Brr, cold much? Spouting about the weather may be pedestrian, but the first gusts of the real winter ahead may unfortunately mean many are hunkering down. Alas, do not be one of them, refrain from neglect of your local live scene, your tightly-knit collective that still comes out to dance when a little white stuff falls onto the streets. We’ve got a lot of great stuff on the radar for the holidays and beyond. You know you want it.
Kicking off the second half of December as an active member of Denver’s emerging psych-rock scene plays Plum, a band who plans to hit the Hi-Dive on Dec. 11th. Plum played our Local Shakedown not too long ago, so if you’re on the fence about this one you can check out the KVCU Studio Sessions to scope their sound. A few days later on the 17th we welcome the Red Bull Sound Select back to Denver, this time hosted at the glorious Bluebird Theatre with Battles at the head and a smattering of class-A openers. On the 19th and 20th both we welcome local legends Nathanial Rateliff & The Night Sweats to the Ogden Theatre, an artist that’s been hoarding Denver’s affections and weekly magazine features throughout recent memory. We can’t wait.
And then, the countless New Years shows commence, with many locales and artists to choose from if you’re itching to kick off 2016 with a beer and a band. If you’re steering clear of Decadence, we recommend The Black Angels, a group headlining the Gothic on the 30th and 31st set to drone you off into the oblivion of the New Year that you haven’t realized is right around the corner. If you’d rather celebrate by dancing hard, hit Boombox on those very same nights at the golden Ogden Theatre. There’s also a solid bid from large locals DeVotchKa! who will be playing the 31st, the 1st, and the 2nd all at the Bluebird Theater. I’ve also caught wind of a naughty New Years Eve taking place at the Lost Lake starring Rowdy Shakehouse, featuring burlesque dancers and free champagne at midnight, and it seems like it may be difficult to beat that one.
After all that debauchery is over and done, there are some near-future shows you need on your radar. We’re excited to present Car Seat Headrest‘s gig at the Hi-Dive this January 15th, sure to bring that lo-fi grit to your ears. February 21st sees the return of the instrumental soul of The Budos Band to Denver, headlining at the Gothic Theatre for some sunnier tunes to dry up the streets. I also heard Rob Crow is back in the music game and will be passing through in 2016, wink wink! In the mean time, make sure you regularly thumb through our concert calendar and catch some of these great gigs coming up, having the best possible holiday. Cheers!
– Caden