Mike Pettiford was a treasure to the 719 punk community. With “Ideas Are Bulletproof” proudly tattooed on his chest, he lived his life his way, and his way was punk as fuck! Pettiford was better known here in the Springs as Pueblo Mike, and in his hometown of Pueblo his nickname was Punk Rock Mike. Mike played drums in crust punk band Suzie Palmer & The Knuckle Children and guitar in Pueblo punk rock band Better Luck Next Time, among his many other musical pursuits. On July 14, Mike’s life sadly came to an end. But until the last act, he remained faithful to his convictions. For many people, punk is just music. But for Mike, it was his way of life – he stuck to his anarcho-punk ethos and lived in chaos, as he wanted. He learned a lot about DIY, about respecting your belief systems, and about punk philosophy. Pueblo Mike will be missed but certainly never forgotten. There will be a celebration of his life on August 20 at CR23 Bomb Shelter in Pueblo. 719 Flex!!

There’s another streak of great live music here in Colorado Springs and it all starts Thursday, August 4, with the country revival of Charley Croquet at The black sheep (see tinyurl.com/indy-chcr). Crockett will be joined by Nashville’s Emilie Nenni.

Friday night, it’s time for the locals! On August 5, bang heads at a local metal show courtesy of The Black Sheep and guests spirit in the flesh, The appearance of a demon, Beyond Forgiveness and Defective. You can also head to Fritzy’s for jam-packed local hip-hop programming. challenge one will celebrate the third release of its Puff Puff Trilogy. Join him : Jeffe the GMC, gray beard, just master of ceremonies, Stoney Bertz, Elimence, Reflectshaun, MC IQ and DJ Gravity will keep this fire burning all night long. If you are in Manitou Springs on Friday night, it will be at At Lulu’s. Here you can listen to the dubstep-infused reggae of Jon Wayne and pain downstairs and upstairs, experience the energetic Americana of Bozeman, Montana’s Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs. As if that weren’t enough to make a Friday night, you can also go Astronomer’s Theater for bluegrass Red Mountain Boys.

Shows continue to roll Saturday night. The Black Sheep will host English psychobilly legends Meteors. If you’re unfamiliar with The Meteors, I suggest you fix that. They play dark, fast, bass-heavy rockabilly that’s so smooth it’ll make you want to fix a Cadillac in a graveyard. The Meteors were instrumental in forming the genre known as psychobilly, a combination of traditional rockabilly and the fast-paced fury of punk rock. It’s like Danny Zuko with a nose ring and a skeleton tattoo. The Meteors formed in London in 1980 and played with greats like The Clash and The Damned. It will be a fun show. (Don’t worry, safety, it’s not a knife, it’s just a badass comb.)

More Saturday tunes will resonate in Colorado Springs as Stargazers host local cover band Star burn. They play a smashing mix of all your 60s favourites! And one more way to enjoy your Saturday night? Lose yourself in the melodies of singer-songwriters Cole Chaney and Wolfpen branchwho will bring their carefully crafted songs to Lulu.