A unique combination of ambition and generosity drive singer-songwriter Stephen Marcus forward.
Sometimes, you have to give back to go forward. Singer-songwriter Stephen Marcus traces the beginnings of his music career back to the Crested Butte Arts Center, and now he wants to repay the favor.
In the tradition of great songwriters, Marcus plays simple, honest, folk-inflected music, with careful attention to lyrical details and very little clutter. Songs like “Rotate My Mind” and “If the Phone Ain’t Ringing” recall the road-roughened melodies and world-weary wit of [...]

[insertReverbPhoto id="90609" photo="40"]
Mellow as they may have been, Ben Gibbard (far left) and Jay Farrar (far right) and their band turned out a remarkable evening of music at the Boulder Theater on Tuesday. Photo by Julio Enriquez.
Who would have guessed that America’s greatest roadhouse band would play the Boulder Theater on a Tuesday night?
Introducing themselves as “a make-believe band,” Ben Gibbard welcomed the sold-out audience by rocking through one of the best shows of the last couple years with nary a break. Gibbard, best known [...]

Jenny Lewis, seen here playing the Bluebird Theater in 2008, will come back to Colorado this summer for a gig at the excellent Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. Photo by Lucia De Giovanni.
The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival is one of our favorite Colorado music events. The good folks at Planet Bluegrass know how to craft a festival line-up that is both crowd-pleasing and interesting — something they continue to prove year after year.
This year will be no different. The festival, Aug. 13-15 in Lyons at the [...]

Developer Paul Tamburello has some fun on the roof of the former Olinger mortuary in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood. Tamburello envisions the spot as a place where neighborhood residents can enjoy live music, movies and other activities. (Judy DeHaas, The Denver Post)
By Margaret Jackson
Denver developer Paul Tamburello is starting the next phase of redevelopment of the old Olinger mortuary in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood.
Tamburello and partner Stephanie Garcia paid $2.1 million for the remainder of the Olinger mortuary complex at West 30th Avenue and Tejon [...]

CD reviews: Lady Antebellum, Spoon, Beach House

Sam McNitt of Rowboat. Photo by Ian McDonnell.
Look at you! You made it past the grind and gristle of Monday, and it’s Tuesday already. You’re well on your way toward the weekend. To celebrate, Reverb would like to give you what we always give on Tuesdays: free music!
That’s right. Every week, we survey some of the loudest, quietest, saddest, happiest, weirdest, safest music that Colorado has to offer, and we select one track to give to you, lucky reader. Steal This Track is all about [...]

[insertReverbPhoto id="90038" photo="9"]
Is Alberta Cross already on its way to bigger venues? They will be if they keep pleasing rowdy crowds — like the one at the Larimer on Saturday. Photo by Michael McGrath.
New York-based Alberta Cross brought their classic-rock sound, fortified by the energy of earnest young men, to Denver’s Larimer Lounge on Saturday. The band, in their first Denver appearance, was warmly received by a rowdy Larimer crowd. Charismatic frontman Petter Ericson Stakee led the band through a set that wove in and [...]

Nick Jonas’ band the Administration includes members of Prince’s New Power Generation. Seriously.
Ever wonder if you have what it takes to be a Nick Jonas fan? If so, ask yourself these questions: 1. Can my shriek rise to the level needed to damage a human ear? 2. Am I willing to scream the words “I love you Nick!” after completing step 1? And finally, 3. Am I willing to repeat steps 1 and 2 even when not really appropriate?
If you answered “yes” to the questions [...]

Hayley Helmericks sings with her former band, Monofog. Reverb file photo by Doug Beam.
For the official release of their EP at the Hi-Dive on Friday, Denver band Snake Rattle Rattle Snake were joined by friends Cannon(s) and Treeverb, both of whom were playing their very first live shows. The show was well on its way to selling out by the time it got started, a credit to the immense talent of all the bands on the bill.

[insertReverbPhoto id="90198" photo="1"]
The crowd at the Meadowlark got up close and personal with Git Some on Thursday. Photo by Brian Carney.
Luke Fairchild may sport a somewhat diminutive frame, but his over-the-top vocals and wild gesticulations more than make up for it. Thursday night in front of Git Some, he screamed vindication and vengeance from behind an impressive beard, ball cap pulled low over his eyes, body tense and taut, one giant muscle. His voice was really more an instrument that added to the band’s explosive [...]