Weekend Preview: December 16th – December 18th, 2011

Here’s what’s going on in Denver this weekend. The events I plan on attending are in RED. Come say Hi!

Friday, December 16th, 2011

SEXTAPE

• Yonnas Abraham “SEXTAPE” @ Conceited Bastard Art Gallery (738 Santa Fe Dr, Suite A) – After releasing a song a week for 8 weeks in a cycle known as “A Prequel to SEXTAPE”, Yonnas Abraham is ready to reveal what is perhaps his most ambitious project. The night will include a photography exhibit, a live model in a glass box, an all-star band performing “SEXTAPE” and “Prequel to a SEXTAPE” in its entirety, and free food and booze. Not to be missed. 9PM, 21+, $10. Also, there will be a REVERB sponsored after-party at 3 Kings Tavern DJ’d by Savior Breath. 21+, FREE.
• Serious Moonlight w/ Attic Attack @ Illegal Pete’s Lodo – Come here Alan Andrews complain about Colorado going soft-rock while he plays his acoustic Americana jams. Donny Rose of Attic Attack will be stoked just to be out of the house! 10PM, All Ages, FREE! After party at Donny’s house (ask him for directions).
• In The Whale Video Release Party @ In The Whale House (1805 Irving Street Unit C) – Ugly sweaters, new video for their HftH entry “Heels”, and a dog named Porkchop. That’s all I need to know. And, Yes, I WILL hit all three of these events in one night! 10PM, All Ages, FREE (but float the band a couple bucks for beers, ya cheap bastard).
• Micah Schnabel (of Two Cow Garage) CD Release w/ Tin Horn Prayer @ Hi-Dive – 10PM, 21+, $7.
• P-Nuckle w/ The A-OK’s and Special Guests @ Gothic Theater – 8PM, 16+, $12.
• KBPI Mistletoe Jam – Plan B featuring Wayne Static and Special Guests @ Fillmore Auditorium – 7PM, 16+, $10.67.
• The Fox Street Allstars w/ Broken Tongues @ Cervantes’ Other Side – 9PM, All Ages, $8.

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Hometown for the Holidays

• Channel 93.3’s Hometown for the Holidays @ Casselman’s – Congratulations to The Heyday, My Body Sings Electric, and Churchill! 8PM, 18+, FREE
• Colfax Speed Queen w/ Sun Red @ Wax Trax Records – Sun Red is one of my favorite new bands. Do yourself a favor and come check them out for free in the afternoon. 3PM, All Ages, FREE
• John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light w/ Achille Lauro @ Larimer Lounge – A very cool lineup. Wish I could make it… 9PM, 21+, $13.
• Bonnie & The Beard w/ The Ghost Towners @ Berkeley Inn (38th & Tennyson) – 9PM, 21+, FREE
• Be Brave w/ Calibrate Me and Special Guests @ Marquis Theater – 7PM, All Ages, $15.
• Garage A Trois w/ Zobomaze @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom – 9PM, All Ages, $15.
• Salt N Pepa w/ Wheelchair Sports Camp @ Gothic Theatre – 9PM, 16+, $50. Did I read that right? FIFTY BUCKS?!? Damn…
• Matisyahu w/ Dubskin @ Ogden Theatre – 9PM, 16+, $30.

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

• Sleeptalk w/ The Patent Pending and Special Guests @ Marquis Theater – 5PM, 21+, $10.

Weekend Preview: December 1st – December 4th, 2011

Here’s what’s going on in Denver this weekend. I am totally undecided as to which of these shows to attend… That’s a great position to be in!

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

• Stache Bash Benefit Show featuring Fierce Bad Rabbit w/ The Don’ts and Be Carefuls, Young Cities, and The Outfit @ Hi Dive – A great lineup benefiting the Blue Star Connection organization, which donates their time through the power of music to children and young adults who have cancer and other life threatening situations – 8PM, 21+, $10.
• Churchill w/ You, Me, and Apollo and Danielle Ate The Sandwich @ Hodi’s Half Note (FoCo) – 8PM, 18+, $10.
• Fairchildren @ Lost Lake – The band featuring Meese brothers Nate and Patrick kick of a December residency tonight. 9PM, 21+, $?.
• Set in Motion w/ Gary Bragg Band, Ali Grayson, & Sugar Magnoli @ Toad Tavern (Littleton) – 7 PM, 21+, $?.
• Kid Rock w/ Ty Stone @ Fillmore Auditorium – Upjump the boogie! 7PM, 16+, $47.
• eTown: Big Head Todd and the Monsters w/ Nicole Atkins @ Boulder Theater – 7PM, All Ages, SOLD OUT .

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

• Be The Ant w/ Eldren and Colfax Speed Queen @ Summit Music Hall – I’ve always wanted to see Colfax Speed Queen. Could this be the night? Everybody knows I love Eldren and Be The Ant. 8 PM, 21+, $5.
• Rocket Summer w/ The Heyday @ Marquis Theater – The Heyday?!? Geez, this is a really hard decision! The twenty dollar ticket price is a little steep. 7PM, All Ages, $20.
• Churchill w/ You, Me, and Apollo @ Walnut Room – Then again, I’ve never seen Churchill either… 7PM, 21+, $12.
• The Queers w/ Lola Black, Reno Divorce, Knock-Out, Potato Pirates @ Gothic Theater – 7PM, 16+, $12.
• Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – This is the first of three straight nights at the Ogden Theater, and the only night with available tickets. 8PM, 16+, $30.
• Fire In The Asylum w/Devoutcast, Fire Aweigh, Extreme Turbo Smash @ Moe’s Original BBQ and Bowl – 9PM, 16+, $5.
• Hell’s Belles w/ MF Ruckus @ Fox Theater (Boulder) – The premier all-female AC/DC tribute band – 9PM, $18, All Ages.

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

• I Fight Dragons w/ The Photo Atlas and Monroe Monroe @ AF Rays (Greeley) –  Remind me never to accept an invitation to a dinner party on a Saturday ever again! 9PM, 18+, $13.
• Sun Red w/Popcult and Attic Attack @ Meadowlark Lounge – Well, at least I don’t have to try and choose between this show and the I Fight Dragons show! 9PM, 21+, $?.
• El Toro de la Muerte w/ In The Whale, Mercuria and the Gemstars @ Summit Music Hall – 8PM, 21+, $5.
• Achille Lauro w/ Red Fox @ Hi-Dive – Lizzie Huffman had been scheduled to appear, but has canceled due to personal circumstances. 9PM, 21+, $6.
• Mickey Avalon w/ ManCub and Boyhollow @ Bluebird Theater – 9PM, 16+, $25.
• Scott Kelly (Neurosis) w/ Munly (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club) and Bob Wayne @ Hi Dive – 10PM, 18+, $12.
• The Epilogues w/ Common Anomaly and Flashbulb Fires @ Road 34 (FoCo) – 9PM, 21+, $8.
• Colorado Composer Collective featuring Greg Garrison – Five Denver area composers have composed works to feature Leftover Salmon bassist Greg Garrison along with strings and brass. What a cool idea! 8PM, 21+, $13.
• Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, SOLD OUT.
• Me Talk Pretty w/ Madina Lake, Hell or Highwater, and more @ Gothic Theater – 6PM, 16+, $13.

Sunday, December 4th, 2011

• I Fight Dragons w/ SkyFox and Mr. Right – 8PM, 16+, $15.
• Deas Vail w/Sick of Sarah and Now, Now @ Hi Dive – 9PM, 18+, $10.
• Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, SOLD OUT.

Weekend Preview: October 20th – October 23rd, 2011

Here’s what’s going on in Denver this weekend. Events I plan on attending are in RED. Come say “Hi”!

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

• Authority Zero w/ No Bueno, Trenchtown, Allout Helter @ Marquis Theater – 7 PM, All Ages, $15.
• Matt Nathanson w/ Scars on 45 @ Ogden Theater – 7PM, 16+, $28.

Friday, October 21st, 2011

• The Heyday w/ The Yawpers @ Larimer Lounge – 9PM, 21+, $8.
• All Capitals CD Release w/ Vices I Admire, Izcalli, and Ciela del Alma @ Hi-Dive – 8 PM, 21+, $6.
• Places @ Baker Street Pub (Boulder) – 8 PM, All Ages, FREEEEE!!!
• Gregory Alan Isakov w/ Fairchildren @ Fox Theater (Boulder) – SOLD OUT
• Rocky Votolato & Matt Pond PA w/ Caleb Slade @ Marquis Theater – 8 PM, All Ages, $15.
• Down & Derby Roller Disco featuring Cobraconda DJ Set @ EXDO Event Center – 9 PM, 18+, $5 w/ RSVP
• Trentmoller w/ Xylos @ Ogden Theater – 9PM, 16+, $25.
• Robert Randolph and The Family Band w/ The Sheepdogs @ Bluebird Theater – 8 PM, All Ages, $31.

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

Popcult (Photo by Luca Venter)

• Popcult w/ Sun Red @ Illegal Pete’s Downtown – 10 PM, All Ages, FREEEEEE!!!
• Wednesday 13 w/ Glass Delirium, Vampires Everywhere!, and Polkadot Cadaver @ Moe’s Original BBQ and Bowl – 8PM, 16+, $15.
• March Fourth Marching Band w/ A Tom Collins @ Gothic Theater – 8PM, 16+, $17.
• Robert Randolph and The Family Band w/ The Sheepdogs @ Bluebird Theater – 9 PM, 16+, $35.
• Five Finger Death Punch w/ All That Remains, Hatebreed, and Rains @ 1st Bank Center – 7PM, All Ages, $35.

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

• “The Shining” Movie @ Gothic Theater – 7PM, 16+, FREEEEE!!
• Eve 6 w/ Nine Days, and Places @ Glenn Miller Ballroom (Boulder) – 7:30 PM, All Ages, Free with advance ticket.
• Yngwie Malmsteen w/ Drug Under @ Bluebird Theater – 8PM, 16+, $35.

Album Review: Sun Red “Breathes Ages” EP

Not long ago, Denver band (die) Pilot was riding a wave of good press. Westword Magazine’s Dave Herrera listed their debut album Radiation, Weather, and Art as one of the best Colorado releases of 2005. Westword then honored the band in their Best of 2006 issue as the “Best Up-and-Coming Band”.  But, as is all too common with many promising young bands, (die) Pilot failed to stay airborne. Personnel changes and internal conflicts prevented (die) Pilot from ever really finding their voice and the project was grounded by it’s chief member Eugene Brown in early 2009. It didn’t take long for the singer/songwriter to re-emerge with a new project called Sun Red featuring former (die) Pilot members Dan Sullivan (guitar) and Chris Durant (drums). The band has just released it’s first EP “Breathes Ages”.

Musically, “Breathes Ages” is more focused than (die) Pilot’s last release. Brown’s vocals are more confident – spending more time in the falsetto range with a vibrato and tonal quality not unlike Jimmy Gnecco (but lacking Gnecco’s unsurpassed power and pitch). Sullivan’s guitar style favors arpeggios and hardly any distortion, inviting favorable comparisons to The Edge and Mark Knopfler. The rhythm section of Durant and bassist Trevor Noel Gagstetter rarely intrude. When Durant does ramp up the intensity with more tom toms, tambourine, and drum synth accents, Sullivan and Gagstetter rise to the challenge such as in the haunting “Terrorform” and the EP’s closing track “The Alchemy of Man”, which sounds like it was written specifically to be the Grand Finale.

All four of the songs are immediately accessible and enjoyable – so much so that you’d swear they were copying someone other band’s formula. But, while I occasionally hear bits and pieces of things that make me think of U2, Muse, Jeff Buckley, and Ours, the Johnny Cash rockabilly rhythms that are prevalent in Sun Red’s music really make them unique. Brown and company have found their groove, and it has resulted in a foot-stomper which was probably as much fun to make as it is to listen to.

You can sample two tracks from their label’s website, where you can also download the EP. It can also be found at Amazon’s MP3 store and iTunes. Also, follow them on Facebook.

Weekend Preview: September 30th – October 2nd, 2011

Here’s what’s coming up this weekend!  The shows I plan on attending are in RED.

Friday, September 30th

• Post Paradise w/ Vices I Admire, Common Anomoly, and Take to the Oars @ Hodi’s Half Note (Fort Collins): Fort Collins’ own Post Paradise plays high-energy (think OK Go) alt-rock and tosses in a cellist. So, remember to drink your beer with pinkys out! Admission includes a download card of their new CD. But, of course, I’m attending mostly because Vices I Admire and Take to the Oars are on the bill! 8 PM, All Ages, $5.
• The Swayback w/ManCub @ Larimer Lounge – The best value of the night!!! 9PM, 21+, FREE
• Illuminaughty @ Casselman’s Bar – ForeverKid (Ross Ryan) is on this electronica lineup, as well as Omega, Seth Ambruz, and more. 8PM, 21+, $12.
• Further @ Red Rocks – Jerry’s dead! But that won’t stop hippies from converging on Red Rocks for the first night of a 3-night run. 7:30 PM, All Ages, $55.
• Electric Six @ The Bluebird Theater – Tonight! I’m gonna take you to a gay bar… and the Bluebird Theater. 9:00 PM, 16+, $15.
• Kissing Party CD Release Party @ Hi-Dive – 9PM, 18+, $7.
• Kinetix w/MTHDS @ Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom. 9PM, All Ages, $10.
• In The Whale w/ Colfax Speed Queen @ 12 Volt Tavern. 21+
• Bonnie and the Beard w/ Petals of Spain @ three20south (Breckenridge)

Saturday, October 1st

• Sun Red EP Release Party w/De Dos Del Sol, Colfax Speed Queen and Safe Boating is No Accident @ Hi-Dive: I haven’t seen any of these bands yet, but I’ve been enjoying their music – particularly that of Sun Red, which has a Jimmy Gnecco vibe. 9:30 PM, 18+, $7.
• The Centennial Fall Music Showcase @ The Banana Stand – Nate Meese puts on cool backyard house parties. 6:30 PM, 21+, Donations (space is limited).
• Serious Moonlight @ Illegal Pete’s Downtown – 10PM, All Ages, FREE
• The Rapture w/ Snake Rattle Rattle Snake @ Marquis Theater – 8PM, All Ages, $25.
• Journey w/Foreigner and Night Ranger @ Comfort Dental Amphitheater – Don’t stop believing that you don’t miss Steve Perry. 7PM, All Ages, $40.
• Ladytron @ Ogden Theater – 9PM, 16+, $22.
• Bush w/Chevelle & Filter – Holy grunge gonads, Batman! 6:30 PM (I guess they have to go to bed early), All Ages, $35-45.

Sunday, October 2nd

• Dick Dale w/ Fingers of the Sun @ Gothic Theatre – Dick Dale is still alive?!? He must have outlived all of the Del-Tones! 7 PM, 16+, $25.
• Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood @ Boulder Theater – The Black Crowes frontman flies solo (sort of). 7 PM, All Ages, $25 .
• Bring Me the Horizon @ Summit Music Hall – Moved from the Fillmore to the Summit. Yeah, things are tough all over… 6 PM, All Ages, $25.