In addition to fronting DeVotchKa, singer and guitarist Nick Urata has composed music for close to two dozen films over the past decade. But he’s never worked on a project as big as Paddington.He spent nearly three months in London composing music for the film, which stars Nicole Kidman and…
Macon Terry is sitting on the rooftop patio of Weathervane Cafe, drinking carrot juice. He’s talking about the thing he’s spent most of his life doing, which is playing music. The longtime Paper Bird bassist has been a fixture on the Denver scene for years, also logging time with Gregory…
The Replacements will be at the Fillmore Auditorium as part of their Back By Unpopular Demand Tour, their first full U.S. tour since 1991. Original members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson team up with drummer Josh Freese and guitarist David Minehan, who played with the band at three Riot Fest…
While some of the more recent output from Lloyd Cole, known for his work in the ’80s with his group the Commotions, has been acoustically driven, he realized early on in the writing songs for his most recent effort, Standards, that he wanted to steer the album in more of…
Cursive’s 2003 Album, The Ugly Organ, has been described as a masterpiece, a benchmark and a career jumping off point for an already highly touted band. The album contains elements of song-writing and musical mastery and sold over 170,00 copies. But it can also be viewed as merely one of…
By Jim Louvau The post-Cobain era of alternative rock was very kind to Gavin Rossdale and his band, Bush. The band’s multi-platinum debut record, Sixteen Stone, thrust them into mainstream and made Rossdale the crush of sixteen-year-old girls around the world. But let’s face it, Bush happened to be in…
Billy Joel will return to Denver on September 16 for a show at the Pepsi Center. This will be his first show here in five years and one of only ten non-New York shows scheduled in 2015. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 6, at 10 a.m. through Altitude Tickets…
Caribou Ranch belongs on a very short list of Colorado’s musical treasures. Artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Frank Zappa to the Beach Boys worked at the recording studio north of Nederland. It hasn’t been in use since 1985, and the family of former owner James Guercio is auctioning a…
We hope you’re enjoying Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We’ll be back to our full slate of commentary, news and concert coverage tomorrow — for now, we’ve got a few shows to recommend. This is a great week in Colorado, with bands ranging from notorious metal outfit Mayhem to the…
A lot has changed in the area surrounding 26th and Welton in the last twelve years. The neighborhood went from somewhere you didn’t want to venture into to somewhere you would happily go to for a drink or meal or to even find your next apartment. The name even changed…
The holiday weekend should be a good one for music in Denver. Some of the highlights include Del McCoury, who will play new songs inspired by Woody Guthrie and Fishbone, which inspired D’Angelo to write the song “1000 Deaths.” Many more of our picks await you below. See also: The…
We’ve got a brief in-house update for you: Tickets for Artopia, which is Westword’s annual event celebrating the city’s art, culture and fashion, get a little more expensive starting tomorrow. Right now, you can get them for $25. What you’re getting, specifically, is admission to City Hall, where we’ll have…
The Lumineers are unquestionably Colorado’s biggest musical success story of the last few years. The Americana outfit is therefore a fitting headliner for tonight’s concert celebrating the inauguration of governor John Hickenlooper, who is starting is second term. Hickenlooper is a longtime fan of the band and a slew of…
This week’s best shows include Paul Collins (formerly of the Nerves) at the hi-dive with his new-ish band, the Beat. That should be a great one — same with Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake on Thursday. The rest of our picks follow. See also: 50 Ways to Support…
In 2011, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame’s first inductees were John Denver and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Since then, local legends like Judy Collins, Barry Fey, Sugarloaf, Flash Cadillac, Serendipity Singers and others have been welcomed into the Hall. This year’s class includes the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco, Firefall…
Artopia, Westword’s annual celebration of art, culture and fashion, returns to City Hall on February 21. Tickets start at $25 for general admission and are on sale now. As always, the event will feature some highlights from Colorado’s music scene as well — this year, electric hip-hop duo the Reminders…
More than two decades ago, Chicago native John Burr opened Soundstructure Studios, which comprised ten rehearsal spaces and two apartments, at the corner of 30th and Walnut streets. In 2003, Burr built a building next door that housed fifteen more rehearsal studios, then decided he also wanted to incorporate a…
With song titles like “As Long As There Is Whiskey in the World” and “Rum Brave,” Murder by Death — whose best album is 2012’s ambitious Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon — is a little bit like Jack Nicholson’s legendary character in The Shining, who famously said, “I’d give my goddamn…
Backstage at the 2012 Westword Music Showcase, Alex Anderson was getting ready to play with his two bands, ManCub and Flashlights, and trying to suppress a rising panic attack. “I had never been that anxious,” remembers Anderson. He and Ethan Converse were about to do two sets, first as ManCub,…
Telluride is not only known for its skiing and breathtaking scenery. It has also become a mecca for bluegrass fans, who make their annual pilgrimage for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The town hosts other music events, like the Telluride Jazz Festival and Brews and Blues. But this August, a new…
On Colorado Gives Day, consumers are encouraged to log off Amazon.com and support their favorite local non-profit through an online donation. Landing right before the holidays, the fundraising day is organized to end off the financial year on a high note. Here in Denver, there are almost a dozen major…
Mad Genius Radio, which launched around Halloween this year, is Denver-based a service that allows subscribers to create their own radio stations. What separates it from a service like Pandora is that, it allows users to rate a song or an artist on a scale from to 5, rather…
