Denver Music Blog

David Barber

John Baxter and Matty Clark in the flesh

See more photos at westword.com/slidehow.

The picture above pretty much tells the tale of last night's Westword Music Showcase Awards -- drunk and debaucherous. Everyone (well, we think everyone -- we didn't exactly take a formal poll or anything) had a pretty swell time. Hugs were smiles were plentiful, as was the booze that flowed freely before the ceremony kicked off. There were a few miscues, but all in all everything went off without a hitch. Special thanks to all the folks who graciously presented awards on behalf of Westword (Cory Casciato, Tom Murphy, Mark Bliesener, Dutch Seyfarth, Chris K., Jake Schroeder, Laura McGaughey, Jon Solomon, Quibian Salazar-Moreno, Josh Mullen, Ben Davis, Mike Bartsch, Rev. Jim Norris, Jon Solomon, John Baxter, Chris Callaway, Rhett Lee, Jim McTurnan, David Barber, Dan Rutherford, Alf, Lynne Ryan and Adam Lancaster). See the list of winners as voted on by the readers after the jump. Feel free to offer congratulations or commence to grumbling. Have at it.

After a wildly successful Westword Music Showcase this year, we've tallied the votes, ordered the statues and put the bubbly is on ice. A week from today at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 13, we'll be announcing the winners in the individual categories at the Gothic Theatre. Whether you're a nominee or a fan, hope you can make it out to help us celebrate the best music scene in the country!

Obviously there are tons of photos of the Showcase on our slideshow page, if, like us, you're having trouble letting go. But we'd be remiss to not share with you the one above, which was shared with us by Gabe Rovick of Focus4Design. Click to enlarge the photo.

If that's a cow town right there, it's one damn fine cow town.

Rock n' Roll Arby's in calmer times.

See more Showcase photos at westword.com/slideshow.

Arby's, 6:30 p.m.
The most insane, out-of-control venue at the Westword Music Showcase? No, it wasn't Broadway's with the metal bands or The Garage for the punkers. It was at the fucking Arby's. Never before have I witnessed a fast food restaurant in a state of greater chaos. It was around the time in the early evening when people who had been drinking all day in the sun suddenly realized they desperately needed food in those sloshing, sour barrels they called stomachs. The parking lot at 11th Avenue and Broadway looked like a scene out of a zombie movie, with groups of people staggering aimlessly in half-aware hunger. Some dude was passed out in front of the door. And not like, I'm-feeling-woozy-so-I'm-gonna-lie-down kind of passed out. I'm talking sprawled face flat on the sidewalk with his arms and legs splayed out like a freshly dressed chicken carcass. People had to step over him to get inside. Others stood by and took pics of the casualty with their phones. Beyond the door, the scene was like a one of those frenzied Red Cross feedings in Third World refugee camps. The mass of customers crowded the counter with no semblance of a line. The female Arby's employees were literally shrieking at people to shut-the-fuck up and listen to them: "EVERYBODY GET BACK! GET BAAAACK!!" The toilets were completely clogged and overflowing, yet people kept using the restroom. Some were openly drinking tall boys and fifths of hard liqour in the booths.

Verdict: I was too scared to stay there more than five minutes. But witnessing people who obviously never eat at Arby's furiously cram limp roast beef sandwiches into their mouths like they were wrapped by Jesus himself makes me understand the true power of rock-and-roll. Thank you for supporting local music, Arby's! Sorry about the toilets.

Aaron Thackeray

See more photos from Curious Theatre at westword.com/slideshow.

Elin Palmer, 12 p.m.

Eric Syl Grunesien

Buckner Funken Jazz brought the funk -- and the jazz -- at Dazzle.

See more photos from Dazzle at westword.com/slideshow.

The Culhanes, 12:00 p.m.
The Culhanes may be most straight-ahead country I've ever seen live. This is no ironic alt-country posturing; this Longmont-based act could be Merle Haggard's backing band, with the guitarist nailing it on the twangy leads, and the pedal-steel player playing it just as mournful as old Hank ever did. The vocals, on the other hand, were disappointing. Now, to be fair, the Culhanes were first up at Dazzle, and thus served as sound guinea pigs. And there were some tragic sound issues -- when you actually have to stop and soundcheck twenty minutes into your set, that can really throw you off. All the same, when the vocals finally did become audible, they still sounded like the kid from Talladega Nights doing Emmylou Harris tunes.

Verdict: I really liked this band, and they definitely didn't get a fair shake on sound. But they really do need a new vocalist.

Brian Landis Folkins

Ideal Fathers opened the day at Sutra.

See more photos from Sutra at westword.com/slideshow.

Ideal Fathers, 12 p.m.
Ideal Fathers kicked off the Sutra stage with a high-charged set of post-punk that included some keyed up takes on songs from its new brand new EP, A Complete Waste of Time Travel. Frenetic frontman Jesse Hunsaker screamed and wailed over drummer Mike Perfetti's hi-hat fueled beats and guitarist Adam Rojo's trebly and biting riffs; it was like Fuguzi's Ian MacKaye fronting Gang of Four.

Verdict: Definitely not a waste of time, uh, travel.
 

Aaron Thackeray

Red Stinger ignited the party at the Bannock Street Garage.

See more photos from the Bannock Street Garage at westword.com/slideshow.

Red Stinger, 12 p.m.
One of the defining characteristics of punk is guys who love the people in the room exactly as much or more than they hate the System. No one who played Saturday at the garage embodied this more than Red Stinger. There was no getting in if you were underage, except if you were in the band. So Red Stinger gave a real devotee who wasn't 21 yet a mic and had him join them onstage. He smiled through the whole set, clutching nervously at his t-shirt. That's rock and roll, people.

Frontman Timmy and company left it all on the stage. Timmy became a father some twelve hours before the start of the show, but he was up there anyway, nearly toppling over as he screamed nasty words (see: a delightful little number called "Jizz Mustache"). Red Stinger lurched around the stage for forty-five minutes, setting the tone for a stage that would not relent at any point over the next seven hours. Seriously, these guys made Built To Spill look like they were in a coma.

Verdict: It's never easy to play a noon set for a quiet crowd, and Red Stinger deserves credit for playing like it was midnight in a packed house. And while they're not exactly exploring a new frontier, there are some pretty melodies hidden under all that aggression.

Aaron Thackeray

Havok led things off at Broadways.

See more photos from Broadways at westword.com/slideshow.

Havok, 12 p.m.
This four-piece band sounded like classic Bay Area thrash, stuff reminiscent of Testament and Exodus with a splash of Anthrax. The guitar work owed a clear debt to a death metal influence, and the vocalist's wail and singing was akin to that of Tom Araya circa Show No Mercy and Reign In Blood. Over halfway through the set, Havok performed a fairly faithful cover of "Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden -- after asking if anyone liked Iron Maiden and getting two responses. These guys didn't miss a beat, and while it's not often the style of music I enjoy anymore, when a band is this energetic, enthusiastic and showing high spirits (despite playing early in the day for a rock show), you can't help but like them.

Verdict: Havok makes thrash seem relevant again, and that's not so easy to do.

Brian Landis Folkins

Fresh Breath Committee kicked things off at Vinyl.

See more photos from Vinyl at westword.com/slideshow.

Fresh Breath Committee, 12:00 p.m.
The day started off nice and sunny and Club Vinyl's rooftop, but I was a bit late in catching the set from the Fresh Breath Committee. The collective was rocking a decent-sized crowd and ended their set on their song "Soul Music," with Flawless displaying his versatility by blowing on the saxophone. The entire crew -- Flawless, Fo-Chief, Kontrast, Catch Lungs, Purpose, Hi-Res, DJ Skip Ripkin, and Crystal -- I was told, gave a solid and passionate performance throughout. But most people were talking about Crystal's voice, and how that added soul to a group that follows the more traditional underground hip-hop sound.

Verdict: Missed most of the set, but from what I can tell, the group gave a solid performance that the crowd seemed to enjoy.