Widowspeak – Queen City Sounds and Art

Best Shows in Denver and Beyond August 2026

Pearl & The Oysters, image from Bandcamp

Saturday | 08.01
What: Pearl & The Oysters w/Green Typewriters and Pleasure Prince
When: 8
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Pearl & The Oysters is based out of Los Angeles these days via the Gainesville, Florida scene but has its origins when the duo of Juliette Pearl Davis and Joachim Polack met in high school in Paris. Polack earned a master’s degree in muscology with a focus on Brazilian popular music. And you hear that flavor in this band’s output which sounds like a retrofuturist pop band with some jazz informing its compositions and Tropicália flavor but really its own thing with some obvious heavy influence by classic 60s and 70s pop and psychedelia. But its production is lush and from record to record it would be impossible to pigeonhole an exact style including its most recent record Monkey Mind (2026). So it’s only appropriate the art pop psychedelic prog weirdos Green Typewriters and virtuosos of soulful synth pop Pleasure Prince are sharing the bill and thus no downside.

Saturday | 08.01
What: babybaby4ever, Sonic Chick, Mon Cher and PEPPERSACK
When: 7:30
Where: Squirm Gallery
Why: babybaby4ever will bring her tonally immersive indie synth pop to places well beyond Denver following this tour kick-off show and win over audiences far and wide. For the occasion you’ll get to see lo-fi synth-infused dream pop project Mon Cher, darkwave dance duo PEPPERSACK and the lo-fi, Half-Japanese-esque emo band Sonic Chick—fans of K Records bands of the 90s will definitely find much to like about the latter and its new record All Star Hits.

Let the Dead Eat the Dead, photo by Tom Murphy

Saturday | 08.01
What: Let the Dead Eat the Dead, Part Weapon and The Picture Tour
When: 8
Where: The Skylark Lounge Bobcat Club
Why: Let the Dead Eat the Dead is the new project that rose up from the remnants of Bad Luck City. Similar dark Americana and poetry with wit, intensity and an unpretentious earnestness that one would come to expect from the musicians involved including ex-members of Random Victim, Red Cloud, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and Snake Rattle Rattle Snake. Part Weapon will being its fusion of noisy post-punk and industrial sounds and The Picture Tour will fill the room with deeply atmospheric, melancholic moods and late night drive intensity circa early Nicolas Winding Refn cinema.

Monday | 08.03
What: TV Star w/Angel Band, Pink Lady Monster and Pulse
When: 7
Where: Seventh Circle Music Collective
Why: TV Star from Seattle recently released its new album Music For Heads which can have multiple meanings but for fans of the kind of crossover of shoegaze, C86 pop and pastoral Americana its exactly in your wheelhouse. Delicate and intricate guitar melodies and layered textural sounds with winsome vocals make the band’s new record and its Unrest-esque sound a repeat listen. Opening of course are purveyors of perfect indie pop Angel Band and Pink Lady Monster, the neo-No Wave art pop geniuses from Denver.

Monday | 08.03
What: Cat Power: Anniversary of The Greatest Tour
When: 6:30
Where: Chautauqua Auditorium
Why: Cat Power released her album The Greatest in 2006 to great acclaim. Recorded in Memphis, TN, the album included contributions from the late, great Mabon “Teenie” Hodges renowned for his contributions as guitarist and songwriter on several of Al Green’s hits as well as other notable artists in the realm of soul and R&B. And other greats of soul music including bassist Leroy Hodges. The record contains some of Chan Marshall’s most intimate songs in a career of intimate songwriting and there is a warmth and affection in much of the searching and heartbreak and at times resolution found across the album’s twelve tracks. This is a rare opportunity to catch these songs live in a venue as uniquely beautiful and rustic as the Chautauqua Auditorium.

Friday | 08.07
What: Tomahawk w/Melvins
When: 6:30
Where: Ogden Theatre
Why: Tomahawk is the experimental metal band comprised of Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More etc), Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard et. al.), John Stanier (Helmet) and Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs among others). Considering the people in the band how metal is it and really more experimental, art rock noise rock with Patton’s versatile and powerful vocals. Opening is Melvins who reliably put on a powerful performance of heavy music of great nuance and imagination and with every tour they try to do something different and other than touring with Tomahawk in this format it would be worth showing up to find out what Melvins have in store.

Saturday | 08.08
What: The Jayhawks
When: 7
Where: Chautauqua Auditorium
Why: The Jayhawks are unarguably one of the most influential Americana bands of the past four decades plus since forming in Minneapolis in 1984. They were early pioneers of what came to be called alternative country. Its 1992 album Hollywood Town Hall is a landmark record for the style and refreshingly out of step with the trendy sounds to emerge from early alternative rock. The group went on hiatus in 2005 while its members pursued other creative endeavors. Briefly reuniting again from 2009-2012 The Jayhawks have once again been an active band since 2014 with a new album Sanctuary Park due out August 28, 2026 with the eclectic yet coherent sound that has marked the best of The Jayhawks’ later work integrating some deeper atmospheric melodies and uplifting rhythms into the songwriting. Of all the venues along the front range Chautauqua was basically built for experiencing this kind of music.

Tuesday | 08.11
What: Sugar w/J. Robbins
When: 7
Where: Mission Ballroom
Why: After the collapse of punk legends Hüsker Dü, guitarist and singer Bob Mould released two acclaimed solo albums and came to recruit David Barbe (formerly of the great Athens, GA post-punk band Bar-B-Que Killers) and Malcolm Travis (who had been in early Boston New Wave band Human Sexual Response) to work with in the near future. The band they would dub Sugar became in its own right one of the more popular and influential of the early 90s alternativ rock bands. With a song pace that wasn’t as headlong as Mould’s previous band was known and more developed melodies the group’s debut album Copper Blue (1992) was instantly at hit with college and the nascent alternative rock radio. Mould had learned a lot from Nirvana who he influenced in terms of pop songcraft with spirited performances and he was finally able to somewhat capitalize on the sound his songwriting and guitar style had directly impacted. Sugar only released two albums and an EP before splitting in 1995 but all of those releases contain some of the finest music Mould has worked on to date. When the grop announced it was back together and playing live shows again it was arguably simultaneously one of the least expected and most anticipated reunions of recent years. And if you’ve seen Mould’s band recently you know it’s not going to be subpar.

Tuesday | 08.11
What: Shonen Knife – Osaka Ramones Set & Shonen Knife Favorites Set w/Bricheros and Flight Kamikaze
When: 7/7:30
Where: HQ
Why: Shonen Knife is the Osaka, Japan punk band that has been running since 1981. An influence on people like Nirvana the group was invited into the international alternative music scene in an opening slot for Sonic Youth in Shonen Knife’s hometown in 1987 and then later for their first North American gig in Los Angeles shortly after. And in 1991 Shonen Knife was asked to open for Nirvana for the European leg of their tour before Nevermind signaled the commercial ascendance of alterntive rock. But all along Shonen Knife has perfected the art of blending punk spirit and power pop with infectiously catchy melodies and songs with themes of simple joys in life. In 2026 the trio re-recorded and released its 1992 classic Let’s Knife as Let’s Knife Re-Cut. For this tour the group will perform a set of its favorite Ramones songs as well as selections from its own prolific catalog of great punkified pop.

Wednesday | 08.12
What: Widowspeak and Dead Gowns
When: 7
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Since 2010 Widowspeak has created music that weaves together countrified slowcore and intimate dream pop like they came up inspired equally by Luna and Mazzy Star. The group early on was a four-piece but is now the core duo of guitarist/vocalist Molly Hamilton and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Robert Earl Thomas. The 2026 album Roses is about love in its various forms and often about the subtle kinds taken for granted and not pored over and examined and recognized as such.

Friday | August 14
What: Josaleigh Polett w/A Place For Owls, mlady and Vanna Blue
When: 6pm
Where: D3 Arts
Why: Josaleigh Pollett is a singer-songwriter based out of Salt Lake City that has been developing an eclectic and inventive body of work since 2012 that could loosely be called indie pop. But from record to record, Pollett has experimented with production, songwriting and a blend of organic and electronic elements. The 2026 album If I Let It Quiet is a lushly produced, deeply evocative listen that guides the listener on an existential journey through modern anxieties and uncertainties with a gentle touch and expansive rhythms, cloaked in soothing atmospheric textures. Now available on vinyl via Audio Antihero. A Place For Owls might be described as a slowcore emo band and based in Denver. The band has previously collaborated with Pollett who also contributed to the band’s forthcoming album All Thieves Vol. 1 due out September 25, 2026.

Saturday | 08.15
What: Parlour Magic w/Church Fire and Cruel Mourning
When: 7
Where: HQ
Why: Parlour Magic is a synthpop project from New York City that recently released its latest, and third, album The Embassy. The music is in the vein of 1980s sophistipop with hints of R&B in the vocal delivery and layers of moody melody and cinematic production that captures a sense of isolation and yearning. Opening is industrial synthpop powerhouse now quartet Church Fire whose vibe will be much more confrontational yet inviting like they challenging the audience to join in raging against oppressive forces of the world. Denver’s Cruel Mourning recently released its new album Modern Tension that sounds like it is informed by 2010s synthwave with the pulsing rhythms but also the more synthpop end of darkwave.

Saturday | 08.15
What: Primitive Ring, Cherry Spit and Blööd Ôath
When: 8
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Primitive Ring is a heavy psych band from Los Angeles that includes Charles Moothart who some may known for playing in various other bands including with Ty Segall, Moonhearts, Fuzz and Mikal Cronin. The group released its debut, self-titled full-length on May 15, 2026 and it sounds like a fine evolution beyond stoner rock and garage psych fusion but retaining the tonal richness and knack for a solid hook. Opening are two Denver bands that burst genres. Blööd Ôath is like an intentionally primitive noise rock post-punk thrash band with genuine grooves and a weirdness worthy of the Cramps. Cherry Spit is a ferocious amalgam of post-punk, post-hardcore and arty noise rock and defies easy comparisons.

Saturday | 08.15
What: WILLIS w/zzzahara and The Flooks
When: 7
Where: The Bluebird Theater
Why: WILLIS based out of Nashville, TN that recently released its latest EP Locals 5. Stylistically it’s reminiscent of surf-inflected indie psych from around a decade ago which means it’s probably going to have a nice summertime mood and nostalgic appeal to a lot of people evoking memories of the before times when things likely felt less complicated and at least seemingly less fraught with pressing and constant peril and chaos. We all need a break from that reality sometimes. One of the opening acts, zzzahara, put out their album Distant Lands in June 2026 and its layered, bedroom pop style truly sounds like a dream-journey of self-discovery and healing. Inspired by a dream in which the songwriter spoke to their departed brother the record is steeped in embracing authentic feelings that we often keep buried as we hurtle through our lives. It is an album about reconnecting and perhaps growing from that process. It could be described as dream pop, shoegaze, psych and all the other atmospheric guitar genre tags you want but it also sounds like it’s informed by the possibilities of production and in some ways is like a pop cognate of They Are Gutting a Body of Water.

Paul Riola and band, photo courtesy the artist

Thursday | 08.20
What: Shadow and Light
When: 7/7:30
Where: The Fox Theater (Aurora)
Why: Paul Riola is a saxophonist and composer who has long been a fixture of the Denver improvisational music and ambient scene. His prolific collaborations have graced various stages throughout the city and beyond and his command of cinematic soundscaping is honed from years of working within the realm of experimental music for over 30 years. He grew up in the Denver Metro area before moving to Portland, Oregon in the early 90s for around a decade where he came into contact with Nels Cline and recorded with him as well as Jeff Parker of Tortoise. If you’ve been to a sufficient number of improvisational music shows in the Denver underground in the past 20 years and more it seems unlikely that you haven’t had a chance to witness Riola’s skill in blending in with various other instruments and specific styles to create something that while improvisational always sounds composed to strike a deep mood. His latest project is Shadow and Light, an immersive collaboration that involves music, installation art and video collage. Taking place at the Fox Theater in Aurora, Colorado on August 20, 2026 the event brings together Riola with guitarist Colin Bricker, guitarist Emmanuel Alexander, drummer Sam Kok, visual collage artist and videography Elicia James, set designer Brandon Case, Olivia Kirkpatrick for live VJ performance and video sampling along with Wesley Schwarz also with live VJ and video sampling and lighting. The unique concert experience will blur the line between various disciplines of visual art, overlapping aesthetics and methods of sound and composition to evoke an emotional resonance with all involved.

Courtney Barnett, photo by Lyndsey Byrnes

Friday | 08.21
What: Courtney Barnett w/Zoh Amba
When: 7
Where: Mission Ballroom
Why: Courtney Barnett is one of those most acclaimed songwriters of the past decade and a half with a rich and vibrant body of work including her fourth full length album Creature of Habit which dropped March 27, 2026. Written after Barnett relocated from her Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles the record includes contributions from expert drummer and producer Stella Mozgawa who was part of Barnett’s previous two releases but also some vocals from Waxahatchee, bass from Flea and some synth from Floating Points. But the record is all Barnett’s signature clever and personally insightful lyrics and seemingly a record contemplating major changes in one’s life circumstances and reflecting on choices and embracing the change one has pursued in the end. The record feels a touch more introspective than prior albums but highlights Barnett’s ability to speak with sensitivity and poetic delicacy to the parts of our brains that are given to anxiety and insecurity and soothe that energy with emotional honesty.

Saturday | 08.22
What: Dillstradamus Tour: Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus
When: 8
Where: Mission Ballroom
Why: Dillon Francis became one of the bigger names in 2010s EDM through not just his skill as a producer but also via his skillful use of social media and engaging with a fanbase in a way that has been entertaining for years. He has helped to popularize moombahton, the blend of house and reggaeton through high energy performances that has been part of keeping EDM a going concern in the live concert setting. For this tour Francis teams up with Flossatradamus, one of the pioneers of trap whose own career predates Francis’ by a few years. They 2010s massive heyday of EDM has died down some but Francis and Flosstradamus have been proving that the artform can still be valid and exciting in the large room format.

Saturday | 08.22
What: Only Echoes album release w/Creek, Seed of the Sorcerer, Womb of the Witch and Lovesick for Mina
When: 7
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Only Echoes is a heavy post-rock/instrumental metal band from Denver. For this show the quartet is releasing its latest, third, album of contemplative, existential journeys Born Adrift on CD, blue marble vinyl, cassette, digital download and streaming. Live the frequencies will get into your body and carry you along on the epic adventure of the music.

Wednesday | 08.26
What: Her New Knife, Blackberry Crush and The Red Scare
When: 7
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Her New Knife blurs any boundaries between noise rock, shoegaze and electronic music in a way that is resonant with fellow Philadelphia band They Are Gutting a Body of Water and UK duo Jockstrap. Its 2024 album chrome is lullaby is haunted and gritty and in moments is reminiscent of Dry Cleaning. Blackberry Crush is a one of the best Denver-based shoegaze outfits who learned soundscaping beyond some bands that appear to have evolved one or two steps from garage psyche. The Red Scare from Fort Collins are like-minded in the milieu of noisy, post-punk-infused shoegaze.

Friday | 08.28
What: Tune-Yards
When: 7
Where: Meow Wolf Convergence Station Perplexiplex
Why: Tune-Yards is the Oakland-based duo that has exerted a not often obvious influence on the indue underground for production and songwriting technique by making the most of loops early on and evolved on later releases. Like a mix of R&B, live beat-making, psychedelic folk and non-Western pop. The project’s most recent EP Tell The Future With Your Body hits like an indie Grace Jones record in some ways with Merrill Garbus’s powerful vocals the usual soul standout.

Th-Su | 08.27-08.30
What: Ghost Canyon Fest
When: Varies
Where: HQ, Hi-Dive, The Bug Theater, The Skylark Lounge,
Why: Denver’s premiere experimental music fest returns with its fourth edition including some of the most riveting and innovative artists operating in the world today with four nights and three daytime showcases at multiple venues. See the schedule below. Our guide to the festival with brief descriptions of the artists coming soon.

Th 08.27 at HQ doors 7pm
Holy Sons
Kathryn Mohr
Ryan Wong & Sunswept
Wax Trax Music Panel: DIY In the Age of Slop: A Discussion Sponsored by Smashed Plastic

F 08.28 Free In Store at Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar 4pm
Six Organs of Admittance
Prairiewolf

F 08.28 Hi-Dive 7pm doors
Steve Von Till
Silkworm
The Gotobeds
Dust Congress
Supreme Joy

S 08.29 Bug Theate doors 12:30pm doors
claire rousay
Daniel Higgs
Shane Parish Plays Autechre Guitar
Nora Mal

S 08.29 Hi-Dive 6:30pm doors
Kowloon Walled City
Moor Mother
Water Damage
ABANDONS
Blacks’ Myths
Watch Yourself Die

Su 08.30 Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar free in-store, show 1:30pm
Arson Charge
Circling Over
Burn Barrel

Su 08.30 The Skylark Lounge 4pm
Midwife
Dead Rider
Great Falls
Violenteer
Infinite Ohm
Blööd Ôath

Best Shows in Denver 9/15 – 9/20

Now that Trump and the Democrats have struck a bargain about the budget and DACA, maybe we can all take a break and check out a great show happening in Denver (or beyond as some of the acts listed below are on tour).

P.S.: “Goddamn-dipshit-Rodriguez-gypsy-dildo-punks. I’ll get your ass.” — RIP Harry Dean Stanton

Who: Church Fire, Giardia, Deer Creek and The Pollution
When: Friday, 9.15, 7 p.m.
Where: Tennyson’s Tap
Why: The Pollution is essentially a psychedelic punk band done by people who are punks who like Hawkwind. Bassist Jay Fox was (sometimes still is) in DC hardcore band United Mutation. But given his having spent a great deal of time in the Southern hemisphere including New Zealand, Fox’s musical tastes are eclectic and there’s plenty of that Kiwi rock influence in his music today. Meaning The Pollution could never be a standard punk act. Church Fire makes synth-beat-driven pop music with a passionate intensity worthy of any the heavier rock bands on this bill. And yet, somehow, singer Shannon Webber amidst her ritualistic performances, manages to inject just a twinge of humor—a quality welcome in music that, while immediately danceable, addresses serious social and political issues with an unblinking ferocity. Okay, maybe some blinking.

Who: Speakeasy Series: Rare Byrd$, Abeasity Jones
When: Friday, 9.15, 6 p.m.
Where: Hooked On Colfax
Why: Experimental hip-hop show in a basement of a coffee shop? Not the first time but in this case you’ll get a chance to see one of the most promising acts in Denver or anywhere with Rare Byrd$. The group has incredibly soulful flow and its beatmaking combines the finely sculpted low end of 90s gangsta rap and ambient and psychedelic music in that it’s as hypnotic as it is mind-expanding. Easy to compare to cLOUDDEAD, Deep Puddle Dynamics and early Atmosphere but only in the sense that all are rooted in imaginative soundscaping and poignantly truthful poetry.

Who: Post-Punk Piano/Vocal Covers Night w/Todd Loomis of The Twilight Garden and The Siren Project
When: Friday, 9.15, 8 p.m.
Where: Mercury Café
Why: Todd Loomis of Goth/dark dream pop band The Twilight Garden along with like-minded Denver-based act The Siren Project will perform songs by the likes of INXS, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Switchblade Symphony, Joy Division, Tears for Fears, Morrissey, Bauhaus, Ladytron, Garbage and more. Loomis will also play some songs you wouldn’t expect by artists like Roy Orbison, Elvis, Otis Redding, John McLaughlin, Metallica and Sinead O’Connor. What makes this different from cover bands playing the usual sort of gig is that neither set of artists generally does covers and the interpretations are likely to be interesting.

Who: Blanket Empire w/Silver Face and Quantum Creep
When: Saturday, 9.16, 9 p.m.
Where: The Skylark Lounge
Why: Blanket Empire is releasing its latest album, Hymn For the Heartless at this show. Superficially Blanket Empire sounds like its members recently ditched that wave of music miming classic rock in favor more unusual influences and embraced modern sensibilities as much as those classic. Maybe these guys listened to a lot of T. Rex, Roxy Music and Led Zeppelin for big, warping sounds. But the lo-fi charm of its album is reminiscent of Jay Reatard’s masterful blend of raw rock and roll and a sophisticated sense of melody and songwriting has been a massive influence on underground music even before his untimely passing in 2010.

Who: Vic N’ the Gnarwhals, Surf Mom and Monocle Stache
When: Saturday, 9.16, 9 p.m.
Where: Syntax Physic Opera
Why: Vic N’ The Gnarwhals do that rare thing where the music has a familiar vibe, one might dub it psychedelic surf rock for the blend of styles, and thus very tangible. But there’s a mysterious undertone to its songs suggestive of noir cinema even when its songs get a little out there. Surf Mom used to be kind of a surf rock band, sort of still is, but the band has evolved greatly since it debuted a couple of years go. How many surf rock bands cover Christian Death? But the influences with this duo are broad ranging and since its members are still in high school you have to think they’re going to outgrow what inspires them now or at least take the music in new directions.

Who: Lotus w/Com Truise and Nosaj Thing
When: Saturday, 9.16, 9 p.m.
Where: Red Rocks
Why: Lotus is basically an EDM jam band. For some people this sounds like the combination of two terrible things. And Lotus may not be for you. Lots of jazz overtones like an electro version of Galactic. But what would you expect of a jam band? Nevertheless, Lotus is respectable live band. But if you want to catch some of the more interesting electronic acts playing more mainstream venues these days, check out Nosaj Thing and Com Truise. The former is a hip-hop artist who has done production work for Kendrick Lamar, Busdriver and Chance the Rapper. His own albums, though tend to be more like ambient dance music with deep low end coursing over and under drifting, vivid melodies. On his 2013 album Home, he featured Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino on the song “Eclipse/Blue.” So his musical range and interests are not limited to just a single genre of music. Com Truise came to prominence in the underground through fans of analog synth-based dance music several years back. But his science fiction themed albums caught on with a wider audience not just because Seth Haley is a talented songwriter but he was able to take what could have been simply a lo-fi aesthetic best experienced in a small venue with small sound system and render it suitable for a much larger format of presentation.

Who: Stiff Little Fingers w/Death By Unga Bunga
When: Saturday, 9.16, 8 p.m.
Where: The Marquis Theater
Why: Stiff Little Fingers, from Belfast, Ireland, were an anecdote in the film High Fidelity for a reason. It’s scrappy, melodic outbursts, as found on its classic, aptly titled, 1979 album Inflammable Material, found an immediate influence but its enduring impact was on the early pop punk scene in America. Although the band broke up in 1982, it reconvened in 1987 and have been actively releasing albums and touring since. Plus, if recent shows are any indication, these guys still play like the world could end tomorrow.

Who: Sonic Vomit, Condor & Jaybird (IA), Harikiri (MN) and Kwantsu Dudes
When: Saturday, 9.16, 7 p.m.
Where: Mutiny Information Café
Why: Pueblo’s Sonic Vomit probably gets broad brushed as a death metal or grindcore band. But it’s avant-garde and jazz side aren’t exactly subtle or hidden. It just makes the band’s music more unsettling and, frankly, more interesting than something straight ahead couched in a heavy metal subgenre. Which makes its pairing with Condor & Jaybird, a psychedelic band from Iowa rooted in that kind of psych that could have come out of a cult like The Source Family with folk song structure but one using non-Western instrumentation and sounds.

Who: TOPS w/She-Devils
When: Saturday, 9.16, 8 p.m.
Where: Larimer Lounge
Why: Superficially, TOPS is a Canadian band that makes the kind of light pop music reminiscent of the kind that did well on record charts in the mid-to-late 70s through the 80s. But the secret of many of the songs from that timeframe too is that, yes, discussed the usual everyday life struggles, but in a way that commented on the emptiness and dissatisfaction that is at the core of every society in which the best most people can hope for is a job that doesn’t suck too bad, spending the rest of one’s life with someone you get along with okay even after the rush of early love has long since passed and resign oneself to a beige reality knowing deep down it never needed to be that way. TOPS’ music sounds like the sinking realization of that sort of thing but with more than a shade of the knowledge of what could make life be more fulfilling. That aside, the band’s songs are true gems of indie pop songcraft with words that dig more than a little deeply at the quiet desperation of 21st century urban living.

Who: Micah Schnabel, Sour Boy Bitter Girl and The Swindlin’ Hearts
When: Sunday, 9.17, 8 p.m.
Where: Lion’s Lair
Why: It’s difficult to say whether, at this point, Micah Schnabel is better known for his solo career or for his band Two Cow Garage. Either way, Schnabel’s take on alt-country is self-critical and he has a real gift for puncturing his own pretensions of years past and foolish notions he might entertain in the present. In that way one might compare him to comedians like Patton Oswalt and Maria Bamford who are keenly aware of their own shortcomings and turn them into their best work. Sour Boy Bitter Girl couldn’t be a more well-named band considering the music. Benjamin Buttice seems to have few qualms in laying out his twitchy psyche out for the audience. Every neurosis, fear and flaw is mixed in with his honest and poetic portrayal of life as its experienced, the only filter seeming to be to make it relatable to other people. The band probably gets labeled alt-country or the like as well but like Schnabel’s, Buttice’s songwriting transcends simple genre designation. It just feels vitally authentic in a format of music tends to hold few surprises.

Who: Witchtrap (Colombia), Nekrofilth, Weaponizer and Skeid
When: Sunday, 9.17, 8 p.m.
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Colombian thrash band Witchtrap makes an appearance at the Hi-Dive. Also on the bill are death grind band Nekrofilth, black metal thrashers Weaponizer and “Barbarian black metal” band Skeid. What is that whole Barbarian business about? Listen to their 2017 split release with Morgue Whore and it makes sense because it sounds like the kind of pulsing, low-end heavy stuff Conan would listen to if he could.

Who: GGOOLLDD w/Time Scale
When: Tuesday, 9.19 7 p.m.
Where: Larimer Lounge
Why: Before starting GGOOLLDD with her bandmates in 2014, Margaret Butler was someone who got out of high school and got out of her home town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a stint of subsistence living in Portland, Oregon, she was invited by friends to spend some time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but it was there that things came together for Butler when she heard the right music that made he want to sing along and soon enough GGOOLLDD became a bit of a local phenomenon before taking its synth pop, crafted to cinematic proportions to stages far and wide. The band isn’t yet playing large theaters regularly but its music is written to that scale. In December the band will release its latest EP, Teeth on Roll Call Records.

Who: Widowspeak w/Death Valley Girls and Clearance
When: Tuesday, 9.19, 8 p.m.
Where: Hi-Dive
Why: Death Valley Girls have done a magic trick in turning campy musical and performance elements into a powerful live band that has the kind of bombast and raw power of L7 or Bikini Kill complimented by an elegant atmospheric side that recalls Cocteau Twins. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work but it just makes DVG more interesting than any surface level assessment of the band could convey outside the live setting even though the band’s records capture some of this essence nicely. Headlining the bill is Widowspeak, a band also known to upset expectations in the best way. Its’ ethereal melodies have an introspective shimmer reminiscent of Mojave 3, The Sundays and Mazzy Star. Its latest record, 2017’s Expect the Best out on Captured Tracks, finds the band exploring a broader palette of sounds seemingly emphasizing texture and rhythm as much as tone and its signature sweeping vistas of dreamy melodies.

Who: Ride w/Lo Moon and DJ Paul Italiano
When: Wednesday, 9.20, 7 p.m.
Where: Summit Music Hall
Why: In June 2017, British shoegaze legends Ride released Weather Diaries, its first album in twenty-one years. This in the wake of a successful reunion tour in 2015. And like its contemporaries, Slowdive, the new record is a worthy entry in its already respectable extant catalog. The term “shoegaze” is known to have been an insult to bands operating pedals in order to execute their mindbending sounds. What is missed in such a nickname, now minus the negative connotations, is that many of those bands, Ride in particular, did more rocking than shoegazing. As several bands in the 2000s embraced the visceral sound sculpting of 90s shoegazers, the old guard has enjoyed a renaissance and to the credit of most, they came back with new musical ideas that didn’t sound like a tired second act. Those fortunate enough to have caught Ride since it’s been back got to see a band that re-established its reputation as one of the great live bands of its era. Also on the bill is Los Angeles-based dream pop phenoms, Lo Moon. The band has released a few singles that hint at the kind of band that has the sophisticated songcraft and soulfulness of a band like Talk Talk and the knack for crafting evocative atmospheres that have made Perfume Genius one of the most interesting modern artists. But Lo Moon isn’t standing in anyone’s stylistic shadow and its beautifully brooding songs may yet be released on a full length album before the year is out. Get to the show early and catch one of the most promising new bands of the last several years.