The power of a trio probably comes from its simplicity. Probably (at least that’s my take, and I’m sticking with it). It’s been proven again, and again and again – Rush, The Minutemen, Nirvana, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, ZZ Top, the Police – even Triumph (ferchrissakes) – all innovators, all brilliant (well –...
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Coming from Denmark means that, invariably, at some point you’re going to get a Hamlet comparison – probably from a smart-assed music journalist. So here goes – Iceage’s Elias Bender Rønnenfelt definitely rocks a Hamlet-esque demeanor, both on record and onstage. At their Denver show at the Marquis theater last Thursday night, he sulked in...
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Coachella? ATP? Lollapalooza? All of these mega fests are announcing/leaking their mega line ups – but who in Denver needs them? Wanna usher in the Spring and Summer music season in style? Head up north to the Oriental Theater, where you’ll catch the 2nd Annual Girl Wreck Fest – two stages and 12 solid...
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If you’re not planning to be at the Marquis Theater tonight to catch Iceage, you’re giving up on the chance to see a replay of the power that anchored most of post-punk. At the very least, we’re going to be in the presence of a band whose noise and passion invoke Warsaw (pre-Joy Division,...
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Concept albums often seem to ride a dangerous road – too easy to marginalize of the story doesn’t carry, or if it’s too sentimental. Too easy to ridicule if the story takes over the music. Too easily misunderstood – and therefore run over roughshod by critics. Which is why it’s pretty refreshing to listen...
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Blues Control has a reputation. The duo – Russ Waterhouse and Lea Cho, originally from Queens, NYC and now calling Coopersburg, PA home – are known as “unclassifiable,” “completely unique,” “incomparable.” Reviews tend to color the duo as almost inaccessible, even opaque. They were in the Hi-Dive last Thursday night, and proved that these...
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If you’re unfamiliar with METZ, you’re behind on the buzz. Their loud, crunchy, loud, fun, loud, shit-hot, loud and aggressive (did we mention LOUD??!!) style is exploding into venues and destroying hipsters in its wake. It was on display last night at the Larimer Lounge, and we were there with HeyReverb.com. Take a few...
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Gira discusses SWANS and more, before an upcoming gig with Wovenhand, The Howling Hex, March 24 at the Oriental Theater When I discovered SWANS at a 1986 punk show at the Eagle's Lodge (they played cuts from their then-current LP "Greed," with two bombastic drummers, thundering bass and bulldozing guitar, Jarboe screaming and Michael Gira...
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It’s been a good three years since their last release – the seminal (in so many ways) “Embryonic” – so it’s a damn good thing that Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips have announced their next release. On April 1 (in Europe, April 2 in the US), Wayne and the globe’s purveyors of positive...
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Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are scheduled to release a new record – their 15th overall and first since 2008′s “Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!” “Push The Sky Away” will drop on February 18th (February 19th in the US). They’ve also announced some North American tour dates, including one at the Ogden on April 3rd...
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Wovenhand released “The Laughing Stalk,” the Denver-based band’s seventh studio album, in September – so we may be a little late in reviewing. But then, so is Friday night’s CD Release Dance at the Oriental Theater – November 16, 9:00 PM, with Reverend Deadeye – a little late in coming (and we’re happy to...
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Watt covered some major ground in that short time. From his current stint with the Stooges, to some of the history of Minutemen and his beloved San Pedro (CA), to the tour he was bout to kick off in a few days, he led me on a musical, improvisational, stream-of-thought journey - and maintained...
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When Henry Rollins speaks, it’s kind of amazing how many - and which - people listen. His background - longtime lead singer of seminal punk act Black Flag, provocateur, film and TV star and the epitome of prolific when it comes to writing - is nothing to balk at, to be sure. But he...
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One of Denver’s most popular New Year’s Eve parties is about to change. For the first time in about a decade, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club won’t be helping Denver fans jettison the old year for a new one – at least, not at the same location. After a long string of consecutive, packed shows...
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“This place is so awesome,” exclaimed Mike Palm, frontman of Orange County’s legendary surf punk trio Agent Orange last night in the Oriental Theater. “Not like the Bluebird.” His mini-review of another of Denver’s fine venues came just before the band ripped into “Living In Darkness,” one of a 20-song set that lasted a...
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There’s not much that compares to a day at the fair, which is why Denver has rejuvenated the tradition. Well, actually the city just started the tradition last year, but it was based on plans from more than 100 years earlier. This weekend brings the second Denver County Fair to the National Western Complex,...
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I learned tonight that I knew a lot less about Elliott Smith than I thought – thanks to the chance to see “Searching for Elliott Smith,” the documentary about this tortured musical genius – still looking for a real distribution deal - at the Oriental Theater. There’s a brilliant scene in the film that...
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This year’s Denver Post Underground Music Showcase (UMS) may have been the biggest and best yet, and – barring the weight of the tragedy in Aurora that clouded an otherwise perfect opening night – all four days went off without a hitch. As in previous occurrences since the festival relocated to South Broadway, The UMS invaded...
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Denver’s amidst a record-setting streak of over-90-degree days (we’re on day nine – or ten – or somewhere around there, now). We wouldn’t be surprised to find that this heat wave is being fanned by the lineup of shows July has to offer. If you’re able to peel yourself from the naugahyde, or leather,...
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As usual, when the summer rolls into its own - and as of this writing this one's only one day old (but that day's holding in enough heat for a friggin' month of 'em....) - Denver plays host to more and more bands from out of town, and the local scene takes a boot,...
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Golden’s Erik Husman, along with his then-band The Golden Rule, recorded a full-length album at the Walnut Room on March 24, 2011. Now, nearly 14 months later and going solo, Husman is ready for the CD release party. It’s set for this Thursday night at Mead Street Station – 3625 W. 32nd Ave in...
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When MCA and King AdRock announced a few years ago that the Beastie Boys would be delaying the release of their next album due to Adam Yauch beginning a battle with throat cancer, I don’t think anyone of us fans took the news lightly. But I also don’t think many of us ever thought...
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Ben Dicke, local theater professional, looks for Kickstarter Funding to Premiere the Controversial Emo-Punk Musical at the Aurora Fox, Just in Time for Election Day. Could it be any more ... prophetic? In an election year that’s rife with populist rhetoric, where pundits on both sides seem to pontificate endlessly about the problems of the common...
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If you’ve heard it, chances are you’re either mesmerized by its outlandish beauty, haunted by its sweeping sonics or fascinated by the physics. Either way, there’s not another vocal style that’s anything quite like Tuvan throat singing. And there’s no touring troupe that pulls it off like the Alash Ensemble. Four native Tuvans, Alash...
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How often do you find yourself inadvertently – almost subconsciously humming Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off, Add It Up, American Music or just about any of the seminal hits from early alt-folk (alt-punk? folk-punk? Angst-folk?) trio Violent Femmes? I know for me – and a whole sew of folks who were dragging themselves...
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OK - Who remembers Flipper? More appropriately: Who knows why they should remember - or at least be aware of - Flipper? Get this: - It could be argued that without Flipper, there may have been no Nirvana, or much of the sloppier side of "Grunge," or at least the whole scene would likely sound a...
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Night of Joy, Achille Lauro, Black Postcards (Local); Lee Ranaldo, Willis Earl Beal, Jeffrey Lewis (not local) Well - This post we’ve got a bucket of sounds, and none too soon (having missed a while - our apologies).... This one features a slew of locals - two from the same label (Hot Congress) and...
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Local troubadour Erik Husman – of Erik Husman and the Golden Rule – was lucky enough this week to be able to stop in and take in Radiohead’s sold out Tuesday night show at 1st Bank Center, and was also gracious enough to write DenverThread a review of what will, no doubt, stand as...
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DenverThread’s guide to where you should be and what you should be seeing – and, of course, hearing – for the next few weeks around Denver. The “Planet Rock” Art Show is Now Open in Broomfield, Artist’s Band The Pretty Sure Play Saturday Night Arlo White really is a post-post-postpunk-post-renaissance man. As many places...
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For our inaugural post for Unraveler, we’ve got a treat. Guest author Mike Argeropoulous, a native of Chicago by way of Marquette, Michigan – and plenty of hilarious and creative stops in between – offers a cautionary tale. Whether you believe it or not, enjoy the tale of revenge, of the slacker variety, as...
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You could say that The Black Heart Procession bears a large portion of responsibility for the sound of “indie” today, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Since the members’ initial involvement in the seminal Three Mile Pilot in the late ‘90s, they’ve been championing a slow, psychedelic-but-gruff Pink Floyd style that’s only been solidified and...
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Kissing Party – Waster’s Wall Kissing Party’s latest record, “Waster’s Wall,” still reflects a little more Belle & Sebastian than it’s probably meant to. And I’m putting that out there right away because of Gregg Dolan’s reported frustration with that comparison. But it’s not mired in the Brit-pop band’s lo-fi jangle. For this record,...
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