:: The Killers :: Red Rocks Amphitheatre :: May 17::

By Timothy Dwenger

The Killers have been clawing their way up through the ranks of today’s musical elite for the better part of five years now. Their humble beginnings in Las Vegas have given way to plush tour buses, sold-out arenas and invitations to participate in some of the highest profile musical projects of our time.

Their up-tempo, hook-driven, melodic style is tailor made for huge stadium shows and modern rock radio. With their sophomore album, Sam’s Town, having already sold nearly 3 million copies and their debut Hot Fuss soaring over 5 million, The Killers are well on their way to realizing their dreams of becoming one of the biggest bands in the world.

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:: Kings of Leon :: Ogden Theatre :: May 5 ::

By Cornelia Kane

The Kings of Leon have the perfect backstory for rock and roll royalty. It includes mystery, intrigue, family drama and religion.

The band consists of three brothers, Nathan (drums), Caleb (vocals) and Jared Followill (bass), and is rounded out by their cousin Matthew Followill (guitar).

By now, many know the King’s story, but for those who don’t, here’s the quick rundown: The brothers were raised religiously by a traveling preacher and his wife in the Deep South, and were not introduced to rock and roll until they were young men, following the separation of their parents. Continue — Read more »

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:: Tapes ‘n Tapes :: Bluebird Theater :: May 9 ::

By Tiffany Childs

Tapes ‘n Tapes is a band that prefers to take its songs onto the road before taking them into the studio. And while some fans may be impatient to get new music immediately, it seems hard to argue with their methods when looking at the success of their last recording. That album, The Loon, received accolades from critics around the world, including a Best New Music commendation from Pitchfork Media. Continue — Read more »

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:: RJD2 :: Boulder Theater :: May 9 ::
 :: Bluebird Theater :: May 10 ::

By Tiffany Childs

It’s not too often that you see a hip-hop artist who began his career as a DJ touring with a full band. Then again, RJD2 is an artist that doesn’t like to rely on the same old boring routine.

Following the success of his two past releases — 2002’s Dead Ringer, and 2004’s Since We Last Spoke — RJD2 made what may have been the least expected move he could make. He left the label Definitive Jux and moved to a new label and genre. Continue — Read more »

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:: Bassnectar :: Hodi’s Half Note :: May 2 ::
 ::Bluebird Theater :: May 3 ::
 :: Fox Theatre :: May 5 ::

By Lisa Oshlo

For nearly a decade now, Lorin Ashton (a.k.a. Bassnectar) has been coming of age on the West Coast underground scene. Weaving in and out of genres with force, volume and intent, Bassnectar’s beats are infectious and fresh, as well as a platform for political awareness and social change.

Both his passion and his skills have brought together fans all over the musical map. He is a product of Burning Man, of San Francisco underground hip-hop, of the hippie jamband scene, and of rave culture. He mixes all of these sounds kaleidoscopically, with a whole lot of low, deep, nasty bass lines thrown into the mix. Continue — Read more »

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:: Miguel Migs :: The Shelter (Denver) :: May 4 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

San Francisco has long been thought of as one of the cities at the forefront of the world’s music scene. In the 1960s, the Bay Area exploded with the music that fed the counterculture movement. Bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother and The Holding Company were thriving in the community and their music was spreading across the country like wildfire. Today, the music-friendly culture of the city has proven a fertile breeding ground for a totally different style of music — electronic.

The active club scene in the city has propelled the careers of several world class DJs, including Miguel Migs (aka Pedalpusher). Migs started his musical journey just south of San Francisco in the surf town of Santa Cruz as the lead guitarist and songwriter for local dub/reggae band Zion Sounds. Continue — Read more »

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:: Junior Boys :: Hi-Dive :: May 1 ::

By Marisa Beahm

Many budding musicians dream of stardom before they even strike their first chord. A desire to act out the rock star cliché in front of screaming fans is their impetus to enter the music scene. But, this is a far cry from what inspired the experimental electronic-pop duo Junior Boys to produce their music.

Their impetus was much simpler: they wanted to create forward-thinking, boundary-pushing music; touring and stardom were merely afterthoughts. In fact, it wasn’t until after they finished their first album, Last Exit, that they realized they would have to go on tour.

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By Brian F. Johnson

When people think of certain TV shows, like Cheers or All In The Family, the musical introductions are as much a part of that fabric that made them staples of our culture as the characters or the locations of the programs.

Those theme songs are a multi-billion dollar part of the music industry — a cut-throat, quick-turnaround element that few performing musicians know anything about, or, more importantly, how to tap into it.
For years the only musicians who did tap into it were the ones who lived in Hollywood and specialized in that arena. But now, with the proliferation of the internet and FTP technologies, musicians don’t have to be within the Hollywood circle anymore.

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The modern-day music festival was born in 1969 when two hippies from New York lost their financial shirts by putting on Woodstock. Though Woodstock ’69 was a disaster from a dollars-and-cents standpoint, it became crystal clear to promoters that the idea itself — packaging bands together for an all-day or all-weekend event — made good sense.

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By Kathy Foster-Patton

bluegrass.com
June 21-24
Telluride, Co.

This marks the 34th year of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and, as usual, the musical lineup is an eclectic one.
Planet Bluegrass organizers are known for leaning away from more traditional bluegrass-style music with this festival and reaching farther afield to attract music fans looking for something a little different — like The Counting Crows or Los Lobos. Chris Thile & The How To Grow A Band is another such example on this June’s line-up. For the younger, jamgrass set, there is Yonder Mountain String Band and Nashville’s current “it” band, The Infamous Stringdusters.

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By Jeffrey V. Smith

monolithfestival.com
September 14-15
Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, Colo.

In an attempt to create a Colorado-based destination festival in the spirit of Coachella, Bumbershoot and Sasquatch!, the two-day Monolith Festival is debuting in September amidst the unparalleled majesty of Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

According to the event’s founder and producer Matt Fecher, a seasoned festival producer who is also responsible for creating the acclaimed South Park Music Festival, “The cool thing about Monolith is that while we’ll still have our big headliners, we’re going to give independent artists and unsigned bands a huge spotlight.”

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By Monica Banks

wakarusa.com
June 7-10
Lawrence, Kansas

Wakarusa is a Native American term meaning “ass-deep,” somewhat unfitting seeing that this festival puts any patron way over their head in music. The Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival is a four-day party in the heart of the Midwest.

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