The following is an account of a middle-aged male who lived twenty-eight years all alone on an un-inhabited island. Found next to his skeletal remains was a smashed up music device that was still playing a song in the sand.

The mix between the force of sun and the anxiety that comes with desolate isolation tell me it must already be past noon. The waves pull inward, everything does here, and instinct and hunger drag me back into the water. I successfully net two fish and return to the beach and cook them in the dim remains of a fire. Then, after my lunch in the sand, I do as I do every day. I put on the foamless, jagged remains of headphones and listen to the one song that rhetoric had allowed me to bring. It is my desert island song… fucking “Holiday Road.”

"Holiday Road" by Philly's own David "DLD" Katman (original by Lindsey Buckingham)

I can make all the excuses that I want. National Lampoons Vacation was playing in the background that night when a charcoal sketch of a bartender leaned over and asked the hypothetical question of all questions. I thought I was being funny, couldn’t possibly be taken seriously and just hoping for at least a laugh to deflect the question. But when he asked what song I would bring to a desert island and I muttered “Holiday Road” with an upward inflection, the bastard didn’t even fake a smile. The bar just froze over and fell silent with more people paying attention to my jittery movements than I had first realized. I had to try to sell my joke again or the moment would drown in awkwardness. “You know, “Holiday R-oh oh oh oh oad,” I started to sing and continued through the contagious chorus while waving my hands in exaggeration just in case anyone needed a reminder of the flawless hook that had once been tinseled into collective pop consciousness. But the bar just sat silent, the jukebox winded to a halt and a cartoonish drunk in the corner uncurled from his stool and let out an old man throaty growl of a laugh. It was dangerous laugh that seemed to imply that not only had he seen way more of the world than me but also had uncovered some sort of truth that allowed him to laugh at unfunny moments like these.

“Holiday Road- did ya!” his laugh became more forced and the rest of the bar joined in unison. I started to become annoyed. The old man’s words weren’t even a sentence let alone funny. I headed toward the door to walk away from the weight of the twenty mouths that were all mocking me. A flicker of flash and then everything went dark. Salt water suctioned into my lungs as all of the sudden I was champagne-corking it out of the ocean, falling hard into the sand. I opened my eyes to nothing but blinding sun and sat up to realize that I was grappling an iPod, fully charged with an infinity symbol instead of a battery sign. I scrolled through the menu but there was only one track in a playlist labeled “eternal fate.” Stranded on a desert island with one sole possession, fucking “Holiday Road.”

For the first day I must admit I was having a blast. It was a good beach day and I sat on the surf counting the minutes that I was not doing anything else. Constant living in days like this would be easy. Even when I wasn’t playing the track I would find myself humming the first verse between naps and coconut runs.

At night though, I began to seriously question my choice of song. Who in their right mind picks Holiday Road? Faced with eternity and one song I could have unlocked the esoteric truth off a track from Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, put the final touches on Schubert’s unfinished “Symphony No. 8,” or become one with my surroundings with a track of ambient ocean sounds.

The first sign of trouble came on day #20. The morning started as usual with the sun transforming intense sweat into a wake up call. After another coffee-less routine start I put on my headphones for some musical comfort but was met only with a push of dread. My rhythm was off kilter, one beat ahead of the track, and my mind was straining at the impossibility of speeding up the song to the way my brain had perceived it. I listened to the track over and over in a craze while running back and forth to the beach trying to accelerate my heartbeat so that adrenaline alone would bring something to the forefront that I had not heard before. The song had wound itself into a noose; the contagious hook just a dagger to my eardrum. What was once music had been worn into shapeless sound, aggressive noise, and above all, meaningless verse.

I was on the brink of insanity. Over and over I would listen to that two minutes and thirteen seconds of meaningless pop sensationalism. The constant repetition of repeat could have ungrounded a statue and I was crumbling. I began to question each lyric for meaning to try to unravel this curse. Was Holiday Road heaven? Was it an interstate? What is the traffic situation? What kind of holiday is it? Is the road Jewish? Does it fast on Yom Kippur?

Each time the drum track rolled I was sent into a state of panic. The headphones became nothing more than a plastic extension of my eardrum. One night I threw the iPod straight into the waves and passed out in a momentary lapse of quiet. In the morning the iPod lay next to me in the sand, the song playing louder and angrier than I had ever heard before. Robinson Crusoe discovered cannibals on his island; I discovered that Lindsay Buckingham was the death of me.

Though we crave noise and attention there is something to be said for quiet moments. The universe may have been created with a bang but the earth spins in a silent vacuum. Behind even the loudest machine is a quiet blueprint drawn with soft number 2 pencils. It has been twenty-six years since I faced that hypothetical question. Five years ago I ruptured my eardrums with two handfuls of sand and debris in order to numb the agony of that chorus. I sit here now deaf to the waves, but “Holiday Road” still plays on repeat in my head.

- by Yonah Korngold

Monday February 8
The Entrance Band @ Hi-Dive
Gungor @ Walnut Room
LoveHateHero @ Marquis Theater

Tuesday February 9
Mark Brut @ Larimer Lounge
Matt Hires @ Soiled Dove
Tyler Despres @ Meadowlark

Wednesday February 10
Girls @ Bluebird Theater
Theodore Black @ Larimer Lounge
Langhorne Slim @ Hi-Dive
Theory of a Deadman @ Ogden Theater
Mystic Roots Band @ Cervantes' Other Side
Telepath @ Fox Theatre
Dead Bubbles @ Herman’s Hideaway
Sweet Sturgeons @ Meadowlark
The Audition @ Marquis Theater

Thursday February 11
Backslide @ Larimer Lounge
The Rouge @ Hi-Dive
Bowling for Soup @ Bluebird Theater
Spruce @ Cervantes' Other Side
Steve Law @ Swallow Hill Cafe
Nemesys @ Gothic Theatre
Strings and Wood (CD Release) @ Walnut Room
Dead Orchids @ Lion’s Lair
Inraen @ Herman’s Hideaway
Gata Negra @ Meadowlark
Tin Horn Prayer @ Marquis Theater

Friday February 12
Snake Rattle Rattle Snake @ Larimer Lounge
The Simple Discussion @ Hi-Dive
Head for the Hills @ Bluebird Theater
Oakhurst @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Telepath & Juno What? @ Cervantes' Other Side
Pete Wernick @ Swallow Hill (Daniels Hall)
Stoll Vaughan @ Swallow Hill (Tuft Theatre)
Gov't Mule @ Gothic Theatre
Cirque De Paradox 5 @ Walnut Room
Chopz Presetz @ Lion’s Lair
Majestic X @ Herman’s Hideaway
Disco Nouveau with Tyler Snow & Crew @ Meadowlark
Guttermouth @ Marquis Theater

Saturday February 13
St. Vincent @ Bluebird Theater
Les Claypool @ Fox Theatre
Editors @ Ogden Theater
Gov't Mule @ Fillmore Auditorium
Hideous Men @ Larimer Lounge
Danceotron @ Hi-Dive
Caspa @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Telepath & Juno What? @ Cervantes' Other Side
Clay Kirkland's Beat the Reaper, IV @ Swallow Hill (Tuft Theatre)
Daedelus @ Gothic Theatre
Kosmos @ Walnut Room
Oleta Adams @ Soiled Dove
Miyagi Dojo vs. Cobra Kai @ Herman’s Hideaway
Joshua Novak @ Meadowlark

Sunday February 14
Devotchka @ Fox Theatre
Les Claypool @ Ogden Theater
Couples In Love & Music @ Swallow Hill (Daniels Hall)
Next Big Thing Tour @ Gothic Theatre
Crash! @ Lion’s Lair
Gentlemen of the Night @ Soiled Dove
The Toasters @ Marquis Theater

Tuesday February 2
Ave @ Larimer Lounge
The Strange @ Cervantes Other Side
Dubskin & Euforquestra @ Boulder Theater

Wednesday February 3
Four Year Strong @ Marquis Theater
To My Love @ Larimer Lounge
Jet Edison @ Cervantes Other Side
All CU, A Capella Benefit for Haiti @ Fox Theatre
Hayes Carll @ Walnut Room
The Wounded Violets @ Meadowlark

Thursday February 4
Abacabb @ Marquis Theater
Vast Black @ Larimer Lounge
Turn 4 @ Hi-Dive
The Say So Crazies @ Bluebird Theater
Dubskin & Euforquestra @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
The Floozies @ Cervantes Other Side
Tech N9ne @ Boulder Theater
Infected Mushroom @ Fox Theatre
The White Buffalo & Joe Firstman @ Walnut Room
Roger Clyne @ Soiled Dove
Kimmyan Presents @ Lion’s Lair
Safe Boating Is No Accident @ Meadowlark

Friday February 5
Laserplace (Cassette Release) @ Rhinoceropolis
P.O.S. @ Marquis Theater
Drop City @ Larimer Lounge
Fierce Bad Rabbit @ Hi-Dive
Alan Baird Project @ Bluebird Theater
Anthony B. @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
White Water Ramble @ Cervantes Other Side
Elephant Revival @ Boulder Theater
Trouble Andrew @ Fox Theatre
Leo Tizer @ Soiled Dove
D.F.O.S. @ Lion’s Lair
Tjutjana & Fissure Mystic (Vinyle Release) @ Meadowlark

Saturday February 6
Street Dogs @ Marquis Theater
Funhouse (CD Release) @ Larimer Lounge
The Hollyfelds @ Hi-Dive
Trevor Hall @ Bluebird Theater
The Mighty Diamonds @ Cervantes Other Side
Prefuse 73 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Dieselboy @ Gothic Theatre
Second City @ Boulder Theater
Anthony B @ Fox Theatre
Missed the Boat @ Walnut Room
Ideal Fathers @ Meadowlark

Sunday February 7
Zen Sadist @ Larimer Lounge
Hermit Thrushes @ Hi-Dive
Oatie Paste @ Lion’s Lair

—the Moonglows

“One of a thousand pities that you can’t categorize

There are ten commandments of love…”

—Elvis Costello, “Pidjin English

“She’s got the ten commandments tattooed on her arm.”

—MC5, “Sister Anne”

Not nine. Not eleven. Ten commandments. No wonder ten-named songs are a solid lot: they are linked inextricably to the very basis of Judeo-Christian morality. Use 10 right, and you have a powerful weapon. Granted, it’s a heavy a subject to tackle head-on in a pop song, but in “The Ten Commandments of Love,” a valentine to fidelity and deep, abiding romance, the legendary doo-wop practitioners the Moonglows stirringly suggest a concept the average 1950s teenager could get cozy with. (True, the ‘Glows only enumerate nine commandments of love, but the background vocals cunningly fool the ear into thinking it’s heard the full decalogue.)

Harry Nilsson, no stranger to numerically titled songs (see “One” and “1941”), used the Ten Commandments as the basis for his “Ten Little Indians,” which he derived from the short poem-turned-schoolyard jingle that Agatha Christie borrowed for the title of one of her most popular mysteries. (The original title, published in the UK in 1939, used an appalling racial epithet instead of Indians, but the U.S. edition carried the title “And Then There Were None.”) Unlike the original poem, in which each little Indian dies from one form of random misadventure or another, in Nilsson’s version, which the Yardbirds covered, each one dies by breaking a commandment. The Beach Boys’ “Ten Little Indians,” one of their least successful singles, and deservedly so, uses the traditional sing-song melody of the playground to tell the story of a fickle “squaw” who resists nine eager suitors—and their offers of moccasins, feathers and the like—before settling on “the tenth little Indian boy.” Certainly a low point for a great group. Much more uplifting is “Ten Little Kids” by the Jayhawks, a joyful stomp that really is about kids, from their sublime Tomorrow the Green Grass. The densely churning “Ten Little Girls” by Curve (heck, all their songs are densely churning) diverts from the poem, dispatching the girls in question in one fell swoop.

“Ten silver saxes, a bass with a bow/the drummer relaxes and waits between shows for his cinnamon girl”—Neil Young, “Cinnamon Girl”

The nation’s oldest college athletics conference is the Big Ten, but R&B sax master Bull Moose Jackson had a far different, far from officially sanctioned kind of sport in mind on his signature “Big Ten Inch Record.” The caesura that follows “ten-inch” is all that’s needed to make Jackson’s song a classic of the double entendre, and it’s obvious why Aerosmith covered it in 1976, much to the delight of their male teenage fan base. Motley Crue’s premature ejaculation ode, “Ten Seconds to Love,” speaks to that same hormonally addled populace, only1983-style: with phallus-as-loaded gun imagery and the assurance that it’s ok to be bad in bed and brag about it afterward. (Alice Cooper’s “10 Minutes to the Worm” has nothing to do with sex whatsoever, while Jefferson Airplane’s “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds” is a hard-charging complaint song that takes issue with “people laughing at my hair” and overpriced dope, among other things.)

Bull Moose Jackson - "Big Ten Inch"
XTC - "Ten Feet Tall"
the Stone Roses - "10 Storey Love Song”

We live in a base 10 world, so we lop things off in sets of ten. Ten’s a significant demarcation: it’s a ten-foot pole we wouldn’t touch something with; a deep breath we take before counting to 10. We make top 10 lists, rate people’s looks on a scale of 1 to 10 (the corn-rowed Bo Derek was the feminine ideal in 1977, so she was a “10,” a concept explored in Rich Creamy Paint’s “You’re a 10”). When we feel fantastic, larger than life, how do we feel? We feel 10 feet tall. Which brings me to XTC’s “Ten Feet Tall,” a scintillating and understated gem from the band’s watershed Drums & Wires that features as concise a four-bar guitar solo as has ever been attempted. It perfectly embodies the otherworldly sensation of dumbstruck rapture, while marking new creative territory for this endlessly inventive combo. The acoustic, jazz-chord-laden single was Colin Moulding’s attempt to subvert the band’s MO up to that point, what he called “Quirk, Jerk, Spiky, Crikey, Start, Stop,” and offer up something altogether smoother and sexier. The result speaks for itself: “Ten Feet Tall” remains one of XTC’s most delightful and understated creations. The Stone Roses’ “10 Storey Love Song” amps the love- as-height imagery to gargantuan proportions, from mere feet to stories. The hyperbole inherent in the song’s title is right in line with the over-the-top ambitions of Second Coming, the Stone Roses’ swan song, which was little more than a bevy of bloated blooze riffs utterly lacking the magic that characterized the band’s self-titled debut. That record, many contend, belongs among the greatest ever, while the pompously titled Second Coming is all but universally reviled, or at least characterized as a monumental disappointment. That said, “Ten Storey Love Song” is one of the record’s few standouts, imbued with a strong melody and a sense of proportion, even with its outsize emotions.

Footnote: the Velvet Underground voiced a similar sentiment with the also-ran “Love Makes You Feel Ten Foot Tall,” which ended up on Loaded: The Fully Loaded Edition.

Before attaining a brief ubiquity with their big-beat cover of the Stones’ “I’m Free,” the Soup Dragons were an enjoyably twee English indie band whose “Hang-Ten!” was a fizzy little thing that went pop, like Buzzcocks Lite. The song takes its title from the ‘60s surf term for riding a wave with all ten toes hanging off the board. Bowling never became the craze that surfing did, nor did it inspire tons of songs, but Raleigh, N.C., troubadours the Connells did refer to the strangely addictive pastime in “Ten Pins Down.” The title of “Box 10,” Jim Croce’s concise, affecting ditty of hard times in New York, refers to the address of the Sunday mission where he ends up after losing his earthly possessions to naiveté and a cold-hearted woman. That Sunday mission might plausibly be in the vicinity of 10th Avenue, the site of Bruce Springsteen’s “10th Avenue Freeze-Out,” a staple of the band’s oeuvre that traces the origins of the E. Street Band in colorful if decidedly abstruse fashion—Clarence Clemons recently admitted he had no idea what it meant. Speaking of freezing, “10 Degrees and Getting Colder” by Gordon Lightfoot tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck musician trying to hitch a ride near Boulder Dam.

Fun 10 Fact: “Ten Bob Twist: (obs.) A portion of drugs, usually cannabis, bought for ten shillings sterling; half a quid deal.” (The aural equivalent of a contact high, “Ten Tons of Dope” by Luminal dwarfs a half-quid deal in a cannabis haze of epic proportions.)

“And if a 10-ton truck crashes into us, to die by your side what a heavenly way to die...” The Smiths, “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "10 X 10"
(live @ Glasslands Gallery, Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Kleenex- "DC -10"
Blonde Redhead - "10"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "10 x 10"
Beach House - "10 Mile Stereo"

Heavier and far more potentially lethal than a 10-ton truck, the DC-10 aircraft was taken out of production in 1989, roughly a decade after it was saluted with “DC-10” by Kleenex. This unheralded all-female Swiss band (actually, they’re all unheralded) were forced to change their name (to Liliput) when leaned upon by tissue-industry thugs. The tough gals behind “DC-10” would have likely appreciated Blonde Redhead’s caustic “10,” featuring yelped, half-spoken Sonically Youthful vocals. If you’re making a mixtape at home, I would suggest following “10” with the sexy, strutting “10 x 10” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs from the Is Is EP, and then, to take things down a notch, “10 Mile Stereo” by Beach House, a slice of elusive dream pop that shimmers like rainbows in a puddle.

M.I.A. - "$10"

Ten has turned up in a many an album title, and while these are not eligible for the top spot, they do merit mention. First and foremost, Ten is the title of the debut outing by Pearl Jam, which, more than any other record, including Nevermind, brought grunge into America’s living rooms. 10 the number is even more popular as an album title: L.L. Cool J, the Smithereens, the Guess Who, the Stranglers, Enuff Z’Nuff, Wet Wet Wet, and Asleep at the Wheel are just some of the acts that have all used it, and the second discrete semiprime also fits into Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales, the Elvis Costello best-of Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How’s Your Fathers, and countless others.

A $10 bill used to be called a sawbuck because of the roman numeral X’s resemblance to a certain wood-holding device, but no one calls it that anymore; maybe that’s because it buys so little these days it doesn’t seem to deserve a jazzy nickname. Of course, M.I.A. wouldn’t agree with me: in “$10,” she sings “What can I get for $10—anything you want,” a sentiment that would go down well with the protagonist of ZZ Top’s “Ten Dollar Man” from the less-than-essential Tejas LP (1977). Essential advice comes in the form of the Monochrome Set’s “Ten Don’ts For Honeymooners,” which begins with the sage declaration, “Don’t ski naked down Mount Everest/With lilies up your nose” before proceeding with a litany of other priceless matrimonial no-nos, including:

Don’t dance the polka in a dhoti
And whistle The Rite of Spring
Don’t recite Hamlet’s soliloquy
While munching onion rings

The Monochrome Set - "Ten Don't For Honeymooners"

“It’s 10:00. Do you know where your children are?” Once a staple of the average Joe’s viewing habits, the 10:00 news inspired songs like “News at Ten” by the Vapors (of “Turning Japanese” fame.) Still, there’s probably no better song celebrating 10:00 than “Clock Strikes Ten” by Cheap Trick, the final track from the monumental At Budokan. “10 A.M. Automatic” by the Black Keys certainly owns the morning slot, while the Verlaines “All Joed Out” looks like the only song in existence to mention the rarified time of “10:00 in the afternoon.”

Something about 10 just seems to go with “years.” Warren Zevon (“After 10 long years they let him out of the home/ Excitable boy they all said…”), The Who (“Ten years old with thoughts as bold as thoughts can be”) and the good old Grateful Dead (“I’ve been gambling hereabouts/ for 10 good solid years”) provide a few examples of this sturdy construction, while 10-years-titled songs abound, including the stately “Ten Years Ahead” by Swedish psych-pop prodigies The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Game Theory’s “Andy in 10 Years.” But the very best of this subset have a common denominator in the form of guitar legend Jimmy Page. One of them is “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,” a song recorded by The Yardbirds for 1967’s Roger the Engineer, when Page shared lead guitar duties with Jeff Beck. Although the song was one of the band’s less successful singles, it stands as one of those rare songs from the psychedelic era that carries the hallmark sounds—the vaguely Middle Eastern modalities, mystical lyrics, like those referring to “sinking deep into the well of time,” disembodied voices and creepy laughter—but doesn’t sound at all dated. With its nifty structure and bevy of guitar sounds—stabbing, discordant, feedback-laden, explosive bursts—amid the songs’s juddering rhythms, “Happenings” just grabs you by the lapels, pins you against the wall, and slaps you into submission.

Yardbirds – “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago”
Dusty Springfield - "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten"

Before discussing top dog, it seems wise to heed Dusty Springfield’s advice when she sang, “I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten.” Because it’s a heady topic. When I first began brainstorming song ideas for this list, my “10” song came to me right away. While there are several excellent contenders (the Yardbirds song in particular is certainly epic enough to take the crown), I am still inclined to stick with my original choice: “Ten Years Gone” by Led Zeppelin, off their monolithic Physical Graffiti. It encapsulates all that is great about Led Zeppelin: the sense of space, the majesty, the indelible melodies, guitar lines that fly too close to the sun, drums that shake you to your very foundation, and the whole thing filled with urgency, yearning, and, in this case, something like 14 separate guitar tracks during one especially rich sequence.

For the converted among you there will be no argument. For those who never got into the band—or simply never got their appeal, for those who hated “Stairway” or who were born too late for the band to truly enter your soul, etc., I say unto you only this: This one might make a believer out of you, at least a believer in the sublimity of the song itself. All you have to do is pretend you’ve never heard of Led Zeppelin or Robert Plant or that fish in the hotel room with the groupie in LA. Just pretend your friend brought this over and slapped it on your iPod, told you it was an outtake from Tool’s latest, and I defy you not to be moved.

Led Zeppelin - "Ten Years Gone"

Like any great Zep song, “Ten Years Gone” is an amazing feat, a miniature movie consisting only of sound. Every melodic excursion and turn within its six-minute confines sounds like it was written into the song, and yet there is a certain organic looseness that keeps it from sounding like the labored-over creation it clearly was. “Ten Years Gone” starts hushed and builds elegantly upon an insistent, Moebius strip kind of a lick, one that sounds better as all the melodic permutations of it are writ large, strategically, in the most perfect places. And Robert Plant delivers one of his most modulated performances in this paean to a lover from the past who demanded he choose her or his music—and lost the bet. When Plant finally gives it up and wails a couple of “woo-woo, yeah-yeahs” like the banshee incarnate, it’s the perfect, the only sound that will do.

Led Zeppelin - "Ten Years Gone"
(live, 1976)

Numerology is our pal Dave's ill-advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. We hear 60 is the new 40, and now we're not even that impressed by his progress.

Previously: No. 1, 2 (redux), 3, 4 (redux), 5-7, 5 (redux),6 (redux), 6.4, 7 (counterpoint), 8, 9, 10/11, 12/13. 13 (counterpoint), 14/15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26/27, 28 , 29 , 30, 30 (counterpoint), 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, Footnotes, 57, 58, 59 , 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68

Worth it alone for Jon King's freakout dancing.

Here is Fever Ray's Karin Dreijer Andersson accepting an award at Sweden's P3 Guld public radio award show. Her um, inspired outfit looks like the result of a nightmare mashup of a Shriner, a Greek Orthodox bishop and the always feared actualization of way, way too many psychedelics.

Tuesday January 26
Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody @ Hi-Dive
Patrick Kratzer @ Larimer Lounge
Timbaland feat The Fray @ Gothic Theatre

Wednesday January 27
Suckered Inn @ Hi-Dive
White Denim @ Larimer Lounge
Silent Civilian @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Dumpstaphunk @ Fox Theatre
Analog Space @ Lion’s Lair
iCconoClass @ Herman’s Hideaway

Thursday January 28
High On Fire @ Marquis Theater
A.A. Bondy @ Hi-Dive
Sunshine @ Larimer Lounge
Gata Negra @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk @ Gothic Theatre
Disco Biscuits @ Fox Theatre
Voodoo Stingray & Mojo Lifters @ Lion’s Lair
Titwrench: A Night of Emerging Talent @ Lion’s Lair
The Strange @ Herman’s Hideaway

Friday January 29
Single File @ Marquis Theater
Hello Kavita @ Hi-Dive
Yellfire @ Larimer Lounge
The Chain Gang of 1974 @ Bluebird Theater
The Living Legends @ Ogden Theater
TransWorld Snowboarding: Riders Poll Awards @ Fillmore Auditorium
DJ Yoda @ @ Cervantes' Other Side
16 Bit and Tes La Rok @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Lost Network @ Oriental Theater
Rebelution @ Gothic Theatre
RE:Creation @ Boulder Theater
Disco Biscuits @ Fox Theatre
Molina Soleil & Aju @ Walnut Room
Kelley Hunt @ Soiled Dove
Best of the West @ Herman’s Hideaway

Saturday January 30
Snoop Dogg @ Ogden Theater
MTHDS @ Marquis Theater
DKBC Winter Party @ Hi-Dive
Jonny Woodrose & the Broken Hearted @ Larimer Lounge
Corey Smith @ Bluebird Theater
Brand New @ Fillmore Auditorium
Broken Tongues @ Cervantes' Other Side
Pato Banton @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Rebelution @ Boulder Theater
Disco Biscuits @ Fox Theatre
D.A.R.C. Presents: The Inactivists @ Walnut Room
Metal As Art Tour: Hypno5e @ Lion’s Lair
DJ Klaw & Crew @ Lion’s Lair
The Informants @ Herman’s Hideaway

Sunday January 31
Anvil @ Gothic Theatre
Mike Maurer Band w/ I Sank Molly Brown (Haiti benefit) @ Marquis Theater
Open Wings Broken Strings @ Ogden Theater
Disco Biscuits @ Fox Theatre
Insomniaxe @ Lion’s Lair

Monday January 18

Tuesday January 19
Parachute @ Marquis Theater
Seismic Event @ Larimer Lounge

Wednesday January 20
Goodie Mob @ Gothic Theatre
Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk w/ MMCIII @ Rhinoceropolis
Edge of the World @ Larimer Lounge
Mount Righteous @ Hi-Dive
Greensky Bluegrass @ Bluebird Theater
The Grascals @ Soiled Dove
Johnny Woodrose @ Meadowlark

Thursday January 21
Primasonic w/ New Ben Franklins (CD Release) @ Larimer Lounge
Whiskey Throttle @ Hi-Dive
Watchout! Theres Ghosts @ Marquis Theater
Drew Emmitt Band @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Megan Burtt and the Cure for Love (CD Release) @ Walnut Room
Erik Deutsch Hush Money (CD Release) @ Boulder Theater
Pato Banton @ Fox Theatre
Backpack Symphony @ Herman’s Hideaway
Snake Mountain @ Lion’s Lair
Git Some @ Meadowlark

Friday January 22
Green Typewriters @ Larimer Lounge
Snake Rattle Rattle Snake (EP Release) @ Hi-Dive
Howie Day @ Bluebird Theater
Honor the Fallen (Skyfox's Pajama Jammy Jam (ed note - ?)) @ Gothic Theatre
Novus Folium @ Marquis Theater
The Motet @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Come On Go With Us @ Walnut Room
State Radio @ Boulder Theater
Murs @ Fox Theatre
Best of the West semifinals: Kill City Bombers, more @ Herman’s Hideaway
Juliet Mission @ Lion’s Lair
Science Partner @ Meadowlark

Saturday January 23
Nick Jonas & The Administration @ Paramount Theatre
Alberta Cross @ Larimer Lounge
The Still City (CD Release) @ Hi-Dive
Jambon @ Bluebird Theater
Umphrey's McGee @ Fillmore Auditorium
Zombie Hate Brigade (Tromapalooza (ed note - ??)) @ Gothic Theatre
The Northern Way @ Marquis Theater
The Motet @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
A Funky Evening @ Walnut Room
Howie Day @ Fox Theatre
TR3 Featuring Tim Reynolds @ Soiled Dove
Lonnie Hill & Hideaway Band @ Herman’s Hideaway
Erick Rudolph (CD Release) @ Meadowlark

Sunday January 24
Nick Jonas & The Administration @ Paramount Theatre
BAD @ Marquis Theater
Lizz King w/ BREEZEE ONE! @ Rhinoceropolis
Ugly Bumpers @ Lion’s Lair

If she sounds like she's haunting your 1997-era dial up modem in this recording, it's because she kinda is (maybe):

M.I.A. also says that she recorded a song called (seriously) "I'm Down Like Your Internet Connection" with a group of Filipino Verizon workers. She says, "I was having issues with my cable and wireless, and I was on the phone [with tech support] for three hours, and I thought, 'Maybe this needs to be part of my music, could you just learn these lyrics and sing it down the phone to me?' 10 phone calls later, I have Internet that sticks and a song." (via P4K)

This may not be that song, but the connection (no pun int.) seems valid.

Update The name of this song is "Space Odyssey".

Monday January 11

Tuesday January 12
Tyler Despres @ Meadowlark

Wednesday January 13
100 Monkeys @ Marquis Theater
The Supervillains @ The Black Sheep
Pluyd w/ Matt Spinks @ Herman’s Hideaway
Analog Space @ Meadowlark

Thursday January 14
Fellow Citizens @ Marquis Theater
3 Two @ Larimer Lounge
Panal S.A. de C.V. @ Hi-Dive
Reverend Horton Heat @ Ogden Theatre
Tea Leaf Green @ Fox Theatre
Liquid Sun @ Walnut Room
The Cashed Love Quartet @ Herman’s Hideaway
Planning Space @ Lion's Lair
Flooded Basement @ Meadowlark

Friday January 15
The Epilogues @ Marquis Theater
Grease Machine @ Larimer Lounge
Alan Alda @ Hi-Dive
Tea Leaf Green @ Bluebird Theater
The Wailers @ Ogden Theatre
Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights @ The Black Sheep
Wendy Woo & Nina Storey @ Swallow Hill (Daniels Hall)
Jim Adam Blues Duo @ Swallow Hill (Tuft Theatre)
Reverend Horton Heat @ Boulder Theater
Punch Brothers & Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) @ Fox Theatre
The Mile High Movement @ Walnut Room
Cutter Nuxon @ Herman’s Hideaway
Frokus @ Lion's Lair
Lords of Fuzz @ Meadowlark

Saturday January 16
Hot White, Nightshark, others @ Rhinoceropolis
Speakeasy Tiger @ Marquis Theater
Jeff Ote & the Fatality @ Larimer Lounge
The Swayback @ Hi-Dive
Split Lip Rayfield @ Bluebird Theater
Keller Williams @ Ogden Theatre
George Clinton @ Fillmore Auditorium
Anti-Flag @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Brandi Carlile @ Paramount Theatre
The Pine Leaf Boys @ Swallow Hill (Daniels Hall)
The Wailers @ Fox Theatre
Rob Drabkin @ Soiled Dove
Mono Verde (CD Release) @ Herman’s Hideaway
Astrophagus @ Meadowlark

Sunday January 17
Reverend Horton Heat @ The Black Sheep

Albums of the year

Honorable mentions

Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
Dark was the Night album
Vitalic – Flashmob
St. Vincent – Actor
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Miike Snow – S/T
Micachu – Jewellery
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below

10. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – S/T
It’s not the oughts if there’s not more than one twee album in the top ten, and the consistency wins Pains' inclusion in this list over other great albums. Absolutely love the sunny single “Young Adult Friction,” and its somewhat twin sister “This Love is Fucking Right!”

9. Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do
Oh look, a dancehall-inspired album made my list. The various remix of intense Hold the Line (especially the Poirier one), the wickedly good reggae Zumbie (f., of all people, Andy Milonakis), and “Baby”, which has the best use of autotuner this year. Also - the summer jam for one minute “Keep it Going Louder.”

8. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
Influences a plenty. Some point to Beirut and Arcade Fire, and the former is absolutely correct when considering the Eastern European dirge “The Walls Are Coming Down”. But the biggest touchstone for me is Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and I would take this album over their debut. I think “I’m A Pilot” is one of the best songs of the year, with march-step drums and swooning strings, and you will also dig the upbeat, hopeful “Fire Escape”.

7. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
CO brings more of the same melancholy found on Let's Get Out the Country. But they've grown as well, finding some strides in more upbeat offerings. Holy shit - this album did not dominate my summer. While I find myself drawn to wry lyrics (“Oh, you want to be a writer; fantastic idea”). CO’s strength I think lies in the superb musicianship and slight touches (listen closely to “Swan”, for instance, and note all the flourishes.

6. Kid Cudi – That Kid From Cleveland
Call it the Kanye corollary. Success breed laziness, and there is no rapper right now lazier than Kanye (tho’ Weezy (despite his profligacy) is rising up the charts with a bullet). So, into the vacuum, steps competition. Was never in love with Lupe Fiasco, but found myself immediately drawn to the (sadly) fan-punching Kid Cudi. This album is a uneven mess that pokes around all chambers. Cudi has a wide range on display here, from the fierce rap over LCD’s “Something Great” to his not-quite freestyle "Freestyle" to the Patsy Cline-ode to threesomes "She Came Along". As with many rappers, you have to wince through the misogyny, but you can't deny the talent.

top 5 and songs of the year after the break.

4. School of Seven Bells – Alpinism
Would you like an album from members of Secret Machines and On!Air!Library! ? No, I’m filled up with gorgeous music, thanks. Good albums make you sweat over your favorite track, and this is no exception. While first-place votes go to the sugary "Chain" and the 11-min marathon hymnal "Sempiternal/Aramanth", but the military drums synth drone "Iamundernodisguise" gets the top AP ranking.

3. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Musical savant Dave Longstreth takes a giant leap forward with this woozy, spastic record. From R&B song-as-criticism (or observation) “Stillness is the Mood”, Simon & Garfunkel-on-Mars inflected “Remade Horizon” and, my personal favorite, epic organ grind “Useful Chamber”, this is truly original music. Imitators take heed: emulation is impossible.

2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Fever Ray gets the top spot because of the pathos. There is something slightly aloof and antiseptic about Merriweather that places it slightly below FR, but wondrous nonetheless. The chorus loop charm of “My Girls”, the organ grind anthem "Summertime Clothes" and pretty much the whole album. This is the AnCo album for the masses.

Fever Ray – S/T
I don’t know if it’s a product of aging, or an observation of modern music, but it is getting easier to interact with music w/o being affected emotionally by your favorite artists/albums. Not so with Fever Ray. This album is gorgeous, raw, draining. My favorite song changed monthly, and there are about 80 different quotable barbs.

"So I lost my head awhile ago. But you've seemed to do no better."

"This will never end because I want more. More, give me more. More, give me more."

"I never liked a sad look on the face of someone who wants to be loved by you."

Great lyrics combined with droning synths, tribal drums and monk-like chanting is just so so awesome. That is all.

Top 50 songs of 2009

50 Animal Collective – Lion in a Coma
49 Neko Case – People Got a Lot of Nerve
48 Sonic Youth – What We Know
47 St. Vincent – Actor Out of Work
46 School of Seven Bells – Chain
45 Neko Case - People Got a Lot of Nerve
44 Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Home
43 Kid Cudi – She Came Along
42 Joy Formidable - Cradle
41 Decemberists – Hazards of Love Pt. 1
40 Bat For Lashes - Daniel
39 Chairlift - Bruises
38 Yeasayer - ONE
37 Miike Snow - Burial
36 The Mayfair Set - Desert Fun
35 Chris Brown f. Lil Wayne - I Can Transform Ya
34 YACHT – I'm In Love with a Ripper
33 Kid Cudi – Freestyle
32 Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize
31 Hot Chip - Transmission
30 Dirty Projectors and David Byrne - Knotty Pine
29 Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
28 Decemberists - Won't Want for Love
27 Dirty Projectors – Remade Horizon
26 Major Lazer - Hold The Line (Poirier Remix)
25 Animal Collective - My Girls
24 The xx – Infinity
23 Swan Lake - Paper Lace
22 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
21 Clipse - Kind of Like a Big Deal  
20 Fever Ray – Seven
19 Fever Ray - Keep the Streets Empty
18 Vitalic - Poison Lips
17 Dum Dum Girls - Baby Don't Go
16 Phoenix - 1901
15 Major Lazer – Keep It Goin' Louder
14 Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Come in Please
13 Fever Ray - When I Grow Up
12 Camera Obscura - French Navy
11 Bat for Lashes - Sleep Alone
10 School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise
9 Woods - The Dark
8 Fanfarlo - I'm a Pilot
7 Camera Obscura - Swans
6 Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
5 Fever Ray - I'm Not Done
4 Dirty Projectors - Useful Chamber
3 Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
2 Micachu - Golden Phone
1 The XX - Crystalized

Tuesday January 5
Andy Henningsen @ Larimer Lounge

Wednesday January 6
The Acidophiles @ Larimer Lounge
Robert Earl Keen @ The Black Sheep
Carl Robota @ Meadowlark

Thursday January 7
Iconoclass @ Old Curtis St. Bar
Omega Agency @ Larimer Lounge
The Band of Heathens @ Bluebird Theater
Chris Berry Trio @ Fox Theatre
Blindfold The Devil @ Marquis Theater
Charlie Robison @ Walnut Room
The Elders @ Soiled Dove
Funhouse & friends @ Lion's Lair

Friday January 8
Throw Away Sunshine @ Old Curtis St. Bar
Diamond Desert @ Larimer Lounge
Nightshark @ Hi-Dive
D.R.I. @ Bluebird Theater
DB & The Catastrophe @ Marquis Theater
Kill Syndicate @ Gothic Theatre
Glowing House (Album release) @ Walnut Room
Chris Voth @ Soiled Dove

Saturday January 9
Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band @ Larimer Lounge
Bad Weather California @ Hi-Dive
Todd Snider @ Bluebird Theater
Eek a Mouse @ Fox Theatre
The Simple Discussion @ Marquis Theater
Mark Farina @ Gothic Theatre
The Tanukis @ Walnut Room
Jen Korte @ Meadowlark

Sunday January 10
Jason Boland & the Stragglers @ Bluebird Theater
Four Letter Lie @ Marquis Theater

Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - "Knotty Pine"

“Here is the sound that photographs make” is either the most artistically brilliant opening line of the year – or the most dumbest. If you’re leaning towards the latter, you probably miss the entire point: DP’s lyrics exist where sounds and meaning meet, operating more like instruments than dialogue. It’s fitting then that David Byrne seamlessly co-occupies this song, because some of his best lines are equally non sequitur. (“I'm wearin' fur pajamas/I ride a hot potato”, anyone?) And that guitar solo absolutely shreds in a “What be-ith this stringed instrument thou has just handed me?” sort of way.
Randall Monty

Phoenix - "1901"

Before Phoenix the year 1901 had a lot going for it. After all it was the year that Theodore Roosevelt coined the motto, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” and the very year that the electric vacuum was patented. However, in 2009 the year 1901 lost prime Google real estate to a blitz of synthesized energy and a hook big enough to fish Leviathan. Phoenix and “1901” may very well be the catchiest thing to come out of Versailles since garden landscaping. The song continues to be omnipresent, and with its start up/ slow down rhythmic acceleration, it makes sense that it is being used to sell Cadillacs.
Yonah Korngold

Animal Collective - "My Girls"

Only Animal Collective could release a single like “My Girls” and have it heralded as the group’s most accessible and pop sensible song to date. How exactly are a series of looped blips accessible? On what planet are Benedictine-like chants and hooks about building materials sensible by popular standards? The backbone beat might be the most danceable thing AC has ever laid down, but that element only appears in a fraction of the song.

The fact is, this is not a pop song, it’s not a dance track, and it’s not nearly accessible because it’s not trying to be any of these things. In spite of harmonies and rhythmic flourishes that many bona fide pop artists would kill for, “My Girls” is in fact a deeply personal account hidden behind layers of found and created sounds, combining to create a deceptively universal feel. But it’s also an Animal Collective song, so it can’t help but be all sorts of interesting and worthwhile things, plus a little bit of everything else.
Randall Monty

Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Young Adult Friction"

It seems odd to be listing this song, the best of Pains of Being Pure at Heart's breakout year, just now. In concert, all throughout 2008, it was an obvious highlight, the one place where the band's sloppy, mop-headed adorableness was most fully joined to a muscular guitar thrust. On record, they play it softer, gentler, and thinking of a few old cusp-of-fame gigs in particular, more sober. From the title to its last line, the song lays the library sex puns on thick, maybe trying just slightly too hard to slot into the blushing/bookish zone that their obvious heroes in Belle and Sebastian had often found so effortlessly. The thing about POBPAH, though, the one that almost everyone eventually came to accept, is that their divine execution excels even when you can guess the play in advance. You sense it's hard work sounding this breezy. But, like noticing the thumbprints on the stop motion clay critters in Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, you're just left more impressed that someone cared to provide their whimsy in such flawless detail.        
Jeff Klingman

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - "Home"

It is perhaps the only song in history that has a breakdown that mentions falling out of a window and bleeding all over in the same breath as falling in love. “Home” is contagious enough to make swine flu jealous. The dynamic between Jade Castrinos and Alex Ebert is nothing but overwhelming warmth and giggles. Pair that with a cheaper by the dozen band and “Leave it to Beaver” meets Western whistling, “Home” could be the most jovial song of the decade. Luckily, Thomas Wolfe never heard this song since it would have completely ruined the premise of his book, You Can’t Go Home Again.
Yonah Korngold

Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace"

This transparently titled track is a resonating description of depressed reality juxtaposed with desperate hopefulness. It strikes a chord with bummed out listeners looking for comfort in their shared misery. Just as the repeating verses express wishes for positive change, the slow burn of the music increases tension as it develops. It doesn't matter that there's a reiteration of pleas, the music turns from a mellow strumming over to a darker and increasingly pressurized shoegaze tone. Like a serious cry for help amidst lingering wants, the billowing atmospherics become hostile and invade from all directions by creeping ever closer to stifling mode. What feels like excessive repetition is really an increase of despair towards aspired goals. As their chance to get buried increases, the general feeling of cries for help turn into screams.
Merry Swankster

Micachu - "Golden Phone"

Young Mica Levy gives off what sounds like a yawn in "Golden Phone"'s opening seconds, the sort one might give with arms outstretched and dawn light breaking through the blinds. It's one of many casual clues her debut record gives that a particularly modern brand of magic is almost too easy for our gal to conjure. Of all the miniature marvels on Jewellry, this is the one that flows the smoothest; the one where the seams show least. Which is not to say it sounds slick, exactly--it's still too minimal and prone to clatter for that. But Levy has a singular knack for building minor tics into thrilling pop, "a nonsense sound" as the song puts it. With the talent to sustain a long, long career, here's hoping she takes her time in making its peculiar alchemy any plainer.       
Jeff Klingman

Phoenix - "Listzomania"

We could have probably gotten away with any track from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix making this list (well, maybe not the “Love Like a Sunset” songs); they’re all perfectly concise and melodic, seamlessly shifting from straight-forward rock and roll to intelligent, heartfelt pop to disco-era R&B and back again. Each track springs forth anew with measured progression, but its “Listzomenia” sets the pace as an authoritative introductory statement. Sure, attentive ears have been tuned to Versailles-based Phoenix for some time now, but WAP seems more purposefully crafted as its own artifact, one that’s hell-bent on announcing its own intentions. This is particularly significant, I think, when taken in the current, hurried context of music listening, where single tracks trump albums in our interpretations of music (case in point, this is a year-ending list of songs, not albums). “Listzomenia”, undoubtedly intentionally chosen as the album lead-in, harkens back to those halcyon days of yore (say, 1998), when bands always thought in terms of parts contributing to a completed whole.
Randall Monty

Dirty Projectors - "Stillness is the Move"

Besides being the most accessible thing on Bitte Orca, “Stillness is the Move” is a triumph of the unexpected: that looped guitar figure, which resembles the sound you’d get if you slammed your first on top of a state-of-the-art pinball machine, does not seem like the kind of riff you’d stake a single on. Those radio-ready, soul sistah vocals, only slightly tweaked to the Gently Robotic setting, seem like they’ve arrived wholesale out of a bootleg collaboration between Mariah Carey and Daft Punk. Unlike elsewhere on the record, these lyrics are straight to the point, an urgent, optimistic declaration of faith in romance. And the fact that the whole thing gels into something so immediate, addictive, and danceable is simply a marvel.
Dave Klein

Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes"

No song better captures the brutal misery of an oppressively hot summer night in the city like this one. The brilliantly composed musical interpretation of a loud and churning city overheating in the boiling concrete island is evident throughout. An atmosphere mimicking a city's agitated noises like the type you would hear through opened windows that attempt (and fail) to lasso in a refreshing breeze. Heaving sounds of overheating vehicles, voices carried from a distance through the thick, humid air and marbled ambiance of a vivid summer night in the sleepless city.

Right from the onset the rhythms stay as consistent as the air remains intolerably still. No relief from tossing and turning until the chance to escape from the steaming dungeon dwelling occurs when a lover summons for a midnight rendezvous to the street. Sticking to the themes of domesticated romanticism from Merriweather Post Pavilion, the track shifts to a joyful pace of fast-moving, late night couple activities based on adoration towards just being with each other. While never using the word love, no other song so clearly states infatuation for one another as well as this one. On those same lines, you wouldn't think an austere lyric like "I want to walk around with you" would strike the vivid passion in the extraordinary way that it does. And yet...it does just that.
Merry Swankster

Hello again friends. Just as in 2008 I once again queried Denver's best, brightest and most prolific music writers for their take on the year. While I didn't get replies from everyone, the ones I received were funny, interesting, enlightening and seasoned with all the delicious flavors that each bring to the table. It's long, but great. If you are not familiar with these folks -- shame on you. Links all around, so become their friends, you'll be a better person this time next year.

**Happy New Year to all. Bring on 2010**

Click through to read the full piece....after the jump.

Ricardo Baca (Pop Music Critic, The Denver Post, co-editor Reverb, and Executive Director, The Underground Music Showcase): Preferring acoustic guitars over electric guitars. Not that I don't like electric guitars. I still have quite a thing for them. That said, most days I find myself listening to something that involves an acoustic guitar. All of this said, I still can't get into bluegrass. I'm more of a new (as opposed to old) folky.

Robert Castro (A Walking Disaster): Jack White can play in any band.

John Wenzel (The Denver Post, co-editor Reverb): I feel like I should have realized this years ago, but maybe I just wasn't able to articulate it until 2009: Denver's supply of quality bands and live music venues is starting to dangerously outweigh the amount of average-Joe/Jane people willing to support them.

Bree Davies (The Onion A.V. Club Denver/Boulder): That it doesn't matter where you live, the music scene is what you make it. There's a simple equation at work in all scenes: the more shows you go to = the more stoked you get on music. If you don't like what's happening in the Denver music scene, you have the full capability to change it—anyone can start a band, anyone can book a show, anyone can get others as excited about music as they are. My motto is, if you're too concerned with what others are doing, you'll never get anything done yourself.

Julio Enriquez (cause=time): Don´t wear yourself out going to too many shows.

Joe McCabe (Photographer, Kreative Kontrol): Photographing concerts is dangerous or I am going to the wrong shows:

1. The lead singer of Trash Talk smashed me in the forehead with the mic and split my head open, and then proceeded to break his own head open. He apologized after the show and we were cool. Who says punk is dead?

2. At the Fucked Up show in Feb I received a mild concussion when someone fell off the rafters on to my head. I lost a contact [lens] that show and don't remember much of the night after that.

3. I lost a contact at the Insane Clown Posse show when Violent J opened a bottle of Faygo on stage and I got shot directly in the eye with diet root beer.

4. At the Bronx show there was a couple of broken beer bottles on stage and I got a small piece of glass stuck in my hand when someone pushed me on stage.

5. At the Dillinger Four show someone vomited on my foot. What the hell people? At least I was wearing crappy flip-flops that I could throw away.

6. Running to photo pit at Sasquatch for the Avett Brothers set, I ran into a handrail and split my shin open. I take responsibility for that one.

Todd Roeth (Gigbot): Indie rock doesn't mean independent style or aesthetics, indie rock refers to how you approach the business aspects of a career - or at least a job - in music. An approach that no one really has figured out, and for right now, no one seems to be able to reconcile it with being artistically or financially successful or sustainable.

Angora Holly Polo (the Donnybrook Writing Academy): I'm still waiting for this. I did have one moment this year when I thought I was having a revelation, but it turned out to be that I had eaten bad shellfish. Please let me know when I can expect this revelation, because I really need it badly.

Merry Swankster (Merry Swankster.com): There is a ceiling to humans' capacity to absorb decibel levels that once passed can cause physical pain. Proven by My Bloody Valentine.

Q. Favorite show of 2009?

Baca: If I'm being honest, I'd say the Underground Music Showcase. But since I'm part of the team that runs the four-day, SXSW-styled indie music festival in Denver (check www.theums.com), let's go another direction. Mumford & Sons at SXSW was revelatory, not unlike the Hold Steady show a few days later in Austin. But unlike the Hold Steady show, the two Mumford & Sons shows I saw weren't packed and didn't have everybody singing along. A small contingent gathered at both shows, completely owned by the music. "The Cave" nearly slayed me. "White Blank Page" almost brought me down. As a whole, that shit moved me.

Castro: Metric at The Ogden Theater

Wenzel: Hands-down, any time I saw the Thermals, whether it was the first day of South by Southwest in March, at the Marquis Theater in Denver a month later or at the Monolith festival in September. They just absolutely killed it every time.

Bree: Lady Gaga, March 21, The Gothic.
Never again will Lady Gaga play the Gothic, she's just too damn big. I felt so lucky to get in on this crazy show. Gaga's bringing the dark side back to pop with questionable imagery, manipulation of sexuality, and a general overhaul of the pop aesthetic as we know it. Plus, she fucks with icons like the Virgin Mary, AND she uses blood! Who on MTV today does that?

Also, Religious Girls, July 20, Rhinoceropolis.
Talk about getting exorcised. I was speechless after this show. Luckily, the band provided a craft table for those of us who needed to decompress after they blew our faces off.

Julio: Cut Copy’s at the Bluebird and M83 at Magness arena

McCabe: That would be Green Day at the Pepsi Center. In 1994 I bought my first tape from Blockbuster Music, it was Green Day's Dookie. Green Day was the band that got me into music, they were the band that I used as a measuring stick for each of the bands I would here on the radio and watch on MTV. They were my band. Little did I know that 15 years later I would be photographing them at the Pepsi Center. Oddly enough, I never saw them live until this year. I don't know why this happened, but it was a euphoric experience for me. I saw my childhood heroes standing in front of me, playing the songs that I use to love from my childhood, and I was able to photograph them. My favorite part of the show was when Billie Joe pulled a young kid out of the audience and brought them up on stage. He took off his guitar and put it around them, and taught them how to play a couple of chords. The look in the child's face was priceless. They look like they had found Jesus or something.

Roeth: Handsome Furs, Larimer Lounge, June 14, 2009. Seeing the dynamic between the husband and wife duo was (to me) genuine. It add a whole new layer and dynamic to a live performance. Kenny and Dolly tried it with their 'Islands In The Stream' duet, but this was way better.

Angora: The Big Pink and Crystal Antlers at Larimer Lounge. There are so many different camps when it comes to the live show, because the live show is so so important. There is this awesome musical purity movement, especially with all of the great folk music out there as of late, and so the Big Pink sort of goes against all of that with all of their sparkly flourishes. They take forever to set up, and there are wires and equipment and flashing lights, strobe lights, smoke machines, even a hot girl drummer...it just reeks of decadence. But it's really good. They sound even better live than they do on their albums. I think it's because they're great performers, but also because they put their music in context for you. This is how the album was meant to be heard. The Big Pink transformed the Larimer Lounge for a night, and I liked feeling like I was in a different world.

Swankster: Phoenix at Bluebird. Great band, great show. Topped by the crowd busting out 30 minutes of unparalleled Michael Jackson party action following their set. It was the day that MJ died and the crowd was feeling it and making it clear. Best dance party I've ever been to in Colorado. Even the band joined in, mobbed by fans of course.

Q. Favorite live moment of 2009?

Baca: Seeing Ladyhawke in Sydney, Australia, was a trip. She's from New Zealand, and she blew up over there in the last couple years. The show - in early November at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney - was a lesson in Australian/kiwi rock 'n' roll. Shows start early and end early, and crowds go hard, fueled in part by VB, flask-snuck whiskey and sheer enthusiasm.

Castro: Kanye West showing up to perform at The Perez Hilton Party during SXSW.

Wenzel: Watching Israeli sonic terrorists Monotonix perform is always a treat, so their Monolith set was fun this year. But having the Rosebuds come into the audience during a day-party show at SXSW was pretty transcendent, and a close second was Phoenix's unexpected main stage set at Monolith, which just rocked the amphitheater.

Bree: Not favorite, but sort of expected—Alison Mosshart of The Kills' collapse on stage April 22 at the Fox in Boulder. A good reminder of why taking care of yourself on the road/in general is integral to your ability to perform. I don't often buy exhaustion or altitude sickness, and I certainly didn't this time. Luckily, she was okay, and the set was almost over. And it was good, too!

Julio: The big pink at Larimer lounge. Smoke and lights can do a lot for a band.

McCabe: This one would go to the Murder City Devils at Sasquatch. The lead singer of Murder City Devils, Spencer Moody, hates a lot of things in life, but jocks and photographers are at the top of his list. I am aware of this, but he was in rare form for this show. First, he went on a 3 minute long rant against the crowd and all of the jock / frat boys in the crowd. Then he mocked the crowd for a few minutes, and then he made out with his other male band mates while yelling into the mic how much he loves guys.

As he started the show, and Moody kept swinging mic stands into the photo pit and harassing the other photographers. Then he grabbed the hair of a 50 year old female photographer and started to dry hump her face for a good 30 seconds. Then he turned to me and started to flip me off with his middle finger two inches from my face for the rest of the song. Apparently, while this was being broadcast on the main stage big screen, my friends Ricardo and Christophe were cheering me on. Hopefully, the newly reunited MCD makes their way to Denver in the near future.

Roeth: The four days I spent on the road to Telluride, Steamboat Springs, Boulder and Denver to follow the Avett Brothers through Colorado. Good friends, family, great moments and the belief that music - both the makers and the listeners - are doing it for the right reasons.

Angora: Getting super up close to Karen O, one of my favorite front-people of all time, in the photo pit at Monolith. I got such great photos. It's eerily calm so close to the madness, you almost feel like the entire crowd isn't there behind you. Then you look back and it's a screaming tangible reminder of what a big moment it is, and confetti is flying everywhere.

Swankster: Hanging out in the hills behind Red Rocks for the two Phish shows I didn't have tickets for. I had no idea the scene that went on back there. Not really sure if it was a one-off thing due to the unique crowd the band draws, but it was great. And the sound wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was even a dude walking around selling beers. Can't beat that kind of service commitment.

Coming in second is seeing my now wife hold her own with kids half her age during HEALTH’s Monolith set before losing sight of her as she disappeared into the mosh pit.

Q. Best show that nobody saw?

Baca: Dutchess & the Duke: Mid-November, Larimer Lounge. Damn, fools. Why did only 50 folks show up for the Dutchess & the Duke's Larimer set? They're one of the most engaging rock acts of the decade, with two intimidatingly solid full-lengths that explore gypsy, pop and folk through an indie rock lens. Jesse Lortz is a songwriter to watch. His music is tremendous. And his friend Kimberly Morrison is a beautiful women with an even more gorgeous voice. This year's "Sunset/Sunrise" will surely be in my Top 10 this year. And I think what they're doing is important.
What's that, you say? Why wasn't I at the D&D Larimer show? Well, dang. I was harpooned in Australia at the time. But I did listen to their debut that night in honor of missing the show back here in Denver.

Castro: Brother's O' Hair at the Larimer Lounge and Kid Cudi at The Ogden.

Wenzel: Pretty & Nice, one of my favorite new bands, opened for Get Up Kids at the Marquis Theater and a good amount people came to that. But most people missed their kickass show at the Hi-Dive in April, which was just as good.

Bree: These Are Powers + Extra Life, March 3, Rhinoceropolis. After covering Slipknot for the Post earlier that night, I made it to Rhino in time for these two great bands. I don't think that many people were there? It was just an off night for Rhino, I think, because These Are Powers RULED!

Julio: Japandroids at the hi-dive.

McCabe: Japandroids at the Hi-Dive. I showed up to this concert on a whim. My friend Nate was really getting into photography at the time and he could only get his camera into small venues like the Hi-Dive. He told me he was going to the show and I had nothing better to do that night, so I went. I was totally blown away. They cover Big Black, they had more energy than I have ever seen, they were 10 times louder than I expected and they’re from Canadian. They were the nicest guys ever, but when each song started they lost their minds. Bouncing around the stage, yelling, screaming, rocking out. Definitely see them if you get a chance.

Roeth: I probably missed it.

Angora: The Donnybrook Second Annual Fundraiser for the Rich. I mean, turnout was okay, but it had such a great local lineup that we expected much more. It led the Bartender to write an angry rant about how stupid people don't go out to see enough local shows. In fact, it kind of turned me off of throwing parties for a while...luckily the last party we threw was AMAZING! Our holiday mixer with Gangchargers and the Overcasters might have been my favorite party of the year.

Q. Most fun show of the year?

Baca: Los Avetts Road Trip U.S.A., Aug.19-22, 2009. For four days in August, a bunch of us from The Post, the UMS, Gigbot, Reverb and the Redirect Guide took to the road to see four Avett Brothers concerts in four days. The result: Magic. Yes, I adore this band's music. But here was a group of people who got it. Together we camped in Telluride and Steamboat and connected in Boulder and Denver, forging a friendship - a fighter pilot gang, really - that will be around forever.

Castro: Jane's Addiction at The Playboy Party during SXSW.

Wenzel: I unfortunately missed Everything Absent or Distorted's final show in October, so my last experience with them was seeing them headline the CarToys stage at the Denver Post's Underground Music Showcase in July. Also bittersweet/ridiculously fun was Rabbit is a Sphere's final show shortly before that at the UMS.

Bree: Anything at Rhinoceropolis. These dudes throw shows at least 4 nights a week. Get out of your comfort zone and see a band you've never heard of! 50% of the shows I catch at Rhino—this year included Abe Vigoda, Hot White, Stephen Steinbrink (French Quarter), and Slight Harp, among dozens—are bands I've never heard before, but someone will recommend. I've never understood going to a show because you already know the band's work. A lot of bands are better live anyway, so why not expand your horizons and most likely join an epic dance party in motion at Rhino while you're at it?

Julio: Phoenix at the Bluebird. It was the night of Michael Jackson´s death and everybody needed some cheering up

McCabe: Andrew Jackson Jihad at Rhino. This was in the middle of summer and it was raining sweat from the ceiling. As the packed crowd sang along by the end of the show, almost everyone in the room was about to pass out from dehydration. And the smell in Rhino was horrid. Think of the worst B.O. you have ever smelled, and then multiply it x100.

Roeth: The Knew, at the Underground Music Showcase - their set at the Hi-Dive for this year's UMS was what live music is to me: sharing fleeting spontaneous fun and energy with many friends and knowing that the feeling you get from that environment and that moment can't be put on YouTube nor Bit Torrent.

Angora: When Monotonix nearly broke Red Rocks at Monolith. The ground was vibrating from the crowd stomping. Attack of the hairy beasts!

Swankster: Handsome Furs at Larimer Lounge. I’d like to think it was the most fun from the band's perspective as well. Palpable joy from all in the room. Most bands say they had a great show and thank the crowd for showing up, but rarely do they mean it with the believable sincerity that the Handsome Furs showed. Huge smiles on their faces as they walked off in a sea of hi-fives.

Q. Worst show of the year?

Baca: Ting Tings, mid-April. Bluebird Theater, Denver, Colo. Lame. These guys are lame, and the show was pathetic.

Castro: My Bloody Valentine at The Fillmore.

Wenzel: A screechy, hilariously pretentious set by L.A. theater rejects Nico Vega opening for Manic Street Preachers at the Bluebird. Please, dear Christ, don't let me ever see that fucking band again.

Bree: Fischerspooner, May 18, Ogden Theatre. Blech. Boring, overly dramatic, and tacky, Casey Spooner is too out of shape for the routine he was trying to pull off. Seriously, go to the gym, take pride in your body, and then attempt that kind of performance "art." Thank god SSION's opening set fucking ruled.

Julio: Ponytail at Hi-Dive.

Roeth: The Kills at the Boulder Theatre. 8 songs in and the show was over. Alison Mosshart ("VV") the lead singer went down with 'health issues'. When I realized I have no sympathy for her, it was then impossible for me to have sympathy for her art.

Angora: The GZA at SXSW performing with Black Lips. The man must have been high off his gourd. He like, hovered onstage forever, not really doing or saying anything, but being belligerent at the same time. It made me feel awkward. I think he even grabbed some chick in the crowd and made out with her.

Also, I was underwhelmed by Passion Pit at Monolith, but it might not have been the best venue for them--outside and all. I pictured their show to be a gigantic dance party, but it felt drab and underwhelming.

Swankster: Fischerspooner @ Ogden. Unfathomable pretentiousness does not necessarily mean something will be a total failure, but in this case it guaranteed it .

Q. What was the oddest thing you saw this year?

Baca: "This is It."

Castro: Kanye West on South Park....Fish Sticks will never be the same..

Wenzel: Unfortunately, I didn't get to see anyone having sex at a show (as my friends did at at LCD Soundsystem show at the Fox Theatre few years ago), but seeing a dude in an unironic cowboy hat watch Fissure Mystic at the Oriental was kind of odd, as was sorta-hanging out backstage with Flight of the Conchords at Red Rocks. (Yes, I'm a name-dropping asshole, I'm sorry.)

Bree: Former Governor Bill Owens at an after-party at the Denver Creative Co-Op. First of all, this venue is like an old seedy rave venue, but to see this guy in a Salmon-colored polo (doing what looked like illegal things I won't mention here) was just totally weird.

Julio: The possible collapse of the Monolith festival.

McCabe: This one is easy. At the Insane Clown Posse show, there was a young couple next to me collecting the empty 2 liter Faygo bottles that were launched into the crowd. They had a couple of bottles under each armpit, when the holy grail landed in front of them, a half full bottle from the one of the rappers on stage. They boyfriend instantly grabbed it and poured half of the bottle over his head, and then he turned to his girlfriend and poured the rest of the bottle over her head. They were so excited, while I just stood there with a confused look on my face.

Roeth: In music, optimism without irony. I only saw it a few times. It made me feel guilty about my own demeanor, and also inspired me at the same time.

Angora: The Arabian Bar is a hole in the wall that looks so scary, we only spoke of it in legend, or in the context of an imminent shanking. We finally got the balls to go there. Timmy T. went to the bathroom and walked in on some cowboys, one of which was in the process of snorting coke and the other two were in the midst of exchanging money. It was a freeze-frame I'm sorry I missed. I guess that doesn't answer your question of the oddest thing I saw this year, but it might have been the oddest thing Timmy T. saw this year.

I also saw a donkey fiesta in Taos, NM this past year, and it wasn't as seedy as it sounds. It was just a handful of people in the middle of a cobbled square, standing around two donkeys in a pen and eating Frito pie, not even really talking. The contrast between their very festive decor and the lull in conversation still makes me want to giggle nervously when I think of it. OH, and this.

Swankster: Parenthetical Girls at the Hi-Dive. No doubt. This band represents what happens when irony multiplies itself and people lose sense of reality, self and maybe everything. So many layers of mocking that it was impossible to follow. They might be really sweet people or whatever, but they came off like self-absorbed pricks - in an unassumingly nerdy, pretentious way, though -- which is probably the worst kind. I prefer assholes to be more upfront, slow discovery just makes it that much more obnoxious.

Q. Did anything happen this year that your Jan 1, 2009 self would be shocked about?

Baca: Bob Dylan released a Christmas album. That was weird.

Castro: Not really.

Wenzel: Musically? Er... uh... see the next category.

Bree: I got a job! In my field! Pertaining to my degree! With The Onion! Writing about music!

Julio: My hatred for all things Michael Bay.

McCabe: I wanted to up the number of show I photographed this year and ended up shooting 200 plus shows! I was averaging 4 shows a week, and I ended up show hopping to 2 or 3 shows a couple of nights. So many amazing shows and people this year.

Angora: I shock myself every day with how responsible and boring I am. I started along this path because I just like to have fun, and now I write about the things I want to do in order to have fun and never get to do them.

Swankster: Lobbying my writing staff to include Black Eyed Peas' fabulous party anthem "I Gotta Feelin'" in our Top 50 singles list. In fact, that could be my answer for the next question too. I despise Will.I.Am. and by extension, his group, but this song is undeniably great. Even worse credibility wise is I first heard it while eavesdropping on my wife watching them perform it on Oprah! Goes to show you how truly out of touch music bloggers can be.

Q. What was the biggest dent to your indie cred in 2009?

Baca: I still occasionally watch R. Kelly's R&B opera "Trapped in the Closet" - all 12 chapters. Check it for yourself. There is no better entertainment. It's not 2009-specific, but it's timeless, really.

Castro: Lady GaGa.

Wenzel: I wrote (and meant) a relatively positive review of the new Fray album. I also was surprised at how much I dug the new Meese record.

Julio: Jay-Z´s new album and kind of having a crush on Taylor Swift.

Bree: I don't believe in guilty pleasure—I like anything that makes my hips shake, or makes me think, or both. From Cobra Starship to Parenthetical Girls, I saw it live this year and I loved it.

McCabe: I went to a Kottonmouth Kings show. Why? Why did I let my curiosity get the best of me? I remember this band from sixth grade, when Limp Bizkit and Korn were cool, but even then I knew they were a bad band. Maybe I went because I didn't have any shows that week? Or maybe it was the fact that Bree decided to write for this show and I wanted to have photos to accompany her review. I don't know. I am just ashamed that I went to that show. When you’re in sixth grade and you know a band is bad, they aren't going to get any better 15 years later. Just saying.

Roeth: I drove my car to any show that took place under 50 degrees (as opposed to riding my bike.) And more than once hit up some fast food drive in on the way home.

Angora: I don't even know what's cool anymore, partially because of snarky blogs like mine. Therefore, I don't know what's uncool. I sometimes listen to Van Halen, if that answers your question. Then I put on spandex and play the leg guitar. Also, I really dig Moody Blues. Basically I'm an old hairy guy under this womanly physique.

Swankster: See previous answer on the Black Eyed Peas. Also - I went to Phish shows this year. That's shows, plural. I also wrote about them several times on the blog. One time it elicited a ranting, though well-written, response full of vitriol from our occasional contributor, Vermont resident and former bassist of the Volcano Suns, Jeff Weigand. See how I just covered this dent with a name-dropping badge of honor? That’s how it is done kids. Being cool is the #1 thing in life.

Q. What could you do without in 2010?

Baca: A friend of mine talks about the overusage of the word "electro." I can see that. To add to that, I'm over all the crappy wannabe-electro acts, many of which dominated the music festival circuit this last year.

Castro: Timbaland albums, and Lil Wayne cameos.

Wenzel: Neo-tribalism (Animal Collective FUCK OFF) and its clones. Also, why is someone with a synthesizer so groundbreaking? Pitchfork has continued its tumble into irrelevance by vaunting a lot of mediocre crap just because they think it's part of this amazing synth-led art movement -- and they want to be in the history books along with it. I like Pictureplane as much as the next person, but Neon Indian? Give me a break.

Bree: Egos. There's no need to have one in music—ever. A musician with an ego generally means either they aren't that good at what they do, or they're jealous of what you're doing.

Also, the term "girl band." Dude. Seriously. I'm in a band. I'm a girl. We make music too. It's 2009 (almost 2010!) Get with the times.

Julio: CDs.

Roeth: Naive optimism and dramatic pessimism.

Angora: I'm getting really tired of that whole 'communication' thing.

The other day my coworkers and I, all normal people, got into this in-depth conversation about trying to keep up with all the modes of communication: screening and managing calls, managing your public image on Facebook, organizing all the emails that come in, and RSVPing 'maybe' to all events, because there are just so many to keep up with. It sounded so funny because we all sounded like famous people, like we were all in need of a publicist. I mean, I'm a publicist and a blogger, so it makes sense, but my coworkers are just normal dudes. And that's the thing--if you're not careful, you can somehow insert yourself into the crappy parts of being a famous person--the responsibility of being in contact with so many people--without the fun stuff, like the money or fame or glory or adoration or anything. How shitty. It's enough to make me want to pull a Bon Iver. Just kidding, I wouldn't last a second.

Swankster: Untalented bands/artists getting unquestioned praise due to allegedly novel approaches to recording. At the end of the day stuff still needs to sound good and captivate, not just be an interesting process. That goes for terrible live acts who tour too. Get it together first kids, THEN hit the road. Maybe a better answer would be me not worrying so much about such things in 2010. I'll go with that.

Q. Can’t miss local act for 2010?

Baca: Snake Rattle Rattle Snake. If there's any justice in rock 'n' roll, they should be signed to Matador by June, 2010.

Castro: Brother's O'Hair.

Wenzel: Pacific Pride, Achille Lauro, Widowers, the Wheel.

Bree: Lust-Cats Of The Gutters + Goochi Boiz (or Boy Division, whatever they're going by at the moment.) This is my favorite combo of local bands, and they play together quite a bit. The L-Cats buzz with a little tartness from the Courtney Love-era 90s—less politics and more personality. Robin Edwards and Alex Edgeworth make jarring, paper-cutty rock that rules. The Goochis are just like the Black Lips, only more sincere, more accessible, and probably a lot nicer. When these guys start playing, my bones start shaking on their own, and I get a shit-eating grin you couldn't slap off of my face if you tried. I love these bands.

Julio: Night of Joy.

Roeth: Uncle Dick is the best pedal steel guitar player in Denver. I bet in other places too. He plays with his wife 'Aunt Lois' around town. It is usually free.

Angora: Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, or anything Hayley Helmericks is involved in. She's as bad-ass as Iggy Pop. I want to have her bad-ass babies. Also the Hot Congress people--I've always loved bands like Widowers, Kissing Party, the Jim Jims and etc but I'm so thrilled that they've gotten this sort of collective together. Also the Pirate Signal. If Yonnas isn't gigantically famous soon, I'll be surprised. And I gotta admit, I'm pretty stoked about Pictureplane. And as always, Overcasters.

Sorry, that was like eight can't miss local acts.

Swankster: This is a resolution of mine for 2010. Become better aware with the local scene. I'll have to come back on this one... Instead I'll say this - can't miss [non-Colorado based) act for 2010 - tUnE-YaRds. Get on it.

Q: [Write your own]?

Baca: ... I'm sorry, what was I supposed to do? I'm still watching "Trapped in the Closet." Alright, how about this:

Q: Indie-leaning movie I didn't expect to like but loved?

A: "(500) Days of Summer." Yes, it's kinda lame. But the music kicked ass, and that guy is funny and good. Zoe I have mixed feelings about. I like She & Him, and I really am looking forward to "Volume 2" in 2010. But I was a little uncomfortable with the level of Zoe worship in that movie. She is talented and beautiful, but it still make me a little uncomfortable. All of this said, I thought it was going to make me wanna puke. And it didn't. So there.

Castro: Q: When will the new Dr. Dre album finally drop?

A: 2011

Wenzel: Q: Why did nothing spectacular come out in 2009? Was it because you're a jaded asshole, because the year was just mediocre in the scheme of things, or because you were too busy caring more about stand-up comedy and film than music?

A: All of the above.

Bree: Q: Best Festival?

A: Titwrench Fest 2009! I am biased because I helped plan this fest from the bottom up and put it on, but seriously. Three days, no sponsors, no outside money. We paid all of the amazing bands, plus we housed them, and made them feel as at home on Denver as we could. We even ended up with a small profit, to help us put on future parties and shows. I'm pretty proud to be a Titwrencher, and so stoked for 2010's fest.

Julio: Q: Which show of 2009 involved the loss of 27% of your hearing?

A: My Bloody Valentine @ the Fillmore.

McCabe: Q: Who would you like to thank for this year?

Merry Swankster and Kelli from Merry Swankster - Thanks for hooking me up this year with so many killer photo passes, and for being awesome people in general. Also, thanks for giving me the opportunity to photograph my favorite childhood band; it was definitely one of my top five highlights of the year. [We did not pay Joe to say these nice things, he’s just a swell guy all around. – ed]

Bree - Thanks for going to so many questionable shows with me his year, Kottonmouth Kings, 3OH!3, Family Force Five, etc. I miss having you as a show buddy, we should change that next year. Also, I am glad to see that you found a career in something you love.

Wenzel - Thanks editing and posting my photo essays all year along. The blog is looking amazing and it wouldn't be the same without you and Baca. Also, it's always a pleasure to talk to you at the Reverb happy hours and the UMS.

Baca - Thanks for the amazing memories and opportunities this year. So much good music, so many amazing shows. Reverb is looking amazing, and you and Wenzel make it all happen. Thanks again for everything!

Roeth: My favorite moment this past year came when talking to Rollum Haas. Rollum plays drums (very well) for the band 'The Features' from Tennessee. I take portraits of bands and with that comes small talk and ice-breakers. Rollum unknowingly defined Indie rock for me during a photo shoot at Monolith (Red Rocks, Co.) this summer:

I asked him where the band was heading next. He said very plainly that he had a dentist appointment tomorrow - in Nashville. "You mean you drove out here last night to play (40 min.) at Monolith, and you now driving back to Nashville tonight? Is it an emergency?" I asked him.

"I regular cleaning." he replied. "But I am going to ask about a tooth that has been bothering me."

This reminded me rock and roll is still fueled by passion over logistics, financial matters, and well being. And it only makes me love it more.

Angora: Q: Favorite new bloggers?

A: Edith Zimmerman, Tom Oatmeal, and Kime Buzzeli.

I consider them guilty pleasure blogs because they are outside of the "required reading" for a music blogger: the first two just make me giggle maniacally, and the last one has a bunch of pretty pictures that I love to look at. I want my life to look like Kime Buzzeli's. I hold it in, but a large part of me wants to march around wearing headdresses and top hats all the time.

Swankster: Q: Which reality will you have a hard time dealing with next year?

A: That Monolith is probably not happening. Truly heartbreaking. Those guys work really hard with limited resources to pull off an amazing weekend of music for Denver fans. It'd be a shame for it not to return. If that unfortunately ends up happening, I hope something can take its place. Mile High Music Festival is much too lame to be our town's biggest music event.