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Several Species of Small Furry Thoughts: Chimes Of Freedom & The Doors - L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary) by Paul Epstein

2012-01-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 years of Amnesty International What a daunting task: 76 artists covering Bob Dylan to benefit Amnesty International. I went into it kind of expecting the worst. I’m relieved and surprised to report that this 4CD set is, for the most part, a heartfelt musical experience. When scanning the list of artists, it is easy to skip over the fact

I'd Love To Turn You On - At the Movies #30 - Duck Soup (1933, dir. Leo McCarey)

2012-01-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

A lot of people dismiss the Marx Brothers as silly, dated slapstick along the lines of the Three Stooges, and that’s sad because they’re really a lot more sophisticated than that. It’s doubly sad because they’ve also been known to save lives. Most famously, Norman Cousins turned to old Marx Brothers’ films when he was diagnosed with an incurable a fatal spine disease and it helped him beat it

I'd Love To Turn You On #48 - Handsome Boy Modeling School – So… How’s Your Girl?

2012-01-18T10:01:00.003-07:00

There was this time in hip-hop called the 90’s. It’s before rap music had really been fully embraced by the pop charts the way it is today, but it’s after the music had been around long enough to have splintered into a million little subsets, each with their own firm adherents who often had nothing to do with each other. And somehow, straddling them all, comes this little oddity, a concept album

Fables of the Reconstruction: Michael Hurley

2012-01-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

I don’t like a lot of folky Americana music because it’s too pretty and politically correct and not at all like America and American folk as they really are -- kinda good, kinda bad, and generally weird in a beautifully ugly sort of way. Michael Hurley’s music is an exception. It’s like the stuff you hope to find when you wander the backroads in the boonies not knowing what you’re looking for

Fables of the Reconstruction: New Year's Resolution

2012-01-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up he was my rock and roll uncle, the guy who appears with the shaggy mop of hair and thick beard in all the family pictures taken in the 1970s. He’s all cleaned up now: short, graying hair; father of two; high school teacher; churchgoer. After I bought my turntable and started collecting vinyl

I'd Love To Turn You At The Movies #18 - Paris, Texas (1984, dir. Wim Wenders)

2011-07-25T14:09:00.001-06:00

I’ve watched Paris, Texas many, many times since I first saw it in the late 1980s, but it wasn’t until very recently that I realized it has a second plot, a completely abstract one, starring the color red. I was delighted to discover this, but not surprised to have made such a finding after so many viewings. Paris, Texas is a film full of secrets and revelations. It begins with a man

63 Bands in 72 Hours

2011-07-25T14:02:00.001-06:00

Some people go to large music festivals to see the headliners, or to see one of their favorite bands. I tend to look at them more like a big all-you-can-eat buffet, where I have the opportunity to try out a bunch of bands all at once. So when I went to the Underground Music Showcase this year, I tried to sample as many bands as I could. Me being me, I mainly looked to see as many local bands

2011 UMS band Interviews #10

2011-07-20T17:03:00.000-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. TOMORROW to SUNDAY! Accordion Crimes http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/accordion-crimes Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Hi-Dive Saturday, July 23rd 5pm. Do you have your cd for sale at Twist and Shout? Yes, we have cd's

Fables of the Reconstruction: Herbcraft

2011-07-19T18:23:00.000-06:00

I’m on a quest to find good psychedelic music, and one of my favorite recent discoveries is Herbcraft Discovers the Bitter Water of Agartha by Herbcraft. It’s advertised as a long lost a concept album from 1973 and it looks the part; the cover is beige with a hazy tri-tone photo of a bearded man with glasses. It’s framed inside a peace symbol adorned with a snake, stars and a total eclipse of

2011 UMS band Interviews #9

2011-07-19T16:38:00.002-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. THIS THURSDAY to SUNDAY! Bop Skizzum: http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/bop-skizzum Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Sunday, July 24th 9pm Thrifty Stick out door stage All ages Do you have your cd for sale at Twist and Shout?

2011 UMS band Interviews #8

2011-07-18T16:45:00.000-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. Joshua Novak: http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/joshua-novak Where and when are you playing at the UMS? 10pm Friday July 22nd at The Skylark Do you have your cd for sale at Twist and Shout? I do. It's called, DEAD LETTERS How long has

2011 UMS band Interviews #7

2011-07-15T14:39:00.003-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. (LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY!) A. Tom Collins http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/a-tom-collins Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Saturday, July 23, 11:55pm at The Mayan Theater Do you have your cd for sale at Twist and Shout? Yep. CD

2011 UMS band Interviews #6 (UMS one week away!)

2011-07-14T16:35:00.004-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. (ONLY A WEEK AWAY!) Pirate Signal http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/the-pirate-signal Where and when are you playing at the UMS? 7:30 on Saturday July 23rd on the Sailor Jerry Stage! Do you have your cd for sale at Twist and Shout? We do!

2011 UMS band Interviews #5

2011-07-13T17:13:00.002-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. (LESS THAN 8 DAYS AWAY!) Snake Rattle Rattle Snake: http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/snake-rattle-rattle-snake Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Goodwill Outdoor Stage (not sure what the "official" name is), Saturday 07/23 @ 9:

Rose Hill Drive Wrap-up

2011-07-13T16:40:00.004-06:00

Rose Hill Drive returned to Twist and Shout for the third time. We have watched this superb Boulder based band grow from impressive teenagers with a pile of bad- ass gear to a confident pro band in league with the big boys. In my estimation they could stand shoulder to shoulder with a band like, oh, Kings Of Leon any day. They played about 35 minutes of songs from their gritty new album “

2011 UMS band Interviews #4

2011-07-12T16:52:00.000-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. John Common and Blinding Flashes Of Light http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/john-common-and-blinding-flashes-of-light Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Saturday, July 23 at Skylark Lounge (Verizon Wireless Stage) for the Green Room

2011 UMS band Interviews #3

2011-07-11T17:06:00.003-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. Achille Lauro: http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/achille-lauro Where and when are you playing at the UMS? we have the distinct pleasure of playing the skylark friday night at 11:55 pm. going to be an excellent way to cap off day two of the

I'd Love To Turn You At The Movies #17 - Gods And Monsters (1998, dir. Bill Condon) / Frankenstein (1931, dir. James Whale) / The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, dir. James Whale)

2011-07-11T11:42:00.000-06:00

I was originally drawn to this film because it tells the story of James Whale, the director of the original Frankenstein, The Bride Of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, three of the most stylish, thought provoking, funny and scary movies of the golden age of Hollywood horror. It turned out to be so much more. It does indeed involve the great films he made, but in a very surprising fashion

2011 UMS band interviews #2

2011-07-08T12:27:00.000-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. Lion Sized http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/lion-sized Where and when are you playing at the UMS? Lion Sized is playing on Sunday, 8pm at 3 Kings Tavern right after Eolian and right before Sins Desires Marie Do you have your cd for sale

2011 UMS band interviews #1

2011-07-07T13:36:00.001-06:00

Twist and Shout has asked some bands performing at the UMS to answer a few questions for us- check out these bands July21st-July24 at the UMS. the Knew: http://www.theums.com/artists/detail/the-knew Where and when are you playing at the UMS? We are playing the outdoor stage at 6 on Saturday as an 8 piece and the Rover on Sunday at 9 as a 5 piece. Lots of numbers in that last

I'd Love to Turn You On #35 - Bill Withers - Live At Carnegie Hall

2011-07-07T13:07:00.000-06:00

Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall is one of those rare recordings that really can only be described as magic. It is one of the greatest live records of all time and is often mentioned in the same breath as James Brown’s Live At The Apollo, Curtis Mayfield’s Curtis Live and any number of others. The songs and their playing order feels like a conversation – about love, poverty, family, war,

Fables of the Reconstruction - A New Column

2011-07-05T13:57:00.000-06:00

The author as Elton John in the mid 70s. I was one of Twist and Shout’s earliest customers. When Paul bought Underground Records at a tax sale in the late 80s, he was the coolest teacher at my high school, the kind of teacher who would hang out with you during lunch hour and talk about music, the kind of teacher who would loan you his precious live bootleg cassettes. I spent a fair amount of

Twist and Shout presents the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase 2011

2011-07-05T13:46:00.000-06:00

This is the 11th annual UMS, also known as the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase. The event takes place in the South Broadway/Baker Historic neighborhood. This area is one of our favorites because our old Alameda store location was just blocks away. Since we moved to Colfax this area has been growing rapidly and is truly an up and coming area filled with cute boutiques and great restaurants.

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - Phil The Fan

2011-07-01T14:55:00.001-06:00

Phil (the fan) Hamon died this week and there was an outpouring of fond tributes by local bands and the people who pay to see them. I guess it wasn’t a surprise to see - Phil certainly was a fixture around town. In the days when I went to a lot of shows I saw him at a million of them. Then I saw him do his homemade lights at a number of shows. Even as my own show frequency has dwindled through my

I'd Love To Turn You On: At the Movies #16: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974, dir. Sam Peckinpah)

2011-06-27T15:49:00.004-06:00

John: “You’re a loser.”Bennie: “Nobody loses all the time!”This movie isn’t for everyone. It’s a grimy, violent allegory detailing the journey of a desperate man at the end of his rope, an alcoholic named Bennie (a brilliant performance by Warren Oates), looking for a way out of the life he’s found himself in by doing the dirty work of a faceless syndicate that stands to make a million

I'd Love To Turn You On: At the Movies #15: Repo Man (dir. Alex Cox, 1984)

2011-06-17T15:24:00.000-06:00

Any discussion involving quintessential 80's movies usually skews toward the John Hughes end of the spectrum. In 1984, on his first film, director and screenwriter Alex Cox showed the other side of 80’s America. Repo Man is the flipside of life in Shermer, IL and its cute and harmless characters - a sprawling, decaying Los Angeles filled with too many people, too many cars, oppressive

I'd Love to Turn You On #34 - Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (1973, Columbia)

2011-06-16T13:54:00.001-06:00

Artists usually aren't able to blow your mind twice. After they've blown it the first time, your brain forms the association: "Warning - this artist blew your mind that one time, so be prepared for it possibly happening again." I hold fast to that theory to explain why Head Hunters didn't blow my mind. Not on first, or second, or even tenth listen. Because Herbie Hancock had already blown my

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - A Treasure

2011-06-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

There are a few Neil Youngs. There’s the singer/songwriter of Buffalo Springfield/CSNY/Crazy Horse fame, the author of countless rock and folk classics; there’s the guitar warrior, capable of puncturing eardrums with feedback and volume; there’s the experimental iconoclast who confounds critics and fans by never being predictable or giving them exactly what they expect; and there is also the down

Wrap-up for Foster the People live at Twist and Shout 6/8

2011-06-10T14:58:00.000-06:00

Foster the People played a semi-acoustic set yesterday to a crowd of 170 fans. The crowd was full of excited music lovers, many of whom were dancing along to the songs. Mark Foster's lead vocals were surprisingly enriched by his acoustic guitar. This band is mainly known for having an indie-electro sound so it was really cool to see the stripped down version of the summer hit "Pumped Up Kicks.

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - More Good Releases

2011-06-03T15:35:00.002-06:00

The Blasters - Live 1986The Blasters hold a special place in rock history. They managed to capture the spirit of a past era while never becoming a tribute band. Just as punk was exploding across the airwaves in the late 70’s and early 80’s this pompadoured group from Downey, California showed up playing revved up roots music that seemed to wink at Joe Turner and Hank Williams with one eye, while

I'd Love To Turn You On: At the Movies #14: Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (dir. James Signorelli, 1988)

2011-06-03T15:30:00.001-06:00

When I sat down to watch the film Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark for the umpteenth time, since my first viewing at 11 years old in a theater in 1988, I was suddenly overcome with a depressing thought; without careful reminders, viewing, and discussion, it is possible that the current generation younger than mine will live in a world without knowing about the hilarious horror icon Elvira (nee

Bad Weather California live at Twist and Shout 5/24 wrap up

2011-05-27T15:33:00.001-06:00

Bad Weather California played at Twist and Shout last night to a crowd of 70 folks. There was a family reunion vibe as Denver came together to celebrate the release ofDemos and Live Takes for the Fans. This super exclusive vinyl has artwork hand-made by the band and some covers even have their own blood mixed in. Nothing like giving your blood to the craft... But that kind of sums up what

I'd Love To Turn You On #33 - Scott Walker – Scott 4 (Mercury/Fontana)

2011-05-23T10:40:00.000-06:00

There are two seemingly irreconcilable Scott Walkers. The first Scott Walker was an Ohio-born teen idol who seduced every girl in England with his dreamy looks, Sinatra-baritone and epic ballads. The second Scott Walker, the one working in the last twenty-five years, is a fiercely independent artist, skirting the outer edges of avant-garde pop music. These two men have seemingly nothing in

I'd Love To Turn You On: At the Movies #13 - The Wages Of Fear (1953, dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot) / Sorcerer (1977, dir. William Friedkin)

2011-05-16T09:52:00.000-06:00

Here’s a riddle: how could two films taken from the same novel, with the same basic plot and themes be so very different? The Wages of Fear, made in 1953 by French director Henri-Georges Clouzot and Sorcerer produced in 1977 by American William Friedkin have many things in common in a strict “this happens then that happens” kind of way, but when one starts to analyze the effect the movies have on

I'd Love To Turn You On #32 - Outkast – Aquemini (LaFace)

2011-05-09T12:27:00.000-06:00

Outkast's third major album, Aquemini, in the opinion of this Twister, is one of the best hip-hop albums ever made.This album is filled with fun, distinctly late 90's Southern Rap, but peppered with amazing beat experimentation and lyrical expression that has become the trademark of Outkast. The duo – consisting of Andre 3000 and Big Boi – conveys their distinctly Southern upbringing in the

Steve Earle - Twist and Shout May 5, 2011

2011-05-06T15:39:00.002-06:00

This was our third in-store with Steve Earle and as soon as he entered the store with trusted road manager and sound engineer he seemed at ease and friendly. He is comfortable talking about normal stuff like baseball, guitars, burritos and TV, but he is equally at home with geo-politics, chaos-theory or union history; he is a thoughtful, intelligent, interesting man. Armed with his never-absent

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - New Releases

2011-05-06T15:33:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me I haven’t reviewed any recent releases for awhile, so here are a bunch of things that have come out in the last few weeks.Grateful Dead – Road Trips Vol.4 No.3 - Denver ’73Finally, a Colorado show! In all the many CDs they have produced, there has never been the release of a full Colorado show. Why does this matter? Obviously, we live here so it would be nice to have a souvenir

I'd Love to Turn You On - At the Movies #12 - Vanishing Point (1971, dir. Richard C. Sarafian)

2011-05-02T10:56:00.000-06:00

Vanishing Point is what Easy Rider would’ve been if Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper had been unknown wannabes with nowhere near the clout necessary to get an unconventional movie made. Watching the two films back to back, you can almost hear the big-shot producer demanding changes to the classic hippy film. Like, the motorcycle thing is cool, but it’d be cooler if it were a hot rod. And why two