Fray singer Isaac Slade holds the mic to the audience during his band’s Day 2 headlining set of the Mile High Music Festival. Photo by Tina Hagerling.
Day 2 of Mile High Music Festival had, as one apparently tripped-out dude at the Fray show told me, “much better energy than the first day.” Maybe, but the grounds were considerably less crowded than on Day 1, when prog-metal masters Tool headlined. Of course, strong performances from locals Paper Bird, DeVotchKa, 3OH!3 and a headlining set from the [...]

What is Blitzen Trapper, beyond a form to contain multiple genres? A damn good band, that’s what. Photo of previous show by Jade Harris, via the band’s MySpace profile.
It’s difficult to pin the Oregon-based Blitzen Trapper to any one music style. Are they indie rock? Progressive? Folk? Alt-country? Just when you thought they were all about new Americana they hit you with a lunar sound effect and a hard rock guitar. It’s almost as if they are Johnny in the movie “Dirty Dancing” saying, “Nobody [...]

Get to know Mike Marchant of the Widowers, the Hollyfelds, Andrea Ball, Jacob Hansen of the Knew — and their hair, as they are interviewed by Denver Post pop music critic (and Reverb co-editor Ricardo Baca), also executive producer of the 2009 Denver Post Underground Music Showcase.
Videographer: Matthew Luschek.
Kate and Eryn of the Hollyfelds

Ben Gibbard, seen here headlining Red Rocks Amphitheatre last week, is still pumping out the jams. Photos by Denise Chambers.
What I love about Death Cab For Cutie: They’re a four-piece that writes music as a four-piece and plays as a four-piece.
What’s the point of being a four-piece but touring with two extra members? That mysterious keys player who shows up every couple songs? A bit over adventurous in the studio, were we? Death Cab is one of the most popular indie rock bands in the [...]

Tool performs against a macabre visual backdrop on the first night of the Mile High Music Festival. Photo by Mark Osler.
Now that the dust has cleared and tents have been taken down, we can look back with some clarity on the smaller-than-anticipated (but still relatively big) event that was the second annual Mile High Music Festival, which took place Saturday and Sunday on the soccer fields surrounding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. Headliners Tool, the Fray and Widespread Panic were joined by a [...]

Live review: Joan Baez @ Denver Botanic Gardens

Oh, Snoop. How can we approach thine bejeweled chalice? Photos by Joe McCabe.
Snoop Dogg opened up the Blazed and Confused Tour at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Slightly Stoopid last Wednesday with a short but sweet set. Covering most of his hits from the past, Snoop worked the crowd into a a frenzy and was the prefect setup man for San Diego rockers Slightly Stoopid. By the time the band took the stage, the crowd was more than ready for their dubby blend of reggae, hip-hop [...]

Frontside Five tears it up at the Marquis Theater. Photo of previous show Victor Vasquez, via the band’s MySpace profile.
Frontside Five has reached a sort of plateau in skate-punk, which actually involves leaving behind much of the genre’s simplicity in favor of some more complex rhythms, and a slightly more metal edge. The four-piece proved that they’re comfortable with the change last Thursday night at the Marquis, headlining their CD release and summer tour kickoff party.

Ian Cooke performs recently in Denver. Photo by Brian Carney.
Check out Denver Post pop music critic Ricardo Baca’s feature on 2009 poll winner Ian Cooke right here.
Denver Post A&E writer and Reverb co-editor John Wenzel also has the skinny on the top 10 bands, in their own words (with sample video of each band), right here.
The 2009 UMS by the numbers: Complete voting, all the bands, from 1 to 557. Plus the voting panel. Read it here.

Brandon Boyd of Incubus plays at the second annual Mile High Music Festival at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Photos by Robert Castro.