DenverThread

METZ to hit the Hi-Dive in Denver – You’ve Been Warned

Billy — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:32:23 +0000

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 – I’ll [...]

Iceage at the Marquis Theater – Live Review & Photos

Billy — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:27:44 +0000

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 the [...]

Girl Wreck takes over the Oriental tomorrow night for 12 hours of local rock

Billy — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:01:29 +0000

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 hours [...]

Warsaw, via NYC & Copenhagen: Iceage coming back to Denver Tonight

Billy — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:53:01 +0000

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, and [...]

New Local Threads: Hi-Strung – “Malfunction” Review

Billy — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:36:25 +0000

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 to [...]

Live Review: PA’s Blues Control w/Psychic Ills, Hi-Dive, Thursday, March 7

Billy — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:29:06 +0000

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 adjectives, [...]

Flaming Lips mix it up with Terror? New release announced!

Billy — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:46:08 +0000

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 are [...]

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: New Record in February, Ogden Theatre Show in April

Billy — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:52:37 +0000

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 (tickets [...]

Heavy with Joy: An Inter/Review with Wovenhand’s David Eugene Edwards

Billy — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:30:54 +0000

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 take [...]

REVERB Review – METZ, Live at Larimer Lounge, 11-12-12

Billy — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:26:05 +0000

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 minutes [...]

Mike Watt – the DenverThread Interview: Touring Econo, Jamming Austere, Pure Dada

Billy — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:45:15 +0000

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 his reputation as one of rock’s nicest guys you’d ever want to talk to.

“I told you all that to tell you this.” Henry Rollins speaks out at Paramount Theater, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012

Billy — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 21:48:22 +0000

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 hasn’t always been seen as the erudite, polite-alomst-to-a-fault, 21st Century renaissance philosopher that he’s grown into over the past decade.

New Year, New Venue – Slim Cessna’s Auto Club is changing up New Year’s Eve

Billy — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:05:30 +0000

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 at [...]

Live Review – Agent Orange Tears Up the Oriental with Raucous Surf Punk

Billy — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 05:00:26 +0000

“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 too-short [...]

The Denver County Fair offers a local music tribute, and plenty of food and fun, to boot!

Billy — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:08:57 +0000

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, starting [...]

Film Review: Searching for Elliott Smith at the Oriental Theater

Billy — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 22:31:53 +0000

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 tells [...]

UMS 2012 Has Come & Gone, Denver – Recaps & Photos

Billy — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:57:19 +0000

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 nearly [...]

Who’s Playin’ What Where!? – July’s Heating Up

Billy — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:03:09 +0000

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, or [...]

Who’s Playin’ What – Wait! Too Much to Report, from Denver and LA Punk Legends to Hobo Heroes – Just GO!

Billy — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:23:29 +0000

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, too. There are so many things to go and see over the next two weeks, we're seriously considering just letting the heat evaporate us, so we can be a mist traveling through town, visiting all the venues we can each night - and a few of them simultaneously. Or - that could be the heat getting to us. In any case, from a surprising visit from Black Flag and hardcore guitar hero Greg Ginn - at Bar Bar, no less (and, rumor has it, FREE) - to what promises to be a stunning Larimer Lounge set with Thurston Moore (he's stopping by Boulder, too, but who wants to drive that far?), to the dueling summer showcases - Westword's (This weekend) and The UMS (in late July), there's definitely no shortage of places to get your fix of good music. So take lift the needle off your new Bieber disc (say, does he even know how to play any of his own vinyl? Does his stuff come out on vinyl? Nevermind - don't wanna know) and get outside to see and hear some good music.

Erik Husman: Golden Troubadour to Throw a CD Release Party May 10 – Then: Hiatus

Billy — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:11:40 +0000

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 Denver [...]