Red Bull

​Back in June, you might remember us mentioning how Boonie Mayfield's studio had been burglarized and how he had lost most of his equipment. When we caught up with the seemingly always upbeat producer, one of our favorites, to discuss the robbery, he was, well, dependably upbeat. Heartened by the support of folks who rallied behind him, Boonie said he was trying to replace the things that were lost while continuing to move forward.

​Okay, the level of attention Tennis has attracted is officially absurd at this point, especially considering the short amount of time the act's been together and the ridiculously low number of shows that it has played thus far. Don't know if you caught this, but in advance of its pair of shows in NYC last week, Tennis snagged a nice little write-up on the New York Times blog.

Brian Landis Folkins

John Mayer whooping it up last night.

​There's something about the act of playing guitar that makes white people -- as famously portrayed in this Chapelle Show sketch -- act a fool. In that spirit, we present to you many, many faces of John Mayer during his concert last night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. All photos by Brian Landis Folkins. (See a full John Mayer at Red Rocks slideshow.)

Brian Landis Folkins

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You ever been around somebody who's had a near-death experience? Notice how they're just a little more gracious than the rest of us, and perhaps a little more sincere? Or how they don't take life's fleeting moments -- you know, the ones we find tedious and mundane -- for granted? Coming face to face with your own demise does something to you. Last night, John Mayer had the distinct air of someone who's come back from the brink.

Well, it's official. Guns 'n' Rose frontman Axl Rose is less of a man than Justin Bieber, and we have the video evidence to prove it. As you'll see in the video above (skip to 1:20 or so if you want to avoid the histrionic intro to "Welcome to the Jungle"), Rose basically throws a fit and threatens to walk off stage after being splashed with some water from a thrown bottle (the crowd were apparently a little pissed that he'd kept them waiting for over and hour with an unspecified delay -- read about the whole incident here). Then, a few songs later, he makes good on the threat and leaves and has to be cajoled back out on stage to play a few more songs. Poor baby! Now, we know no one likes getting pelted by projectiles on stage, but compare Rose's reaction to the reaction of little Bieber...

​Alright, so we were perfectly content with the minimalism of the video that introduced us to this undeniably charming and defiantly profane track from Cee-Lo Green. Got the point across rather eloquently and succinctly, we thought. And well, if it ain't broke, don't, uh ... how to put this? ... oh yeah! Don't fuck with it. Suffice to say, our expectations were admittedly low for the proper video that was slated to follow. Turns out, Mr. Green exceeded our expectations, as only he can. We still dig the old one (after the jump), though. What do you think? Have a look.

​Turner Jackson is still a youngster in the game. Just shy of 22 years old, he doesn't consider himself a "rapper." You'd be hard pressed to find him spouting capricious odes of gratitude to the heart of hip-hop -- he's still a novice when it comes to the foundations of hip-hop learning. Regardless, Jackson can freestyle your face off, which has earned the respect of some of Colorado's finest producers. We recently caught up with Jackson in his rarest form.

​Have to admit -- didn't really see this coming. The Rouge is moving to Nashville. Shouldn't be that surprising, though. From what we've hear, Nashville just happens to be the place where many of the band's recent songwriting collaborators hang their hat. Although the outfit promises to return to the Mile High City as often as possible, the official farewell show has been booked at the hi-dive on Saturday, October 30, with Churchill and the Epilogues. Fare thee well, gentlemen.

Lindsay Peck

Safe Boating Is No Accident celebrates the release of its new album, Isn't It Fun?, this Friday, September 3, at the hi-dive.

​Safe Boating is No Accident is the musical/performance art project of Leighton Peterson and Neil McCormick, who both came to Colorado within the last several years. Forming Safe Boating about two years ago, Peterson and McCormick found a way to combine their love of old timey music with a modern sense of humor and a decidedly contemporary knack for creative performance pranks.

The music of Safe Boating Is No Accident -- named after one of the films of a fictitious movie director from David Foster Wallace's 1996 novel, Infinite Jest -- mixes the comedic with the deadly serious, all while adding a literary flourish, as it addresses the pecadilloes of being twenty-something caught between the putative wisdom of adulthood and the follies of youth. The songwriting is sophisticated with lyrics that are at once earthy and possessed of a Zen-like transcendence.

We had a chance to speak with Peterson and McCormick about the new album, Isn't It Fun?, their recent Denver Does Denver performances and their penchant for dark humor and absurdity.

Esther White

Update: Tickets are gone! We've picked and notified four winners, who will each be receiving a pair of tickets for the show this Friday. Thanks for the all the entries and even more, for reading Backbeat! Keep your eyes peeled for more giveaways.