:: The Decemberists :: Paramount Theater :: November 14 :: 

 By Timothy Dwenger

Colin Meloy of The Decemberists has recently had some significant and wonderful changes take place in his life. First, as 2005 drew to a close his band, The Decemberists, took the plunge and signed to Capitol Records. Then, in February of this year, Meloy’s long-time girl-friend, and the one responsible for The Decemberists album art, Carson Ellis gave birth to the couple’s first child, a healthy baby boy. 

“It has irrevocably changed my life, but in a good way. It is really exciting and every day is brand new. There are always new and exciting and terrifying things to deal with, so I am really enjoying it so far,” said Meloy in a recent interview with The Marquee from his home in Portland, Oregon, as he geared up for his first major tour since he became a father. “We did a week and a half in Europe in the spring, and a couple of one-off shows but nothing you could really call a full-on tour since Henry was born.”

Continue — Read more »

:: Panic! At The Disco :: Magness Arena :: November 28 :: 

By Page Bayless 

Love them or hate them, you can’t deny Panic! At the Disco of their big-deal status (or, should I say the biggest deal). Their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, went platinum within a week of its release and has catapulted the foursome to an icon status that is unheard of from a band that has only been playing together for two years. After a sold-out North American tour and five MTV Video Music Award nominations, Panic! At The Disco has made quite a mark on the music scene. If you think otherwise, try listening to their hit song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” without re-playing “the poor groom’s bride is a whore” in your head all day long … and liking it.

Continue — Read more »

:: Jello Biafra :: Gothic Theatre :: November 4 :: 

By Karen Schneider

So many words, so little time. This seems a good way to define Jello Biafra, old school punk, writer, activist, and political poet. Oh, and he also runs one of the oldest independent underground record companies still around today. Biafra may be best known for his work with the Dead Kennedys, or his campaign for mayor of San Francisco in 1979, or even his run at President in 2000. Either way, the anomaly that is Jello Biafra demands to be heard. 

Biafra’s roots run deep in Colorado. Born and raised in Boulder, the eclecticness of the town helped to fuel the wrath of his younger years.

Continue — Read more »

:: Ben Lee :: Fox Theatre :: November 9 :: 

By Jonathan Keller

Ben Lee just wants to be known as an ordinary guy and that is what makes him quite unique. The 27-year-old even goes as far to call himself a “blue-collar kind of guy.” With songs off his most recent release Awake is the New Sleep (Newwest Records) currently finding increased airplay on Triple A Radio stations, climbing up the U.S. pop-charts and being used in Dell commercials, Lee is embracing his current stateside whirlwind of success with the humbleness and optimism of a seasoned veteran of the road — which he strangely is. 

“I am in a situation where the album could be on the verge of breaking through or tailing off,” Lee said in a recent interview with The Marquee.  “Either way, I am just grateful for the experiences I have had. You have no real control over it so you might as well enjoy it when it comes.”

Continue — Read more »

 By LJ Hammer 

Some people know her as supermodel Jerry Hall’s catty best friend on “Kept” (you know, the VH-1 reality show where Mick Jagger’s ex spent a few months toying with 12 handsome young men who were competing for the opportunity to live the highlife as a “kept” man). Her fan base knows her as a talented pianist, vocalist, and composer. Sirius radio listeners, who are Who fans, know her as the Backstage B**ch on Sirius’ dedicated Who Channel. Others know her from her no-holds-barred online music chat show, “In The Attic.” Some know her from her lively blog. And finally, many folks know her as Pete Townshend’s long-time girlfriend and partner.

Wherever you might know her from, one thing is for sure – Rachel Fuller is savvy, she’s talented, she’s witty, and she’s a good bit of fun, whichever one of her always fashionable hats she might be wearing!

Continue — Read more »

:: Sonnenblume :: Hi-Dive :: November 11 :: 

By Tiffany Childs

Sonnenblume brings a certain something to the genre of space rock that few bands have — a chick that actually rocks. 

Liz Forster, who plays bass and sings, met guitarist Todd Ayers 13 years ago when they both worked at Robb’s Music in Boulder. Forster ran into Ayers again at Immersive Studios years later.  “I kept saying, you [Todd] and I should record something together, but he just brushed me off,” Forster said laughingly in a recent full-band interview with The Marquee. “Finally, he heard me singing on a mutual friend’s album and everything changed.”

They got together as a duo soon after.

Continue — Read more »

:: Sweet Sunny South :: Rialto Theater :: November 17 :: 

By Kathy Foster-Patton

The acoustic, old-time bluegrass band Sweet Sunny South will venture across the mountain passes from their home in Paonia to this side of the state in November. The group has had yet another great year, with a critically acclaimed CD release in June and now a showcase performance at the International Bluegrass Music Association convention in Nashville, under their belts.

Bill Powers, banjo and mandolin player for the band, explained that it was a great honor to be chosen for the very prestigious spot at the IBMAs and that the band had to do some deep breathing to get through it. “We were pretty nervous,” said Powers in a recent interview with The Marquee. “I talked with a couple of people who gave us advice to set our minds at ease: just smile and play. After that, we felt really relaxed. Another thing that really set us at ease was we played right after Jerry Douglas at the keynote address. It was just weird as hell to be waiting in the wings and say ‘hi’ to Jerry Douglas as he walked off the stage. We played a nice mellow set; there were a lot of people there due to the keynote address. It was nice seeing some familiar faces from the Colorado contingent, too.” 

Continue — Read more »

:: The Life There Is :: Hi-Dive :: November 3 ::

:: The Walnut Room :: November 14 ::

:: Larimer Lounge :: November 18 ::

:: Fox Theatre :: November 29 :: 

By Marisa Beahm 

Most bands consider bringing together like-minded musicians the best way to make music.

But the members of The Life There Is don’t buy into that. Instead of a group with identical musical palates, the innovative Boulder-based band is comprised of musicians with dissimilar tastes and backgrounds, which is their recipe for a fresh musical style.

The Life There Is generates a unique sound with an electronica foundation intermingled with subtle touches of pedal steel guitar and dark, emotive lyrics.

“We are trying to make something that’s not three years out of date. It comes down to everyone is different and has a different style,” said bassist and beat sampler Jim Cleveland in a recent interview with The Marquee. “We are not better than anybody by any means, but we aren’t following a formula. There are a lot of bands that are good in Denver. There are a lot of good artists, but there are some who are falling into patterns,” he said.

Continue — Read more »

:: Polytoxic :: Cervante’s Masterpiece :: November 22 :: 

By Timothy Dwenger

Thirty years ago this month one of the most storied concerts in popular music history occurred in San Francisco.

The Band performed their final concert (with the original line-up) on Thanksgiving Day, 1976 at the famed Winterland. The evening featured dinner, ballroom dancing and nearly four hours of music from the guests of honor and several of their close friends. 

The evening was documented by filmmaking genius Martin Scorsese and was released two years later as the concert film The Last Waltz.  Scorsese managed to capture The Band in all their glory and the film has stood up to this day as one of the best concert films ever made.

Continue — Read more »

By Brian F. Johnson 

Did you see that ad on the inside front cover?

If you’re a musician, you might want to go back and take a look at that because, while it may seem like the deadline is eons away, the truth is, it’s really not that far off.

What that deadline is for, is a songwriting contest that could get a musician or a full band into one of the sweetest studios around for enough time to record at least an EP — or one second of one song, if you record stuff the way Brian Wilson does.

Continue — Read more »

 By Brian F. Johnson

There was once an era when big concerts weren’t ruled by big corporations. It was a time when a man in his late twenties could come to town and make a living and a legacy for himself by bringing talent to the area, and in the late 1960s that’s exactly what a young man from New York City named Barry Fey did here in Denver.

Fey is a legend among promoters, a mensch among musicians and a God-like figure to audiences of his shows, who knew that whether it was Mick Jagger or Joe Schmo on stage, he always cared about the fans, more than he did the artists.

Continue — Read more »

My Morning Jacket’s Okonokos showcases America’s best live act

My Morning Jacket

Okonokos

ATO/RCA Records

4.5 out of 5

The phrase “best live band” is tossed around with reckless abandon these days, to the point where bands who should never be called the best at anything, except maybe sucking, end up getting kudos.

But anyone who doubts that the title should be given to My Morning Jacket need only listen to a few minutes of the band’s new double live CD and the accompanying DVD Okonokos.

Continue — Read more »