3 the Hardway — part of what made Colorado music great in 2009.
I’ve never been fond of writing year-end wrap-ups. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the fact that I feel like a fraud when I call out my favorite records of the year, knowing that I only heard 1 percent of all the music that came out. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m too indecisive. Or maybe it’s just that I can’t remember which records came out in 2009 and which ones [...]

STS9 playing acoustically? It’s rare, but it happens. Photo by Evan Semon.
Electronic jam band band STS9 performed a rare all-acoustic set Tuesday evening to a capacity crowd at the Newman Center on the campus of the University of Denver, with the show being the first of three in Denver to close out 2009. Fan faithful from across the country converged on Denver to watch STS9 combine their cinematic, thematic music with dramatic stage lighting. STS9 did not disappoint with their two-hour set at the University [...]

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Yonder Mountain switched up venues from the previous night, but still played an energetic, inventive set at the Fillmore on Wednesday. Photo by Marla Keown.
You know it’s a good jam band show when you look around and can’t tell if the blissed out smiles are from chemical concoctions or the ferocity of the music (well, except for that one guy in front of me; that was clearly chemicals).
Yonder Mountain String Band played the Fillmore Wednesday night as part of a three-night run that [...]

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The sardine-packed fans of Yonder Mountain String Band gave the show a lively energy on Tuesday. Photo by Brian Carney.
There’s something irrepressible about Yonder Mountain String Band. It doesn’t matter how tired you are, or how annoyed or depressed or worn down; once the upbeat twang of Dave Johnston’s banjo and Jeff Austin’s mandolin hits you, you’re dancing up a storm.
Yonder Mountain kicked off their New Year’s run Tuesday night at a beyond-packed Boulder Theater. It almost seemed as though people had been [...]

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It may have been frigid the day after Christmas, but guitarist Leo Nocentelli brought the heat to Boulder’s Fox Theatre. Photo by Joshua Elioseff.
Considering the bone-chilling conditions outside, Hot Soup seemed an appropriate opener for the Saturday show at the Fox Theatre. The Boulder band brought the funk with some originals and ended their set with a bit of Lou Reed. New Orleans funk guitarist Leo Nocentelli continued the momentum for the small, tryptophan-laced crowd, his band featuring homegrown favorite-turned-Georgia-resident CR Gruver of [...]

The Getdown! rocks the Lion’s Lair. Photo by Jay Vollmar
Here at Reverb, we know it’s not enough to simply read about Denver’s best local bands — you’ve got to HEAR them. That’s why, every single Tuesday, without fail, Steal This Track brings you 100 percent local music downloads that are 100 percent free. Bookmark this page. Subscribe to the RSS feed. Set your alarm. Do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t miss your weekly chance to reach into our goodie bag.
This week, we [...]

Jeff Linsenmaier kicked up plenty of gentle dust with only Tim Husmann backing him up on Sunday. Photo by John Moore.
Sunday saw the return of Erin Roberts (a.k.a. Porlolo) to Denver for a holiday visit, affording the opportunity for her to gather with friends Roger Green and a two-man version of Dust on the Breakers (Jeff Linsenmaier and Tim Husmann) for a lilting, mellow boutique-style evening of acclaimed songwriters at Ubisubusi, otherwise known as the basement of the Thin Man.
It was a playful yet [...]

Reverb contributors at our holiday party earlier this month. From left-right, front row: Joshua Elioseff, Jackie Lomibao, Denise Chambers, Jeremy Simon. Middle: Eryc Eyl, Tina Hagerling, Jennifer Cohen. Middle-back: Jason Blevins, Erica Grossman, Joe McCabe. Back: Ricardo Baca, John Wenzel, Candace Horgan.
Yes, 2008 was an underwhelming year in music. But 2009 more than made up for it, giving us music from brilliant new artists and established bands alike. Not only were we presented with many great singles, but many artists succeeded in making whole albums [...]

Mike Marchant wishes you happy holidays. Photo by Stephanie Borgman
At this time of year, many of us turn our thoughts to doing some good for others. This can take the form of volunteering at a homeless shelter, buying presents for a family in need or even just dropping some change in the bellringer’s kettle. These gestures make us feel good, and they also help other folks out, if only briefly.
Of course, the real trick — something I’ve been trying to figure out for awhile — [...]

Get tangled up (well, maybe not literally) in seasonal tunes with the accomplished players of the Denver Brass.
There’s a reason why tiny, shiny French horns and trumpets and trombones find favor as traditional Christmas ornaments: Brass instruments lend themselves to proclaiming Christmas music —traditional and otherwise.
Last night at the University of Denver’s elegant and intimate Newman Center, the instruments of the Denver Brass looked especially sparkly, reflecting twinkling Christmas lights strewn overhead and around the bandstands on stage. For their concert billed as “The [...]