Denver Music Blog

We would hate for you to miss out on all the awesome that happens every weekend in our fair city, so we've decided to run down three of the best shows in one easy-to-swallow post. Tell us -- and the rest of the world -- what we missed in the comments.

1. The Last Waltz revisited

The Boulder Theater
Friday, November 20 • Doors open at 8:30 p.m., $18
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 • Doors: 8 p.m., $18-$20

Why you should go: While our town is blessed with an unbelievable amount of original music, the show we're most looking forward to this weekend features more than two dozen musicians playing somebody else's music. This annual show has become a Thanksgiving week tradition and without fail it usually turns out to be among the most memorable of the year. Each year since 2005, the chameleon-like Polytoxic, led by Tori Pater, gathers all of its friends and deftly recreates The Last Waltz, the Band's 1976 swan song, which took place on Thanksgiving day that same year at the Winterland Ballroom and was immortalized by Martin Scorsese, in its entirety. The three-hour show is magical whether your a fan of the Band or just want to see some local minstrels losing themselves and having the time of their lives.

Listen:
Polytoxic

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Some quick news bites from the local scene...

Oh my!: Recognize these striking dames? Yeah, us neither. That boa helmet and weird, red, veil, feathery thing kind of obscures any chance we have any sort of face recognition. This pic was snapped a few nights ago at mtvU's Woodie Awards, which we somehow managed to miss. Luckily, the fine folks over at network went ahead and solved the mystery for us. Evidently dudes looking like ladies here are none other than the insatiable hooligans from the People's Republic, Sean Foreman and Nat Motte from 3OH!3, all dolled up to resemble Lady Gaga. Bet the ladies went gaga over that one. Yerp. Uh, sorry. Think we just threw up a little in our mouth.

​Perhaps taking a cue from his pal Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, who's written and produced songs for an array of top shelf pop acts, including Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce and Leona Lewis, Fray guitarist Joe King is steadily making a name for himself as a burgeoning songwriter in his own right. On the just released self-titled debut of Kris Allen, the winner of last season's American Idol, King co-wrote a track called "Alright with Me," which one critic has already pinpointed as the album's standout cut -- or "the liveliest song," as he puts it, on a record filled with otherwise "mostly flavorless pop rock." Not a huge fan of that particular track, but we can appreciate the sentiment.

Shush man/Take the hit/Do the Barney Frank and talk with your spit...

While we're not privy to the political leanings of the 3OH!3 guys and although their tongues are generally so deep in their cheeks that it's left a permanent protrusion, we're pretty sure that this parody version of their ubiquitous hit single "Don't Trust Me" will offend Sean Foreman and Nat Motte's oh so delicate sensibilities. Lord knows, it did ours. Decidedly worse than "C-Section Scars," the woefully lame parody of "Handlebars," this little gem pivots on the phrase "Don't trust B.O." -- as in Barack Obama, our esteemable Commander in Chief. Not that we're opposed to political satire, by any means, it's just that the song is done so poorly that... wait, I think we just threw up in our mouth a little. Take a listen. We dare you -- and see if you don't have the exact same response, regardless of your partisanship or lack thereof. As bad as it is, though, it's a sight better than the instrumental version of the song that's floating around, which appears to form the basis for the wicked bad parody above. Read the full lyrics and listen to the awful karaoke instrumental after the jump.

​The latest remix/mash-up from Animals at Risk -- the remix crew made up of Matt Fecher/DJ Hot to Death with Yonnas from the Pirate Signal -- is alive. The new track, "Intergalactic Fathers," takes the Beastie Boys classic "Intergalactic," chops up lots of little bits from Ideal Fathers "The Tendrils of Unreason" and makes something new(ish) out of the resulting mix. It's a decent track, but having never been a fan of that particular Beasties' cut, I can't help but wish they'd have chosen something else to fuse with the Fathers -- you'll probably get more out of it if you're one of the majority that seem tot adore that particular tune. You can preview the new track on the Animals at Risk MySpace, or just take advantage of the fact the track has found its way out into the wild and download it.

Not that there's any shortage of things going on here in Denver this weekend, but if none of those appeal to you and you don't mind a little road trip, or you're one of our friends in Colorado Springs reading this, this weekend offers a chance to check out something special. CacheFlowe is performing one of his new AV sets, billed as CacheFlowe vs. Haxademic, at Bassphrodesiac, a dance music event at the Phil Long Expo Events Center.

In case you weren't aware, Haxademic is his custom VJ software that dynamically generates some pretty twisted and engrossing video in real-time. You can see an example in the video above, which was filmed at the act's live debut a few weeks ago. And if you do go down, you'll also get to catch the vintage UK dance act Utah Saints (remember that Kate Bush sampling track from the '90s?) and Ms. Vicious, who are headlining the two stages, plus a selection of excellent Denver DJs such as Ishe, Surehsot, Fury and Crowdrock. Get more info and see a flier here.

Vote for me!

Denver's music fans are blessed with an absurd amount of local talent, and we have an opportunity right now to show our appreciation by making a huge difference in the life of one of our best local musicians. All you have to do is click that Vote for me! link beneath the video above.

Kate Grigsby, one of the two beguiling vocal talents in The Hollyfelds, has a hereditary condition that causes her teeth to discolor, crack and ultimately fall out. She's too busy making awesome music and teaching little kids how to do the same to have a big fancy job that might cover a massive dental overhaul, but 1-800-DENTIST is giving away a $30,000 Smile Makeover to whoever can accumulate the most votes by December 1.

​It was just a couple of days ago we were opining about how the future of Pretty Lights was looking brighter and brighter. Now, as if to add credence to our keen observations, Billboard.biz (the online version of Billboard) has gone and featured the outfit as part of an article on new, aggressive digital pricing schemes and the bands and labels who are making them work. Since Pretty Lights is giving it away, the Billboard folks looked at how that was working out for the Lights. And just as we noted, they came to the conclusion that it was working just fine, fueling attendance at Pretty Lights shows across the country.

Randy Reed of Red Light Management says the band's current tour - only its second full trip around the country -- is being fueled by the free giveaway. "Almost every single date is selling out," he told Billboard. "I attribute that biggest part of that to the word of mouth that's spreading." Through Thursday, the new album - not yet commercially available - has been downloaded about 63,000 times since it came out October 6th.

Of course, it helps if the free music is backed up by a good live show. "He's delivering the whole package," says Reed. "He has great music and a great live show."

63,000 downloads is an impressive number, and we couldn't agree more about Pretty Lights -- it is indeed the whole package. Nice work, and congrats on the exposure.

Photo by Sarah Myers

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We would hate for you to miss out on all the awesome that happens every weekend in our fair city, so we've decided to run down three of the best shows in one easy-to-swallow post, with video and audio. Tell us -- and the rest of the world -- what we missed in the comments.

Is it us, or does it seem like some Denver street musicians are more talented and creative than buskers in other cities? Seriously. Now, don't get it twisted: They're not all worth writing home about. God knows we've been treated to our fair share of woeful mediocrity over the years, a seemingly endless parade of guy-with-a-guitar singing songs he has no business singing in a key that doesn't even exist. But every now and then we've witnessed flashes of unexplained brilliance. There's a pair of gents, for instance, that we occasionally run into, usually in front of the Marquis Theater, that croon Motown songs on demand that sound damn near as compelling as the originals. And then there's this guy. We came across this clip a while back and have watched it repeatedly. For some reason, we just couldn't help but be riveted by watching this random guy on the 16th Street Mall banging on a bunch of wrenches, using only the handles of a pair of screwdrivers, and making what sounds conspicuously like, well, music.

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Whether they admit it or not, all artists crave notoriety. With that in mind, file this item under: Be careful what you ask for. As true as the maxim can be about there being no such thing as bad publicity, a local rapper is gaining the type of notice that he'd no doubt just as soon avoid. This morning, Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson sent out an alert asking for help in identifying an MC named Gorilla, who was allegedly involved in an armed robbery. According to Jackson, "Two armed gunmen kicked the front door of the victim's home and ordered the family to get down. One of the victims recognized one of the gunmen to be a local rapper 'Gorilla' that he had previously met."

Back in April, we told you about Kill Paradise inking a deal with BreakSilence Recordings, the same imprint that brought you Albuquerque's BrokeNCYDE and Tempe's Eyes Set to Kill. More than half a year later, the outfit has finished its new album, The Second Effect, which will be available exclusively tomorrow at Hot Topic. If the words BrokenCYDE or Hot Topic cause you to just absolutely seethe, or if you're just not particularly found of fey, keyboard driven electro made by dudes with faux hawks, you'd probably do well to go ahead and steer clear of these guys. If, however, that sort of thing makes your heart go pitter patter, welcome to paradise.

​To see the following that Pretty Lights has established at this point is a bit staggering, isn't it? Last month, Derek Vincent Smith -- who makes music under the name Pretty Lights -- sold out three back-to-back dates in Denver, Boulder and in his hometown of Fort Collins at the Ogden, Fox and Aggie, respectively. And that's solely been on word of mouth. Not sure if you noticed, but there hasn't been some super extensive marketing campaign associated with Pretty Lights. It's all been on a grassroots, each-one-teach one basis. And it's not just here at home that dude is getting massive. Check out this footage from a Pretty Lights show in Knoxville a few weeks ago that we just came across on iClips (you can preview the set or purchase it for $5). From the looks of it, Smith and company packed a place the size of the Fillmore. Unreal and totally deserved. If you haven't already, download the new Pretty Lights album, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, as well as the rest of the catalog. It's free, so the price is most certainly right.

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Looks like the Rouge's red letter day is continuing. From kicking off the summer performing at Red Rocks to making its way up to headlining status, the band is now enjoying a healthy buzz generated by the inherent sex appeal of its shirtless, leather vested frontman its passionate live shows and Heat and Light, the outfit's excellent new record, issued this past spring on Morning After Records. And the buzz, it seems, is beginning to pay off: Tonight the act is playing a show at the Marquis (with the Still City, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake and Churchill) for some unnamed label honchos, who are reportedly parachuting in just give the outfit another looksee. And if that weren't enough, the Rouge holds the distinction of being one of the acts chosen to create a song for Timbaland's Beaterator, a new PSP game created by Rockstar Games that allows players to craft their own music from a bank of loops and pre-recorded music. The band submitted a remixed version of its song "Six Shooter." Check it out after the jump, along with a trailer for the game.

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We would hate for you to miss out on all the awesome that happens every weekend in our fair city, so we've decided to run down three of the best shows in one easy-to-swallow post, with video and audio. Tell us -- and the rest of the world -- what we missed in the comments.

Eric Gruneisen

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It seemed like there was a special significance to Ween's show at Red Rocks in September. In addition to the fact that the show marked one of the final spots on the band's fall tour, we noticed a number of cameras during the performance and mused that the show could wind up being released as a DVD or a supplement to an upcoming album. Turns out we weren't far off. The Ween crew have announced on their website that the Red Rocks show is available for download on iClips for about seven bucks. A couple of songs have been omitted due to "technical reasons," but getting more than two hours of live footage for seven dollars ain't bad. Judging from the free sample clips of "Now I'm Freaking Out" and "Did You See Me?," the combined efforts of the Red Rocks camera crew and the iClips folks paid off. The sound and the visual quality are top-notch, and the clips are a gem for any Ween fan who was or wasn't at the show. Indeed, the footage rivals the band's previous DVD release from 2004, Live From Chicago. Don't dawdle too long - the download expires in May.

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Been on Google lately? Notice something different? We noticed it the other day, but didn't think much of it until we came across this item on Billboard.com. Evidently, the search engine provider has broadened its search capabilities to now provide links to songs that are capable of being streamed instantaneously upon demand. According to the Billboard report, the streaming is being handled by MySpace and Lala. Pretty slick if you ask us. For shit's and grins, we just googled Planes Mistaken for Stars, and sure enough, it pulled up four songs and offered up direct links to Rhapsody, Pandora, Imeem and Lala. This technological age we're living in is a trip isn't it? You can hold your phone up to a speaker and it automatically figures out what you're listening to. And now this? Pretty soon, all you're going to have to do is think about a song, and ta-dow! It will instantly appear before you as a hollagram.

Flying the friendly skies with United has given Dave Carroll's burgeoning career an undeniable boost. By now, you've probably familiar with the Caroll or at least his story. Last year after United damaged one of his guitars, he documented his travails in a song called, fittingly, "United Breaks Guitars." Before he posted the video on YouTube, which unsurprisingly went viral almost immediately, most people probably couldn't tell Dave Caroll from Dave Barry. And even now, most still couldn't pick the guy out of a lineup. So while the song was a nice enough ditty, it wasn't the melody line or the delivery that struck a chord. The reason, we presume, that the video got so many hits and generated so much exposure for Caroll was because so many folks could relate to his misfortune. While we've never had any of our gear damaged by the airline -- namely because we fly Southwest whenever possible hoping to board a plane with the rapping flight attendant -- we've heard of plenty of other people who have. One guy we know who had a priceless-to-him sitar damaged springs to mind. So what's your story? Have you had any gear damaged or lost? Feel free to share your misfortune after the jump. And in the meantime, check out the video for Caroll's latest ode "United Breaks Guitar Song 2," inspired by another recent trip in which the carrier inexplicably misplaced his luggage.

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Man, if The Northern Way doesn't break out in a major way within the next year, it's certainly not going to be for a lack of having radio-friendly songs. This morning, the outfit, formerly known as Set Forth, premiered its brand new single, "Starting Line," on MySpace. Matching the undeniable sugary infectiousness of tracks such as "Crazy," which has been in heavy rotation on KTCL for more than a year, the new song should generate even more interest in the band, whose inexplicable knack for crafting perfect pop hooks is beyond impressive. Take a listen to the single after the jump and then pick it up via iTunes on Brother Bear Records, an imprint which has also released music from Young Coyotes and I am the Dot.

​Ever notice just how much more advanced kids are these days? They just seem so much cooler than we were growing up. We were at a barbecue not too long ago, for instance, and heard the wee son of a friend -- seriously, the kid hadn't even hit puberty yet -- raving about the new Bon Iver record. Yeah, Bon Iver. What's that all about? At that age, we were listening to the sort of craptastic, cringe-worthy things that can't even be explained away as guilty pleasures. So what gives? Cooler parents? Greater access? The internet? Uh-huh, that's what we thought, too, at first. But we've since figured it out.

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Ah, it's refreshing to know that as frenzied as life can sometimes be, some things remain ever constant. In defiance of fair weather trends, Denver is still a hotbed for metal, and Dave Otero still has a hand in producing some of the best music coming out of here. For evidence, look no further than the latest effort from Cryogen, Despara, released yesterday on Dark Millennium Records. In what's steadily becoming a welcome trend locally, the outfit is streaming the entire EP on its MySpace page, allowing fans to sample the goods before forking over their hard earned loot to pick up the disc. And we all know that metal fans are among the remaining contingent that still buy albums, right? Good move.

Impeccably recorded at Otero's Flatline Audio studio, Despara, the follow-up to Psalms of Deceit, of which the outfit sold a thousand copies, is an exercise in sheer brooding brutality. If dual leads and otherwise precision guitar work, machine gun rhythms and scathingly guttural vocals put a smile on your face, Cryogen has just what you're looking for and more, particularly on tracks such as "Mirror Entropy," which bolsters the blistering leads with a anamolous, unexpected classical interlude. Give the record a spin and then catch Cryogen with such like minded acts Immortal Dominion and Walk the Dead at the Cork in Fort Collins on Sunday, November 8, and then again at 12 Volt Tavern on Saturday, November 21, with Conspiracy Assassins and Hate By Example.

​It's that time again. Next Thursday night, the Denver Film Festival kicks off. Although the various films are clearly the main draw, by no means are they the only attraction. As in years past, the real excitement takes place after the screenings. For those who are unable to get their hands on an invite to the nightly VIP afterhours parties in LoDo, where the liquor flows freely and the tunes rage until dawn, here's the word on the other shindigs in town next week. On Thursday, November 19, the Gin Blossoms are slated to perform in the The Love Hope Strength Music Lounge at the Hard Rock Cafe. Tickets for that one are $35, with procedes benefiting the Love Hope Strength Foundation. And those who purchase their tickets in advance will get a pass to the closing night screening of The Young Victoria. Elsewhere, at the Walnut Room, Meadowlark and Forest Room 5, there's a number of local acts such as the Swayback, Jim McTurnan and the Kids Who Killed the Man, Rachael Pollard, Mike Marchant and Achille Lauro, among others, who are slated to perform. Membership, of course, has its privileges: Admission to these events, which, incidently, are open to the public, is free for badge holders. Otherwise, it's $3 for ticket holders and $5 for the general public. Follow the jump for a complete rundown.

​Okay, can we all just agree that Jeff Buckley is a god? Mean, seriously, the man was in a whole other league from all of the other artists of his time. And with the exception of perhaps Jimmy Gnecco from Ours, no one has even come close to displaying the kind of talent he possessed. And he made it all seem so effortless. Just watch all the posthumous footage that's been released. Still kicking ourselves that we never caught him at the Bluebird when we had the chance, when he stopped by as part of the Grace tour. Well, it looks like we're not alone in our admiration. Just caught wind of Your Sweet Return, a Jeff Buckley tribute show slated to take place on Wednesday, November 18 at Boulder's b.side Lounge, in which Jeffrey Hyde Thompson and guitarist Kit Slater, bassist Aaron Stone and drummer Ryan Maskewitz will perform Grace in its entirety. Good luck fellas, that's sort of like trying to replicate the paintings on the Sistine Chapel. Then again, we thought the same thing when we first heard about those fellas who planned on performing OK Computer in its entirety a while back, and that turned out pretty well. So who knows?

​A few weeks ago, the longtime Colorado dance music community unnet.net fractured and came apart under the stress of some considerable internal drama. This was a sad thing, but no surprise. Online communities frequently do that after a decade or so of existence. Very shortly after unnet.net ceased to exist, Sideways5 came into existence to replace it: very similar look, the majority of the community, nearly all of its features. Only the archives were lost. This is a good thing.

Another good thing? The Sideways5 people are throwing themselves a little launch party this Friday, November 6, in the Beatport Lounge. It's cheap or free for for Sideways5 members and you'll get to meet and hear the music of some of the movers and shakers behind the boards. Sign up for Sideways5 (www.sidewaysfive.net) if you haven't already, print out your profile page and get there before 11 p.m. for cheap ($10 for 18+) or free (21+) entry. You can also RSVP on Facebook.. Either way, get it done and go help them launch this thing in style.

Matt Fecher isn't letting the grass grow under his feet. Although his hands are clearly already full with helping curate the Monolith Festival, Fecher, who DJs under the name Hot to Death, is constantly moving in a number of different creative directions at once it seems, from launching and hosting the sporadic yet increasingly popular New Music Mondays at the Larimer Lounge, to embarking on various collaborations, such as Animals At Risk, the name finally given to the electro-clash project featuring Fecher and the Pirate Signal's Yonnas Abraham. Although the duo has yet to release a wholly original piece of music, the remixes they've presented thus far have been interesting enough that we'll be keeping an eye on the pair, who have already shared the stage with the likes of Cut Copy, among others. The clip above, centered on a Kasabian video and featuring new music from Animals At Risk, injects a sense of utter bleakness into an already brooding Swayback vocal, taking it to new levels of unforeseen darkness. Catch Animals At Risk on Tuesday, November 10, at the Larimer Lounge, when the outfit plays a DJ set in front of Neon Indian, and again on Saturday, November 21, at the Bluebird Theater as it warms up for Savoy and makes its live debut.

There's no denying that Denver's cachet as a top music city is quickly becoming recognized across the country, but in case any lingering doubts remain, we just received word that the Harmony Sweepstakes, one of the world's top a cappella music competitions, has once again chosen Denver for it's 2010 regional competition. The annual international competition routinely draws hundreds of the top vocal groups from around the world, who compete in musical styles ranging from pop and rock to gospel and barbershop.

Singing without instrumental accompaniment has been around for centuries and has definitely grown from the simplistic gregorian chants of renaissance times to the complex precision replication by today's top vocal groups, who perform entire rock songs using only the human voice. If your the type of person who spends your free time beat boxing and singing guitar parts and are interested the Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweepstakes is especially for you. To get a taste of what exactly modern a cappella music is all about, check out the mind-blowingly amazing clip above of the 2009 Rocky Mountain regional winners Mouth Beats.

​For a project that initially began as a home recording project, Fell, led by Josh Wambeke, has sure turned a lot of heads, from Camera Obscura label head Tony Daley, who stepped up to release the act's music virtually sight unseen, to the producers of the indie film The Purest Blue, who utilize the band's music in their movie, to his latest admirers, Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and noted music journo Byron Coley. The last two had some nice things to say about Incoherent Lullabies, Fell's latest album, on the ArthurMag.com blog, describing the outfit as a cross between Obscured By Clouds-era Floyd and L.A. Woman-era Doors. Not bad company to be in.

The view out my front door

​Ah, snow. I hate it. I am not a skier, not a 'boarder and I sure as fuck don't snowshoe. And it's not because I am some pansy-ass, warm-weather transplant from SoCal or something. I grew up in Wyoming and I've been in Colorado for almost thirteen years, so I am certainly accustomed to the stuff. The only thing -- and I mean only thing -- I find interesting about it is the way it affects my mood -- especially my musical mood.

​This Friday, the Epilogues will be returning home from tour with the Photo Atlas and both bands are celebrating with a dual CD release show at the Marquis. But if this impending event has you jumping up and down with anticipation, relax -- you don't have to wait to hear at least some of the new tunes. Just point your browser over to the Epilogues MySpace page and you can hear "Hunting Season" and "FutureBox" right now. Old fans needn't worry -- there's no radical departure for the band here, just a natural progression of their polished take on the modern pop/rock sound. Both tracks seem a little more confident and perhaps a bit more streamlined than the group's previous work. "FutureBox" is the better of the two, with its propulsive drive and nice guitar interplay. Neither track is going to change haters' minds, but that's okay, too -- the Epilogues clearly know what they're after and they continue to get better at getting it done.

​We're suckers for a good cause, especially if all we have to do to do good is go to a bar, have a few beers and hear some kick-ass tunes. That being the case, next Wednesday offers up a fine opportunity to do exactly that, and get in the proper mood for Halloween with the music of Devil Doll. Her bio calls her the "punk rock torch singer your father warned you about, weaving tales of sex and sorrow, pleasure and pain," and she dabbles in the kind of horror rock that makes the Cramps such a seasonal favorite in our playlists.

The cause here is a benefit for one Dick Dime, an Ironman athlete who got into a little bike/car altercation that left him with a head injury, several fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured vertebra, according to his website. Ouch. It's only $10, it's a good cause, and hey, Devil Doll is hot, too, if that helps. Get more info and tickets at Bender's website.