Author: Shannon Shumaker

Over three years in the making, joan’s debut album, superglue was well worth waiting for. Composed of thirteen vulnerable, emotional, nostalgic, glittering tracks, superglue finds the duo delivering some of their most personal and heartfelt music to date. Influenced by Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford’s recent transitions into fatherhood, superglue finds both artists wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and the result is something that can’t be faked. It’s meaningful, honest, and incredibly relatable. Kicking off the album and really setting the tone for the songs that follow is the stunning intro, “life death & everything in between”, which…

“Are you sick of bands coming up here and doing self-indulgent bullshit? If you’re sick of the bullshit, say ‘no more bullshit!” 100 gecs’ Laura Les asked of the crowd about halfway through the duo’s headlining set in Denver last week. Their set was a lot of things, but self-indulgent bullshit certainly wasn’t one of them. From the start of the night, which kicked off with a chaotic and energizing performance from the perfectly-billed opener, Machine Girl, 100 gecs’ Denver stop of the 10,000 gecs tour was anything but boring, predictable or, as they mentioned, self-indulgent. Instead, the night was…

Photos: 100 gecs Featuring: 100 gecs & Machine Girl Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO 4/13/23 Photos by: Shannon Shumaker 100 gecs Machine Girl

The Heavy Box, the new solo EP from Mayday Parade frontman, Derek Sanders, might be just a short five song release, but it is packed to the brim with emotion and powerful songwriting. While his first solo EP, My Rock and Roll Heart was comprised of five stripped-down covers, The Heavy Box is made up of five new songs that find Derek wearing his heart on his sleeve and even reuniting with Jason Lancaster for the first time since his departure from Mayday Parade in 2007. Opening with the somber yet stunning “Home”, The Heavy Box is the perfect blend…

AGES, the debut album from husband and wife duo, Volores, is a hauntingly beautiful, timeless and emotionally vulnerable release. Carried primarily by Shelby Maxwell’s soulful, emotive vocals and peppered with stunning harmonies, powerful bass and dreamy, simplistic guitar, the album serves as both a perfect introduction to the band (rounded out by Flogging Molly’s Nathen Maxwell on bass and Art Brown on drums) while also providing listeners with a cathartic, incredibly relatable release. Spearheading the album is the opening track, “All That We Could Need”, which perfectly sets the tone for the moody, powerful songs to follow. Shelby’s vocals are timeless…

There isn’t a specific right or wrong way to create a full length album. Some artists will compile a few years worth of singles to create a collection of music while others might surprise-release an album without sharing a single song ahead of time. Some albums find artists exploring an array of new sounds while others provide a thematic story from start to finish. The later is exactly what Dead Lakes have done with their highly anticipated debut album, daydreamer and they executed it perfectly. daydreamer was to be consumed front-to-back on a solo nighttime drive, and it’s safe to…

So Much (For) Stardust might be Fall Out Boy’s first album in five years, but don’t call it a comeback. Over the past few years, it feels like no matter where you look, there’s some sort of resurgence of emo or pop punk happening around every corner. Whether it’s My Chemical Romance’s massive world tour that is still going strong, the reunion of the original blink-182 lineup or last years inaugural When We Were Young Festival, it’s safe to say that there’s money in nostalgia, whether intentional or not. But, like MCR, it seems that Fall Out Boy aren’t simply…

Almost exactly a year after their last headlining performance in Colorado, Underoath took the stage once more at The Ogden Theatre on Saturday night to a jam-packed sold-out crowd. This time out on their Blind Obedience tour, the band brought along two hard-hitting openers, Loathe and Periphery to start off the show on the right foot, and from start to finish, the night was filled with good music, energetic fans and sing-alongs. It’s rare when each band on a bill can effortlessly capture the attention of the crowd, but with Loathe kicking off the night with an energetic set and…

When Nessa Barrett first announced her Young Forever tour in December of 2022, I was surprised yet excited to see that she was playing the intimate Bluebird Theater on her Denver stop. With a capacity of only 550, the venue is a staple in Denver’s local music scene and has hosted some pretty large acts over the years, notably Billie Eilish in 2018, twenty one pilots for their takeover tour in 2021 and countless others. With Nessa Barrett quickly blowing up, The Bluebird seemed like an interesting, albeit small choice for the artist’s debut Denver performance. Then, the show quickly…

Photos: Underoath Featuring: Underoath, Periphery & Loathe The Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO 3/18/23 Photos by: Shannon Shumaker Underoath Periphery Loathe