Music

Ideal Fathers is a band that shouldn’t work. You shouldn’t be able to mix edgy Gang of Four-esque guitar adventurism and funky rhythms with the thorniness and snarling vocals of early Dead Kennedys and get anything but an unholy mess. Theirs is a collection of sonic elements that seem to…

The last time Republic Tigers singer and multi-instrumentalist Kenn Jankowski was in Denver, he destroyed his guitar and punched his effects pedals after finding out that his wife had been cheating on him. It was late 2005, and Jankowski was in town with his previous band, the Golden Republic, which…

Wonderfully named idiosyncratic singer-songwriter Eef Barzelay — whose approach has been described as “Lou Reed singing Buddy Holly songs” — spent fifteen-odd years fronting the rootsy, sometimes rollicking Clem Snide before heading out on his own. He recently released his second solo offering, Lose Big, a fantastic collection of sharp,…

While El-P wraps up his followup to last year’s I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, the New York rapper, producer and label CEO is giving away the second installment in his mixtape series. Hit up www.definitivejux.net to download We Are All Going to Burn in Hell Meggamixxx 2, which, until now,…

Adam Pedersen and Nuts and Berries Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Larimer Lounge Better Than: Going home mad because I was supposed to go to a different show. Adam Pedersen had just started his set when I finally got to the Larimer. I would say he is better known for having…

Photo: Brian Folkins Hot on the heels of its stand out performance at the Mile High Music Fest, Rose Hill Drive makes its nationally televised debut tonight on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Can hardly wait to see Boulder’s biggest badasses on the small screen. Conan won’t know what hit…

Harry and the Potters, Uncle Monsterface and Math the Band Monday, July 28, 2008 hi-dive Better Than: Some weird anti-Harry Potter themed show. When some guy came hustling past me in the parking lot headed toward the hi-dive with a baby in a stroller, I knew this show would not…

Photo: Tom Murphy The Pseudo Dates The Pseudo Dates and teamAWESOME! Sunday, July 27, 2008 Lion’s Lair Better Than: The average benefit show put together to raise awareness. I didn’t get to the Lion’s Lair in time for the drag show, but, frankly, drag shows aren’t my thing, so it’s…

Photo: Tom Murphy Primasonic Boss 302 w/Primasonic and The Geds Saturday, July 26, 2008 3 Kings Tavern Better Than: Or rather, more fun than, a barrel full of monkeys. Primasonic had played a few songs by the time I got to 3 Kings and they were very much a different…

Photo: Tom Murphy Action Packed Thrill Ride Breezy Porticos w/Action Packed Thrill Ride Friday, July 25, 2008 Old Curtis St. Bar Better Than: Spending the rest of the night trying to wrap your mind around the Jandek show. After leaving the Jandek gig, I headed back through downtown and remembered…

Photo: Tom Murphy Jandek Friday, July 25, 2008 The Bug Theater Better Than: Having to see Jandek at some big theater. I didn’t even recognize Andrew Lindstrom or Milton Melvin Croissant III when I ran into them outside the Bug before the show. Lindstrom looked like he’d gotten off bus…

Photo: Sean Sullivan Boris, Torche, Lair of the Minotaur Friday, July 25, 2008 Marquis Theater Better Than: Any other communal sweating, fist-pumping, and shouting in Denver Boris makes no sense. Literally, the band sings their lyrics in Japanese, but how four people can create so much noise and power simply…

The Fire Drills Saturday, July 26, 2008 Old Curtis Street Bar Better Than: A fire drill in grade school. A hell of a lot better. This town is a bit incestuous when it comes to bands, but, as it turns out, that’s a damn good thing. There are a ton…

Kenny Garrett Quartet Sunday, July 27, 2008 (second set) Dazzle Better Than: Any show at Dazzle in the past few months. While Kenny Garrett has explored various shades of jazz and other musical terrain on nearly every one of the fourteen albums he has released as a leader, most of…

The Big Gig, with the Offspring, Paramore, Dropkick Murphys, Flobots, Spill Canvas, Dropping Daylight, Skyfox Saturday, July 26 Fiddler’s Green The 2007 version of KTCL’s signature event suffered from many of the standard drawbacks associated with summer festivals: extreme heat, pacing problems, technical difficulties, a scattershot lineup, etc. Such problems…

Tom Petty? Dave Matthews Band? John Mayer? The Black Crowes? Headliners? You call those headliners? Pfffth! While those acts may have drawn nearly a hundred thousand people as the main attractions at last weekend’s Mile High Music Festival, those cats have got nothing on Heaven Fest’s headliner. The Son of…

50 Cent suing Taco Bell Last month a letter from Taco Bell addressed to 50 Cent went out to various media outlets asking 50 to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent, to help promote their menu and “Why Pay More” ad campaign. But ironically, the…