
Brent Cowles Went From Pastor’s Son To One Of NPR Music’s Favorite Up-And-Comers
The Colorado musician releases his debut album, “How To Be Okay Alone,” on June 15.

Changes Coming For Denver’s Summit Music Hall, Marquis Theater
The downtown concert venues will temporarily close for renovations this summer.

Listen: A Conversation With 2018 Tiny Desk Contest Winner Naia Izumi
And check out photos from last week’s Tiny Desk Contest On The Road concert at Denver’s Globe Hall, featuring Izumi and Colorado acts Audible, Ivory Circle and Los Mocochetes.

Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest 2018 Lineup Includes Decemberists, Blondie, SHEL
The free live music event takes place Aug. 10-12 in downtown Fort Collins.

Wolf Parade Plays Songs From Comeback Album ‘Cry Cry Cry’ At CPR’s OpenAir
After a five-year hiatus, Wolf Parade released the new album “Cry Cry Cry” last fall. The Montreal quartet — led by the songwriting duo of Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug — picks up right where it left off with a collection songs of featuring mystifying lyrics and uptempo rock rhythms. Wolf Parade stopped into the CPR Performance Studio before a concert at the Ogden Theatre. The members played four songs from “Cry Cry Cry” and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the band’s growth since reuniting in 2016, how they wrote Wolf Parade songs during the hiatus and how the indie rock music industry has changed since the band’s early days.

Super Bummer Plays Surf Rock From ‘Big Ambition’ At CPR’s OpenAir
Super Bummer released its debut album, “Big Ambition,” last month. The quartet hails from New Mexico and currently resides in Denver. The album features midtempo rock songs influenced by ’90s indie music and surf-rock, as well as occasionally downcast lyrics in line with the band’s name. Super Bummer recently played some songs from “Big Ambition” in the CPR Performance Studio. The band members also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about working with the Colorado indie label Grouphug and how they connected with Denver’s music scene.

Ivory Circle Returns To CPR’s OpenAir, Talks Memorable Tiny Desk Contest Video
Ivory Circle caught some national attention this year with a remarkable submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. The Denver band’s video for “Never Let Me Go” — which features multiple images of band members spliced into one shot — made a list of the contest judges’ favorite entries (and our list as well). That video landed them a spot on last week’s Tiny Desk Concert bill with contest winner Naia Izumi. Ivory Circle recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. The band members played three songs — including “Never Let Me Go” — and spoke with Alisha Sweeney about about why their EP titles are named after triangles, the long process of arranging their vocal harmonies and what the exposure from NPR Music has done for the band.

Covenhoven’s Third Outing Is ‘A Kind Of Revelation’
The third album from the project led by Colorado musician Joel Van Horne is inspired by the Pacific Ocean.

Underground Music Showcase Reveals 2018 Lineup: Superchunk, Alvvays, Digable Planets And More
The music festival returns July 27-29 to Denver’s South Broadway neighborhood.

After Years on the Road, Hinds Are Wiser and Stronger on ‘I Don’t Run’
After two years of nonstop touring, the Spanish band sings about the less glamorous side of the musician lifestyle on its sophomore album.

Parquet Courts Perform ‘Wide Awake!’ Songs At CPR’s OpenAir
The band also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about working with producer Danger Mouse, the political themes on the album and why the new songs are so danceable.

U.S. Girls Perform Music From ‘In a Poem Unlimited’ At CPR’s OpenAir
Meghan Remy and her seven-piece backing band played a few songs and spoke with Jeremy Petersen about expanding the band’s sound with more musicians, sampling hip-hop songs on the new record and mixing angry lyrics with upbeat music.

Paul Kimbiris & The Dark Side Of Pearl Perform Folk-Rock From ‘May Day’ At CPR’s OpenAir
Paul Kimbiris & The Dark Side of Pearl released the new “May Day” EP earlier this month. Kimbiris has garnered comparisons to Bob Dylan and Gregory Alan Isakov for his lyrical storytelling and folk-inspired music. The new record features a louder rock sound from his band, named for the main street in the singer-songwriter’s home of Boulder. Kimbiris and his band recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio for the first time since 2014. They played four songs and Kimbiris spoke with Bruce Trujillo about how a trip to Spain inspired his new music and performing at a Bob Dylan tribute show at eTown Hall in Boulder.

Darren Garvey Of Elephant Revival Goes Solo With ‘Heart Attack Sleeves’
Darren Garvey spent the last two years as the percussionist for Colorado folk group Elephant Revival. That band recently went on hiatus, but Garvey is staying busy with his solo singer-songwriter music. Next month the multi-instrumentalist will release his latest album, “Heart Attack Sleeves,” and he performs June 29 at the Walnut Room with Tough Old Bird and Perry West. Garvey stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play some of his own material on guitar and piano. He also spoke with Alisha Sweeney about producing his own records, his goal to share a new song online every week in 2018 and why Elephant Revival is taking a break.

Gasoline Lollipops Return To CPR’s OpenAir Before Bluebird Theater Show
Gasoline Lollipops have a busy 2018 schedule. The Boulder country-rock band will perform at several Colorado summer music festivals including Grandoozy and ARISE as well as a free concert at Levitt Pavilion Denver in July. The quartet released its latest album, “Soul Mine,” late last year. Gasoline Lollipops recently returned to the CPR Performance Studio a year after their first visit. The band played four songs and bandleader Clay Rose spoke with Alisha Sweeney about the soul-searching period of his life that inspired “Soul Mine,” recording much of the album alone and his plans to write and record music with his mother.

Oxeye Daisy Plays Psychedelic Pop From Debut Album At CPR’s OpenAir
Oxeye Daisy released its self-titled debut album last week. Led by singer and guitarist Lela Roy, the Denver quartet’s sound is an intersection of pop and psychedelic rock that’s both dreamy and rugged. Oxeye Daisy stopped into the CPR Performance Studio to play four songs, including two cuts from the new album. The members also spoke with Jeremy Petersen about their love for 1990s pop artists like The Cranberries and Enya and recording the album in a warehouse.