Ben Rector and Cody Fry, Explosions in the Sky and the Best Concerts in Denver This Week

Legendary jazz-rap trio Digable Planets celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its debut album at the Ogden Theatre on Tuesday, January 30, and Ben Rector and Cody Fry will be joined by the Colorado Symphony for two nights at Boettcher Hall on Thursday, February 1, and Friday, February 2.

Denver doom group Probes hosts an EP release party at HQ on Friday, February 2, and the post-rock purveyors in Explosions in the Sky will play tunes from a new release at Mission Ballroom on Sunday, February 4.

Keep reading for more of the best concerts in Denver this week:
Indie 102.3 presents: Local 303 Meet-Up
Monday, January 29, 7 p.m.
hi-dive, 7 South Broadway
Free
If you haven't made it out to Indie 102.3's monthly mixer yet, now is a great time to start. On the last Monday of each month, the community-focused radio station hosts a free get-together for listeners to check out another rising indie act from the Denver area. This month we will see the stage slayed by the smooth stylings of Fast Eddy, a band that plays "pure Colorado rock and roll."
Digable Planets
Tuesday, January 30, 8 p.m.
Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax Avenue
$35.75-$40
The members of Digable Planets originally met in Philly in the late 1980s, and after realizing their potential together they moved to Brooklyn and began their journey in changing the game of alternative hip-hop. The hit single "Rebirth of Slick (I'm Cool Like That)" from the group's debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), immediately transformed Digable Planets into a household name. The crew took a decade-long hiatus after its second album, but has played occasional reunion performances ever since. Digable Planets is currently on tour to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of that landmark debut album.

Immediate Music #7
Wednesday, January 31, 7 p.m.
Roxy on Broadway, 554 South Broadway
$8
The Immediate Music series at Roxy on Broadway started last summer as a way to engage dedicated audiences in the venue's "speakeasy-style" downstairs space on the last Wednesday of each month. Hosted by the Center for Critical & Cultural Theory, there will be improvisational music from Denver collaborators Eric Moon on the keys and Paul Riola on saxophone and electronics.
Ben Rector and Cody Fry with the Colorado Symphony
Thursday, February 1, and Friday, February 2, 7:30 p.m.
Boettcher Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex
$15-$103
Ben Rector is a chart-topping songwriter from Oklahoma, and Cody Fry is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Illinois, but both are now based in Nashville and have a certified pop-star bromance going. Their musical partnership originally formed during Rector's "Old Friends" acoustic tour when Fry was providing support, but the tour was halted early because of COVID shutdowns. They've got a second chance to tour together again now, and since both make music that lends itself well to large-scale performances, they've decided to play their sensational pop ballads backed by various symphony orchestras in each major city along the way.
Probes
Friday, February 2, 8 p.m.
HQ, 60 South Broadway
$10
The sludge-metal group Probes is a terrifying trio of Denver doom lords who also play in several other local heavy bands, such as hardcore group Chew Thru and doomcore band Voideater. Probes originally began as a pandemic project, but the three bandmates found a comforting catharsis in the songwriting and realized it needed to continue. The group will celebrate the release of its fourth EP, You Were Gone, this week, and will be joined by fellow local shredders Lost Relics, Burn Unit and Black Yeti.
Daniel Rodriguez
Friday, February 2, 8 p.m.
Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue
$15-$22
He might be best known for being a founding member of the local folk-grass powerhouse Elephant Revival, but Daniel Rodriguez has a very successful solo career, as well. His second album, Vast Nothing, was released in early 2023, and fellow local folk-rock stars the Lumineers even transformed his song "This Is Life" (from his first album) into a Christmas song, calling it "This Is Life (Merry Christmas)." Daniel hasn't announced any more releases at the moment, but if the industrious nature of his musicianship tells us anything, then we can expect some new material in the near future. Soulful folk duo Handmade Moments and local indie act Sound of Honey open the show.
Mipso
Saturday, February 3, 9 p.m.
Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue
$22.50-$25
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is known for as a base for musicians with a background in folk and bluegrass, and Mipso is no exception. The group got its start playing those ancestral tunes at open mics, but as Mipso grew, so did its sound. With each new album, there seems to be less of the bluegrass foundation and more indie-rock influence. The quartet is currently on tour in support of its sixth studio album, Book of Fools; the release has some rollicking rock-and-roll numbers, but still contains plenty of that string band sound that lives within the group's roots.
Explosions In the Sky
Sunday, February 4, 8 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$35
The post-rock movement that began in the early to mid-2000s is well represented by the Austin, Texas, group Explosions in the Sky. The strictly instrumental quartet creates stirring soundscapes that begin as minimalist movements but continue to expand into an astounding psychedelic display, much like a fireworks show. The group is currently on tour for its newest album, End, which was released in September 2023.

Know of shows you'd like to see on this list? Send the details to [email protected]. Looking for more to do? Visit the Westword calendar.