DenverThread

Who’s Playin’ What Where? DenverThread’s Gettin’ Out Guide – January 20 – February 4

Billy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:08:46 +0000

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 and [...]

Shooting My Rock n’ Roll Wad, With Revenge

Billy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:19:17 +0000

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 Argeropoulous [...]

Live Review: Black Heart Procession at Hi-Dive, Monday, December 12, 2011

Billy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:40:12 +0000

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 made [...]

New DenverThreads: Kissing Party, Erik Husman and the Golden Rule and Mombi bring more to Denver’s sound

Billy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:27:00 +0000

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, the [...]

Pull on this Thread: Get your Rocktober started with terror at Bar Bar this Friday!

Billy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:33:04 +0000

Aside from the fact that all the calendars around us agree, how else can you really tell Rocktober is beginning in full swing? Zombiecrawl is right around the corner, we can smell snow in the air (already!) and Spirit stores are popping up like Starbucks. And, while your heart might be racing at the prospect of next year possibly being the first (since most of you were born) to not feature a new season of The Simpsons, there’s a much more traditionally terrifying option happening at Bar Bar this weekend to kick off the 2011 mile High Horror Film Festival – the Mile High Horror Film Festival Showcase. And, it’s FREE.

Who’s Playin’ What – Where? Weekend of Sept. 30, 2011

Billy — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:50:11 +0000

Seems like this may be the beginning of the season of harvest in music, too - at least here in Denver. This weekend features a few awesome CD releases from local bands, and more! Read on to find out about two back-to-back Hot Congress release nights and an alt-country visit from Brooklyn to the Lion's Lair. Is it just us, or is the heavy weight of Rocktober just around the corner? Friday night showcases some fantastic Denver indie-meets-post-punk with the release party for Kissing Party's "Waster's Wall" album (officially out on October 18). One of Denver's most promising acts at the moment, Kissing Party bring together a sort of Belle & Sebastian feel to their sound, with a tint of bubble gum and a Manchester shadow. Saturday night brings the CD release party for Sun Red, a five-piece born out of the wreckage of Denver's (Die)Pilot, full of sweeping and tenacious prog-esque constructions spearheaded by Gene Brown's strong vocals. Their sound wavers across indie lines that corral such masters as Stephen Malkmus or Lou Barlow, but is very much something they've concocted on their own.

Live Reverb – Peter Hook & the Light play Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures,” Bluebird, 9-19-2011

Billy — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:32:46 +0000

At the risk of eliciting a chorus of jaded groans: Yes, Peter Hook & the Light, led by the bassist for the influential Joy Division, performed a rousing rendition of the post-punk swan song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” last night at the Bluebird in the first of two encores. Did you think they wouldn’t? [...]

New Threads – Denver’s Denver City Saltlicks and Josh Novak, Toronto’s Fucked Up

Billy — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:16:32 +0000

Fucked Up – David Comes to Life (2011) Fucked Up’s latest offering is much less an album than a movie, really. Listening to it, it’s hard to avoid imagining complex, high-budget plots and huge swaths of dramatic interplay as the vignette of David – the everyperson – unfolds. The concept album’s story lends itself: angst-ridden [...]

The Flaming Lips deliver Pink Floyd like no other – in their soundtrack to a hell of a life

Billy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:48:26 +0000

In January, ’95 or ’96 (who can say for sure?), after a Flaming Lips show that (despite the fact that they’d opened for, of all bands, Candlebox) remains one that shaped my world view, my friend and I approached an open side door, shivering and giggling as we continued to find bits of confetti in [...]

Ambient drone is so neither, when you step into it … – An interview with Kevin Greenspon

Billy — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 06:08:51 +0000

So I guess it’s customary to pull a quote from the interview in question for an appropriate headline – but I didn’t. I pulled this headline out of the feeling I got from reading Kevin Greenspon‘s answers to my questions this evening, while being washed with his compositions. I came across Greenspon’s work as a [...]

Wait for it… the UMS isn’t over yet. It’s just getting stronger. Trust us.

Billy — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:31:45 +0000

The mighty UMS weekend may be drawing to a close, but it's far from done. The last day brings some of the best of the bunch, and you won't want to miss any of it. All three days previous have been more than spectacular - and have shown off the Denver scene for what it is: strong, diverse and more than anything just plain good. So you'll want to dust off your flippy-floppies and saddle up your hangover, drench yourself in sunscreen and get out on Broadway lickety-split - before it wraps itself up and we kiss another year goodbye! The final day has its work cut out for it, with a lineup that's definitely up to the task. Read on to see a few of our recommendations.

The UMS hits full speed today – plan accordingly! Don’t worry – we’re here to help.

Billy — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 20:25:17 +0000

The 11th Annual UMS is now in its third day, and rounding the inside corner to slingshot itself into full, reckless, dangerous and foolhardy speed, and you're going to want to grab on for dear life about now, and hold on. It's going to get a lot more beautiful before too long, and there'll be more than you can imagine to see, hear, taste and drink. All the more reason to follow our recommendations for which bands to see, where, and just a little bit of why. Today's also the day that the all ages crowd can take the most advantage of the many, many options - and we've put a little emphasis on the bands playing that anyone can see, to encourage you to get out from under the Xbox and GET OUT HERE, NOW!

The UMS is rockin’ – Here’s DenverThread’s list for Day Two

Billy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:00:03 +0000

Day one's in the books, and it looks as if the 11th Annual UMS is off to a roarin' start! But - if you thought last Thursday night's activities were brilliant, epic, miraculous - or tragic, melancholy, maudlin - hold on to your pants. The momentum's just beginning! Friday is the New Black Here are our toppers for Friday, July 22 - and we're happy to say that it was a damned tough job boiling the lineup down! The first few are our predictions for Friday night's owners of the UMS. Scroll on down for a listing of the rest of our recommendations, in chronological order (still just a fraction of all the action!). Friday's UMS Lineup is owned by ... Colourmusic - 3 Kings Tavern - Sailor Jerry Stage @11PM Oklahoma seems to be fertile ground for a sort of bombastic optimism. Or maybe it's a heightened sense of existentialism that leads artists to just say "Fuck it! I'm partying!" And then watch everything in their lives happily begin to fall into place. It's chaos at its most beautifully complex, and most hilariously sublime. Cue Colourmusic. 'Nuff said. Go see them. SRSLY.

The 11th Annual UMS Starts Today – So do DenverThread’s lists – here’s day one

Billy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:27:53 +0000

It's here! And it's definitely THE highpoint of Denver's summer music season! A full Red Rocks schedule, the Warped and other festival tours, multiple nights of Widespread Panic - even the monster U2 show in Invesco Field at Mile High - all pale in comparison to the magnitude of this weekend's pinnacle. The 11th Annual Underground Music Showcase (UMS) starts this Thursday evening, and will dominate a few square miles of South Broadway for the following three nights. This year's show features close to 300 bands, comedians , singer songwriters and other talents, and will be housed in a huge number of venues, restaurants, bookstores, skateboard shops and t-shirt shops along South Broadway (here's a handy listing, with a MAP!) - including two major outdoor stages - from 6th Avenue at the top to Cedar at the bottom. Needless to say, the choices for live music abound - heck, they're pretty overwhelming. Let's face it: there's no way anyone can possibly see all that the UMS has to offer, and it'd be a miracle to see everything you'd like to see. So let us at DenverThread take a little of the pressure to decide off of your shoulders, with our daily preview lists for this year's festival. Through the weekend, we'll be listing our choices of the best things to see - for a lot of reasons. Whether your tastes run into the sludge-stoner-metal quagmire, meander through dreamy twee-pop or get hypnotically lost in psychedelic shoegaze, we'll get you where you want to be, and make sure you're catching something you've hopefully never seen before while we're at it.

Who’s Playing What Where? Accordion Babes, Mancub and The Tubes (Yes – The Tubes)

Billy — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:06:19 +0000

Hell – we’d give up our tickets for the aforementioned shows for these, if the economy didn’t already make us feel like grade-H junkies (when are you gonna get the chance to see The Tubes again, right?) Best Bet – Accordion Babes, Sunday night, July 10, at the Lion’s Lair (2022 E. Colfax, Denver - Thanks to Amber Lee Baker and Renée de la Prade – known together on this tour as The Accordion Babes – these once pernicious precursors to the keytar are inching ever closer to private & sultry boudoir serenades than adolescent living room talent shows. --- ••• --- Saturday – Mancub, Flashlights and Mercuria and the Gemstars - Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver Flashlights, one of Denver’s newer, light-up electro-pop numbers, just got signed wicked fast to a record deal, and just released a new EP last month, but they still remember their base. So they’re opening a show for some local scene-mates, Mancub, at the Hi-Dive Saturday night. Mancub is a duo that’s building a reputation for using lo-fi electronics and hands-on passion to make a kind of electro-shoegaze combination. Worth taking in, if only to see their dexterity and sound combo skills. Plus, lights from both bands should make everyone feel a little bit interplanetary.

New(ish) Threads – Reviews of new(ish) Matt Shupe, new Thurston Moore, and Il Cattivo

Billy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:15:41 +0000

Starting a new job can suck – especially for your online magazine. That’s the explanation for my long absence on the ‘Thread – and I’m stickin’ with it. Now to get back into the swing, and get you readers some well-deserved regularity… But on with the news: This week we’re presenting three fantastic albums, starting [...]

Reverb Thread – Live Review: of Montreal @ Bluebird Theater, Sunday, May 8, 2011

Billy — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:58:54 +0000

Kevin Barnes doesn’t need to play the omnisexual androgyne anymore. That was how it felt Sunday night anyway, when Of Montreal played the Bluebird Theater. While their Sgt. Pepper’ed, more pastoral oeuvre has long since faded, some of the over-the-top erotic energy that the band is known for has also been eschewed in recent years. The pandemonium has calmed, in favor of a much more consistent blend of “Free Your Mind (And Your Ass WIll Follow)” Funkadelic and pre-“Purple Rain” Prince — though there was still a strong undercurrent of Beatles and Bowie. Barnes’ revived focus on the music was obvious, and welcomed. The stage show was only slightly paired down, really. While previous gigs featured complex stage shows through which Barnes cavorted in Ziggy Stardust androgyny with foxes and pigs, this show was less surrealist burlesque and more glam/funk rock. There were still foxes, giant butterflies and pigs, of course, romping beneath psychedelic geometries projected on the band and colorful live video on a screen above them. Oh, and there was also a repeating lucha libre theme, this time.

Threading Now – Denver Day of Rock uses local musicians to create community, still needs volunteers

Billy — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:30:51 +0000

On Saturday, May 28th, Concerts For Kids will be presenting Denver Day of Rock, now in its third year, in downtown Denver. With a slew of bands - both local and national acts - that cross genres from pop/rock to Zydeco, the all-ages event is a perfect opportunity to get everyone in the family out in front of some decent live music. Denver Day of Rock was put together by Concerts For Kids for the first time in June of 2009 as an all-day outdoor music event designed to raise awareness of children in the Denver community, and the many charities that exist that help them. In just three years, the show has grown from two stages in two completely separate parts of town and a show at the Fillmore, to five stages along the 16th Street Mall and more than twenty bands.

Live Reverb Review – Duran Duran at Ogden Theater, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Billy — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:02:54 +0000

Up close in the tightly packed confines of the Ogden last Wednesday night, the original members of Duran Duran might have looked even better than I remembered them when they were helping to lay the foundations for MTV. And their performance didn’t disappoint, either.

New Threads – From Denver: Deadbubbles, The Outfit; from Oakland: tUnE-yArDs

Billy — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:42:05 +0000

This week we offer a look at a few new threads that run the gamut in sound and intention, and we like just about all of it. From a well-deserved (if awfully early in the their life) tribute to Denver’s Deadbubbles, to The Outfit’s indecipherably titled debut – still full of promise, to tUnE-yArDs, an [...]

Live Threads – Reverb: Wye Oak at Larimer Lounge, Saturday, April 2, 2011

Billy — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:42:00 +0000

At the Larimer Lounge on Saturday night, Jenn Wasner mentioned that she and bandmate Andy Stack of the Baltimore band Wye Oak, were tired. And justifiably so, having come from Salt Lake City that day, and in the very beginning of a 10-day stretch of their current tour that travels through the midwest and up into Montreal before they get a night off. This apparent exhaustion, however, didn’t seem to make any difference in the duo’s performance. A more valid reason the two should be tired, in fact, was the fury and passion they poured into an hour-long set. Often lumped in with indie or folk rock bands, presumably due to a tendency to alternate between screeching distortion and sparse minimalism on record, the pair was anything but mere folk that night. Wasner wailed meditations on solitude, love and aloneness and masterfully wrangled her guitar, while Stack covered the rest. Stack’s ability to multi-task the entire balance of such a huge sound — playing a trap set with both feet and his right hand while pounding on keyboards for both bass and melody with his left — was stunning to watch.

New Threads – Inactivists release “The War on Jazz Hands” to a hungry public at the Walnut Room

Billy — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 00:48:50 +0000

If there's one thing we need less of in this world, it's got to be those annoying flapping fingers at the end of swirling hands, and a more worthy cause for war probably doesn't currently exist. And yet, as a country, we're dang near broke. But I already digress . . . This sentiment comes from the title of The Inactivists' latest record, "The War On Jazz Hands." The Denver band remains one of the local scene's hidden treasures, and the title's an adroit summation of their personality and style: playful like They Might Be Giants with an adult humor that hovers around that of Ween, but remains more explicitly juvenile. And yet, they're always musically complex, diverse and accomplished, in the only way that would ever allow a true theremin artist - in this case the accomplished and extremely talented Victoria Lundy - to fit in.

Live Thread – Erik Husman @ the Walnut Room, Thursday, March 24, 2011

Billy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:59:43 +0000

The Walnut Room provided the perfect flavor of intimacy and concrete last Thursday night to encompass - enthrone - the recording of a local fledgling artist’s second album. The 50-some people gathered to watch and listen to Golden’s Erik Husman were treated to a mix between Merle Haggard and a Pete Seeger that spent more of his life on the rails than in protest. Husman, suffering from a cold that caused between-song hacks, sniffles and a dry-throated rasp, nevertheless marched all of us through two sets of some emotive, lively tunes, most of which were original. And that crowd loved every one.