Author: Shannon Shumaker

Baku’s Revenge, the new album from Florida-based Magnolia Park, is the epitome of a great modern pop-punk album. Carried by relatable, vulnerable lyrical content, catchy as hell vocal melodies and choruses and larger than life instrumentation, Baku’s Revenge hits hard from start to finish and will have you singing along in no time. In comparison to the band’s Heart Eater EP, which was recorded within the span of a week, Magnolia Park had much more time to work on Baku’s Revenge, and it shows. The result is an album that flows with ease, that’s packed to the brim with massive…

Ocean Alley’s newest album, Low Altitude Living couldn’t arrive at a more perfect time. Filled to the brim with soaring vocals, fuzzy guitar, warm bass and timeless melodies, this album is sure to keep you warm as fall gets into full swing and you find yourself longing for summer once more. Complete with twelve songs that flow effortlessly into one another, Low Altitude Living clocks in at just under an hour, during which time you’ll find yourself easily immersed in Ocean Alley’s world. It’s clear, within just the first few tracks, how much care went into crafting the track list…

Rising artist Nessa Barrett is taking pop music to the next level with her emotionally vulnerable debut full-length album, young forever, out today. Comprised of thirteen confessional, personal tracks, young forever finds the twenty year-old looking inward and dissecting the music scene while she balances growing up while being thrust into stardom. Further bridging the gap between pop, alternative, rock and emo music, Nessa Barrett has perfectly established her place in the scene and proven her diversity with this release. Opening with the blunt “tired of california”, Barrett quickly expresses her frustration with the empty friendships and vanity that comes…

Spiritually grounded R&B singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, LOKRE has had an exciting year so far with the release of her ambitious debut album, ELIZABETH last month. After ten years in music, it’s safe to say that the album has been a long time coming, and it was well worth waiting for. Co-produced with Adrian X (Drake, The Weeknd, Doc McKinney), the project is a reflection on identity and an homage to her ancestral ties, with the title serving as a nod to the name that her mother gave her while showcasing a new incarnation of her artistry, paving the…

Photos: Royal & the Serpent Featuring: Royal & the Serpent The Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO 10/3/22 Photos by: Shannon Shumaker

Anticipation for My Chemical Romance’s return to Denver had been building for two and a half years by the time the band finally took the stage at Ball Arena on Friday night. After multiple postponed and rescheduled shows due to the global pandemic, it came as no surprise to find fans literally wrapped around the building, lining up long before the doors opened. The die-hards were donning homemade Helena-themed dresses, Party Poison and Fun Ghoul jackets, X’s across their eyes or even just classic red eye shadow, proving that, even nine years since their breakup, My Chem still has the…

Photos: My Chemical Romance Featuring: My Chemical Romance Ball Arena – Denver, CO 9/30/22 Photos by: Shannon Shumaker

There’s only one word that can perfectly describe Jagwar Twin’s latest album, 33: Brilliant. From beginning to end, Jagwar Twin – the brainchild of singer, songwriter, producer, and storyteller Roy English – waste absolute no real estate, making the most of all ten genre-bending songs, cumulating in something that feels absolutely epic. From songs like the massive, time-warping “Online” to the disco-tinged “Pay Attention” to hip-hop leaning tracks like “I Like To Party” and “Down To You” all the way to the stunning, theatrical closer, “The Circle”, Jagwar Twin proves again and again that they’re capable of just about anything…

Some of the best albums are the ones that arrive exactly when you need to hear them, and Armor For Sleep’s long-awaited album, The Rain Museum is exactly that. Originally created as a concept album that paints the picture of a post-apocalyptic world where weather no longer exists on earth and people go to a mysterious museum in the middle of the desert to look back on what life used to be like, the devastatingly beautiful twelve track album arrived exactly when it was needed – as many people are looking back and reflecting on what life used to be…

Following the release of their new album, Heroes earlier this month, The Midnight kicked off the highly anticipated Change Your Heart tour last week, making their triumphant return to Denver on the third night of the run. Just one night after performing at the intimate Belly Up in Aspen, and almost a year since their sold-out two-night stint at The Gothic Theatre, it only felt like a natural progression for The Midnight to finally play the much larger Mission Ballroom. Early on in their set, vocalist Tyler Lyle mentioned that it was their largest headlining North American performance yet, and…