When it comes to humble beginnings, Denver’s No Direction Records just might take the cake. The label’s origins resemble something out of a Silicon Valley success story (even if the similarities begin and end there). Founder Evan Kallas started the label out of his father’s basement in Wyoming in the…
On September 13, Colorado singer-songwriter Silent Bear found himself singing a new song to a group of Dakota Pipeline protesters in front of the Boulder County Courthouse. “I ain’t gonna work on Kelcy’s pipeline no more,” the song begins. “They’re protectors of the water, they’re protectors of the land, they’re…
Hailing from Southern Texas, the Oh Hellos are a brother-sister duo turned ten-piece band, and they’re bringing their Celtic-influenced style to Denver’s Ogden Theatre on Thursday, September 29. Identified by slightly harrowing vocals, somber strings and celebratory eruptions of drum and choral cheers, the Oh Hellos captivate listeners with intensely emotional harmonies…
Last night, while most of Denver was sitting in front of their televisions attempting to discern which political figure is the least maniacal of the remaining nominees, Die Antwoord did not hold back the crazy — unleashing it on the Ogden Theatre. South African rappers Yolandi Visser and Ninja brought…
Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work…
In conversation, Grant Kwiecinski is a lot like the music he creates as GRiZ: fun, funky and relentlessly positive. GRiZ, who headlines Red Rocks on Saturday, October 1 — as well as a just-announced after-party DJ set at the Gothic Theatre — is typically grouped with the producers of EDM and…
Denver residents have been lucky to witness firsthand the power and energy of a rising “new soul” band in the form of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Across the country, acts like Leon Bridges, JD McPherson, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones are bringing the storied style of…
When Chicago metal band Disturbed emerged with debut album The Sickness in 2000, having formed as Brawl in 1994, the hard rock-loving world was nu-metal crazy. Bands like Korn and Coal Chamber (yes, even Coal Chamber) had convinced everyone that going severely bass-heavy and adding an element of hip-hop to the vocals…
The Specials, the renowned ska band that formed in Coventry, England nearly four decades ago, finally got together again to record demos last November, after years of gathering material and ideas. According to founding member and guitarist Lynval Golding, it was drummer John “Brad” Bradbury’s idea to do a new tour…
Warpaint’s new album, Heads Up, is being rightfully praised for its seamless integration of rock instrumentation with the aesthetics of electronic music and hip-hop. Since the band’s debut full-length, The Fool, in 2010, Warpaint has been making music that’s difficult to pigeonhole into one genre. Whether dubbed a new kind of post-punk,…
This weekend, fans flocked to Rowdytown 2016, the sold-out two-day mini-festival put on by electronic duo Big Gigantic at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. These fans were ready to party and were not shy about it. Dressed in brightly colored garb and light-up flat-billed hats and cat ears, they came. Toting customized…
Whether you are a lover or hater of the not-so-ancient Japanese art form, karaoke is everywhere these days. As an industry worth nearly $10 billion, the act of standing up in front of friends and strangers to butcher Journey songs has become a global pastime. Denver is brimming with lively and delightful…
This week, Denver is a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll — and chock-full of shows. Country star Dierks Bentley takes over Red Rocks for two nights while Mumford & Sons headline Fiddler’s Green for two nights. This week’s lineup also includes the Specials, Die Antwoord, Leon…
This year, the bands Porches and Japanese Breakfast, two of the most promising pop acts today, released records that evoked moments of significant change in the artists’ lives. The bands are currently on tour together in the U.S., which gives audiences a chance to hear excellent material while it’s still…
The world of weed is open for business, and celebrities are capitalizing on it. From Merle Haggard, who died before his strains hit the market, to Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dog, who performed together at Red Rocks for the 4/20 celebration in 2014, celebrities are flocking to Colorado to join…
Clarinetist Ben Goldberg, a Denver native who has been a longtime Bay Area resident, has worked in the avant-garde world heavies like John Zorn, Nels Cline and Myra Melford. He also formed the New Klezmer Trio in 1992, was part of the acoustic chamber group Tin Hat and has led…
With the recent upswing in popularity of industrial and experimental electronic music with new artists emerging from the older Goth-industrial scene, it seems as though Clock DVA was ahead of the curve when it reactivated in 2008. Groups like Youth Code, BURNING, Troller, All Your Sisters, Curse and Echo Beds draw…
Big Gigantic headlines its fifth Rowdytown at Red Rocks this weekend with guests Kill the Noise, Vanic and Louis the Child (tonight), Marshmello, Illenium and Kasbo (tomorrow). Gregg Allman brings his Laid Back Festival, which features headliner ZZ Top, to Red Rocks on Sunday while legendary singer-songwriter Donovan is at the…
Nocturnal is holding its latest party at Eko House this Friday, September 23. The dance-music-oriented event was inspired by founder Alex Whittier’s experiences with after-party culture, beginning when he attended LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy’s DJ shows at Sasquatch Music Festival and in Aspen and Boulder. At that time he…
Grammy-winning artist Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley has partnered up with TruCannabis to open a new dispensary in Denver on September 22. “Damian Marley’s Stony Hill – by Tru Cannabis” is located at 1630 North Federal Boulevard, adjacent to Mile High Stadium, and will replace TruCannabis’s flagship location. The dispensary is…
Red Hot Chili Peppers, who last headlined the Pepsi Center in 2012, return to the venue on Thursday, March 2, with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue opening. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 23 at 10 a.m. Ariana Grande brings here Dangerous Woman Tour to the Pepsi Center on Monday,…
For a moment, Chance the Rapper slowed down his exuberant set to perform a duet with an old friend. The 23-year-old hip-hop artist adjusted his red baseball cap and walked slowly to a piano, where he began to sing “Same Drugs” in a quiet, scruffy voice. Sitting beside him, filling…
