Cheap (or Free) Music Events To Keep On Your Radar

Photo of a Peer Review event by Dani Lopez-Cruz Instagram here.

Photo of a Peer Review event by Dani Lopez-Cruz Instagram here.

 Summer is coming, which means concert season is upon us. If you’re anything like me, you’re a hard working twenty-something that cannot justify buying all the concert tickets you dream to, but still want to reach your social butterfly potential. I’m here to tell you about some free or cheap, reoccurring, music-focused events so you can get into summer-mode, have a few cheap thrills, and save some dough for when you decide to drop the ball and buy a $65 Red Rocks ticket anyway.

The Lituation @ Hi Dive, Milk Bar, Meadowlark

Weird Touch @ Syntax Physic Opera and other venues

Photo of a Lituation event by Mike Meylor. Instagram here.

Photo of a Lituation event by Mike Meylor. Instagram here.

Big Trouble @ Zepplin Station brings in DJ’s like Peer Review, Weird Touch, etc.

Sunday Laundry @ Lodo’s Bar and Grill

Photo of a Peer Review event by Dani Lopez-Cruz Instagram here.

Photo of a Peer Review event by Dani Lopez-Cruz Instagram here.

NSO ‘No Special Occasion’ @ The 715

Live Jazz Mondays @ The Meadowlark

A.M. Rolling Sundays @ Hudson Hill

Junk Drawer @ Trade Denver

Sunday Funday @ Ace Eat Serve

 

These are some of my favorite events in our lively city, but by no means is this all that’s going on. All of your favorite dive bars have live music on one day or another, and thankfully we live in the digital age, where most those places update their happenings on Instagram or Facebook.

Some other venues to check out: Your Mom’s House, Ophelia’s, Lost Lake, Hi Dive, Sputnik, Mutiny Cafe, The White Whale Room, Rhinoceropolis, Lion’s Lair.

Also, pro tip, follow your favorite artists, venues, and publications (DUH, ULTRA5280) on social media because more often than not there’s a contest running, offering you MORE FREE STUFF. Who doesn’t love that? So Denver, what are we doing tonight?

Ultra5280's Picks of The Week | August 5-11

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​Sunday August 5th:​

Neil Young and Crazy Horse | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:00 P.M./Show 7:30 P.M. | Ticket Info

Snake Rattle Rattle Snake BBQ Show | Larimer Lounge | Doors at 2:00 pm, 21+, $10/$13 | Info​

Monday August 6th:​

Neil Young and Crazy Horse | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:00 P.M./Show 7:30 P.M. |
Ticket Info

Die Antwoord | The Ogden Theatre | Doors @ 7:00/Show 8:00 P.M. | Info​

Bombay Bicycle Club | The Bluebird Theater | Doors at 8:00/Show 9:00 P.M. | Info 

​Tuesday August 7th:

Justice w/ Rusko, BoomBox and Surkin | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:00/Show 7:30 P.M. | Ticket Info​

Michael Kiwanuka | The Bluebird Theater |​ Doors at 7:00/Show 8:00 P.M. | Info

Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat​ | The Fillmore Auditorium | Doors at 7:30 P.M. | Ticket Info

Wednesday August 8th:​

Trampled by Turtles | ​The Fox Theatre | Doors at 7:30/Show 8:00 P.M. | Ticket Info

​Washed Out | The Bluebird Theater | Doors at 7:00/Show 8:00 P.M. | Ticket Info

KISS, Motley Crüe and The Treatment | Comfort Dental Amphitheater | ​Doors at 6:30 P.M. | Ticket Info

Jack White | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:30/Show 8:00 P.M. | SOLD OUT!!!

​Thursday August 9th:

fun. w/ Citizen Cope and Givers | The Fox Theatre | Doors at ​7:30/Show 8:00 P.M. | SOLD OUT!!!

The Photo Atlas w/ Dirty Few and Attic Attack | Illegal Pete's LoDo | Doors at 9:00​ | Info

Skrillex w/Zedd, Brodinski & Gesaffelstein, The M Machine, and Tokimonsta | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:00/Show 7:00 P.M. | SOLD OUT!!!

Friday August​ 10th:

Thievery Corporation w/Beats Antique and Afroliscious | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Doors at 6:00/Show 7:30 P.M. | Ticket Info​

Alabama Shakes​ | The Fox Theater | Doors at 7:30/Show 8:00 P.M. | SOLD OUT!!!

​Saturday August 11th:​

Chiddy Bang |​ The Bluebird Theater | Doors at 8:00/Show 9:00 P.M. | Info

FUN. | Some Nights | Video

 

 

*dates featuring supporting at Chiddy Bang

05/28 - George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival - Buy Tickets

05/29 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater - Sold Out!

05/31 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center - Sold Out!

06/04 – West Hollywood, CA @ House Of Blues – Sold Out!

06/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ Jimmy Kimmel Live - Buy Tickets

06/05 - Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheatre - Buy Tickets

06/06 - Santa Fe, NM @ Railyard Plaza (FREE SHOW)

06/08 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom - Buy Tickets

06/09 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant - Sold Out!

06/10 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Festival - Buy Tickets

06/11 - Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre – Sold Out!

06/13 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room – Sold Out!

06/14 - Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues - Sold Out!

06/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE – Sold Out!

06/16 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5 - Sold Out!

06/17 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5 - Sold Out!

6/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest - Buy Tickets

08/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ River Stage – Buy Tickets

08/03 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival – Buy Tickets

8/4 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza - Buy Tickets

8/8 – Kansas City, MO @ KRBZ Buzz Under The Stars - Buy Tickets

8/9 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre - Sold Out!

08/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival – Buy Tickets

08/15 – San Diego, CA @ Open Air Theatre* -

08/16 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Pool – Buy Tickets - Buy Tickets*

08/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern - Sold Out!*

08/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern - Sold Out!

08/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern - Buy Tickets

08/23 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Festival – Buy Tickets*

08/24 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – Buy Tickets*

08/26 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House - Buy Tickets*

08/28 – Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium (NEW VENUE) - Buy Tickets*

 

Officialhttp://ournameisfun.com/ & @ournameisfun

 

fun. Some Nightssoundcloud.com/fueled_by_ramen/sets/fun-some-nights/

 


South By Southwest Festival Recap

Every year in March the masses migrate to Austin, Texas for South By Southwest. Industry execs, musicians, and bloggers all congregate to the eclectic city for four days of non-stop music. It is the only place you can find your stereotypical hipster enjoying a Shiner Bock right next to a CEO of a major record label. I consider myself a veteran of the SXSW circuit now, so I am always prepared for the what goes down, I have gotten used to walking around town from venue to venue briefly stopping to eat bland pizza by the slice on Sixth Street (although I did try Stony’s this year and was pretty satisfied). This year was one of the most productive, as I was able to catch more bands than in years past. This year seemed more chaotic; it seems that this festival continues to grow and grow every year with the number of corporate sponsorships exploding at an unparalleled pace. It still, however, will be my favorite festival and this year received my stamp of approval.

South By Southwest is always about trying to discover that hidden gem, but it is also about watching established artist and bands in a more intimate setting than we are used to. The whole ecosystem of South By Southwest is interesting. One can say if you play your cards right and effectively manage your schedule, you can manage to catch your favorite artist one way or another. I always make a list of 4-5 “must-sees” every year, and since these artist play 4 or 5 times during the festival, chances are you will probably get to see them at some point. Word to the wise if your artist is playing a 3 o’clock set and are considered “buzz”, arrive at noon, trust me you don’t want to be waiting in the hot sun with others hoping you will get in.

One of the bands on my radar this year was Grimes. The Canadian duo has been creating an online buzz recently so I wanted to see how that translated to live sound.  The venue was at The Google Play Lot, which also included a line up of Jimmy Cliff, Talib Kweli, and The Shins; not a bad way to spend my afternoon. Grimes reminds me of a throwback synth sound that I grew up to listening to with bands such as New Order, Aphex Twin, and newer artist like Crystal Castles. In fact it is as if Sleigh Bells took a muscle relaxer and turned the amps down six notches to create the Grimes sound. The performance left me a little bit disappointed as it seemed like singer Claire Boucher was having vocal problems, making sure the audience knew about it. It got to the point where I was looking forward to the next act on the bill: the legendary Jimmy Cliff. 


Another band I was looking forward to seeing was Fun. Currently sitting atop the iTunes charts with their number one single “We Are Young”, they remind me a lot of what Vampire Weekend was a few years ago at SXSW, the band everybody was eager to catch. Fun is a project by former members of bands The Format, Anathallo and Steel Train. They played a short acoustic set at the Time Warner Sound Showcase presented by NIkon. I was very impressed with their performance as was the limited capacity crowd who got to witness them in a small intimate venue.

I can go on and write about all 48 bands that I saw but will give you a small run down of the hits and misses.

Bands I considered worthy:
The Drums, Fun., The Shins (new stuff will blow you away), Of Monsters and Men, Guards, Dives, Mr. MFNEsquire (this year’s Odd Future), The Roots, Air Dubai, Politics

Bands who I considered un-worthy:
Grimes (too much complaining), SBTRKT (not enough energy), Wiz Khalifa (we all thought you were going to rap, yet you didn’t), Dragonette (meh), Neon Trees (can you say sellout)

Band I wish I would have seen:
Cults, The Oh-Sees, Youth Lagoon, Radiation City, Fiona Apple. Alabama Shakes.

Stay tuned for followed posts about performance highlights and more photos!

Castro