Mayor John Hickenlooper performs at the Ogden Theatre on Jan. 14, 2015. Photo by Seth McConnell.
Sing It To Me Santa, Battles and Israel Nash are our picks for the best shows in Denver this week. See you there, and if you don’t make it out, follow our music musings on and our selfies on . Oh, we have a Snapchat, too. Our name is HeyReverb. Hit us up.
Sing It To Me Santa — Dec. 12, The Ogden Theatre
In case all this tinsel hadn’t tipped you off, Christmas is just two weeks off. More than just an insufferable rotation of holiday music, that means a slew of guest-laden concerts are right around the corner. Sing It To Me Santa is a benefit concert for the Denver Public Schools Foundation, and it has more guests than you can shake a yule log at. Big Head Todd’s Todd Park Mohr, Billy Nershi of the String Cheese Incident and Governor John Hickenlooper and many more will pitch in on this night of holiday-themed tunes at the Ogden Theatre on Dec. 12. Tickets are $20-$25 via .
Battles — Dec. 17, Bluebird Theater
The New York City left-field rock band Battles haven’t gotten any less experimental over the years; they’ve simply refined their experiments. Where past albums were manic (and at times gleefully cacophonous), this year’s “La Di Da Di” is a sleek run of mayhem, rehearsed but wholly unpredictable. Live, they pack a tight sound and a bevvy of DIY, curio instruments. (Ever heard a “buke” crossed with a “toe-bourine”? Didn’t think so.) Just don’t let those uber-cheap ticket prices throw you: Their Dec. 17 show at the Bluebird Theater is put on by Red Bull Sound Select, which chips in to lower the cost. Tickets: $3-$10 via .
Israel Nash — Dec. 17, Hi-Dive
Israel Nash covers his bases. His new album, “Israel Nash’s Silver Season,” pulls Americana, sweaty psych and classic rock into an admixture that’s his baby. Nash cut the album during Texas’ historic May flooding, forcing them to break from recording to dam up their studio. The exhausting experience worked its way into the grooves of the record and helped make it the band’s best yet. Hear for yourself when the band comes through the Hi Dive on Thursday. Tickets: $12 via
