See DJ Logic and the Space Lab crew for free this weekend at Civic Center.

Feel like partying in the park this holiday weekend? Here's your soundtrack, courtesy of Jay Bianchi's Summer of Serendipity series. The two days of free music this weekend at Civic Center Park features The Space Lab: Kraftwerk ReAmped, a supergroup of sorts comprising Jesse Miller from Lotus, Steve Molitz from Particle & Phil Lesh and Friends, Allen Aucoin of the Disco Biscuits, Scott Metzger of Gene Ween Band and DJ Logic. As the name implies, the outfit breathes new life into the music of Kraftwerk with live instrumentation and improvisation.

See also:
- Review: Disco Biscuits at the Ogden Theatre, 1/25/13
- Review: Lotus at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 9/8/12
- Particle is constantly pushing the envelope in its quest for reinvention

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Catch Colonel Bruce Hampton and others at the Rocky Mountain Power Jam.

Assuming you still have some gas left in the tank after seeing Widespread Panic at the Rocks, Cervantes' is hosting the Rocky Mountain Power Jam. The post-show hootenanny features an all-star cast of players, including Colonel Bruce Hampton of Aquarium Rescue Unit, George Porter Jr. of the Meters, Eric McFadden of Stockholm Syndrome, Joey Porter of Juno What, Terrence Houston of Toubab Krewe, Eric Martinez of Bloodkin, Tori Pater of Dyrty Byrds and P-Nut Daniels and a whole mess of guests. Tickets ($20-25) are on sale now. Need a ride back and forth? Keep reading.

See also:
- Widespread Panic at Red Rocks June 27-30
- Review: Widespread Panic at the Fillmore Auditorium, 2/10/2012
- Slideshow: Widespread Panic at the Fillmore, 2/10/12

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Chuck Lettes, man of steel.

When you hear steel guitar in a song, it's usually used as supplemental instrumentation, adding texture to the tunes. You generally don't expect to see the men and women of steel in the forefront, and yet that's the entire impetus for the Denver Steel Guitar Show, the second annual edition of an event dedicated entirely to steel guitar players.

"There's a real resurgence in the steel guitar," says show organizer Chuck Lettes, who's played pedal steel for the past forty years. "It's not just the Nashville sound anymore. A lot of people are using it to create kind of an ambient soundtrack for some different textures and colors. So we think this is a great way to get the word out that the steel guitar is alive and well and featured in Colorado."

See also:
- Denver Steel Guitar Show at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret, 6/30/13
- Casey James Prestwood brings classic country back to life
- Best of Denver 2000: Best Pedal-Steel Guitar Player - "Uncle" Dick Meis

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This Saturday night at Beauty Bar, Shannon Kelly and James Yardley are celebrating the first anniversary of Night Drive, the night founded by the masterminds of Neon Knights and Double//Shadow. To mark the occasion, the pair are hosting a special edition of the party featuring Troubleman Unlimited and Italians Do It Better founder Mike Simonetti, who'll be making his first-ever appearance in Denver. Tickets for the gig are six bucks.

See also:
- Voice Places: Beauty Bar, 608 E. 13th Avenue
- Neon Knights celebrates new mural with dance party
- Double//Shadow appeals to the weeping romantic in you

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Brandon Marshall

This Saturday is poised to be the most celebrated day in our state's history, what with it being the first 4/20 since Amendment 64 was passed and all. Some of music's most heralded indulgers are being shipped in just to help the local stoners celebrate in style, from Slightly Stoopid and Cypress Hill at Red Rocks to Method and Red chillin' at Cervantes'. Whether you partake or not, we have a full list of shows, 4/20-related and not. Keep reading to see what all your options are this weekend. (Oh, and if we missed anything, please feel free to let us know.)

See also:
- Raekwon's thoughts on storytelling in hip-hop
- Slightly Stoopid's Miles Doughty on playing at Red Rocks on 4/20 and couch-lock ganja
- A 4/20 playlist from marijuana critic William Breathes that's perfect for an irie 420

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Chris Morgan

This Thursday, April 11, at the Funky Buddha, Turner Jackson is set to kick off a new monthly hip-hop open mike night called the Pit with DJ Dozen. The Pit, which is open to any and every rap artist who want a chance to rock the mic, will give ten performers the chance to showcase their skills in six-minute increments, along with guest performances by more established artists.

See also:
- The ten best concerts in Denver this week
- The ten greatest Midwest rappers of all time
- Turner Jackson talks Star Destroyer and self-destruction

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Have your Friday nights become completely rote? Are you bored out of your skull and tired to the point of tedium from doing the same thing week in and week out? Then here's the cure for what ails you -- a full night of unique entertainment you're genuinely just not going to find anywhere else.

See also:
- Denver's ten best karaoke bars
- Armida's remodels, opens second floor to make room for more singers
- Meet Dave Staff, Denver's 70-year-old karaoke king

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Kenneth Hamblin III

The Solution Crew: DJ Lazy Eyez (from left), DJ Sounds Supreme and DJ Low Key.

With two events down, including the offical relaunch of the Solution weekly at the Meadowlark a few weeks back and last weekend's Denver Dre Day, #TheSolution6, a celebration marking the sixth anniversary of the Solution's founding at Milk Bar, is well under way. Tonight at Beauty Bar, the Solution crew hosts its second annual Beat Battle with Exile and Johaz of Dag Savage, as well as BK Beats, who took home the crown last year, plus beatmaker extraordinaire Boonie Mayfield (aka Solomon Vaughn) and Fast Foward.

See also:
- Photos: The Solution at the Meadowlark slideshow, 2/10/13
- The Solution relaunches as a weekly at the Meadowlark
- Best of Denver 2010: The Solution, Best Club Night

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For a limited time, you can buy a limited edition commemorative poster for just $15.

Update: Congratulations to denver.danrutherford and trenken0103! Each of you has won two tickets to Artopia. Check your email for details on how to claim them.

Original post: It's here. Artopia 2013. Brace yourself. It's going to be a blast and a half. As always, the lineup is crazy stacked with some of the city's best creative types: Wheelchair Sports Camp, Hearts In Space, Kitty Crimes and In the Whale, among others, are slated to perform alongside a serious batch of artists, poets, dancers, videographers and comedians. Keep reading to see highlights from last year, to see the schedule for what's on tap this year (note earlier set times at Bar Standard), and then leave us a comment below for a chance to win tickets. We'll be picking winners at random around 2 p.m., so be sure to check back to see if you've won.

See also:
- Artopia 2013 microsite (event info and ticketing)
- Photos: Artopia 2012
- Noah Van Sciver at Artopia 2012

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What are you doing this Saturday night? Cancel it. Now. No, really. Take my word for it: Whatever you've got planned, I can guarantee it's gonna be lame as shit compared to this -- well, unless you're all set to be launched into space or something. That would probably be a little bit cooler. But outside of that, this is it, man, a fucking death-metal flea market and swap meet! Ever been? Neither have I, but it sounds rad, doesn't it? I mean, a death-metal flea market and swap meet! I don't know, maybe it's just the edgier cousin to the punk-rock flea market, but it certainly sounds brutal. And why wouldn't it? Everything goes better with death metal.

See also:
- Voice Places: Rhinoceropolis, 3553 Brighton Boulevard
- Cephalic Carnage: Meet the masters of heady metal
- The 25 most badass local metal album covers

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