Haley Bonar has not one but two ways of deflecting questions about the seemingly personal nature of “Hometown,” the first song on her excellent new album Impossible Dream. “All grown up, saving up for my exit,” she sings in a breathy echo. “Let it burn in the rearview mirror.” And later: “The further that I get, the deeper my regrets. Hometown goes wherever you go.”
On November 17, electronic duo BoomBox made a major announcement on Facebook, and suddenly its upcoming New Year’s Eve shows at the Gothic Theatre on December 29, 30 and 31 became that much more significant. “To all of our friends, family and supporters, BoomBox and Russ Randolph will be parting ways,” the announcement read. “The amicable separation is in no way a dissolution but rather the opening of a new chapter for BoomBox moving forward. Russ Randolph’s last show with BoomBox will be in Denver, Colorado at The Gothic Theatre on December 31st, 2016.”
The road leading to the Vanilla Milkshakes’ new album, Tall People Have No Feelings, was like something out of a DIY rock-band biopic, and it all started with an unlikely meeting between like-minded musicians. Before releasing the album How to Ruin Friendships and Influence Douchebags, singer David McGhee struck up a correspondence with well-known indie imprint K Records. Label head Calvin Johnson offered to work with the band, and McGhee convinced partner, bandmate and drummer Frank Registrato to work toward that possibility. Registrato, a live-music veteran, hadn’t recorded in an all-analog studio in several years, and the project piqued his interest.
It’s been 27 years since Swedish metal-heads In Flames formed out of the ashes of death-metal troupe Ceremonial Oath, the brainchild of ex-guitarist Jesper Strömblad. In the years that have passed since then, the group has put out twelve studio albums and one EP. Meanwhile, band members have come and gone, and in the case of Björn Gelottem, switched from drums to lead guitar.
The Grizzly Rose has hosted all the biggest stars in country music.
The Pretty Reckless could have been a vanity band led by a previously famous member. When guitarist Ben Phillips met future lead singer Taylor Momsen in 2008, she was a fourteen-year-old up-and-coming actress known for roles in the 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the television show…
Since signing a record deal in December 2004, the Denver-based band the Fray has found a healthy amount of success – so much so that picking a venue like the Fox Theatre, which holds no more than 500 people, for a concert a day before its big show at the…
When Eck’s Saloon closed two years ago, Lakewood lost a legendary music venue with a history that spanned more than three decades and saw steady stream of local and national hard rock and ’80s hair-rock bands like Warrant, Skid Row and Quiet Riot. But since Dumitru Sajin took over the building last February, he’s been busy giving the spot a much-needed update, and now he is opening the space as the Silver Spur Saloon the first weekend in December.
This week kicks off with the Pretty Reckless at the Ogden Theatre and Two Door Cinema at the Fillmore Auditorium tonight while later in the week it’s Mindless Behavior at the Summit Music Hall, Tommy Emmanuel at the Paramount Theatre, Greensky Bluegrass at the Ogden Theatre and Haley Bonar at the Larimer Lounge. See our full list of picks below.
Contrary to all the social media squeals of joy from out-of-touch former punks proclaiming that thanks to this election, “punk will get good again, ” music has never stopped being a radical force. Art and activism have always been intertwined and Denver’s own Tim Holland aka Sole — a musician, tape label head and activist himself — continues to keep the conversation about present-day political issues going with his music. Earlier this week he released “Three Way Fight,” a collaboration with musician and vocalist Decomposure. Westword spoke with Sole about the song and what it means to protest in 2016.
Last month, the November 2016 Open Music Session welcomed Hang Rounders, a Denver band that insists it’s both country and Western, and is undeniably American roots music at its finest. There is some bluegrass and folk amid the heart-wrenching ballads and barnstorming dance anthems, but there’s a dash of reggae, too.
Three of state’s bigger bands have two night stands this weekend, including the Fray, Leftover Salmon and Paper Bird while Elephant Revival, also a local favorite, teams up with the Colorado Symphony on Saturday, November 26. This weekend’s lineup also includes hi-dive’s 4th and 13th two-night anniversary bash, Snow Tha Product as well as a pair of co-headlining shows from Kung Fu and Particle. See the full list below.
The Fray released its first greatest hits album, Through the Years, on November 4, 2016. Often a greatest hits album signifies a band either in need of a late-career shot in the arm or a way to mark a milestone in the group’s career. For the Fray, it seems more of a celebration of how far the group has come, and the compilation includes three new songs. “Throughout the career at certain points we kind of had our head down in the game focusing on one record or one song or one tour or whatever,” says drummer Ben Wysocki. “This is the first time we’ve been able to step back and look at the whole arc of what we’ve done and what the bands have provided to us, and it’s been really amazing.”
Canadian DJ and producer Datsik, who’s set to release his Sensei EP in December, brings his North American tour to the 1STBANK Center on Saturday, February 4, 2017, with Crizzly and Virtual Riot opening; tickets ($20-$75) are on sale now.
Quixote’s True Blue might have changed locations a few times over the last two decades, but the music venue and bar has always been a haven for fans of the Grateful Dead. Although owner Jay Bianchi closed the last Quixote’s incarnation at 314 East 13th Avenue (where it had been for the last four years) at the end of October, he didn’t waste any time opening another spot in a similar vein. Bianchi has taken over the former Denver Wrangler space at 1700 Logan Street and will open Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple there in December.
Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) and Bohemian Foundation announced a partnership intended to advance the status of Colorado music.
Beloved Denver spot My Brother’s Bar was a hangout for the Beats, including Neal Cassady, who left an outstanding bar tab.
Music wasn’t supposed to be Kayla Marque’s life. “My dad wanted me to be an athlete, so that’s what I grew up doing,” says the Denver-born-and-raised singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. “I started playing basketball at five. In high school, I quit basketball because I found volleyball. I thought it was the best thing ever.” Marque had always considered herself an athlete, feeling what she describes as a “hunger, drive and competitiveness” for sports that she didn’t have for other things. But underneath the team uniform, a musician was hiding.
Prior to November 8, Sadie Dupuis figured she would release Slugger, her first album as Sad13 (pronounced “Sad Thirteen”), to an America celebrating the election of its first female president. Like most people, she hadn’t planned to go to bed on Tuesday night coming to grips with the startling new reality of President-elect Trump, and she certainly didn’t plan to release her album three days later still reeling from the news.
Mannequin Pussy’s latest album, Romantic, was the product of conversations the band was having about the nature of romance — and the parallels between the modern era and the tumultuous Romantic era of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Rüfüs Du Sol has a love affair with Colorado. In the past five months, the band has played three venues and four shows in the Centennial State — including the two-night run last weekend at the Gothic Theatre. Besides frequenting Colorado to perform, the band has been busy this year. Since the release of the group’s second album, Bloom, the band has gained momentum: performances at festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza, supporting for Odesza at Red Rocks, and now a North American tour in which “sold out” accompanies nearly every stop listed. It’s surprising that Rüfüs have time to even eat.
The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, will be at the Tattered Cover in Denver on Wednesday, November 30, for a meet-and-greet event to celebrate the release of his new book, Born to Run.
