Denver Live Music Weekend Picks (SPECIAL EDITION: New Year’s Weekend 2012)

 General, Live Music Weekend Picks  No Responses »
Dec 282012
 

The Photo Atlas

Since New Year’s Eve 2012 falls on Monday, it seems a lot of Denver’s best acts are gearing up for big parties at local venues. As usual, there are plenty of great live shows going on around town all weekend, but this week’s picks include some of the more promising New Year’s Eve shows, as well. That said–here are the picks for this weekend!

LAURA GOLDHAMER & FRIENDS, DECEMBER 28 @ ORIENTAL THEATER

This FREE show at the Oriental Theater features Americana artist Laura Goldhamer, with additional performances by Chimney Choir, Shenandoah Davis, Natalie Tate, Roger Green and others! The Oriental Theater is at 4335 W. 44th Ave. in Denver. Doors at 7:00 PM. Ages 18+.

GLOWING HOUSE, DECEMBER 29 @ LARIMER LOUNGE

Local neo-folk act Glowing House is headlining Saturday night at the Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. in Denver. Opening acts include Eye and the Arrow, Safe Boating Is No Accident, and The Cardinal Grey. Tickets are $8 advance, $10 day of show, available through Larimer Lounge. Doors at 8:00 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 21+.

SLIM CESSNA’S AUTO CLUB, DEC. 30-31 @ THE ORIENTAL THEATER

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club is holding a two-night stint at The Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. in Denver. The Sterling Sisters will also perform both nights, with Denver Broncos UK opening Dec. 30, and Munly and the Lupercalians opening Dec. 31. Tickets are $15 on Sunday, $25 on Monday, or $35 for a two-day pass, available through Oriental Theater. Service charges apply. Doors at 8:00 PM nightly; shows start at 9:00. Ages 16+.

THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT “HOMETOWN THROWDOWN”, DEC. 29-31 AT 1STBANK CENTER

The String Cheese Incident is playing the last three nights of 2012 at 1stBank Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane in Broomfield. New Year’s Eve is sold out, but tickets for the other two nights are still available at press time. Tickets are $55-$60, available from TicketHorse. Doors at 6:30 PM nightly; shows start at 7:30. These are all-ages shows!

THE PHOTO ATLAS, DEC. 31 @ THE WALNUT ROOM

Local dance/punk outfit The Photo Atlas are headlining at The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St. in Denver. Openers include Monroe Monroe, The Foot. and Strange Kids. Tickets are $5 each, available from The Walnut Room. Service charge may apply. Doors at 8:00 PM. Ages 21+.

THE SAMPLES, DEC. 31 @ HERMAN’S HIDEAWAY

The Samples‘ New Year’s Eve Show will take place at Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway in Denver. Also appearing are On Second Thought (reunion performance!) and Highway 50. Tickets start at $25 (tables can be reserved for up to $240), available from Herman’s Hideaway. Service charges may apply. Doors at 7:00 PM; show starts at 7:30. Ages 21+.

Stay safe, and Happy New Year!

Born In the Flood & More: Denver Live Music Weekend Picks Dec. 21-22

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Dec 212012
 

It’s December 21. Everyone still here? Good. If you’re in Denver looking for some great live shows to attend to celebrate the world not ending, here are a few suggestions to narrow down the many choices available. Here you go…

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21

Local fans who remember Nathaniel Rateliff’s early band Born In the Flood (before he “went national”) are in for a rare treat: Born In the Flood is reuniting for a special holiday show tonight at the Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway in Englewood–along with Nathan & Stephen and In the Whale. Tickets are $18, available from the Gothic Theatre. Service charge may apply. Doors at 7:00 PM; show starts at 8:00. Ages 16+.

Colorado-based national pop act OneRepublic is headlining “Denver Acoustic Christmas: A Concert For Charity” at the Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax in Denver. Also appearing are Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Flobots and Zach Heckendorf. Proceeds will go toward Children’s Hospital, Food Bank of the Rockies and Denver Santa Claus Shop. Lower-tier admission tickets are sold out, but General Admission tickets are still available at press time for $85 each through AXS; also, VIP tickets (including a meet-and-greet with OneRepublic) are still available for $150 each here. Service charges apply. Doors at 6:00 PM; show starts at 7:00. Ages 16+.

SATURDAY, DECMEBER 22

Channel 93.3’s annual Hometown For the Holidays local band competition finale show will take place Saturday night at Casselman’s, 2620 Walnut Street in Denver. The Top 10 Bands (listed below) were announced at Not So Silent Night 2012 last week; the Top 3 (tba Friday at 5:00 PM on Channel 93.3) will perform at Casselman’s, at which time the winner will be announced and prizes awarded. Doors to this show open at 7:30 PM, but it is a FREE show, so get there early to get a place in the building. Ages 21+.

The Top 10 bands for this year’s Hometown for the Holidays are:

My Body Sings Electric
NAVY
Reno Divorce
Monroe Monroe
Rachel and the Kings
Chemistry Club
Vetta Star
The Photo Atlas
MEDIC
Foxfield Four

Have a great weekend!

Denver Says Goodbye (For Now) to Ayo Awosika

 upcoming events  1 Response »
Dec 202012
 

If you are in Denver and haven’t heard Ayo Awosika perform yet–first of all, where have you been? Secondly–tonight (Dec. 20) is your last chance to hear her perform live with her band for awhile. And not because the world is ending tomorrow.

If you have heard Ayo Awosika perform–you know what Denver is losing.

Tonight, the Boulder-based jazz/soul vocalist will be performing a farewell show at Leon, 1112 E. 17th Avenue in Denver, before a career move to New York City. Besides performing with her band, Ayo will have a little help from her friends–people like Megan Burtt, David Rynhart, Kim Dawson, Julia Afton, Natalie Tate and others. Artist Forrest Morrison will also be painting live during the performance. The show starts at 7:30 PM, is all ages, and the cost is $10.

Denver’s loss is definitely NYC’s gain. Do your best to support one of our town’s most talented musical artists, and come out to the show if you can.

 

Air Dubai, Glowing House & More: Denver Live Music Weekend Picks Dec. 14-15

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Dec 142012
 

It’s a busy weekend for great live music here in Denver, and not-so-good news for people who weren’t quick to get tickets. Grace Potter/Gavin DeGraw at the Gothic, Trace Bundy in Boulder, and Big Head Todd & the Monsters (at both Herman’s and at Boulder Theater) would have all made this weekend’s picks, but all of those shows are already sold out. (Dang.) However, I’ve managed to scrape and find a few great shows in this weekend’s picks for which tickets are still available. But I’d hurry if I were you.

FRIDAY, DEC. 14

Boulder-based a capella vocal rock band FACE is hosting a holiday show at the Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 E. 1st St. in Denver. (NOTE: Only a few tickets left at press time.) Tickets are $18 each, available from Soiled Dove Underground. Doors at 7:00 PM; show starts at 8:00. This is an all-ages show!

The “Sounds on 29th Fest,” an event showcasing local talent, is happening at the Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Featured acts include FaceMan, The Knew, The Outfit, and The Raven and the Writing Desk. Tickets are $8 each, available from the Hi-Dive. Service charge may apply. Doors at 8:00 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 21+.

SATURDAY, DEC. 15

Local hip-hop/rock act Air Dubai (who announced at last night’s Not So Silent Night show that they have recently signed to Hopeless Records) will headline at the Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax in Denver. Also appearing are Tone Loc, SuperVision and Flashlights. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 day of show, available through Ogden Theatre. Service charges apply. Doors at 8:00 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 16+.

Denver indie-folk acts Patrick Dethlefs and Glowing House are co-headlining a show at Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall, 71 East Yale in Denver. Also appearing is Anthony Ruptak. Tickets are $14 advance, $16 day of show, available from Swallow Hill. Discounts apply for Swallow Hill members. Show starts at 8:00 PM, all ages.

Local indie-rock act The Canopy are headlining a show at the Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Opening acts include Places and Words In Flight. Tickets are $6 each, available from the Hi-Dive; service charge may apply. Doors at 8:00 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 21+.

Have a great weekend!

Coles Whalen, The Yawpers & More: Denver Live Music Weekend Picks Dec. 7-8

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Dec 072012
 

Need a little help figuring out which live shows to catch this weekend in Denver? Oh, all right. Here are some suggestions for you. :)

FRIDAY, DEC. 7

Local singer-songwriter Coles Whalen is headlining at Casselman’s, 2620 Walnut Street in Denver. Opening acts include Meesha Reynolds and Olivia Rudeen. Tickets are $10 each, available from Casselman’s. Service charge may apply. Doors at 7:00 PM. Ages 18+.

Punk act NOFX are making a tour stop at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson Street in Denver. Opening the show are Teenage Bottlerocket and Elway. Tickets are $25 plus service charge, available from LiveNation. Doors at 6:00 PM. Ages 16+.

SATURDAY, DEC. 8

Local indie-rockers Monroe Monroe are having an EP release show at the Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Also appearing are My Body Sings Electric, Common Anomaly and Swing Hero. Tickets are $8 each, available from the Hi-Dive. Service charge may apply. Doors at 8:00 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 21+.

Denver Americana/rock act The Yawpers are playing at the Little Bear Saloon, 27895 Hwy 74 in downtown Evergreen. $10 cover at the door; band goes on at 9:00 PM. Ages 21+.

Happy weekend!

The Swayback: Keepin’ “Double Four Time”

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Dec 022012
 

Just when you think you have your finger on the pulse of a music scene–something broadsides you and makes you feel like you don’t know nothin’.

So I finally take some time to catch up on my “listening stack”–the records I’m supposed to listen to but haven’t got around to yet–and I come across Double Four Time by Denver alt-rock band The Swayback. It’s a record they released back in July. I’d been hearing the name of this band around town for awhile, so I press play.

By the third song, I’m feeling really, really dumb for not mentioning these guys earlier. Where the crap have I been?

I hear a lot of bands with potential, but it’s a rarity that song after song on a record stirs me up, even on major releases. But that’s what I experienced listening to Double Four Time. Great guitar riffs, solid drum/bass lines, and Eric Halborg has that almost intangible quality with his voice that makes him practically perfect as a frontman.

It’s hard to pin down the band’s sound, mainly because they seem to draw influence from every season of rock from the ’60s to the ’90s. I hear some Beatles in there, as well as some Stones–and I suppose that makes sense given that the band tapped Andy Johns (who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin, among others) to produce Double Four Time. But however you categorize them, The Swayback just makes consistent, really good rock & roll. Definitely worth a listen or five.

I honestly had a hard time deciding what to share from the record, but I finally settled on a music video I found for “Die Finks,” and below that an embed for “Steamrolling” from The Swayback’s Bandcamp page. See what you think!