Leif Vollebekk and Kyle Emerson are our picks for the best shows around Denver this week. See you there, and if you don’t make it out, follow our music musings on and our selfies on . If you do, mind where .
Leif Vollebekk
Countless songwriters have taken on the dozens of permutations Bob Dylan has left behind in his colorful mosaic of a career. Leif Vollebekk had the gall to pick his most sacred form — those sweet, simple pre-electric days — and actually pull it off. The Montreal singer-songwriter has less interest in the political realm than Dylan, but with typically backed by little more than a simple rhythm-and-bass duo and an acoustic guitar, his fingers pick at the loose scabs of sorrow with the same mesmeric skill. Catch Vollebekk when he comes to Denver’s intimate Lost Lake Lounge on May 8. Tickets are $12-$14 via .
Kyle Emerson
Like any small town, Denver’s tight-knit music scene can be a bit of an echo chamber at times. While Kyle Emerson’s approach isn’t entirely new — songwriter supertasters will pick up on notes of Elliott Smith, Graham Parsons and Ryley Walker — it feels like a cool, twangy gust of wind in sweaty rock club. A former frontman in psych band Plum, Emerson is prepping his solo debut EP, “Worth It,” a floating, five-song introduction that’s achingly bittersweet, like closing credits unfurling after a heavy summer. Emerson will mark its release on May 11 with a show at the Hi-Dive. The Velveteers and Freaky North will open. Tickets: $10 via
