The Donnybrook Writing Academy

Consign your weekend to the care of Donnybrook Writing Academy, as we direct your attention to Jewish hip-hop artists from Southwestern Ohio and a left coast foursome with enough indie cred to buy a round for the entire Larimer Lounge.

Fri, Oct 9: Why? with Dark, Dark, Dark

When Why? front man Yoni Wolf and his band released Alopecia just last year, the Cincinnati-based trio earned heaps of well-deserved praise for the album’s cross-pollination of lo-fi and dead pan hip-hop. When Why? swings through Denver on Friday night, it will be in support of the more expressive and less acerbic Eskimo Snow, whose lyrics, fortunately, still draw heavily on Wolf’s canny view of his own neuroses. The show starts at 9 p.m., but don’t be late or you might miss openers Dark, Dark, Dark, whose accordion-laced melodies draw inspiration from Tom Waits’ swampy blues and the timeless sounds of Bluegrass.

– Bluebird Theater 3317 E. Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206

Sat, October 10: Shaky Hands

Though Shaky Hands hail from Portland, OR and call über-indie label Kill Rock Stars home, the quartet has an undeniably gritty, California Rock quality that belies their label’s Riot Grrl roots. Singer Nicholas Delff’s voice sounds as familiar as Dylan or Tom Petty, but the band’s ever-changing arrangements prevent them from backsliding into artless imitation. Shaky Hands is touring in support of Let it Die, their third full-length release, but whether they play mostly new material or draw on the well-received Lunglight (2008) bear in mind that it’s physiologically impossible to dislike these songs once you’ve heard them played live, so don’t hesitate to bring a friend along, preferably one whose iPod is chronically empty. Denver area acts The Jim Jims, Missing DuFrenes, and Flooded Basement will open for Shaky Hands and will help ensure a full night of musical revelry.

– Larimer Lounge 2721 Larimer Street, Denver CO 80205

Mon, October 12: Those Darlins w/ The Grates

Those Darlins are an all-female trio who hail from Murfreesboro, TN. Kelley, Nikki, and Jessi share more than just an on-stage last name, which is, of course, Darlin. With songs like “Red Light Love” and “Wild One” these hillbilly punks prove that you can’t take the country out of the girls, but the girls still sound a hell of a lot better than Miley Cyrus or Sugarland. When openers The Grates, whose debut was entitled Gravity Won’t Get You High, hit the stage on Monday, they’ll be setting the tone for an evening of musical defiance of that old physical law. Although the Australian trio doesn’t play the same genre of music as the headlining act, both bands share an irrepressible talent for writing buoyantly melodic tunes that will dance through attendees heads long after both bands have left the stage.

– Hi-Dive 7 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80223

Editor’s note: you can also read this article on the Huffington Post, where it automatically becomes 350% more credible!