For an act whose moniker alludes to the film version of V For Vendetta, graphic novelist Alan Moore’s dystopian fantasia about a masked bomber, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head is pretty darned peppy. On Glistening Pleasure, the Seattle-based outfit’s debut album, Luke Smith, Claire England, David Price, Shaun Libman and Liam…
Named Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year for the past two years by the National Blues Foundation, Tab Benoit rolls into town on a hot streak in support of his latest release, Night Train to Nashville. Expect Tab and his longtime backing outfit, Louisiana’s LeRoux, to haul in a…
Named after an obscure town in western Texas situated far from Austin, where the band is based, Balmorhea has a sound that’s the stuff of daydreams and contemplation in a place where the pace of life is slow but you can find the answers to all your questions if you…
Most everything you need to know about horny, go-getting Los Angeles newcomer Shwayze can be gleaned from lines like this one from “Polaroid”: “Woke up with a semi-hard dick/In a fat chick/Three this week/Call that a hat trick.” Yeah, it’s that bad. Oddly, though, the partly sung, partly rapped tracks…
In a wry comment on his reputation as a doctrinaire zealot, System of a Downer Daron Malakian kicks off the side project he shares with SOAD drummer John Dolyman by delivering “Serious,” whose hook declares, “You’re too serious for me.” He’s doesn’t mean it, of course; any humor here is…
It’s often been said that being in a band is just like being in a relationship, that sometimes your bandmates know you better than your significant other. We decided to put this notion to the test by asking a select band member a series of personal questions (easy, tiger, nothing…
If love is a reciprocal feeling, then the Cure and I are deep in it. In fact, the origin of this column you’re reading right now began with a review of the Cure’s latest concert at Red Rocks that ran on this very blog. I was not able to attend…
This past weekend, Epilogues played a benefit show at Herman’s Hideaway, and evidently, while the band wasn’t looking, some unsavory character entered the club’s greenroom and helped himself to drummer Jason Hoke’s laptop, which contained all things Epilogues. Shortly after sending out a rather vitriolic MySpace bulletin (“so, to the…
Just received word from Erica Brown that her namesake band, which has been a staple on the blues scene for the past decade, is calling it a day. The act has a dozen more dates booked, including one this evening for Band on the Bricks on the Pearl Street Mall…
Mr. Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, is having — to straight jack a phrase from VH1 — the best week ever. His first effort under his own name sold enough copies to claim this week’s top seller at Twist & Shout, knocking Beck’s Modern Guilt out of the top spot. And…
The Pseudo Dates Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Auraria Campus Better Than: Most other outdoor shows I’ve seen. Rarely are good bands, local or otherwise, featured on college campuses in and around Denver, but at 10:15 a.m. yesterday, someone made an exception. There’s always something surrealistic about a band playing in…
Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Marquis Theatre Better Than: You might guess Trying to predict who might show up to last night’s show defines an exercise in futility. Rowdy frat brothers? Check. Kids who appeared to be about twelve? Yep…
See the slide show here. Machine Gun Blues, Ghost Buffalo, Mr. Pacman, the Nicotine Fits Saturday, August 9, 2008 Bluebird Theater The skies opened up early Friday evening, shattering the recent heat wave and bringing down what can only be described as a shit-ton of rain, flooding many of the…
Ran into Mike Herrera (no relation, as my colleague Michael Roberts would say) outside the Portugal. The Man show — which was unbelivably badass, BTW, especially openers Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground — at the Marquis, and he asked me if I knew of any drummers. Apparently, current timekeeper…
While he certainly had the gall to win it all, our boy Magic Cyclops returns to Denver without the US Air Guitar crown. His interpretation of Thin Lizzy’s “Thunder and Lightning” at the US finals in San Francisco last week earned him a score of 15.4, which put him a…
David Byrne visits the Buell Theatre October 12. Among the recent concert info we’ve received over the last week, a second Cheech & Chong was added and Eddy Grant’s August 15 show at the Bluebird was canceled. Here’s a rundown of the shows going on sale this weekend. For ticket…
If you were listening to the radio yesterday morning, you know that the rush hour commute was an especially deadly one. “4 motorists killed in crashes on area roads,” reads the headline in today’s Rocky Mountain News. The brief goes on to list Nathan Woods as being among the fatalities,…
With nearly 150 shows under his belt since he began making music under the Chain Gang of 1974 moniker a year and a half ago, two EPs of recorded material (both available for free download) and fans by the truckload, Kamtin Mohager has steadily been gaining momentum that shows no…
Eyedea & Abilities, ManeLine, Calm Monday, August 11, 2008 Marquis Theater Better Than: Succumbing to three hours of sleep in thirty-six hours. Due to some weird issue with cameras at the door, I had to go home and get my second-string machine and missed Isolated Generation entirely and part of…
The above photo was obviously taken long before the members of the Swayback found out they’d be working with Andy Johns. Wherever they are right now, though, you’ve got to assume they’re experiencing a similar sense of jubilation knowing that in a week and a half they’ll be heading to…
This morning, a representative from the Larimer County coroner’s office confirmed that Tickle Me Pink bassist Johnny Schou’s death was caused by an accidental opiate overdose. The results of a toxicology report, says Chief Deputy Coroner Diane Fairman, indicate that heroin was found in Schou’s bloodstream; no other substances were…
Monolith’s just around the corner (32 days and 23 hours from now, to be exact) and, well, we’re as giddy about this year’s edition as Olympic enthusiasts undoubtedly are to see Michael Phelps win an unprecedented eight medals. We were already way stoked on this year’s line-up, but we’re even…
