering heat aren’t exactly the ideal setting for the art of the DJ. Not only…
Westword Music Showcase Saturday, June 14, 2008 Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge I’ve seen a ton of jazz shows at Dazzle — since the place does primarily bring in jazz acts — but I’ve never seen the place rock as much it did on Saturday with energetic sets from Jason Vigil,…
Westword Music Showcase Sutra Room, Bar Standard and 1144 Saturday, June 14, 2008 Better Than: Spending the day at the Highland Street Fair. It’s just before 3 p.m. when I walk into Sutra completely unmolested. No one seems to be watching the door, taking tickets or checking ID’s. I survey…
Click here to view the Showcase slide show. 2:30 p.m. As long as the laptop battery holds up and the connection stays live, we’ll be live blogging from the Showcase all afternoon. The Chain Gang of 1974 is just finishing its last song at the outdoor stage — Kam and…
