The Ruckus | Your mother wouldn't like it.

In Pictures: Langhorne Slim

Hi-Dive | Denver, Colorado | 10 February 2010 | Flickr Set

Langhorne Slim is one of those live acts that I will drop everything to see. His shows are fucking electric. The energy is amazing. Langhorne Slim gives 110%, the crowd is full of people screaming, dancing, and shouting along. I love listening to his studio work, but I feel like you're missing half the presentation if you're not attending the gig.

The band opened with "Cinderella", perfect for audience interaction. As the evening passed on, things got more intense. Slim took to the crowd and pulled a girl up on stage to dance. Old favorites like "Rebel Side of Heaven" and "Collette" were played as well as new favorites "I Love You, But Goodbye" and "Land of Dreams". The whirlwind of a night ended in a demanded version of "We Love the Animals" and Denver was left to decompress from an impossible energy level that only a Langhorne Slim gig can leave you with.

In Pictures: Nicole Simone

Bootleg Theatre | Los Angeles, California | 24 February 2010 | Flickr Set

At first listen, you might think the jazz-infused music and gorgeous voice of Nicole Simone stepped out of a time machine, hearkening back to an earlier era of sexy voices in dimly-lit night clubs. Then you realize she's better than a mere retro act. Last Wednesday, she and her band showed this to an appreciative crowd at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles.

Nicole and her band played several songs from her forthcoming EP as well as newer material, one song even making its live debut, that blended a more rock feel with her jazz style. Her voice was perfect and her band spot on as they wound through their set.

Her video for "Melt" was featured here recently and more tracks can be heard on her MySpace. Nicole Simone's EP is due out March 9th.

In Pictures: The Damn Sons

Bootleg Theatre | Los Angeles, California | 22 February 2010 | Flickr Set

Seeing The Damn Sons was no bad way to start the week. The band's recent set at the Bootleg Theatre rocked, giving the audience several songs from their EP as well as a couple great ones yet to be released.

Definitely a band to keep an eye on if you dig their garage/southern rock feel, the group's EP can be had for less than five bucks on iTunes and there's an album in the works.

In Pictures: Joshua Radin

Barfly Camden | London | 8th February 2010 | Flickr

Joshua Radin is an odd one for a Next Big Thing Festival one might think (on the same bill as The Boy Who Trapped The Sun and Alan Pownall), but in the UK he is still relatively unknown despite success in the states that has seen his music featured on TV shows such as Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill. His second album Simple Times is yet to be released over here (leading him to joke to the crowd that if anyone hasn't downloaded it illegally they are fools) but his fans were out in force for this intimate gig in Camden's Barfly.

Accompanied by his bass player and a female vocalist who was a local girl from Watford, North London, he held the crowd entranced. Shouts of "we love you Joshua" showed the level of adoration he has from his cult UK following, and the fact he is set to play two nights at the Shepherds Bush Empire show his growing fame. He is a wonderful live performer, who gave his all, and really got the crowd involved.

If you get the chance to see him live then do so.

In Pictures: M. Ward

Red Rocks | Morrison, CO | 12 September 2009 | Flickr Set

M. Ward's music has a haunting quality that won't leave your mind anytime soon. Thought I was soaked from the non-stop rain and couldn't get my hands to shop shaking at this point in the evening, there was no way I was missing this performance.

The skill displayed in this performance was mind-blowing. M. Ward is a defining artist of the folk-rock genre for me. If you're a fan, make sure you're paying attention to Monsters of Folk, too.

In Pictures: Megan Burtt (part II)

The Walnut Room | Denver, CO | 21 January 2010 | Flickr Set

The lovely Megan Burtt and her amazing band, The Cure To Love, debuted It Ain't Love to a sold out crowd at Denver's Walnut Room last Thursday evening.

Ms. Burtt and band played through the album, both acoustic and electric numbers, with obvious skill. For the gorgeous "One Wing", a cello and violin joined the mix. The show was a blast and I'm glad I could be there.

In Pictures: 100 Monkeys

The Marquis Theater | Denver, CO | 13 January 2010 | Flickr Set

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the 100 Monkeys show. The band gave a stellar performance, switching instruments and even improvising a song. This is definitely a group of performers.