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.
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+.
The weekend in Denver is filled with live music, as usual. If you need a bit of help narrowing it down, here are just a few (not all) of the more promising gigs happening in town this weekend.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19
Boulder Americana/rock act The Yawpers are having a CD release show at the Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Opening acts include Eldren and West Water Outlaws. Tickets are $7 each (plus service charge), available from the Hi-Dive. Doors at 8:0o PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 21+.
For those looking for information on Elephant Revival tonight at the Soiled Dove Underground, or tomorrow night at Swallow Hill–both shows are sold out. Sorry.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20
Local rockers I’m A Boy will host a CD release show at Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway in Denver. Also performing are Thief River, Fleeting Matters, Medicine Jones and Joey Michel. Tickets are $4 advance, $8 day of show, available from Herman’s. Doors at 6:00 PM; music starts at 6:30. Ages 21+.
Folk singer/songwriter Danielle Ate the Sandwich (formerly from Ft. Collins) is headlining a show at The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St. in Denver. Opening act is local soul/jazz vocalist Ayo Awosika. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of show, available through the Walnut Room. Doors at 7:00 PM; ages 21+.
It’s a busy weekend for live music in Denver, with several of the city’s hottest acts releasing CDs this weekend. If you’re looking for some great shows in town this weekend, we’ve got your hook-up here. Here are just a few of them:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
Local punk band Reno Divorce is headlining at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax in Denver. Opening acts include King Rat, Falstaff and The Pinup Boys. Tickets are $9.33 advance, $12 at the door, available from Bluebird Theater. Doors at 8:30 PM; show starts at 9:00. Ages 16+.
Local indie-rock band Kissing Party is playing at the Meadowlark Bar, 2701 Larimer St. in Denver. Also performing are WhiteCatPink and Dark Blue Dark Green. (Kissing Party must have missed the memo about “Bands-named-after-multiple-colors Night” at the Meadowlark. Anyhow.) Cover charge is $7 at the door; music starts at 9:00 PM. Ages 21+.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
Denver funk-rock band Bop Skizzum is having a CD release show for their new album Coloradical at the Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway in Englewood. Opening acts include Rachel & the Kings, Rebel Tongue, In the Whale and Dakar. Tickets are $10 advance, $15 day of show, available from Gothic Theatre. Doors at 7:00 PM. This is an all-ages show!
Indie-rockers The Epilogues are hosting a CD release show for their new album Cinematics at Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St. in downtown Denver. Openers include Darling Thieves, My Body Sings Electric and Take to the Oars. Tickets are $13 advance, $15 at the door, available from Soda Jerk Presents. Doors at 7:00 PM. This is an all-ages show!
We have a busy weekend in store here in Denver–lots of great live music happening, with both local and touring acts–from new A&M Octone signees Churchill to indie-folk artist Mindy Smith, and others. Here are just a few of the more promising shows to see this weekend.
P-NUCKLE @ HERMAN’S HIDEWAY (Fri., Sept. 28)
Local reggae act P-Nuckle is headlining tonight at Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway in Denver. Also appearing are Anxious, Something Underground, Birch Street and O.T.I.S. Tickets range from $10 General Admission to $120 VIP packages, available from Herman’s. Doors at 7:00 PM; music starts at 7:30. Ages 21+.
CHURCHILL @ BLUEBIRD THEATER (Sept. 29-30)
Denver folk-rock band Churchill (recently signed to A&M Octone) are playing a two-night stint at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax in Denver. Sept. 29 was sold out, but Bluebird reportedly has released a few more tickets at press time. Opening acts for Saturday include You, Me & Apollo and JJ Matott and the Arctic; Sunday’s openers are Barcelona and Navy. Tickets are $10-$15 each, available through Bluebird Theater. Doors at 8:00 PM Saturday, 7:00 PM Sunday. Ages 16+.
DISPATCH/GOOD OLD WAR @ 1STBANK CENTER (Sat., Sept.29)
Indie-roots band Dispatch is making a tour stop at 1stBank Center, 14450 Broomfield Lane in Broomfield. Opening the show is Good Old War. Tickets are $46 advance, $50 day of show, available from TicketHorse. Service fees may apply. Doors at 7:00 PM; show starts at 8:00. This is an all-ages show! (NOTE: Dispatch’s scheduled Sept. 28 show was rolled over into Sept. 29, and all tickets purchased for Sept. 28 will be honored.)
THE SAY SO @ MARQUIS THEATER (Sat., Sept. 29)
Local indie-rockers The Say So will be having a farewell show at The Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer in downtown Denver. Opening acts include Vetta Star, Viretta and Hear Me Out. Tickets are $8 advance, $10 day of show, available from Soda Jerk Presents. Doors at 7:00 PM. This is an all-ages show!
MINDY SMITH @ SWALLOW HILL (Sun., Sept. 30)
Americana singer/songwriter Mindy Smith (made famous by her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and hits “Come To Jesus” and “If I Didn’t Know Any Better”) will be making a tour stop at Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall, 70 E. Yale in Denver. Opening the show is Peter Bradley Adams. Tickets are $22 advance, $24 day of show, available from Swallow Hill. Discount available for Swallow Hill Members. Show starts at 7:00 PM. This is an all-ages show!
Here’s a video of Mindy Smith’s latest single “Closer” to tide you over. Have a great weekend!
Next weekend, the Baker district of Denver will be flooded with thousands of music fans who have come to see over 350 indie acts perform on over a dozen stages over a 4-day period. The event? The Denver Post Underground Music Showcase, which happens July 19-22.
Hailed by many as Denver’s answer to SXSW, the UMS is the region’s largest summer indie music festival, a healthy blend of touring acts and plenty of great local talent. Among the out-of-town acts on this year’s lineup are Atlas Sound, The Melismatics, A Place To Bury Strangers, Desert Noises, Maudlin, Mrs. Magician and many others. As for the local acts, I’ve covered many of them on this here blog, and will be previewing several of them over the next several days.
If you’re an indie music fan, it’s worth the trip to Denver to come check out some of the best indie acts in the country. Perhaps the best part about the UMS is the price: four-day wristbands are only $40 ($50 on opening day). For all the info, check out the UMS website.
Local Denver band Vices I Admire, an alternative indie band recently voted into the Top 12 Bands for Channel 93.3’s Hometown for the Holidays, is headlining a concert tonight at the Bluebird Theater to celebrate the release of their sophomore CD release, The Politics of Apathy. Concert starts at 8:00 pm, ages 16+. Tickets are $10 at the door, but if you present a ticket pre-printed from their website http://www.vicesiadmire.com/, admission is $5.
Drummer Mark Towne was kind enough to have coffee with me to talk about the band and their CD release and overall direction. The thing that impressed me most was their work ethic and dedication to make the band a success. They treat it like a business, to say the least–practicing five nights a week, doing their own promotion and publicity. Very professional, if you ask me.
And their music isn’t half bad, either.
These guys are worth a listen. Go check them out tonight, if you get a chance, and see what you think.
Just a couple of hot-picks this weekend–keeping it brief between being overloaded with work and under the weather. But if you’re a fan of Denver locals, you’ll like these picks:
Friday, December 11 Popular local indie band Vonnegut, Westword Magazine’s pick for Best Modern Rock Band 2008, is playing at the Hi-Dive Friday night, along with Dualistics and White Leather. Tickets are $6.00, available from the Hi-Dive website. Hi-Dive is located at 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Show starts at 8:00 PM. Ages 21+.
Saturday, December 12 A few weeks ago, I reviewed newcomers Churchill and their surprising performance as the opener for The Rouge. Saturday night, they’re the headliner. They’re playing at the Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. in Denver. Also appearing: Faceman, Lisa Gungor, and Chris McGarry and the Insomniacs. Presented by Radio 1190’s Local Shakedown, festivities start at 9:00 PM. Ages 21+. (Churchill is also one of the Top 12 bands in coompetition for the Top 3 slots in Channel 93.3’s Hometown for the Holidays concert.)
Bigwheel Electrosoul, an active Denver band combining soul and electronica, has been invited to participate in the first ever Japan Music Week, an international music festival taking place in Tokyo November 9 through 15. To represent Denver and Colorado for the event, they need to raise their own funds, and they are asking you, the public, for your help….
Here are some possibilities for catching a good show this weekend in Denver…
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
Relient K (with Copeland and Barcelona) Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver Tickets $16.25/$20.00, available from Ticketmaster.com. Ages 16+. Show starts at 8:00 PM.
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.
