Yo La Tengo at the Boulder Theater, 5-21-13 (photos, review) |Check It >>

When you walk into a show that is advertised as “An Evening with” you ought to expect something out of the ordinary, which is exactly what veteran indie-rock band Yo La Tengo delivered at the Boulder Theater Tuesday night. With around 30 years experience and 13 albums to its name, Yo Le Tango has continually been a favorite of critics and fans with a sprawling, eclectic brand of music. However,...

Watch Sarah Silverman’s song with will.i.am, “Perfect Night” |Check It >>

Sarah Silverman and will.i.am have released a song about staying in. Comedian Sarah Silverman‘s idea of a perfect night doesn’t involve bumping beats at a club, expensive cars or an excess of drugs and alcohol. Rather, Silverman reaches out to the lazy homebody in all of us with her newly released single “Perfect Night,” featuring Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. The song...

Vampire Weekend at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 5-20-13 (photos, review) |Check It >>

When Vampire Weekend first played Red Rocks shortly after the release of their self-titled, debut album, the band was humbled, misty eyed even, in front of the hulking mountain venue. And in terms of attitude, Vampire Weekend didn’t seem much different on Monday in front of a sold out amphitheater — it’s not becoming of the scholarly Columbia boys to show a big ego. (more…)

Telekinesis at the Hi-Dive, 5-20-13 (review) |Check It >>

Michael Benjamin Lerner and his band Telekinesis drew an unusually large crowd for a Monday night at the Hi-Dive. The Seattle five piece played just under an hour of pre-psychedelic, Beatles-esque indie-pop to a nearly filled house, while most everyone sang along. Lerner sat wrapped in his drum kit at the front of the stage. Surrounded by the band, he belted out sweet bits of emotional pop with hooks...

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Gothic Theatre, 5-20-13 (photos) |Check It >>

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club returned to the Gothic Theatre on Monday. In recent years, the band has transitioned to a brighter, more straight-forward brand of rock. This new sound played well at the packed house in Englewood. The band is touring in support of its March release, “Specter at the Feast.” ...

The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek has died at 74 |Check It >>

Ray Manzarek of The Doors performs at the Sunset Strip Music Festival launch party celebrating The Doors at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, Calif. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP BY CHRIS TALBOTT  AP MUSIC WRITER Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of the Doors, has died. He was 74. Publicist...

Watch: Queens of the Stone Age release full “… Like Clockwork” film |Check It >>

Queens of the Stone Age have been on a visual tear dropping videos for their new album, ” … Like Clockwork,” and now they’ve added one more to the list. (more…)

Steal This Track from the Baltic |Check It >>

Almost out of high school, The Baltic sound mature beyond their years. Photo by Jenn LaVista. Forget about the Billboard Music Awards. We’ve got Colorado music from shoegaze-rock power trio the Baltic for you to steal. When musicians pick up their instrument for the first time, they tend to imitate those they admire. And why not? For most, it’s a love of listening that leads to playing....

Black Moth Super Rainbow at the Bluebird Theater, 5-17-13 (photos, review) |Check It >>

As Black Moth Super Rainbow’s mastermind Tom Fec told Reverb, the decade-old band can sometimes have a problem with perception. In the past the group has been looked to as a psych-flag bearing, love drug-encouraging act. Fec’s never seen Black Moth Super Rainbow that way, and after the band’s set at the Bluebird Theater Friday night, it’s easy to see why. (more…)
Sarah Silverman and will.i.am have released a song about staying in.

Sarah Silverman teams with will.i.am for her new song all about why her "Perfect Night" involves ordering food and staying in.

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Vampire Weekend @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

We have some indie bands, young and old, along with electronic acts and and reliable rock groups in our choices for Colorado's best shows this week.

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The Lumineers and Joe Pug at the Bluebird

The Lumineers stop by Uneven Studio to record a four-song session, including an exclusive version of the platinum-selling "Ho Hey"

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Yo La Tengo at the Boulder Theater, 5-21-13 (photos, review)

Yo La Tengo plays the Boulder Theater on 5/21/13.

Yo La Tengo plays at the Boulder Theater on May 21, 2013. Photos by Michael McGrath, heyreverb.com.

When you walk into a show that is advertised as “An Evening with” you ought to expect something out of the ordinary, which is exactly what veteran indie-rock band Yo La Tengo delivered at the Boulder Theater Tuesday night.

With around 30 years experience and 13 albums to its name, Yo Le Tango has continually been a favorite of critics and fans with a sprawling, eclectic brand of music. However, even for a band known for unpredictability and range of sound, they stepped onto the stage at the Boulder Theater in a unexpectedly quiet manner, with just two acoustic guitars and a snare brush.

Read more…

Album review: Daft Punk, “Random Access Memories”

Daft Punk's long-awaited new album "Random Access Memories" comes out on Tuesday.

Daft Punk, “Random Access Memories”

It’s no easy feat to listen to Daft Punk and set aside the French duo’s genius for marketing. A carefully woven narrative of science fiction combined with a strategically executed, consumer-teasing campaign has propelled the release of “Random Access Memories” into a cultural event.

For Daft Punk’s first proper release since 2005’s “Human After All,” the electronic dance duo that influenced everyone from Skrillex to Kanye West has abandoned sampling for live instrumentation. A bold artistic decision and smart marketing ploy for artists who inspired a generation of one-man, laptop bands.

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The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek has died at 74

Ray Manzarek of The Doors performs at the Sunset Strip Music Festival launch party celebrating The Doors at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, Calif. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Ray Manzarek of The Doors performs at the Sunset Strip Music Festival launch party celebrating The Doors at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, Calif. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

BY CHRIS TALBOTT 
AP MUSIC WRITER

Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of the Doors, has died. He was 74.

Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. He had been stricken by bile duct cancer.

Manzarek founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock `n’ roll acts to emerge from the 1960s and continues to resonate with fans decades after Morrison’s death brought the band to an end.

The Chicago native continued to remain active in music after Morrison’s 1971 death. He briefly tried to hold the band together by serving as vocalist, but eventually the group fell apart. He played in other bands over the years, produced other acts, became an author and worked on films.

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