Headlights’ Erin Fein (left) proved more compelling than a three-alarm fire. Photos by Doug Beam.
A burning building sucked some of the heat from the bands on stage at the Hi-Dive on Thursday — which wasn’t much of a surprise, considering how most of the music gave us little reason to stay glued there.
And, as we all know, fires are cool.
Ostensibly there to see Headlights and openers Evangelicals and Blue Million Miles, the restless drunks at the South Broadway venue showed their colors when word got [...]

Channeling the boozy energy of the Replacements’ is nearly impossible, but the Cribs did a fine job trying Friday. Photos by Laurie Scavo.
For three minutes on Friday, the Replacements lived on in the sweaty, messy young passion of British bros the Cribs. “Bastards of Young” was always meant to be, yes, sung by the young, and when young Ryan Jarman started screeching the song’s trademark outro, “Young, take it, it’s yours … ” (repeat 16X), he tapped into an adolescent fury that Paul Westerberg himself [...]

Despite the delayed satisfaction, Etta James eventually pleased the crowd at the Paramount on Saturday. Denver Post file photo from 2007.
Looking trim and acting spry, Etta James visited the Paramount Theatre Saturday for a show dominated by crowd-pleasing covers and one must-sing classic.
Just after 9 p.m. and a rousing acoustic blues set by Alvin Youngblood Hart, this near-capacity crowd was informed that “Miss James is in the building.” But she was not on stage. Instead her nine-piece Roots Band launched into a three-song funk ear-gasm [...]

Ra Ra Riot’s infectious energy connected with the Larimer Lounge crowd on Friday. Photos by Laurie Scavo.
Die-hard fans made themselves known at the Larimer Lounge Friday night at the double-fisted, first-rate show featuring Ra Ra Riot, the Cribs and opening act Jeffery Lewis, presented by the 2008 Monolith Music Festival. The swarm remained in a steady state of stimulation and merriment as each band casting its long lines of high energy pop melody — mixed, of course, with plenty of drinks.
New York-based Ra Ra Riot [...]

A sparse crowd didn’t dampen Mick Jones’ spirits at the Bluebird on Thursday. Photos and text by Matt Schild.
In Carbon/Silicon’s lead single, “The News,” front man Mick Jones bubbles with optimism: “Good morning, here’s the news/And all of it is good,” he croons in the song’s chorus. It’s the sort of feel-good sunshine that’s almost too saccharine for the charitable fans to swallow when it pumps out of the band’s debut, this year’s “The Last Post.”
Seeing the onetime Clash guitarist and Big Audio Dynamite main [...]

Explosions in the Sky brought Biblical fury to their Wednesday night Ogden set. Photos and words by Julio Enriquez.
The pride of Austin, Texas made their first Denver appearance at the Ogden Theatre in over seven years. What is more surprising is that the group sold out the Ogden on a school night. Perhaps we can attribute the capacity crowd at Explosions in the Sky on Wednesday to Spring Break?
Despite the stifling heat that swarmed the theater, the atmospheric instrumental act surged to momentous highs and [...]

Dengue Fever intrigued but didn’t blow away a packed Hi-Dive on Wednesday. Photos by Doug Beam.
In a world ruled by immediacy, snobbery and buzz, it’s sometimes sacrilegious to admit your dislike of the hot indie band of the moment.
Rewind a couple nights: I saw my friend Erica at the Justice afterhours party, and I asked her if she made the concert earlier that night at the Ogden.
“Nah, I’m not a fan.”
“Really? But …” I wanted to defend this band that had just owned a capacity [...]

Up for a psychedelic road show? You should have seen Black Moth Super Rainbow at the Oriental on Tuesday. Photos by Doug Beam.
Understandably, there are plenty of shows to be had most nights of the week, and it’s sometimes hard to find your way over to the Oriental Theater. But as it stands, it is one of the best stages in town. Last Tuesday the theater attracted about 150 people for the electro-eccentric-pop headlining act Black Moth Super Rainbow.
Like its name, this is the [...]

TJ Lipple plays the keyboard real purty-like. Photo and words by Loren Speer.
Used as a greeting and a farewell in the Hawaiian language, one got the impression that Aloha intended the full meaning of their name — musically inviting, but with their body language and facial expressions they communicated an anxiety for a quick farewell.
Aloha took musicianship to dizzying heights on Tuesday night at the Hi-Dive in front of modestly populated, all-ages crowd. They played each song with a kind of sobriety reserved for the [...]

Live review: Paul F. Tompkins @ the Oriental Theater