Stimulus cash puts arts to work 09/20/2009 07:28 AM MDT - A total of 47 arts groups will split $568,040 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Their promise is to keep 313 people gainfully employed either by preserving workers laid off or threatened, or by restoring reduced positions to full-time.
"Mandolin Concerto" is a classic 09/17/2009 11:36 PM MDT - Performers from the rock and folk worlds regularly try their hands at classical music, and the results are typically superficial, derivative or just plain hokey.
Beyond the Beatles: Box sets shine light on legends of yore 09/18/2009 01:00 PM MDT - Did you hear the Beatles rereleased their catalog — remastered in both stereo and mono — a couple of weeks ago? Of course you did. The recordings are spectacular. But beyond all that hype, we wanted to introduce three other recently released box sets worth your time.
Quartet mixes modern attitude, medieval works 09/17/2009 12:54 PM MDT - New York Polyphony is not the usual sort of vocal quartet to make the rounds. The group, which makes its Colorado debut at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral tonight, is all men and sings a cappella. "As a men's quartet, our sound is unique," said tenor Geoffrey Silver.
Buddy Guy, busy keeping the blues alive 09/17/2009 03:43 PM MDT - At 73 years old, Louisiana- born Buddy Guy still maintains a touring schedule that would keep performers one-third his age on their toes. And Guy, one of the headliners at this weekend's Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, knows that he is still here for a reason.
Sunny Day again, with good chance of crowds 09/17/2009 03:22 PM MDT - Jay-Z. The Pixies. Pavement. And now Sunny Day Real Estate. The number of musical artists reuniting or otherwise coming out of self-imposed retirement has led to a sort of reunion fatigue. Are they just doing it for the cash?
Jay-Z, "The Blueprint 3" (Roc Nation) After 11 studio albums, 13 years, dozens of hits and untold millions of records sold, there's not much left to debate about Jay-Z. You either like his music or you don't. So the only comparisons that can be made are with himself.
Bad girls. Troubled women. Neglected wives whose husbands have run off with woman half their age. Reba McEntire knows her audience, and she gives them just what they need with this memorable collection.
Whitney Houston, "I Look to You" (Sony BMG) Forget Stella and her groove. Let's talk about how Whitney got her voice back. Have you heard Whitney Houston's voice — even her speaking voice — in the decade since she's released a decent record?
Radiohead, "Kid A," "Amnesiac" and "Hail to the Thief" Collectors Editions (Capitol). Radiohead broke cleanly from its guitar-driven past on 2000's "Kid A," an album more influenced by the jittery electro sounds of Richard D. James than the distorted squall of Sonic Youth or the Pixies.
At 73 years old, Louisiana- born Buddy Guy still maintains a touring schedule that would keep performers one-third his age on their toes. And Guy, one of the headliners at this weekend's Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, knows that he is still here for a reason.
Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel lead a charmed, if sometimes tricky, life. The best friends tour the country as KaiserCartel, spreading their sugary-yet-substantive indie pop to the masses as they visit some of their closest friends across the lower 48.
Like any good country artist, Darius Rucker knows how to spin tales of growing up in the South and weaning himself on the crackling sounds of AM radio. "You could hear R&B, rock 'n' roll and country on the same station," the Charleston, S.C., native said.
You might say Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal were destined to meet, become friends and collaborate. Sure, the two modern blues/folk musicians have had wildly different careers. But as they stand together on stages this summer, the two musicians find themselves enjoying the shared space
The Rouge is hardly an unassuming band. Frontman Josh Vaught has looks that belong on MTV and a voice that is radio- and arena-ready. Everything about the Denver five-piece is stylish, from their hipster-tight T-shirts to their dance-floor-friendly rock 'n' roll songs.
Toby Keith is a man of great mystery. Sure, Keith's songs are simple, sappy and sometimes gimmicky. But Keith is also the patriotic, Oklahoma- reared country singer with multiple Middle Eastern USO trips under his belt who happens to be a lifelong Democrat.
Country-rocker Charlie Robison didn't have to retreat to a cabin in the hills or listen to old records to find inspiration for his new album, "Beautiful Day." He found it in his collapsing marriage to Dixie Chick Emily Robison.
Performers from the rock and folk worlds regularly try their hands at classical music, and the results are typically superficial, derivative or just plain hokey.
He once commanded an area of 12 million square miles, four times the size of the Roman empire, and was named Time magazine's "most influential person of the millennium."
That's the major issue that 4,000 artists and administrators will take on when they gather in Denver for the National Performing Arts Convention, which runs from Tuesday through Saturday at the Colorado Convention Center.
Pop music: Call them brave or stupid, but artists touring through Colorado during these wintry months are bold at the very least. Most of these acts are making it happen in passenger vans, putting their faith in front-wheel drive and the weight of five dudes and their equipment.
Classical Music: The classical music world has begun to uncover often forgotten composers and musicians whose careers were ruined during the Nazi regime.
