review Tag

Global Dance Festival (GDF) celebrated its 15th anniversary at a new venue – the parking lot in front of Sports Authority Field (home of the Denver Broncos). Despite the new location and overall new vibe, the festival wowed thousands of attendees, yet again. While Red Rocks is one of the most beautiful and acoustically perfect venues in the world, it’s understandable why a festival like Global would look elsewhere in order to expand. At the new location, GDF was able to sprawl across flat land, adding large and impressive artRead More

This article contains spoilers of Alien: Covenant, Prometheus, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. No amount of plugging your ears and “la la la” will save you. Picture it: America, 2008. The country shook from an unprecedented event that rocks us to this very day. I’m speaking, of course, about the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Obama who? Stay focused.) It was one of the first nostalgia wet dreams of movie fandom, the revival of a long ago and muchRead More

Smoke & Fire. Have you ever heard that one track that makes you stop for a second and consider the beauty that is music, and the way it can affect each and every one of us so differently? Especially in today’s world? So much of the music produced is thrown aside simply because it’s in one genre or the other, or because so-and-so made it and they have beef with another person and therefore you, good conscious moral you, can’t listen to it on principle. But then you’ll hear theRead More

You’ve probably seen them on treadmills. Maybe you haven’t, but you’ve seen them dancing in a backyard. It’s probably the treadmills, though, since that’s what the Chicago-based band, OK Go, is known for– their catchy music and incredible videos and stunts that accompany them in a long, single take– starting with their backyard dance to their song A Million Ways, the video that catapulted them from sophomore artists to the band with the most downloaded music video ever, and continuing with their viral video for Here It Goes Again. ThatRead More

Colorado’s Skylab celebrated its 21st birthday in style with a two-night party that featured names like Martin Garrix, Krewella, Laidback Luke and Borgore. The event, held for the first time at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, was a space-themed wonderland – think giant inflatable planets and satellites. Despite being held in a new venue and with the unfortunate news that much anticipated up and coming DJ Ruby Rose had to cancel last minute, Skylab still went off with a bang.   My Favorite Set: Laidback Luke – I spoke toRead More

Even those who frequent Pitchfork and BIRP might have a difficult time stumbling upon a certain quintet of upstarts from Hamilton, Ontario. Funny, considering that Arkells all the rage on the Canadian indie scene, amassing the Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy) for New Group of the Year in 2010 and Group of the Year in 2012. A brief journey through their discography is all it takes to see why. Their debut album Jackson Square announced them as a loud, persistent force backed by a subtle Motown influence and a uniqueRead More

Spoiler Alert: This article contains plot details of Orange is the New Black seasons 1 and 2.   This past Friday, the entire second season of the critically acclaimed show, Orange is the New Black, was released on Netflix. In some of cases, you binged all thirteen episodes in a long, but enticing thirteen hour marathon. However, this season includes more astute, yet subtle connections. I decided to watch the season over the course of a week, and as I sigh in astonishment as Rosa races the van off the screen,Read More

It’s practically summertime (technically the calendar says June 21st but we all know the second the thermometer broke 60 it was officially summer), the weather’s heating up, and there’s nothing better than cooling down with a great drink. Now, I don’t know about you guys, but when I think “summer,” the first liquor that comes to mind is rum. Think about it: it’s in pina coladas, daquiris, mojitos, if it’s cold and refreshing, chances are it’s got rum in it. Yep, rum is definitely the go-to summertime liquor. Enter: theRead More

In modern music, true musicianship, true composition, has largely gone by the wayside. Relatable lyrics, power chords, and computer-automated sheen has become the norm. However, there exist several groups, generally categorized as “post-rock,” that continue to focus on the music – the real nuances and complexities of melody, progression, and instrumentation – to create sonic soundscapes that allow a listener to truly lose themselves in the sound and the environment it creates. Perhaps the best known band in the genre is Austin’s Explosions in the Sky, who have found breakthroughRead More

Believe it or not, nine years have passed since a little known five-piece from San Diego burst onto the scene and into the ears of every American with a melancholy, beautiful power-ballad by the name of “Boston.” Seemingly overnight, Augustana – the creation of crooning frontman Dan Layus – found themselves thrust into the mainstream. “Boston” appeared on everything from MTV’s TRL (THAT WAS STILL A THING!) to episodes of Scrubs and One Tree Hill, and was played repeatedly on every major radio station. The song went on to becomeRead More

*Spoilers Ahead*   First off, I want to say that I love Game of Thrones. I have an unhealthy obsession with the show, the books, everything. Even this episode has some good moments. Seriously, watch it. But…. let’s face it, the episode Breaker of Chains sucked because….   1. HBO loves unnecessary nudity. Literally every episode so far has been screaming “Hey! Look at Oberyn! He likes men and women! See, he has orgies!!” Alright, we’ve seen him seducing everyone in sight now for several episodes. He’s bisexual and proud. Got it. Can weRead More

Since embarking on my career, I’ve gained somewhat of a reputation for myself as “that guy who’s reading instead of doing his job.”  It’s true.  While the grips are rigging and the director is doing a walkthrough with the actors, I often tuck myself into a corner somewhere and pop open a book.  None of that Kindle nonsense either – I flip through page after page of properly bound, warm-scented paper, fresh from my latest Barnes & Noble excursion or pilfered from my friends’ bookcases.  I’ll find myself so deepRead More

Let me start off by giving a sort of brief disclaimer. This won’t be a traditional review, rather a suggestion of something that may or may not be worth your time. See, I have hard time with the notion that I might actually have some sort of qualification to deem something good or bad. I might have studied film and make films (albeit very small, small endeavors), but my favorite movies are things that I tend to like just because. My taste isn’t for everyone, so when it comes toRead More

Happy Rex Manning Day! If you know what that phrase means, wonderful! You deserve a cookie and as soon as I find you, I will give you one! If you’re confused, don’t worry: most of America would be. I’m quoting one of my favorite movies of all time. Empire Records is a cult classic, and if you have a chance I highly recommend you see it, immediately. It has some of the best quotes and music the 90s had to offer. It was released in 1995. It actually has quiteRead More

Oh, Facebook.  Thank God I have you to tell me what I want.  Think of all the things I’d miss out on if I just stuck to Netflix reruns of Archer. When I logged on the other day, I found the typical slew of game and app suggestions accompanied by the usual “10 of your friends like this” tagline.  I was just about to download Siege of Legends (or Legend of the Siege, I can’t remember which), when I stumbled upon an ad quite different from the cutesy FlappyBird ripoffs. Read More