Jon Solomon

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & NIGHT SWEATS @ BOULDER THEATER | 5/17
At this stage of his career, particularly in Denver, Nathaniel Rateliff is a man who requires absolutely no preamble. Nonetheless, the limited-edition two-song seven-inch he produced for Record Store Day feels like a fresh and glorious reintroduction to a songwriter. Although Rateliff has one of the most silken voices around, on these vintage-flavored, horn-bolstered soul songs, he sings with a fervent abandon that adds an unexpected but completely gratifying layer of depth and expressiveness. Catch Rateliff tonight when he warms up for the glorious James Hunter Six.

See also:
- Nathaniel Rateliff reinvents himself with the Night Sweats
- Dragonette's Martina Sorbara on writing songs about cheating
- Tech N9NE on being a major artist that's fiercely independent

PRINCE @ OGDEN THEATRE | MON, 5/13/13
Prince became a household name after the release of his third album, 1982's 1999. Over the years, his perfectly realized blend of rock, pop, funk and jazz has proved equally popular with audiences and critics. Throughout the '80s, Prince released hit records that broke genre barriers, not just in terms of radio programming, but within the music itself. His versatility and breadth of musical vision have influenced a broad spectrum of popular music ever since. Recently, Prince assembled a band called 3rd Eye Girl for his tour, which has him playing intimate shows in venues that are notably smaller than those in which he would typically perform.

See also:
- Donna Grantis of 3rd Eye Girl on what it's like to play with Prince
- R.I.P., Joe Cahill: Memorial, Monday at the Fox
- Review + photos: Imagine Dragons at Fillmore, 3/23/13

PRINCE @ OGDEN THEATRE | SUN & MON, 5/12-5/13
Prince became a household name after the release of his third album, 1982's 1999. Over the years, his perfectly realized blend of rock, pop, funk and jazz has proved equally popular with audiences and critics. Throughout the '80s, Prince released hit records that broke genre barriers, not just in terms of radio programming, but within the music itself. His versatility and breadth of musical vision have influenced a broad spectrum of popular music ever since. Prince is playing four-shows at the Ogden this weekend with his new band 3rd Eye Girl.

See also:
- The best EDM in Denver this weekend
- 3rd Eye Girl's Donna Grantis on what it's like to play with Prince
- Zac Brown Band's Jimmy de Martini on going from an airport shuttle to eight buses

SHABAZZ PALACES @ LARIMER LOUNGE | MON, 5/6/13
In the first half of the '90s, Ishmael Butler went by the moniker "Butterfly" as part of the rap trio Digable Planets. After the outfit's 1995 split, the group performed one-off shows here and there, but since 2009, Butler has released music with Tendai Maraire under the name Shabazz Palaces. Instead of completely ditching the jazz proclivities of the Planets, Butler and Maraire have combined that style with a broad sonic palette that includes samples, traditional African rhythms, dub and electronic melodies and textures. It doesn't hurt that Maraire is the son of Dumisani Maraire, best known for bringing the music of Zimbabwe to North America. In fusing exotic sounds and inventive collage composition, Shabazz Palaces has created an electro-organic dance music steeped in an alchemy of the traditional and the postmodern.

See also:
- Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces on staying current, Quincy Jones and Miles Davis
- Zac Brown Band's Jimmy de Martini on going from an airport shuttle to eight tour buses
- Alex Edkins of Metz on making music that seems like it's about to fall apart

FLOBOTS @ AGGIE THEATRE | FRI, 5/3/13
Half a decade after releasing the platinum single "Handlebars," which made rounds on radios across the country, the Flobots have grown significantly, both as a musical group and as a philanthropic force within the Denver community. Since parting ways with Universal Records after the lukewarm reception of the Flobots' second major release, Survival Story, the group has released Circle In the Square, a fresh start from a familiar position -- as underdogs -- a position that they're probably more comfortable with anyway. (Flobots are also slated to appear at the Black Sheep on Saturday, May 4.)

See also:
- Flobots, The Circle in the Square: Jonny 5's track-by-track breakdown
- The ten greatest Southern rappers of all time
- Tech N9NE on having a loyal fan base while remaining fiercely independent

HANEYSTOCK @ GOTHIC THEATRE | FRI, 5/3/13
Although the lineup for this show would otherwise be considered pretty great, with Havok, Speedwolf, the Limbs and Lola Black, the reason everybody will be heading down to the Gothic Theatre tonight is to celebrate the life of Chris Haney, a dearly departed friend to so many. The Gothic will be brimming with those who loved this devout metal head who had a heart of gold. There's cover, but donations are being accepted and will go directly to benefit Haney's beloved daughter Lydia.

See also:
- R.I.P., Chris Haney
- Horns for Haney: A photo tribute to Chris Haney
- Chris Haney, Gothic Theatre staffer, dies in Denny's shooting

Daniel Zetterstrom

VIBESQUAD @ THE UNIFIED FIELD/CERVANTES' | FRI, 5/3/13
Playing under the VibeSquaD moniker, Aaron Holstein creates music that straddles several genres, blurring the lines between breakbeats and bass without straying far from his hip-hop roots. Live, a VibeSquaD show can quickly go from Holstein setting the groove with a nice house tempo to an insane, raging, full-blown dance party. Catch him with Orchard Lounge and more at Cervantes' Unified Field on Friday night. (8 p.m., 16+, $25) -- Britt Chester

See also:
- Aaron Holstein of VibeSquaD on balancing home life with being a touring DJ
- A chat with Finnish dance-music producer Ville Virtanen, aka Darude
- Why EDM is thriving while other genres aren't

SERIS @ HERMAN'S HIDEAWAY | SAT, 5/4/13
Seris plays technical metal without trying to splice in another genre of music willy nilly. Melati Olivia is the kind of singer that isn't just strong but versatile. The rhythm section of Robert Jepsen and Cody Goodman pound out rhythms in precise sequence, adding in accents and flows with the melody while also driving the music. Scott Beckman's guitar work has that crunchy, start and stop pounding but on the edges he is able to transition to tripped out atmospherics worthy of early Pink Floyd or Voivod. The band's latest album, Rises, explores classic prog metal with a rare fluidity and grace.

See also:
- Atsuo of Boris on the band's numerous collaborations over the years
- Photos: Opeth at the Ogden Theatre, 10/25/11
- Lamb of God's John Campbell on how his brother Jeff from 3 Kings Tavern defiled his Star Wars slippers

KVELERTAK @ LARIMER LOUNGE | 4/30/13
With a name that translates roughly to "stranglehold" in Norwegian, this sextet has spent the last six years cultivating a sound that feels like a mixture of black metal and the Stooges, Cave In and Converge. Fittingly, the frontman of that last act, Kurt Ballou, produced Kvelertak's latest album, 2013's Meier, which bears artwork from a like-minded musician, Baroness's John Baizley. With an oddly and refreshingly balanced combination of rawness, melody and heaviness -- not to mention aggression and psychedelia -- Kvelertak also manages to invoke an American Southern-rock vibe without beating that retro aesthetic into the ground. With songs propelled by a momentum that's broken only by moments of lingering atmospherics, like the eye of a storm, this outfit sways as much as it rocks.

See also:
- The fifty best concerts of spring
- Darude on replicating the success of "Sandstorm"
- Bill Frisell on studying with Dale Bruning

SPEAKEASY TIGER @ MARQUIS THEATER | SAT, 4/27/13
Half a decade ago, Speakeasy Tiger seemed to be in the right place at the right time, with a kind of electro-rock that was equal parts Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Gossip, only gone in a more pop direction. The group got its start as an expansion of original singer Kyle Simmons's folky solo project, Girl Named Kyle, and with Simmons at the helm, Speakeasy Tiger put out The Sore Throat EP in 2008, followed by The Public in 2009 and an odd single or so.

See also:
- Men in Burka defies convention with purpose and promise
- The Root 40 Music Fest takes over East Colfax
- Disco Biscuits' Aron Magner on making every Bisco show special