Concerts

With a sound so basic and raw that Jay Reatard sounds like a rocket scientist by comparison, San Diego’s Wavves achieves the improbable: making a two-piece outfit come off even simpler than the sum of its constituents. It also makes for some drama: Singer/guitarist Nathan Williams had to cancel a…

Though often cited as being instrumental in forging the mid-’90s, post-hardcore aesthetic that was the second wave of emo, many of the Get Up Kids’ latter-day critics forget that the band wrote pop songs worth imitating. And it just so happens that the airwaves of the last decade have been…

“It’s so simple when you open your mouth,” singer-guitarist Rob Gault croons in “Simple,” among the gems on this consistently beguiling EP — but that’s not necessarily true. Because he and his drum-playing brother, Lewi, moved to Denver from Scotland, listeners will expect vocals that recall actor James Doohan sputtering…

As if the title of the Dropskots’ new full-length, More Seriouslyer, weren’t a tipoff, the band makes no bones about the fact that it has a sense of humor about itself and its music. But there’s a telltale, shit-colored lining to the outfit’s bright goof-punk. The album’s standout track, “Miseria,”…

On the Dreaming Machines’ self-titled debut, Arnie Swenson and Kurt Bauer use various instruments from around the world to create some intriguing tempo-less excursions. Their second effort, Speed of Flying Creatures, covers similar territory, with the two musicians using worldly instruments such as the shakuhachi flute and the Chinese san…

The debut EP from Panal S.A. de C.V. is an all-instrumental affair that blends electronic pop with experimental rock. Recalling the expansive progressions and sunlit melodies of Melrose-era Tangerine Dream from the first track, Cortometraje also contains undercurrents of post-Brotherhood New Order in the keyboard arrangements on tracks like “Linda…

Like the Smiths and Teenage Fanclub before them, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart write songs that appeal to the spirit of innocence, exuberance and emotional fragility of young adulthood. The New York band’s sparkling guitar work, headlong pacing and propulsive rhythms recall the music of C86 bands such…

DJ Anthony Pappa has evolved from his progressive roots into a somewhat deeper, more techno-inflected sound on his recent releases — still polished and melodic, but with a slightly edgier and perhaps somewhat darker vibe. Whatever idiom he’s worked in, he’s been a consistently solid jock throughout his career while…

It’s no secret that the Pirate Signal is one of the dopest hip-hop groups out of Colorado, so why do we act surprised when they continually prove it? Early this morning, lead vocalist Yonnas fired off two new tracks via Twitter, possibly from the group’s upcoming album, and made the…

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch and really like the Heyday, start jumping up and down with excitement because the band is now available in convenient app form. The free app (is there any other kind?) will keep fans up to date on Heyday concert dates and news,…

Get Your Going, Murder Ranks and Caroliner Rainbow Sunday, September 6, 2009 3 Kings Tavern Better Than: Anyone but the performers could have hoped for. With Get Your Going you never really know what you’re in for, and on this night, a big black podium sat in the middle of…

Ween, Meat Puppets Red Rocks Amphitheatre September 5, 2009 Better than: Seeing Gene Ween play a solo show. Ween’s live shows have always seemed better suited to smaller stages, where the soaring, sharp guitar tones of Dean Ween (aka Mickey Melchiondo, Jr.) and the tongue-in-cheek vocal stylings of Geen Ween…

Fell, Astrophagus, Peña September 4, 2009 Larimer Lounge Better Than:Watching one of your friends squirt out a kid and get lame. Barely better. More up-front bias from Columbia boy (that’s me!). I like noisy shows in sparse bars. They remind me of the good ol’ days at Mojo’s some three…

Blink-182, Weezer, Taking Back Sunday and Chester French Fiddler’s Green September 6, 2009 The members of Blink-182 became the kings of pop-punk nation a decade ago, when Enema of the State flushed the style’s system with a cleansing formula of big hooks and cheerfully profane snottiness. But the median age…

Update: Just received word of a show in support of Elana Rogers. Slated for Friday, September 25 at the D-Note, the bill features Demon Funkies, Something Underground, Melanie Susuras Band, Tempe and the Tantrums and Naor Nave.Well wishes are due to Elana Rogers, who was recently diagnosed with IDC breast…

Not sure who, if anyone, this applies to, but we thought we’d alert you anyhow. A company called 1iota Events, which distributes tickets to television shows, is evidently looking to “cast” one-hundred “high energy” fans to be part of the “stage fans” at the VMAs — whatever that means. Evidently,…

Saw this last night at the Meadowlark with the full band. Breath taking. Amazing. Even more amazing was the crowd, which was the most reverent assembly of people I’ve seen since church last weekend. Seriously, the audience was so reserved that you could distinctly hear Nathaniel Rateliff’s most delicately picked…

In 1995, Toy Story was the highest grossing movie of the year. I know this, because I had a toddler running around the house at the time who was completely consumed with Buzz Lightyear. More than a decade later, my little guy has grown up, and I’m quite proud of…

You know what I love about living in Denver — well, besides the fact that it’s the best city in America as voted by me? We take care of our own here. God forbid (No, seriously, God forbid. Please!) that anything ever happens to me, I rest easy knowing that…

Just came across a pair of radio interviews and performances featuring Danielle Ate the Sandwich and the Rouge. The former, due at Monolith next weekend, appeared last night on Guy Errickson’s KGNU show, Highway 322, in a Naked Stage segment (easy, tiger, we’re pretty sure she was fully clothed), while…