Sometimes bad things happen to good people. That was very much the case Monday night when Leighton Peterson, half of Denver’s Safe Boating is No Accident was the victim of a house fire. He and his roommate lost pretty much everything. But both of them (and Peterson’s dog) are fine…
If you were at City Hall’s New Years Eve party, you may have noticed a disco ball that was less sphere-shaped and more shaped like a pair of female legs. Well, that wasn’t just the cocktails getting to you. It turns out those long legs were quite real and something…
Artopia, Westword’s annual celebration of art, culture and fashion, returns to City Hall on February 21. Tickets start at $25 for general admission and are on sale now. As always, the event will feature some highlights from Colorado’s music scene as well — this year, electric hip-hop duo the Reminders…
Communikey Festival: 8th Edition has released its initial line-up. Scheduled to run Thursday, April 16th through Sunday, April 19th in Boulder, the Communikey Festival has consistently brought in some of the most innovative international and local experimental music and visual artists throughout its run. The programming of events, workshops, installations…
More than two decades ago, Chicago native John Burr opened Soundstructure Studios, which comprised ten rehearsal spaces and two apartments, at the corner of 30th and Walnut streets. In 2003, Burr built a building next door that housed fifteen more rehearsal studios, then decided he also wanted to incorporate a…
If there are any deals to be had in downhill skiing, they’re clearly in bulk purchasing. John Dickson was still a college student in southern Texas when he saw an ad in the local paper for a ski trip to Colorado: Bring at least sixteen people, the ad promised, and…
Infected Mushroom brings its new Animatronica stage production to the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, April 11. General admission tickets($28) go on sale on Friday, January 9 10 a.m. and there are limited number of early bird tickets available this weekend for $20. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe returns to the Boulder…
OpenAir is getting a new home on the airwaves at the end of this month, in the FM neighborhood. The station, part of Colorado Public Radio, was founded three years ago and has made a home and an impact over at 1340 AM. As of January 27, the station will…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. Last Week’s Episode of Rufus Baxter!…
The moment Murder By Death ended its nearly two-hour set at the infamous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park on Friday night, front man Adam Turla stepped off the front of the stage to chat with the audience, many of whom came from far away for the event. I asked Turla…
Decadence once again proved among the most extravagant options for New Year’s Eve in Denver, with three stages of world-class DJs along with enough decorative insanity to lead our reviewer to compare the scene to a carnival. The fans spent about as much time on their costumes/outfits as the organizers…
In the midst of three DJ stages filling the Denver Convention Center with massive sounds at Decadence over the New Year’s holiday was a blow up white igloo. It was frequently packed with dancing fans and DJs, but there was no sound coming from it. The EDM.com Silent Disco felt…
Itchy-O, by virtue of the sheer numbers of its membership, should devolve into chaos. Its shows can seem chaotic and on the brink of tipping over, especially when the group engages in that hybrid of tribal, traditional and Western marching band percussion and the crowd dances in kind. But it…
In a New Year’s concert filled with country-gothic murder ballads and tent-revival doomsday sermons, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club singer Munly Munly put on the creepiest performance of the night. Duded up in all black, Munly played the slightly unhinged sidekick to Slim Cessna’s country preacher on Wednesday, stalking around the…
Decadence, a two night electronic music festival at the Colorado Convention Center, has grown into a New Year’s Eve tradition in Denver in recent years. About fifty DJs take one of four stages over the two nights, but the music is only part of the “Decadence experience.” With dancers on…
With song titles like “As Long As There Is Whiskey in the World” and “Rum Brave,” Murder by Death — whose best album is 2012’s ambitious Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon — is a little bit like Jack Nicholson’s legendary character in The Shining, who famously said, “I’d give my goddamn…
Backstage at the 2012 Westword Music Showcase, Alex Anderson was getting ready to play with his two bands, ManCub and Flashlights, and trying to suppress a rising panic attack. “I had never been that anxious,” remembers Anderson. He and Ethan Converse were about to do two sets, first as ManCub,…
Maybe you’ve seen the documentary on Anvil, the Canadian metal band that formed in 1978 and reportedly influenced bands like Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica. The Independent Spirit Award-winning documentary The Story of Anvil helped bring the band out of near obscurity after founding members Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner…
[jump] Editor’s note: Each week, illustrator Noah Van Sciver shares his ongoing story of an 80’s rocker on a road trip through his past with the readers of Backbeat. You can see more of Van Sciver’s work in his new book YOUTH IS WASTED. • BACKBEAT’S GREATEST HITS •- 50…
Attending a five-year anniversary party, you naturally have some expectations. You expect, as you walk down the steps to the Soiled Dove Underground, to find an air of celebration. People doing shots at the bar. Friends hugging. A raucous, excited crowd chatting away as a enthusiastic performer plays on stage…
In early 2013, the D Note in Olde Town Arvada celebrated its tenth anniversary with a two-night party. The evening also marked the changing of hands of the restaurant/music venue, as Dave and Mernie Rosenberg bought the space from the DeGraff family. Now, nearly two years after taking over the…
It takes more than musicians to make a scene: Venue owners, event planners, media members and people who just find ways to contribute to the music community play a critical role in ensuring that Denver is a great place to be a fan. Here are just a few of the…
