The Dynamic Denver Music Scene
With homegrown bands burning up the charts and selling out shows all over the country, Denver’s music scene is booming. Need a quick primer on the Mile High City sound? You’re in the right place.
Flobots
With politically-tinged, uplifting lyrics and an eclectic hip-hop-infused sound, Flobots (pictured above) have had a rapid rise since forming just over two years ago. Their impossibly catchy tune “Handlebars” was practically inescapable during the summer of 2008, whether on the radio or blasting out of every other boom box in Denver backyards. The rest of the country is catching on – Flobots appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien following the release of their latest album, Fight With Tools. Look for a new release and Denver shows later this year.
Critics Say: “Flobots manage to create a beautiful and enticing indie/hip-hop … with an intelligent, political backdrop leading the way” – Sputnikmusic.
Listen Up: www.flobots.com
Dressy Bessy
Dressy Bessy frontwoman Tammy Ealom and Co. have been longtime fixtures on the Denver music landscape, with pages upon pages of rave reviews to their credit. Playing a modernized, revved-up version of British Invasion-style pop a la the Beatles and the Kinks, the band boasts tunes that will lodge themselves in your brain for weeks at a time. Dressy Bessy’s latest release HOLLERandSTOMP sees the group aging gracefully, but – as the title suggests – refusing to mellow out. Buoyant beats, sing-a-long choruses and infectious guitars all add up to an extremely cool vibe.
Critics Say: “Retro-pop in the way that makes roller-skating suddenly less ironic and just plain fun” – Filter Magazine.
Listen Up: www.dressybessy.com
DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa have spent the better part of this decade as the Denver’s best-kept musical secret. Slowly but surely, the band’s singular blend of rock, world music, mariachi and any number of other influences, coupled with a wildly dramatic live show (often featuring belly dancers, trapeze artists and other performance artists), gained the quartet a devoted Front Range fanbase. Well, a band this good couldn’t stay a secret for long. Thanks to acclaimed performances at various festivals around the country and a prominent spot on the hit Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, DeVotchKa is no longer just a Mile High City phenomenon.
Critics Say: “It's a rare group that can make you wistful while wielding a caravans worth of instruments like a theremin, accordion, and sousaphone” – Entertainment Weekly.
Listen Up: www.devotchka.net
The Fray
These guys are well on their way to becoming the biggest band to ever come out of Denver – they just knocked Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen himself out of the No. 1 Billboard albums spot, if you don’t believe us. Over the past few years, The Fray have built up a sizable and devoted following thanks to their dramatic alt-rock power ballads, earning them favorable comparisons to such bands as Coldplay and Keane. They’ve also been given huge exposure on such hit TV shows as Grey’s Anatomy and LOST. While the band could easily sell out giant venues like the Pepsi Center and Red Rocks at this point, they haven’t forgotten their roots. Prior to their self-titled album’s release earlier this year, the Fray played a series of intimate shows for longtime fans at the Gothic Theatre in Denver.
Critics Say: “This Denver quartet blends piano-based Brit-pop swooning and scruffy alt-rock melancholia” – Rolling Stone.
Listen Up: www.thefray.net
Get info on upcoming Denver concerts and more great Denver events at www.Denver365.com!
The Dynamic Denver Music Scene
With homegrown bands burning up the charts and selling out shows all over the country, Denver’s music scene is booming. Need a quick primer on the Mile High City sound? You’re in the right place.
Flobots
With politically-tinged, uplifting lyrics and an eclectic hip-hop-infused sound, Flobots (pictured above) have had a rapid rise since forming just over two years ago. Their impossibly catchy tune “Handlebars” was practically inescapable during the summer of 2008, whether on the radio or blasting out of every other boom box in Denver backyards. The rest of the country is catching on – Flobots appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien following the release of their latest album, Fight With Tools. Look for a new release and Denver shows later this year.
Critics Say: “Flobots manage to create a beautiful and enticing indie/hip-hop … with an intelligent, political backdrop leading the way” – Sputnikmusic.
Listen Up: www.flobots.com
Dressy Bessy
Dressy Bessy frontwoman Tammy Ealom and Co. have been longtime fixtures on the Denver music landscape, with pages upon pages of rave reviews to their credit. Playing a modernized, revved-up version of British Invasion-style pop a la the Beatles and the Kinks, the band boasts tunes that will lodge themselves in your brain for weeks at a time. Dressy Bessy’s latest release HOLLERandSTOMP sees the group aging gracefully, but – as the title suggests – refusing to mellow out. Buoyant beats, sing-a-long choruses and infectious guitars all add up to an extremely cool vibe.
Critics Say: “Retro-pop in the way that makes roller-skating suddenly less ironic and just plain fun” – Filter Magazine.
Listen Up: www.dressybessy.com
DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa have spent the better part of this decade as the Denver’s best-kept musical secret. Slowly but surely, the band’s singular blend of rock, world music, mariachi and any number of other influences, coupled with a wildly dramatic live show (often featuring belly dancers, trapeze artists and other performance artists), gained the quartet a devoted Front Range fanbase. Well, a band this good couldn’t stay a secret for long. Thanks to acclaimed performances at various festivals around the country and a prominent spot on the hit Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, DeVotchKa is no longer just a Mile High City phenomenon.
Critics Say: “It's a rare group that can make you wistful while wielding a caravans worth of instruments like a theremin, accordion, and sousaphone” – Entertainment Weekly.
Listen Up: www.devotchka.net
The Fray
These guys are well on their way to becoming the biggest band to ever come out of Denver – they just knocked Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen himself out of the No. 1 Billboard albums spot, if you don’t believe us. Over the past few years, The Fray have built up a sizable and devoted following thanks to their dramatic alt-rock power ballads, earning them favorable comparisons to such bands as Coldplay and Keane. They’ve also been given huge exposure on such hit TV shows as Grey’s Anatomy and LOST. While the band could easily sell out giant venues like the Pepsi Center and Red Rocks at this point, they haven’t forgotten their roots. Prior to their self-titled album’s release earlier this year, the Fray played a series of intimate shows for longtime fans at the Gothic Theatre in Denver.
Critics Say: “This Denver quartet blends piano-based Brit-pop swooning and scruffy alt-rock melancholia” – Rolling Stone.
Listen Up: www.thefray.net
Get info on upcoming Denver concerts and more great Denver events at www.Denver365.com!