Multiple night shows – If you’re having dinner with an in-from-out-of-town college friend and can’t reschedule, many bands this summer are giving you another chance to see them. Groups doing multi-night shows include Dead & Company, Avett Brothers, String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket, Mumford & Sons and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Then there’s 5 more in September!
Outdoor Movies – It seems the past 10 or so years have seen an explosion of places to see films outdoors! From Film On The Rocks to the al fresco screen at The Lyric in Ft. Collins. Summer’s here!
Bruce Springsteen’s new album, Western Stars – I’ll admit, I’m a fan. This guy has really aged well, as has his music, new and old. I always look forward to seeing what road he travels down next.
Pre-show eats in Loveland – Seeing a show at the Rialto? 1.5 blocks down 4th St is Piggin’ Out Smokehouse inside the new East End Ale House. Having our April Music Meeting there showed me a new place to get a beer ‘n brisket!
My Dog Ate Chad at The Aggie on June 22 – These guys (teens?!?) totally impressed me at FoCoMX. A real throwback to late 70s/early 80s kick-ass rock. If they stick with it, I believe they will be headlining much larger shows down the road.
Los Mocochetes – This 8 piece Chicano Funk band from Denver always shows you why they’ve been named Best Latin Band and Best Funk Band at the Westword Music Showcase. Listen for them on The Colorado Sound!
James Ellroy – This master of crime fiction (L.A. Confidential, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere) has a new book coming!
American Archive of Public Broadcasting: Only about 30% of the collection is available online so I may have to plan a trip to the Library of Congress or WGBH-TV in Boston to see it all.
Denver Zine Library – Just as it sounds, DZL is a collection and lending library of magazines right in Denver!
TeachRock.org – I’ve found this to be a great resource for my Music 101 show (Sundays at 5p, Wednesdays at 8p)
Colorado Avalanche – Normally, baseball season has my heart but this year, post-season, the Av’s stole it. Can’t wait for next year!
Graham Norton – After 20 years on BBC One, he just missed his first taping ever, but he still makes me laugh!
Cage The Elephant – Still letting this, their newest album, roll around in my head with influences from Devo to Ariel Pink.
Lori McKenna – Rediscovering just how beautiful her songwriting is. Her poignancy is just as stunning now as when she came on the scene in 1998.
Bee Savior Cards – Yep! It’s a real thing. Bees, those little pollinators, are a valuable part of our ecosystem – now you can carry a re-fillable, sugary card in your wallet to save them from moments of urban concrete exhaustion. Check out saviourbees.co.uk
Denver Nuggets – We may not have won the NBA title, but it’s been a long time since the Nuggets have had a team this exciting to watch.
Nick Lowe: Love Starvation – The Jesus of Cool sounds great on his new EP. Plus, he’s backed by Los Straightjackets making it even cooler new with a throwback feel.
Festival Season – Looking forward to the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Bohemian Nights at New West Fest and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It’s going to be a great Summer.
Buddy & Julie Miller: Breakdown on 20th Ave. South – Buddy Miller is one of the most overlooked musicians going. He’s often in the background working with Emmylou Harris or Robert Plant, but every now and then he releases his own music. This is the first cut from his new album with his wife Julie and it’s awesome.
20 Feet from Stardom – This has been on Netflix for a while, but if you haven’t seen the documentary about the greatest backup singers ever, you should stop what you’re doing and watch this now.