The Denver music scene buzzes with the clamor of a high school gossip session lately. “Did you hear who is doing who?” With little attention paid to possible grammatical errors, the dirt is making the rounds. But it has less to do with juicy hookups and more to do with creative reinterpretations. Have I lost you now?
All adolescent humor aside, I’m a fan of covers*. And tonight’s Denver Does Denver offers a heaping helping of renditions of some of the Mile High City’s best by some of Mile High City’s best. Presented by Illiterate Magazine, the event is dubbed “a swinging time of artistic intercourse with over 20 musical acts and 20 visual artists interpreting the material of their predecessors and contemporaries within the city.” Sounds pretty racy.
It’s a MooTown medley of music and artwork. And like a jabber-teen’s secret diary, Westword recently exposed who will be covering and reinterpreting which artists at the second annual Denver Does Denver.
What strikes me the most is Illiterate’s coaxing for artists to push the envelope. Nothing sounds—or even tastes—as bland as an unoriginal, uninspired cover song. And with so much local talent wedged into one affair, the sparks will fly high.
While the music lineup echoes with promise, a couple concoctions in particular stand out to me.
Just muse over the idea of Americana folk artists Legendary River Drifters…
…covering the trash metal of Speedwolf.
Among other standouts, this sounds like a recipe for something epic. It has all the fixings to result in the musical equivalent of my mad scientist creations when I was a kid.
And although Danielle Ate the Sandwich, one of Denver’s prime coverers (see: Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”), is absent from the bill, tonight will provide a special opportunity to witness how other local bands handle the tunes of another. You may discover a match made in heaven. Or even hell.
*If you share this sentiment, check out Under the Covers on Radio 1190, 6 p.m. MST every Tuesday.
