Award-winning electropop duo The Chainsmokers are coming to Denver’s Pepsi Center November 19, according to an announcement made Tuesday. The stop is part of the band’s “World War Joy Tour”, which will include Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer and country-turned-pop singer Lennon Stella.
The Chainsmokers, composed of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, found fame with the release of their single “#SELFIE” in 2014. Their mark on the pop scene continued to spread with the release of songs such as “Roses,” “Don’t Let me Down,” and “Paris.” They’ve flexed their production skills by pairing with artists like Coldplay, Halsey, and recently paired with 5 Seconds of Summer for the song “Who Do You Love.”
You may not need to be a fan of electronic dance music to appreciate The Chainsmoker’s upcoming date with Denver. Although their music is a product of the times — the sarcastic awareness in the song “#SELFIE.” is no coincidence — the duo has a knack for seeing trends, then transcending them.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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One of Denver’s lit up and volatile nightclubs is set to get its fire extinguished. After 11 years, Beta Nightclub will be shutting its doors on January 5, 2019. For years, the digital dance music (EDM) venue drew massive celebrities, from Deadmau5 into Armin Van Buren, to the tune of lasers, smoke cannons and deafening bass. At one point dubbed one of the top 25 best clubs of all time by Billboard Magazine, in addition to taking the number one spot for dancing clubs in America by Rolling Stone at 2013, the loss of the place doesn’t just alter the dance community, but Denver as a whole. Beta Nightclub was the destination to listen to cutting-edge digital music by the hottest up and comers in addition to the special opportunities to catch the pros in relatively close quarters. Citing the need to take time and recalibrate, Beta has decided to bid farewell.
While not cited in their official parting announcement, one cannot deny that Temple Nightclub, brand new to town, embodied their eyesight “club culture evolving” far better than Beta had in the past couple of years. Coupled with the abundance of similarily EDM-focused clubs lining South Broadway — in one place — that the decline of Beta was only a matter of time. The closing perhaps even caught many at Beta off-guard, as they had several shows lined up into 2019, such as Arty, Luca Lush plus also a rare live performance for its elusive Danger. Likewise, while January 5 has been deemed the official closing date, the last events have not yet been announced.
While there’s no word on what will finally fill Beta’s space, whatever it is, has got a great deal to live up to.
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Backstreet is back, and soon enough they’ll be on their way to the Mile High City. The international pop superstars just announced their “DNA World Tour” via Twitter, and Denver made the cut. The iconic boy band is taking the stage at venues around the globe — but most importantly Backstreet Boys are taking the stage at the Pepsi Center in August.
Backstreet Boys’ newest album, DNA, will be released January 25, three short months before the group embarks on their world tour. Their last headlining tour celebrated 20 years of Backstreet Boys, spanning two years and coming to an end in 2015. Since then the group has held a residency in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. However, their residency will come to an end in April, just in time for the group to depart on their world tour.
Since the band’s formation in 1993 one third of their songs have held spots in the Billboard Top 10, including their hit “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” which held its spot on the charts for 43 weeks. Die-hard ’90s boy band fans still hold a special place in their heart for Backstreet Boys, and with success spanning a 25-year career, the boys’ newest album and ensuing tour will be sure to deliver something to excite their loyal fans.
The show is set to take place on August 8 at 8 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. Tickets are on sale now and can be found here.
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It’s the last month of summer, but that doesn’t mean that Denver musicians have stopped churning out hot new music. We have a list of talented up-and-coming locals you’ll need to checkout like Alyssa Dané, catchy new songs you won’t want to miss like Kayla Rae’s “Practice” and new visuals from Swank Sinatra, DJ Zenas and more.
Five Up-and-Coming Local Artists
Alyssa Dané
Alyssa Dané is a singer, songwriter and poet from Colorado. She recently released a song titled “I See You” which details the feelings that come with finding out the true colors of your loved ones. Her voice is strong and melodic and mixes perfectly with the slow and electronic production of the song. Find her music here.
Thousand Frames
Thousand Frames is a hard-rock band based out of Denver. Their sound combines heavy drums and guitars with guttural screams as well as melodic harmonies, which creates a hard-rock sound with softer undertones. They are gearing up to release their second EP New Horizons at the Marquis on August 17, so head over and check out their new music and other local music. Find their new music here.
Jaedawn
Jaedawn is a rapper based in southern Colorado. He has a quick, catchy flow paired with unconventional and more pop-influenced production. If you’re looking for a song to get lit to before the club then bump his song “Dutch,” and you’ll be ready to dance, smoke a couple and hype up your friends. Keep an eye out for his debut EP dropping in September, and in the meantime find his music here.
Lost Aliens
Photo courtesy of Neon Cities on Facebook.
Neon Cities is an electronic duo from Denver. They released their debut EP In Waves last month and it has gone on to be streamed more than 35,000 times since then. If you like heavy synths, ’80s elements and dancey EDM then you’ll definitely vibe to this group. Find their music here.
Five New Local Songs
Kayla Rae–”Practice”
Photo courtesy of Ragwater on Facebook.
Ragwater is a rock band from southern Colorado with new music. Their song “Out Of My Hands” blends rock, soul and blues to create a song you can rock out to with fun guitar riffs and vibey rhythms. If you like headbanging and air-guitaring then you’ll definitely enjoy this song. Find the song here.
Jeremy Mohney–”Fast Jam”
Instant Empire. Photos by Evan Semón Photography.
“Randy The Hammer” is a fun upbeat and wild song that delves into different genres. We get ’80s synths, pieces of saxophone and all-over-the-place rhythms. The ’80s vibes will keep you holding on to the little bit of summer we have left. Find the song here.
Five New Local Music Videos
Zanib–”Shine”
Zanib’s video for “Shine” is a vibrant, uplifting and colorful and sure to put a smile on your face. The video showcases beautiful Denver scenery from stunning artwork, the shining sunlight and the fun Articulated Wall, all while the singer is dancing, smiling and bonding with friends. The song is full of women empowerment, bonding, creating community and uplifting those around you. Find here music here.
Swank Sinatra– “Boblo Boat Remix”
This is another video that will keep you in the summertime mindset with bright colors, outdoorsy scenery and summertime fashion. If you’re a stoner that likes to start the day off with a blunt or joint, you’ll relate and want to roll one up to this song. The song’s production, the frequently contrasting colors throughout the video, and lyrics of reminiscing will awaken your mind and energize you for the day. Find the song here.
m i n o r –”Fall Again”
The group m i n o r is an indie duo based in Denver. The video for “Fall Again” focuses on the intimacy of performing a song with deep and emotional content. We see the juxtaposition of light and dark as the video switches between day and night and the lyrics shift from being resilient to being afraid to fall into an old trap. Find their music here.
DJ Zenas – “Real One”
If the videos for “Baby Got Back” and “Anaconda” had a baby then DJ Zenas’s “Real One” would be the outcome. This video combines what’s popular in commercial rap like popping bottles, beautiful women shaking their asses, fat stacks of money, fast cars and a good time. Make sure to watch until the end for some laughs mixed with realness. Find the song here.
Move Shake Pause Repeat – “His Fault, Her Fault, No Fault of My Fault”
Don’t let the smooth and sweet sounding music from this song breeze right past you, this song from Move Shake Pause Repeat has a very direct message for the audience. As the video begins we see a myriad of images, flashing past us in a kaleidoscopic fashion. At first, the images seem random and playful but as the song and music progress, we see the images are much like the content we notice as we sift through television channels. The video is a statement that shows us that if we let media and advertisement sneak under our noses, then we will allow them to obliviously influence us with our blissful ignorance. Find their music here.
Denver’s most bumping bike music festival, Velorama is right round the corner — bringing with it, three days of booze, bands and needless to say, bikes. Moving down August 17 to 19, this year’s festival will become headlined by none other than Matt and Kim, Modest Mouse and The Growlers. Though the lineup is topped with a solid set of actors, the genuine meat is located at the undercard, chalk filled with amazing regional bands which aren’t to be overlooked. This report serves as an introduction into the regional artists of Velorama, so that if the Monday afterward strikes, you can tell us told you so.
Tracksuit Wedding
Photo courtesy of Slow Caves’ Facebook Page
Rooted in woozy surf stone, Slow Caves is place to attract Velorama in the streets and onto the shore. Don’t be fooled however , these rockers can move from a chilled saunter of a jam to a rip-rolling barn burner at the blink of a eye. The band has performed all over the Nation, from Austin’s South By Southwest into Boise’s Treefort Festival, as well as toured with acts like DIIV and Cold War Kids. Ignore the festival Friday, Slow Caves will create kick work of transporting the audience into some sun-kissed bliss.
Brent Cowles
Photo from Kyle Cooper
What is there to say about Wildermiss who hasn’t already been said? As one for Denver’s bands leading the charge onto the mainstream, Wildermiss is a complete package of strong indie-rock. The foursome, certain to conjure semblances into the like Local Natives and Of Monsters and Men, attracts a special mixture of vulnerability and raw electricity to each point they perform on. Performing at Velorama, the band is driving a wave of momentum coming off a national tour that included a sold-out night at the Bluebird Theater. If they continue at the speed that they are, that knows, one day this band could possibly be a future headliner.
The full Velorama schedule and tickets can be found here.
Denver-based psych-rock group Eldren is back with a new single, “Still Want More,” which dropped July 26. The song is a perfect end-of-summer earworm — a great addition to any last minute summer jam playlist. With hazy and upbeat melodies that are sure to get stuck in your head after the first listen, the track may be an indicator of a slightly new direction for the band. It comes in a bit softer around the edges than much of their debut album, Welcome to Deathville, with stronger synth-pop influences, and fewer punky riffs and vocals. Starting out with a spacy and lighthearted synth, the song delves into the story of a 21st-century romance — the lines between friends and lovers muddied and hard to decipher — something most people can resonate with given our current social and technological landscape.
The single is off of Eldren’s upcoming album, Miss Information Aged, which is set to be released September 21 via Needlejuice Records. Frontman Tyler Imbrogno cites the ever-thinning line between reality and media as the inspiration behind the name and themes of the album. He mentions, “The title of the album is intended to reflect the ‘telephone’ like effect of facts and opinions being distorted as they spread — and simultaneously refers to ‘information’ as our ‘goddess.’” Until then, we have some more singles and music videos coming out to look forward to as well.
“Still Want More” was an extremely collaborative effort for Eldren — something that they haven’t experimented with much in the past. Imbrogno talked about the track being put together from scratch — it was the result of the group constantly bouncing ideas off of each other until they finally got a song. He described the track as “a cry for optimism during pessimistic times,” and described that it is their way of resisting the seemingly constant negativity in the media and embracing things that make them happy.
In the past few years, we have seen Eldren through high highs and devastating lows. From sharing the stage with the likes of Gomez, Cold War Kids, The Black Angels, Imagine Dragons and Dr. Dog, to suffering the loss of their founding bassist, Steve Holloway at age 25, Eldren has persisted and grown both personally and musically. Their circumstances became an opportunity for them to strengthen as a group and to explore and experiment with their collective sound.
They spent this summer touring around the state and the west, starting here in Denver at 303 Music Fest and ending on a sweet note at home during the Underground Music Showcase, which was their last show in the area until their album release at the Oriental Theater in September. We look forward to perhaps a new era of Eldren in the next coming years, and to see where else they will take their music.
“Miss Information Aged” is available now on vinyl, CDs and cassettes and “Welcome to Deathville” cassettes are available now for pre-order here.
All photography from 303 Music Fest and by Seth McConnell
For a while there, it was uncertain whether the CHVRCHES show at the Ogden Monday night would go on as planned. A flash rainstorm had rendered the theater without power minutes before doors were set to open, leaving scores of fans snaked around the block. Anticipation remained palpable, however, as the many diehards waited out the uncertainty hoping the odds would be in their favor to catch the Scottish synth-pop band. With bated breath, eventually their efforts were rewarded and the theater kicked back into gear as CHVRCHES served as a beacon through the blackout.
Shimmering in the synth-wave fissures of the percolating lights, the band had the crowd in their palm of their hand — who was shouting back the group’s lyrics and pummeling the floor with their feet. Mayberry would strut the stage, spinning amidst the retro-sounding commotion encouraging the crowd to sing louder and move harder. Switching off with Martin Doherty for a couple songs, namely “God’s Plan” and “Under the Tide,” the two were in sync, and served to ramp up the audience’s hype even more. With a musical palate that seemed to be endlessly ascending and genuinely positive, CHVRCHES assured that any uneasiness that existed before had been erased and that there was in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel.
