10 can’t-miss picks from the Westword Music Showcase’s local lineup

It’s almost summer festival time again, and that means the Westword Music Showcase is right around the corner (June 18, to be exact). And while the fest has some pretty solid touring talent lined up for the main stage, we’re more interested in using the day to catch up on all the kickass local talent we haven’t seen in a while or missed out on for some reason. With a lineup of dozens of the finest local acts, the fest’s a great opportunity to spend a day catching up and sampling some of our scene’s talent.

Considering all of that, The A.V. Club is offering our picks for 10 can’t-miss acts from the festival—acts we think will prove to be worth the time it will take to wander over to the venue and stare at them for 40 minutes. And before people get their panties in a bunch because their favorite acts aren’t on the list, this list is by no means all-inclusive, exhaustive, or complete in any way. It’s just a handful of things to look out for as you spend the entire day wandering from venue to venue in a drunken stupor, soaking in the glory of our local scene. So here are our picks, in no particular order:

Man Cub
This electronica duo uses a ton a of sweet guitar pedals to achieve their unique sound and, beyond shaking it at their show, it’s fun to watch them press buttons all night long. Plus, these two are notorious for their hairiness—in particular, Alex Anderson’s sexy goat-beard will enchant you before his infectious grooves do.

Mane Rok
There’s a very fine line that separates vitriolic commentary on society and the music industry from the ravings of a reactionary nitwit, and few in the Mile High City so consistently toe it like Mane Rok. After spending more than a decade in Denver perfecting his craft, Rok’s not so quietly became a force in Denver’s hip-hop underground.

Git Some
While most of Denver’s punk acts are glued up on bad teenage relationships or quarter-life, day-job malaise, these Black Flag-loving rockers carry chips on their shoulders that should be heavy enough to compress their spines. It’s simply some good old-fashioned, non-denominational hate for the world at work under Git Some’s hood.

Iuengliss
Tom Metz has long been an intriguing performer, mixing a dynamic take on live electronic music with a charming and disarmingly awkward stage manner. Since he’s just dropped the incredible Blank Matter, we can’t wait to see if his live show has achieved the kind of next-level awesomeness apparent in his recorded work.

The Kissing Party
It’s easy to get caught up in the jangly bedroom-pop guitars and Gregg Dolan and Deirdre Sage’s sugary boy-girl vocal interplay, but don’t be fooled. Underneath the garage-grimy ear candy, The Kissing Party’s songs of fucked-up romance are so simultaneously spiteful and heartwarming that they’ll almost make you want to look up your old exes. Almost.

The Knew
It’s pretty simple—The Knew is one of Denver’s best rock bands, and it consistently puts on a stellar live show. Plus, the band members have beautiful hair.

Sauna
Although they are all still in high school, the members of this group display an admirable dedication to retro music. They carve out quirky and creative new-waveish songs in the vein of the B-52s and early Elvis Costello, and they’ve taken the Denver scene by storm in the past few months. Something tells us they’re not going to stop here—not by a long shot.

Yerkish
This will be the band’s debut performance under the name Lexigram, the new moniker selected after a Sprint-sponsored Internet contest. There’s also the matter of the new drummer. Will the new-model Yerkish (er, Lexigram) meet our expectations based on the old band’s legacy of dynamic, explosive live sets? We’ll know soon enough.

BLKHRTS
As leader of The Pirate Signal, Yo has built a rep as a fiery, tough performer who leaves it all on the stage. BLKHRTS finds him joining up with fellow MCs Karma and FOE, Voltron-style, to make something of a local hip-hop supergroup that we can’t wait to see. Oh, and if you prefer The Pirate Signal, that group is playing too. Bonus.

Peter Black
If there are any more passionate, outspoken champions of DJ culture in Denver than Black, we’d be hard-pressed to name them. Tirelessly promoting his latest favorite tracks, repping his fellow DJs, and talking shit where necessary (online and off), Black is a force of (DJ) nature. Oh, and he has the skills to back it all up, which is why we’re eager to catch his set.