Picking and choosing which concerts to see can be a painstaking process for the die-hard music fan, one that often leaves a stale fear of regret that you may not have chosen wisely. I can relate this emotion to how a parent must feel when asked which of their children is really their favorite, because the answer is always "I love them all!" But in this troubled economy you need to make your dollars stretch. And when the tour season kicks into high gear like this, you may have to abstain and accept that your pockets just ain't deep enough to cover them all! So how do you decide where to go to get the most out of your hard earned cheddar? One suggestion is to do your research, and as I always like to say at Chunks of Change, let the music speak for itself.
My recent experience seeing Passion Pit with Mayer Hawthorne (and Bear Hands) at the Ogden reminded me that going to a show can be as self-gratifying as a 30 minute workout—but with the added bonus of being amongst your friends (and not having to put your gym shorts on)!
In an attempt to inspire, I have listed some of the concerts on my radar that are coming to Denver in the next 30 days. Again, there is a LOT of them, each as quality as the next. There's no way I can make all of these! But the beauty of music is that it is subjective. It is up to your discretion where and when you support it, just as long as you do support it! Westword, The Denver Post, The Onion—these are all great publications double as a resource for local music. Pick one up! Thumb through it! Get the ink on your hands and rejoice in the lost art of the playbill! One fact you can't deny: you will never know far good music has come until you put that Led Zeppelin album of yours on pause (you know who you are) and start experiencing something new for yourself! Go see live music! And don't forget to support your local legends, the bands from your own town that strive to live out their dreams. They are the foundation of the spirit of rock and roll.
With an empty wallet and happy ears,
Chip
@ chunks of change.
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Blue = 100% expect to see me there
Green = Local Legends/Support your local musicians
= Already saw it, check check the "2-cent" live review!
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4/14
Fair To
- 2-cent review: Live, this band sets a new standard for "high-energy." Singer Darroh Sudderth is modern-music's answer to a lost generation of Mike Patton-style frontmen. The entire group manages to walk a fine-line of chaotic-composure. Weaving in-to and out-of bursts of earth-shattering distortion and energy, they exercise perfectly timed dynamics to create the highs and lows of a live experience that you can actually feel, let alone hear. Fair to Midland played on a Wednesday night to an absolutely packed house. A particular favorite of mine is any time the collective voice of an audience actually overpowers the band in singing their choruses. And when a frontman is not too caught up in his own world to encourage the audience's singing, that's what I call a true concert experience. Awesome.
4/16
Michelle Shocked : Swallow Hill, Denver,CO
The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx, Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss, Violent
4/17
The Epilogues: Gothic Theatre, Englewood,CO
4/19
4/20
- 2-cent review: So Phoenix gets a lot of love from Denver. This much I can deduct from from seeing their sold-out show in Denver. They had the Ogden more packed than a drunk-tank on Saint Patty's Day. Live, the band offered honest and powerful renditions of the songs that make their house payments; but they also anted up enough of the music from their 10 year career to imply: we know where we came from. Equal to the size of the crowd in attendance was the size of the band's music. I believe "wall of sound" is the appropriate term. Their sound seemed to fill every spare nook in the venue; and any spot unclaimed was surely consumed by the aurora borealis-grade light show. Phoenix does indeed offer a full spectrum concert experience, complete with audio, visual, and unforgettable.
Dr. Dog, Sean Bones, Giant Cloud: Gothic Theatre, Englewood,CO
4/21
Jonsi, Death Vessel: Paramount Theatre, Denver,CO
Dusty
Julian Casablancas: Ogden Theatre, Denver,CO
4/22
4/23
Designer Drugs,
4/24
Stars of Track and Field, Hurricane Bells: Gothic Theatre, Englewood,CO
5/1
The Pirate Signal: The Marquis Theater, Denver,CO
5/7
5/11
5/12
Heartless Bastards, Hacienda, Amy Cook: The Larimer Lounge, Denver,CO
5/14
Kinetix,
5/15
5/18
5/19
5/21
Local Natives, Suckers: The Larimer Lounge, Denver,CO
