courtesy Crested Butte

Denver restaurant week

Plan for it now: From Feb. 21-27, a whopping 198 restaurants are participating in Denver Restaurant Week, when you can get a meal for two at some pretty fancy places for $52.80 (tax and tip are extra). Special menus for the mile-high price at each restaurant should be online at www.denverrestaurantweek.com by mid-January. Places like Il Posto, duo, 9th Door, Vesta Dipping Grill and Barolo Grill are participating.

Free dental care

Who needs a free teeth cleaning? Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, 50 Comfort Dental offices in Colorado will offer basic services FREE in the morning, beginning around 7:30 a.m. We've heard mixed reviews of their service, but if you are in a bind and need some basic dentistry work, check it out.

The new JHCC Theatre is donating 25 percent of its weekend ticket sales from "Secret Santa: The Kickin' Killer Crazy Christmas Carol-A-Long" to Project AngelHeart (They make and deliver meals to people with life-threatening illnesses). You've still got today and tomorrow, 12/20 - 12/21, to take in a show while also supporting a worthwhile cause. If you miss it, a benefit performance is planned 12/27, when half of ticket sales will go to Project AngelHeart

You can get tickets ($12-$15) by e-mailing JHCCTheatre@gmail.com, and use the promo code SARA to get discounted tickets!

JHCC Theatre is just five months old and does productions by Denverites

93.3 Hometown for the Holidays winner .... !

The Epilogues won $1,000 as the band that got the most applause at Andrew's on Friday night (part of it may have been they were the last band to play and not everyone got to hear the early bands).

But ROE won the studio time and a gig playing at a Colorado Mammoth game at the Pepsi Center. Roe got a decent amount of applause too Friday, despite the keyboard guy falling off his chair mid song and the vocal mics going out during another song too.

Fulcrum ... maybe better luck next year? After all Roe was at Hometown for the Holidays last year, and this year they got a prize.

CP told us about this game

woxy.com has started counting down the best 97 albums of 2008. Listen in. UPDATE: If you missed it, they'll be replaying it during the holidays

The new album from The Boy Least Likely To won't be out until March 3, but there's a new single for sale on iTunes. You can hear "The First Snowflake" on MySpace before you buy.

Some good stuff this weekend:

Hot IQs have a party 12/19 at the Bluebird, with a premiere of their new video. $8. 9pm



Before that, you might be able to catch Popwreck at the Hi-Dive, 12/19. $6

Also that night is the 93.3 Hometown for the Holidays showdown. Flobots won last year and just look at them now. The top 3 contenders play 12/19 at Andrew's on Lincoln (11th and Lincoln), and a winner will be chosen. You can still cast your votes for the top 3 if you sign up to be a 93.3 music survey member and vote before noon tomorrow, 12/17.

There's also the tree lighting in Vail, Face is at the Boulder Theater for you a cappella fans (but it's sold out so you might some creativity getting tix), and the Omens are at the Lions Lair in Denver.

Holiday Clothing has its launch party at the Marquis Theater, 12/20. $10-$12

Be on "Good Morning America"!

YOU can be on national TV! "Good Morning America" is going to be broadcasting some shots from Union Station tomorrow, 12/5, the same day that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be in NYC to unveil Denver's holiday window display on GMA. It's happening butt early in Denver (have to obey those East Coast demands!) We're talking 5:15 a.m. to 7 a.m. at 17th and Wynkoop in Denver. To get people to Union Station that early and make sure they're screaming and happy, there will be giveaways of lift tickets to Winter Park, plus tickets for Ski Train, the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. And get this, the Denver visitors bureau really really would like if you can show up with homemade signs and wearing ski gear! Who says live television isn't staged?

happy thanksgiving!

The Oriental Theater had a pre-Thanksgiving show with a great lineup: Paper Bird and Autumn Film, with Rob Drabkin, Chuck Potashner (actually, Chuck and Antz from teamAWESOME and Rachel singing) and Laura Goldhamer (one 'M,' thanks) opening.

You may have been seeing Rob Drabkin around town with his trademark 'fro. He's steadily risen since playing open stages and is working on a third album, which includes a ton of guests serving as his band. He hopes to have the album done by his birthday show Jan. 23 @ the Soiled Dove Underground. He was the first act at the Oriental Theater last night. He played for about an hour, then headed back to the studio, where MacKenzie from Flobots was recording for his album.

Chuck Potashner is still getting its live glee-pop act together, but it's entertaining in a goofy novelty way. If there's ever a sequel to "Juno," forget Moldy Peaches and pick up these kids, okay? A few more rehearsals maybe. Rachel does great on vocals.

The mellow Long Spoon Music sampler is out. $5. A lot of the songs on it are already available free on MySpace, but you can support and get 19 songs various artists like Paper Bird, The Wheel (with a song that's NOT on MySpace!) and Pee Pee.

DeVotchKa plays a free post-Thanksgiving show outside at Keystone near the River Run gondola, 8 p.m. Friday.

All right then. Happy Thanksgiving and be thankful for all Denver's creative minds!

Travel companies are trying to get people to still spend on vacations in these tough economic times, and that means some sweet deals, The New York Times reports

Residents in Walsh, Colo., pitched in to keep a grocery store in town. More from The Denver Post

A guy levitated across the Royal Gorge with just a jet pack. Best to watch it from both angles. (from The Denver Post) and TV

93.3 FM is accepting MP3s NOW from bands who want to compete in Hometown for the Holidays. (Past winner: Flobots)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah playing at Keystone tonight

The Beebs, Saturday, 11/22, @ the Meadowlark

Eulogies swag!

photo by Timothy Norris

Hey, hey: Eulogies has a new EP, "Tempted to Do Nothing." And they're playing at the Larimer Lounge in Denver on Wednesday, 11/19, with Darker My Love and Strange Boys.

So here's the deal. We're giving away two tickets to the show FREE. And someone else is going to win the Eulogies' 4-song VinylDisc EP (3 songs on CD on one side, and one track on the back that you can throw on your record player!) Just e-mail us at deli_magazine@yahoo.com by 9 a.m. Monday and tell us you're entering the Eulogies contest. That's it. No need to write anything charming. Although we do tend to fall for that sort of thing.

Eulogies!

Top Chef

Boulder has two chefs competing on "Top Chef" on Bravo. Read more in the Daily Camera

Jihae :: Rise Against :: Beer

The new album from Jihae is out today! "Elvis Is Still Alive" is available online. (In a twist, you can name your own price, sort of, for the digital version of the album, as long as it's at least $3.) OR you can listen to it free over at ilike.

Rise Against plays an acoustic performance Thursday, 11/13, at 5 p.m. @ Twist and Shout on Colfax and Columbine.

Here's your chance to be crowned the Beerdrinker of the Year! Wynkoop Brewing Co. has been running this contest for a while now, and they're crowning a new title holder in February. Winner gets free beer FOR LIFE at the Wynkoop, plus $250 of free beer at your local brewpub. The deadline to submit your entry is Dec. 31, and from there, you'll hear if you're one of the lucky finalists that goes through a competition of grilling from judges on beer knowledge. (But it's fun) Details on entering here

Black Kids

Hey, this is fun: Black Kids performing acoustic versions of "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" and "Listen to Your Body Tonight" on liveDaily. They visited Daytrotter too

Forecast :: free stuff!

Denver Arts Week starts 11/14, with a bunch of museums offering free admission that Friday night, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. during "Night at the Museums." So you can visit the Denver Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art or Denver Museum of Nature & Science FREE. Or also the Colorado History Museum, the Kirkland Museum of Decorative & Fine Art (where they'll have hors d'oeuvres and live jazz), the Forney Museum of Transportation, Black American West Museum, the Byers-Evans House Museum, Museo de las Americas, Molly Brown House Museum and the Children's Museum of Denver. Free parking and a shuttle are available at the Cherry Creek mall.

The 2008 Starz Denver Film Festival gets under way 11/13 (it's a Thursday night) with "The Brothers Bloom," starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo and Rinko Kikuchi. Saturday night 11/15 is the big red carpet night when they'll be showing "Slumdog Millionaire," the new movie from "Trainspotting" director Danny Boyle. It's been getting lots of praise.

How about this to get the early ski season going: Keystone has free concerts for three straight Friday nights, starting with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on 11/21. DeVotchKa plays 11/28 and it's Girl Talk 12/5. Next to the River Run Gondola in the Hunki Dori parking lot in River Run Village.

Denver celebrates its 150th with free admission 11/22 to the Colorado History Museum, Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.

We're eagerly waiting to see when the band Paper Route might make it to Denver for a show. They're from Nashville but have songs that sound eerily like Coldplay...until some of the harmonies and electric keys kick in. (Try listening to "The Sound")

Missed Audrye Sessions when they were in Denver, but their EP has been in the iPod for a little while. A soundtrack for underwater daydreamers. I don't know what that means. Check out their Elliott Smith cover on their MySpace page

Brandi Carlile

If you haven't yet experienced Brandi Carlile and her band live, then the EP "Live in Boston" is worth checking out. Carlile is amazing, and the Hanseroth twins (on guitar, bass, backup vocals, and contributing to songwriting) are talented and consistent as always. They complement and showcase Carlile without ever upstaging her. As the album progresses, so does the tempo and energy on four songs:

1. "Have You Ever" _ A mellow, fun song written by Phil Hanseroth. Backup vocals were slightly too quiet.
2. "What Can I Say" _ I'm a sucker for cello, and it's treated like another vocal in this song. Audience participation was elicited for one round of the chorus, and was surprisingly clear, synchronized, and in tune.
3. "The Story" _ This song begins with an almost bare voice, a treat. Here the live albums shine, retaining the energy and edge that are engineered out in studio albums ("The Story" album in particular). The fans give an appropriately warm reaction to this performance.
4. "Folsom Prison Blues" _ Her popular Johnny Cash cover. The "almost live" experience is most felt here. The electric guitar solo is flat out awesome. I'm torn whether I prefer her cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" or her cover of Radiohead's "Creep".

Carlile has released several other equally worthy live albums: Live from Neumo's (2005) and Live at Easy Street Records (2007), both recorded in Seattle. --By ATT / photo courtesy brandicarlile.com

Jason Mraz in Denver :: campaign 08 :: and a quick hit

FROM THE FILLMORE, DENVER, COLORADO, 10/27:
Jason Mraz only played one song Monday night before a female fan threw her bra on the stage. "Already?" he said before throwing it back. Going to a Mraz show is probably distinctly different if you are a woman (maybe 80 percent of the audience Monday night?) or a man, so here we present our review of the show, with C giving the female perspective and JF the male.

JF: There's lots of girls here. Like, teenyboppers
C: Although he has a new album out, Jason still sang old favorites like "You and I Both" and "Sleeping to Dream" and "Clockwatching." He had a horn section, with sax, trumpet and trombone.
JF: Iiiiit's poppy. Deeeeefinitely poppy
C: They performed "The Remedy" with a reggae twist, and the audience sang along. During the singalong, Mraz said, "Now just the ladies!"
JF: It sounded the same!
C: He also sang "I'm Yours." During one song, a photo of Barack Obama flashed on the screen behind Mraz and the audience started cheering really loudly. The horns moved up into the audience in the balcony and played from there to the surprise of the crowd.
During another song, Mraz tried to teach the audience some dance moves so they could dance along.
JF: He's kind of a weiner.
C: After about 45 minutes, he closed with Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds," asking different parts of the audience to sing out the chorus. But the lights stayed low and he came out for a loooong encore. He started with "Lucky" with opening act Lisa Hannigan singing Colbie Caillait's part. Also did a cover of "Buttercup."
JF: This is the part of the show where the girls are taking pictures of themselves and their friends. And two days later they're gonna put it up on their clipboards on their refrigerators, and it'll say "BFF" over it.
C: Also "There's No Stopping Us" and "A Beautiful Mess." It's possible the encore lasted as long as the main part.
JF: He's kind of full of himself.





Quick hit:
Delicatessen: If your music could be on a soundtrack for any TV show past or present.....any preference? Any certain song? and Why!

Ann Yu of LoveLikeFire: I don't watch a lot of TV, but my bandmates and friends have told me the show "Deadwood" was really awesome. I could see a couple of our songs being on a western drama show. We all really like old westerns, Morricone, Lee Hazlewood and some of that seeps into the tunes every now and then.

Dungen @CMJ

BY JASON JONES
GULLWING drummer
STRAIGHT OUTTA BROOKLYN
Friday night was definitely a night to remember and it renewed my love for music festivals. CMJ was alive and kicking across Brooklyn. My friend Jerris and I got together for an early evening practice session before heading out for the night’s activities. I have rehearsal studio space in the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, in the Ft. Greene neighborhood literally a stone’s throw from the front of my apartment building. Built in 1909, this historic temple has an arena that holds 1,000 people. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Broken Social Scene was slated to play a show there that night. We used my tenant status to bypass the long line of hipsters, young indie rockers and local neighborhood fans of the Canadian music collective that were queued up outside anxiously waiting to get in. The practice session was a good one, but our rehearsal didn’t last long before we found ourselves standing stage left, witnesses to greatness in our own backyard. Broken Social Scene did not disappoint, and the mass of fans was delighting in the collective’s catalog of hits. The band was impressive, and the Temple has never sounded better to me.

We had to drag ourselves out of the show and onto a G Train for Williamsburg. In no time we were at The Music Hall of Williamsburg where the Kemado Records CMJ showcase was in full swing. We were just in time to see The Muslims’ set. The San Diego four piece chugged trough a raucous set of energetic rock music that reminded me of an adolescent New Bomb Turks. The band warmed the stage and politely stepped aside to make way for Dungen, Stockholm’s psychedelic indie rock super stars.

It was apparent when they took the stage that they were the star attraction of the showcase. The hall quickly filled out and the crowd pressed the stage to witness the Swedes in action. Gustav Ejstes, Dungen’s front man and principal composer, began the set behind the keys of his synthesizer before taking center stage with his tambourine and banging waves of golden curls. The crowd grooved and bounced to the foursome’s powerfully polished take on psychedelic folk metal. Drummer Fredrik Bjorling is a master and I could not help but feel that I was somehow transported back in time to witness Mitch Mitchell playing with Jimi and The Experience. Dungen played many favorites including “Ta Det Lugnt,” “Djungelboken 2”, and “Panda” to the crowd’s enthusiastic hollers of approval. Their set was a cohesive collection of newer material and favorites from yesteryear that moved the crowd to excitable outbursts whenever there was a break in music. At show’s end, Dungen was begged for an encore and returned to deliver one last taste of their sonic psychedelic confections.

scenes from the weekend

An estimated 100,000 people crammed into Civic Center Park to hear Barack Obama speak. Hear being the operative word, since there were so many people, and there was no giant screen or anything to show people standing back on the state Capitol lawn what Obama was saying over in front of the City and County Building, but that's how large the crowd was. On a Sunday morning! During hangover hours!



The lines started forming EARLY. Gates didn't open until 10 a.m. but by 9:30ish a.m. the line went from between the Denver library and Denver Art Museum, down 14th, around the corner to Broadway, down Colfax to Bannock, with people standing five wide on the sidewalks. Two hours later (and we even cut in line!) we were finally inside the closed off area of the park.



The crowd filtered in once passing through metal detectors ...





Colorado Democrats like Sen. Ken Salazar and Gov. Bill Ritter made their pitch to get Rep. Mark Udall elected as a senator to take retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard's spot. U2's "It's a Beautiful Day," blared from the speakers that were lined up for two blocks and Obama came out.

He talked a little about tax cuts that he says won't affect Americans making less than a quarter million dollars a year, which includes many of us in the crowd and "99 percent of all plumbers," Obama said. He said his health care plan wouldn't affect you if you already have insurance through work, but your premiums would go down. Anyway, you can read more on Obama's health care plan. And you can read more on John McCain's health care plan.

Also from Wall St Journal, read about the candidates and your money

==========

Let us just say this ... The Little Ones played at the Hi-Dive Saturday night and were so, so fun! Sunny Cali-pop for dancing. The full-length album "Morning Tide" is out! Time to buy!

Sir Reyes with sunshine girls:

The Safes ripped through a set at the Lions Lair last night and closed down the bar. They're in Omaha tonight before taking a short rest back home in Chicago, and then they're back at it for more dates thru November. They said this tour's going all right so far.

Tonight, get ready for The Little Ones at the Hi-Dive!

And oh, no! LoveLikeFire was supposed to play Wednesday 10/29 at the Hi-Dive, but looks like Bob the bassist has to go home from the tour early to take care of some work-related issues.

Forecast

John Elway appears with John McCain at the National Western Arena 10/24. Event begins 10 a.m. and you need a free ticket to get in.

The Safes at Lions Lair, 10/24.

The Little Ones are at the Hi-Dive 10/25! $10! With The Pseudo Dates and Titus Andronicus.

Barack Obama appears at a free public rally 10/26 at Civic Center Park in Denver. No tickets required, but get there early so you can attend. Gates open at 10 a.m. Event starts 11:30 a.m. Entrance on 14th Ave, between Bannock and Broadway. There will be security checks, so don't bring big bulky bags.

Aziz Ansari is at Comedy Works tonight and tomorrow, 10/10-10/11, in downtown Denver. $22.

We enjoyed the luxuries of the student rush ticket yesterday when we only had to pay $5 apiece to sit in fancy $60+ seats at Boettcher Hall to hear Lukas Vondráček play with the Colorado Symphony. The program was a crowd pleaser from start to finish, and Marin Alsop was back on the podium to conduct. (She's conductor laureate of the CSO but music director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.) First was Wagner's Prelude to the Meistersinger, then Dvorak Symphony No. 5, which may be less familiar than other Dvorak symphonies but is wonderful to hear performed live. After the break, Vondracek played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, with its familiar opening melody. Through the three movements, he played with energy, at times making the piano shake, but then also had great restraint and control with the pianissimos.

MURS recap

MURS had his mom along for his free MySpace Release show Monday @ b.side lounge in Boulder, with hip hop heads lined up into the street to get in the back door. The new album "MURS for President" is out, marking MURS' major label debut. You may know him from Living Legends, which visited Boulder often, so let's just say this was a homecoming to his third home. MURS has the love songs, the heartbreak songs, the party songs, but I'm partial to "Hustler" and "Last Night." Anyway, Denver's Infinite Mindz opened. We heard older stuff like "Freak These Tales" and "Hustler," plus some of the new stuff like "Break Up," "Road is my Religion." He did a cover of Sublime's "Date Rape." We all know MURS has a mouth, so he had to tell his mom to cover her ears. Anyway, MURS got into it, and even though we were in a small club, people were yelling out the lyrics and MURS worked up a sweat. After, Out the Box TV managed to get a few words with him, and MURS talked to the crowd but then it was off to Independent Records to go sign autographs. He'll be back in Boulder at the Fox Nov. 22, but this time you all gotta pay. Just $12 though.

MURS on Monday and Obama too

MURS' album "MURS for President" comes out Tuesday, and the Living Legends mc will be playing a free show up in Boulder tomorrow, 9/29, at b.side lounge, 9 p.m. First come first in. They'll pack in about 200 people. After that, he's stopping by Independent Records on Colfax in Denver. 11:30 p.m. -ish to sign stuff. Check.it.out!



He's like Obama. Dropping back in Colorado once again after a stop during the DNC. Which by the way, if you hurry to Obama's campaign offices in Golden and Thornton, you can get free tickets for Obama's appearance tomorrow in Westminster.

McCainiacs vs. Bro-bamas

We watched the Obama-McCain debate w/ Drinking Liberally at the Skylark. It was a packed house, standing room only, and the first time I've watched a debate where people were cheering at the TV screen for things like health care and policy in Afghanistan. You can watch future debates at the Skylark if you missed this one. Get there 15-30 minutes ahead if you want a seat. And here, the Debate Watch Drinking Game from last night (DL adapted it from TheSeminal.com):

_ Every time John McCain mentions his POW experience, praise his courage and drink
_ Every time Obama says change drink
_ Every time John McCain tries to associate Barack Obama with an unsavory character, take a sip
_ Every time someone says bailout you have to finish your drink and pour another
_ Every time John McCain says "my friends," spit out your drink and shout "I am not your friend" at the television
_ Every time "eveil," "evil doers" or anything with evil is mentioned, drink a sip of French red wine
_ Every time John McCain threatens Iran, drink a savage car bomb or cherry bomb
_ Everytime Barack Obama ties John McCain to George W. Bush drink a sloe gin fizz and wish for better days
_ Every time John McCain displays how hopelessly out of touch he is drink an old bastard
_ Every time John McCain refers to the USSR or any other nonexistent formerly communist country get ready to ride the red tide
_ When Georgia is mentioned, drink a fuzzy navel
_ Every time John McCain mentions Sarah Palin, drink a white Russian. After all, if Sarah Palin is around there must be a Russian nearby somewhere
_ Every time John McCain smiles creepily drink
_ If anyone mentions a golden parachute, pound some goldschlager
_ Every time John McCain makes an appeal to states' rights, lean back and take a sip of that sweet Southern Comfort
_ When NATO membership is mentioned, clink glasses with everyone around you and attack anyone who refuses to clink
_ If John McCain doesn't show up, lock yourself inside and sip Jack Daniels all night

Chewie

Chewbacca Bukkake played the outdoor patio at the Meadowlark last night. Awesome venue at the corner of Cornstalks and Sunflowers on a great autumn night that felt like summer, and a fun, fun band. You've got the vocals of fashionista/bingo caller/front chickie Brandi Shigley, the best whistling this side of Larimer from Johnny Morehouse, a string bass, turntables and that's just for starters. Way more fun live than their MySpace page might suggest. Look for them again Oct. 29 at the Hi-Dive with Popwreck and Love Like Fire for $6.

6 barack obamas

Recommended reading (from delicatessen friend Andrew)

Christo & Jeanne-Claude

Notes on Christo and Jeanne-Claude:
_ Their greatest outdoor works have been temporary. Then people who come to see can say they were there, and it's a precious moment. But The Mastaba, which is a work in progress, will most likely be permanent because it will cost an estimated $500 million. Very rough estimate. But it's supposed to be about 500 feet tall and involve 400,000+ stacked oil barrels
_ C+J have people help them erect their grand outdoor art pieces. But the helpers aren't volunteers. They don't use the 'V' word. Because you can't get workmen's compensation for volunteers, for one thing. So all their helpers are paid and given a meal. For The Gates in Central Park, their team found hundreds online.
_ The deaths with The Umbrellas: freak accident. At least the one in California. There were 90 mph winds, and the umbrellas were tested for 60 mph, or about the highest winds that had been recorded there previously

Forecast

_ TONIGHT, 9/18: Christo and Jeanne-Claude (put hundreds of umbrellas up in Tokyo and California, and also hung a curtain across a highway in Rifle here in Colorado; next they want to hang 6 miles of fabric over the Arkansas River) give a free lecture tonight @ Denver Performing Arts Complex/Buell Theatre. 5:30 p.m. You need tickets though, and they're all gone, so good luck finding someone who can't go at the last minute. Lurk outside

_ 9/21: Left Hand Brewing Co. celebrates its 15th anniversary! $2 beers. Cash only. 1 p.m.-8 p.m. 1265 Boston Ave in Longmont.

_ 9/27: Brain Farm's snowboard movie featuring Travis Rice, "That's It. That's All," plays @ the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. 8 p.m. $10. It's a Saturday.

_ 10/29: David Sedaris speaks at CU, Macky Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. $42+. Buy tix thru Boulder Theater

Flobots :: outtakes

With four shows and numerous appearances at rallies during DNC week, Flobots were everywhere, and they were gracious in taking photos with fans and talking to interviewers. Random quotes from the week:

BRER RABBIT:
_ Before the Iraq Veterans Against the War protest march: "I'm not looking to be arrested at all. I've spent a good part of my life trying not to be arrested. When I turned 25, we celebrated that I wasn't arrested. Just because the statistics for African-Americans..."
_ Only time he's been tear-gased: After the Broncos won the Super Bowl, the first time
_ He turned 30 on the road, in Minnesota.
_ Flobots started out as a high school project with something like 8 MCs. The first album was a cassette tape called "Masters of the Universe," "Which I refused to be on," he says. "All the cats had a jam session. I missed it because I was doing something responsible like homework. They came up and they were like, we came up with the best name ever. FLOBOTS! I said, That's the dumbest thing I ever heard of in my life! I refused to be involved because I was bitter."

Jesse talks with a bud:



_ They've gone in to Northglenn high School to work with kids on music. Also Denver Children's Home.
_ Their ascent: KTCL-FM started playing "Handlebars." It made the local rotation. Then in a contest, that song was one of the ones up for people's vote. Nerf at KTCL said the phones rang off the hook asking about the song. He'd never seen a reaction to a local song like that before. It was the same story around the country as stations would play it. "It's the people that made the difference in us blowing up," says guitarist Andy.

JONNY 5:
_ There's a Langston Hughes poem, "Let America be America Again." It says
"Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be."
We're not going to wait for America to be America again. We're going to build a different kind of country...
_ On his vision for a different America: Imagine if the U.S. were seen as a resource around global peacemaking. We've invested a lot of resources toward war. What if we invested in a department of peace. It sounds weird but ...

DNC recap

_ 8/27: Rage Against the Machine, The Coup, State Radio and Flobots played the Tent State Music Festival to End the War for 9,000 people @ the Denver Colisuem. Tickets were free if you won some from Tent State University in a lottery, but on the day of the show, the people at the door weren't really checking tickets, so pretty much anyone who decided to give it a whirl and walk in could get in.

Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys served as one of the MCs in between sets. "I can't believe just how undemocratic the Democratic Party is," he said during one break before Flobots came out. "Do you know how much money they spent on security?" ($50 million, was the budget, btw) "They could've spent it on building houses for homeless people." Another mc led the throngs in a chant of, "They're our brothers, they're our sisters, We support war resisters."

Ron Kovic (the guy Tom Cruise played in Born on the Fourth of July) got cheers when he took the stage. "This is our country. They're not going to take our country from us," he said.

Flobots took the stage. Brer Rabbit did some break dancin moves and also did the man splits.

Before Rage came out, with a black cloth hanging from the back with a red star on it, veterans came out and said some words. Rage saluted the vets. By this time, it was about 2 p.m. The crowd on the floor pushed toward the stage, and some people flew down the stairs of the coliseum stands down to the floor. Hey, it's a Rage show. It was all dark inside, and Zack de la Rocha even said, "Good evening, I mean, good afternoon." No liquor was served, so that may have saved everyone. But anyways, they came out and played Guerilla Radio, Testify and Pocket Full of Shells. Wayne Kramer (MC5, who played at the national convention in Chicago in '68) joined Rage for "Kick Out the Jams." He had on white jeans, a white button down and a T-shirt from Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Backstage, Kramer was saying that in '68, they were protesting the Vietnam War, which he says the U.S. was lied into and now we're in Iraq, another war we were lied into. Things have changed in terms of protests though. "Trying to use the tactics of the '60s, while I'm sure they are exciting for those involved, are ineffective," Kramer said backstage. "Authorities have learned their lessons well. They control information better than any time before. ... They know how to control crowds. They have a lot of high tech equipment and they can't wait to use it. The old paradigm is ineffective now. We need a new way to exercise our rights as set out by the framers.
"Change starts from the bottom up. Barack Obama is not going to be the messiah. He's not going to save us. We have to save ourselves. Change has to happen in our own neighborhoods, our own workplace, our own schools. It literally is power to the people."
He said he's no different from 40 years ago. "I'm still critical of contradictions and abuses of power. I'm still a champion of human rights and of peace and justice in the world. How could I ever change that.
"This is a struggle that will never end. All any of us is trying to do is move the country forward."

Immediately after the show, Flobots and The Coup frontman Boots Riley marched in the Iraq Veterans Against the War protest from the Coliseum to the Pepsi Center with an estimated 3,500-4,000 of the concert goers and other protesters. Brer Rabbit, Jonny 5, Jesse and Andy were spotted near the front, plus a couple members of Rage Against the Machine for a short time. That march is a nearly 4-mile route, folks. And they had no permit, but police worked with protesters, keeping them safe and blocking traffic in way of the protesters' planned route. No reported arrests. People from businesses along the route came out to look. Some left ice cubes and water, some sold water to the protesters, because it was sunny and HOT. Plus, you figure everyone just came from sweating their butts off during the 4-hour music fest, ending with Rage Against the Machine. Some (including Flobots) hadn't had anything to eat and only a little bit to drink. Funny side note: an anti-porn group's truck on its way somewhere else somehow got stuck in a line of police vans trailing the protesters and couldn't get out, so they ended up following the protest marchers. (all ended peacefully...can read more on the protest here)

That evening, outside Manifest Hope Gallery on an outdoor stage at the corner of 30th and Larimer was Unconventional '08. I missed it on account of I was still recovering from the march. But I caught up with it for the VIP party inside the gallery. The organizers handed out VIP tickets earlier in the week, but looks like most of the people who got in early were Denver hipsters who knew someone who knew someone who could get them inside. That meant a long line of people with VIP tickets having to stand in line outside on the off chance anyone inside decided to leave. Doors were at 9, and Shepard Fairey was DJing, with everything from Mariah Carey to 80s rap. But I don't think Sarah Silverman took the stage til 11p or something. On John McCain, she said, He may be a war hero, but not of this war. She also talked of going to a Barack fundraiser, seeing Obama and trying to come up with an intelligent question to ask. So she went over to ask the question. "He said something really interesting. He said, 'I'm Kanye West.'" Ben from Death Cab for Cutie and Zooey Deschanel sang. Anyway, among the folks attending were filmmaker Qasim Basir (who filmed the Yes We Can shorts on YouTube that support Obama), Christy from ManiaTV. Ben was just playing on acoustic guitar, and with the mood quickly switching from hobnob-with-drinks-and-art to lullaby time, and people started cuttin' for the door.

Graffiti artists were busy in Denver. You know those billboards the Republicans put up around town that said MLK was a Republican? DUring the week, at least one was written over with MLK was an Obama man. Then overnight Wed into Thurs, they were painting an Obama portrait onto the brick wall on 20th and Stout

unconventional '08

Stop by the Manifest Hope Gallery @ 30th and Larimer today, check out Obama-inspired art by Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Mac, Van Taylor, CRO and others, and pick up free tix to the street party this evening w/ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids, et al, special appearance by Sarah Silverman.

DNC music, celebs, parties, entertainment

Places to be, people to see during the DNC (partial list, more to come)

8/23: _ Flobots play the media welcome party at Elitch Gardens (invitation only)
_ Rock the Bells
8/24: _ Green concert at Red Rocks (invitation only) with Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow,
_ Opening night reception commemorating Hurricane Katrina recovery (invite only)
8/25: _ Rock the Vote bash (sold out!) with Wyclef Jean, NERD, Fall Out Boy. 10 p.m.- midnight
_ Rock the Vote after party (for VIPs), Grant Chambers salon, with Nick Cannon. Midnight - 2 a.m.
_ Cinemocracy Rocks (film festival winners) @ Red Rocks with Okkervil River, Jill Sobule, Apples in Stereo. $20
_ Jill Sobule, Michelle Shocked @ Codepink event, Cuernavaca Park, 6:30 p.m. FREE!
8/26: _ Willie Nelson @ Red Rocks, $55
_ James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash and Ani DiFranco tape an e-town show, $50-$85
_ Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Melissa Etheridge at the Fillmore, $98-$500
8/27: _ Rage Against the Machine, et al, (see post down below) FREE, if you win tickets in a lottery (details below)
_ Moby @ the Church. $30. Part of proceeds go to Obama's campaign
_ Unconventional 08: street party and invite only VIP party, Silversun Pickups, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Jenny Lewis, Zooey Deschanel, Sarah Silverman @ 30th and Larimer
_ Hot IQs play FREE @ Floyd's 99 Barbershop (16th and Champa). Free appetizers
_ Black Eyed Peas, Fillmore
8/28: _ DJ Jazzy Jeff @ the Church. $15

8/25-8/25, from 4 p.m - 9 p.m., show a business card proving you work downtown and you get $1 domestic draft beer at the Magnolia Hotel bar (normally Harry's Bar but renamed because the Vermont and W.V. delegations are staying there). 17th and Champa

Rage Against the Machine, Flobots (and a little blurb about Popwreck)

Rage Against the Machine is playing free at the Denver Coliseum during the Democratic National Convention at the Tent State Music Festival to End the War. Read this for details on how they're giving out tickets. Also playing: Flobots (of Denver), The Coup, State Radio and Wayne Kramer (you know, from MC5). Kramer, now 60, played with MC5 at the convention in Chicago in 1968, which was marred by clashes with police. He says he and Tom from Rage have worked on activism together before, so it made sense 40 years after playing at the convention in Chicago to protest Vietnam to play during the DNC again to protest a different war. "We're doing what we can. Everyone can do something in their own community, in their own job. This is something I can do. It's my responsibility," he said.

So does he have any expectations for Denver? "I try to avoid expectations. Who knows what to expect. There's no way to predict. In Chicago, I had an expectation. It turned out kinda the way I thought, that the Chicago police department would make a rampage, and a lot of people would get hurt. Will Denver police do the same thing? I don't know. Have we learned anything from history. I don't know. I thought we'd learn from the Vietnam War not to repeat the same mistake. But we haven't." He says he's going into the Denver festival with a hope of non violence.

Kramer says he's planning to vote for Obama. "I have never in my life believed in a
president or presidential candidate, although I do admire Jimmy Carter a great deal, but Barack Obama to me represents a politician of a magnitude above and beyond anything we've seen in my lifetime."

Flobots, meanwhile, have a nonprofit doing nonpartisan voter registration work. They're playing at private events for the DNC, including a media welcome party Saturday before the convention and then a National Association of Recording Artists event. But they've been talking with Tent State organizers for a while about doing the public festival too. "We have a message we want to put out and want everybody to hear it," Jonny 5 said. "There's a larger shift in consciousness of, especially younger people in this country, that is very honest about this country's mistakes and the fact that U.S. policy has involved violence and antidemocratic decisions. At the same time we're not going to surrender to that."


Popwreck plays at the Larimer Lounge tomorrow night, 8/15. E-mail us soon if you want $3 tickets.

Today at Safeway, I was in the checkout line behind House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. The guy in front of him couldn't get his Safeway discount card number to work, so Andrew Romanoff let him use his. The speaker was buying a couple of stuff in bulk and said he didn't need a shopping bag. So our House Speaker is a smart shopper. And environmentally friendly too. Thought you might like to now

It was a unique experience driving west on U.S. 6 from Denver this morning. The fog was up in the city but not yet from the foothills, so during the drive, it really felt like, "Hey, what did they do with the mountains????" It just looked like empty sky up ahead. That could be part of a movie or something. Someone work on that and send me a 1 percent cut.

Anyway, in the CD player was "Afterthought" from Jihae. It's an intriguing bunch of remixes from her last album. The moody, melancholy, mellow songs are now sexier, more fun to share and mull over. My favorite is "Cement Garden."

Telepathique interview, etc

From Brazil to Denva: Telepathique (Erico Theobaldo and Mylene Pires) plays at the Illegal Pete's downtown, on 16th and Wazee, 8/2. Get a fish taco and check it out. Telepathique released their debut album "Last Time on Earth" in South America in 2006, but now it's being released in to North America on 8/5, and Pacifico is putting them on stages in a couple cities in the US (Seattle, Denver, LA, Chicago). Perhaps you've already heard "Eu Gosto" on Pitchfork. Download Love and Lust.

We interviewed Erico and Mylene by e-mail before their show:

Q: What should we expect to see when you play in Denver at Illegal Pete's?

Érico- We are going to play the songs from the album "Last Time On Earth", some new songs and some versions. At some moments, our show can be more organic and at others it can be more like a DJ set. I really don't know how people will react to this but I'm excited to see.I hope they don't throw tacos at us!

Q: Both of you have made music on your own. How was it for you to work with a partner?

Érico- I'm used to work with partners on many projects. What I think is special in this collaboration with Mylene is that we are totally different from each other and both of us bring our own taste and style to the project. I do this because I really like the result of our collaboration and I love to hang out with Mylene. We always have a great time together - whether on tour or in the studio.

Mylene – What is great is that we are a band of 2 musicians only, and at some point of the concert you just see a singer and a drummer, it's something quite unusual for a rock band but we love to be like that. Also, working with him in the studio brings me freedom because he´s a very opened-mind person.

Q: What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What kind of music did your parents listen to?

Érico- I started listening to my father's old jazz records of artists like Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Thelonious and Miles. But by the time I was 12 I started to play drums with a punk rock band and at that time I was listening to everything from Heavy Metal to dub to Kraftwerk.

Mylene – I grew up listening to popular Brazilian songs from the 60´s, such as caetano veloso, chico buarque, because my parents used to adore them.. And I´ve been always very fan of radio stations, where I could find out such different styles! I have a very democratic taste, I´m very curious and I usually listen to bands and artists from everywhere. Concerning electronic music, Miss Kittin was really a surprise for me, mainly because I write songs and her lyrics are so special, a mix of post-modern and poetic way of saying things. After her, Peaches, indescribable…

Q: How would you describe your hometowns?

Érico- Sao Paulo is a big multicultural city. When I was a teenager I remember dealing with the question "what is the cultural identity of a guy from sao paulo like myself?" cause I felt so distant from the folklore from other Brazilian states and so close to the clubbing culture and hip hop culture, getting into things that was coming outside of my country. But soon I realized that being from sao paulo meant not to be afraid of integrate all those cultural influences.

Mylene – I'm from rio de janeiro, it´s very difficult to describe rio, because it has a lot of contradictions, so much kindness and violence between people, a blessed nature and a lot of pollution… But i´m so proud of being brazilian! All my music background came from this source.

Q: Are there any cities you would love to see on tour and why?

Érico - It will be my first time in the US and I'm excited to see every city we're booked to play (seriously!) I'm mostly looking forward to explore as many musical instrument stores as possible.

Mylene – me too!! I would love to tour Japan, also.

Q: What do you think about this trend of beer or liquor companies sponsoring bands' tours? How has it worked out for you?

Érico- We're at a moment where the music industry must reinvent how it does buisness. I think that sponsorships are becoming an important part of the new industry. Things are changing very quickly - and the industry must learn to change as well. We wouldn't have been able to do this tour without a sponsorship.

Mylene – I agree with Erico. We are coming from brazil and the cost of touring abroad is very high. Besides, I truly believe that drinking is a personal option. On the other hand, and facing the drama of music business nowadays, it´s, at least, good to have companies investing money in culture.

Q: What do you hope audiences get out of your music?

Érico- I just hope that the audience would not worry about trying to figure out what kind of music is this and just have fun and make the party go on

Mylene – enjoy the songs and have fun! Erico is also a cute guy...Girls, watch out!

Other random notes this week:
Ben Kronberg is back in Denver this Friday, 8/1, to perform at the Oriental Theatre, 8 p.m.

The Denver Post Underground Music Showcase is this weekend, 8/1-8/2. You can still get two-day passes to all the venues for $20. And the list of the top underground bands in Denver

The Fire Drills

Catch The Fire Drills (new band of Jason of Red Cloud West) for the first time at Old Curtis St. Tavern tonight, 7/26. APTR had a good size crowd there last night with Breezy Porticos.

So Thursday, 7/24:
_ Matson Jones plays for the first time in like forever at the Bluebird
_ The Colorado Symphony Orchestra has a free concert at Cheesman Park at 7
_ "Breakfast Club" is the film they're showing at Red Rocks when it gets dark.

Then Friday, 7/25:
_ Action Packed Thrill Ride says their show @ Old Curtis St. (21st and Curtis) will be a special one, with three guest musicians, including Jenny (did I spell it right?) on trumpet! That means they'll actually get to play "Clean Break" live. They'll go on around 11 p.m. $6
(They play at the Hi-Dive with Centro-Matic too! Sept. 9)

Mile High Music Festival - traffic

The Mile High Music Festival is backing up traffic on I-70, Havana and Northfield exits. So if you're planning to go, tack on an extra 20 minutes or so to park the car. AND , if you have a flight at DIA to catch, you'll want to make sure you have a little extra gas in the car and leave 20-30 minutes early, or if you have the option, take something else besides I-70 to get there if you can (Tower Road, E-470 toll road, etc)

Ween ... for FREE!

Ween is playing one of those secret MySpace shows up in Fort Collins, tonight, 7/15 at Hodi's Half Note, 167 N. College Ave. Admission is first there, first in. You can start lining up at 4 p.m., and they'll start handing out tickets at 6 p.m. One ticket per person. Show starts at 9 p.m. Bring some water with you to keep cool

The crowd at the Marquis last night was there to see Dear and the Headlights, but we wouldn't be surprised if opener What Laura Says (Thinks and Feels) picked up some new fans too. They brought their sunny, 70s nostalgia glee club/psychedelic/beegees+acid rock+long jams, Denver indie kids brought their dancing shoes, it was fun. It didn't hurt that they had free 3-song CDs and stickers to hand out. Here's hoping they can come back to Denver again soon. Denver could use more longhairs singing three-part harmonies. Their new album is out Aug. 19

DATH did well with their screaming, melodic rock, playing old favorites plus some from a new album due out soon. Ok, about the screaming: What I'm saying is they're much more unleashed live, so the records sound good and all and you get a hint of the scream, but you must go see them in person for the full DATH experience. Don't confuse the passion for anger. Word

One DATH exchange from the stage to the bar:
singer Ian: "We're gonna drink some with you later." (To the audience:) "What are you guys doing later?"
female audience member: "You!"

Dear and the Headlights play tonight, 7/13, at the Marquis Theater with What Laura Says before heading out for a few dates with Jimmy Eat World. Local opener (Die) Pilot also at the Marquis.

MATSON JONES shows!

Hey, hey! Remember Matson Jones? It's been way too long, but they're going to be back on stage for two shows. Tickets for their 7/24 show at the Bluebird in Denver go on sale today, 7/11. They also play 7/25 in Fort Collins. Listen

"Up the Yangtze" opens today at the Mayan. (Review below)

Up the Yangtze

This Friday, Up the Yangtze opens in Denver at the Mayan Theatre at 110 Broadway. It looks at the project to build a humongous dam on the river with the goal of providing cleaner power to billions in China. Of course, such a project has consequences. Here's the report from ATT, who saw "Up the Yangtze" in Seattle:

Go see this documentary.

It's thoughtfully constructed, emotionally touching, and will have you talking for days afterwards.

So go see it with friends, so that you won't have to sit around talking to yourself.

Director Yung Chang analyzes the impact of the historic Three Gorges project from three angles. The introduction and many of the transitions consist of gorgeous panoramic shots with voiceovers by the director. He talks about his experience cruising the Yangtze River as a foreigner, of his grandfather's memories as a former native, and of the statistics of the project. He then introduces us to Yu Shui and Chen Bo Yu. Both youths apply to work upon a luxury cruise similar to the one that inspired the director to create this film. Through their eyes and words, we see the human impact of the project. We gain some insight of the Chinese culture, and an understanding of the citizens' views. Yu Shui and her family exemplify the more traditional Chinese way of thinking, valuing humility, respect for elders and authority, self-reliance, and the good of the many over the suffering of the few. Chen Bo Yu displays attitudes more closely aligned to stereotypical Western mindsets, speaking proudly of personal accomplishments, his ambitions, his individuality, his material desires, and of entitlement. We see their struggles to adapt to change on individual levels, and symbolically on a societal level.

Various snippets of foreign tourists on the cruise paint an unflattering caricature of rich, ignorant outsiders who fancy themselves enlightened after taking the tour. As an outsider, I felt torn by disgust and guilt at the business, but also a slight rationalization that the money being brought in was providing opportunities that many people might not have otherwise had.

Your experience of this movie may well be very different from mine. What I can say with certainty, is that this is a movie worth experiencing.

Blues Traveler : Collective Soul : Live at Red Rocks

blues traveler : collective soul : live

We spent the July 4 holiday @ Red Rocks, with Blues Traveler. It's a tradition! This year, Collective Soul and LIve were opening. It was like it was the late 1990s again. Actually, Hana Pestle was the real opener. Then Collective Soul went on around 5, with the heat of the day still sticking around, but Ed Roland was still dancing around in his Gunnar Nelson hair, button-up green shirt and skinny jeans, throwing the mic stand around like he was a majorette in the marching band. They ran through a bunch of their hits (Shine, Hollywood...) In the middle of "December," they tossed in a cover of The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done" (I've got soul but I'm not a soldier...). They ended with "Run," that song that ended up in the movie "Varsity Blues."

Live took the stage, with everyone but drummer dressed in black. Fitting, since they ended up doing an upside down version of "Walk the Line" during their set. They finished out with Lightning Crashes.

We could tell you details of Blues Traveler's set, but hey, you should have gone. Just some highlights, John Popper played a harmonica solo of the national anthem. Kinda like he was Hendrix but with harmonica. ... After dark, they played as fireworks went on behind them. From Red Rocks, you could see little pops of fireworks from shows along the Front Range in the cities below. ... Popper said they just saw the movie 300. And he had a sword. So he had the crowd reenact when the guy takes out his sword and the whole crowd says, "uuuAAAAH!" "If you ever have a sword and 9,000 people, I highly recommend you do that," he said. ... They played new stuff from the album due in August. One was dedicated to everyone who is serving overseas or has ever served overseas, perhaps called Til I Can Bring You Home. ... Guitarist from Collective Soul came and jammed on one song.

C forgot to charge her camera battery, B forgot to bring a camera, #3 rarely downloads pix from camera to computer once taken, so sorry, no photos of the evening to share with you.

But if you want to see Blues Traveler, they're in Aspen at Belly Up 7/5

recaps

Flobots did a decent job performing "Handlebars" on the Tonight Show last night (if you look for the show online, it's the one with Dustin Hoffman and Gordon Ramsay). They'll be back in CO soon enough for the Mile High Music Festival.


Light rain didn't keep a few hundred people from turning out to hear a free concert by the Colorado Symphony @ City Park, near the Museum of Nature and Science. With the standard fare, including "America the Beautiful," a medley of military tunes (with members of each branch asked to stand during their song _ there was a sailor in uniform in the audience actually), some Sousa ("Stars and Stripes Forever"). They play another free concert Sunday 7/6 at Red Rocks, $10 for parking.


So there's going to be fireworks after the Outlaws lacrosse game at Invesco Field at Mile High tonight, plus after the Rockies game at Coors Field. By the way, the first 10,000 fans tomorrow night, 7/5, get a Matt Holliday bobblehead.

My pick is to go see the fireworks in Vail.

What are you doing this holiday?

Colorado Symphony plays patriotic stuff in a FREE concert tonight at City Park. 7/3, 7 p.m.

rip

Sad news, as you may have heard: Tickle Me Pink's bassist Johnny Schou, 22, was found dead this morning at home in Colorado. They played at the Warped Tour in Denver over the weekend. Today was the day their album came out on Wind-up Records. They were going to mark it with an appearance at Independent Records on Colfax today, but that was canceled due to the sad news. The band also had been set to tour later this month. No word on cause of death yet

FREE music

Gnarls Barkley plays for free at Coors Field today, 6/28, for the SoCo Music Fest.

South Park Music Tour, with free shows, is going on in Fairplay today.

Farmers markets

All sorts of farmers markets are in full swing in Colorado. Today, there's a new addition in Broomfield with a different purpose than the rest.

The Legacy Farmers Market at Legacy High School aims to raise money for the school to support its athletics teams, rather than having players just go door to door selling pizzas or what have you to subsidize rising fuel costs for buses to get to games, etc. Organizer Paul Madigan's goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the summer, though the goal for today is just to break even. (Madigan has kids who are either in or have graduated from the school.)

The market is starting very, very small and doesn't even really have farmers selling at the market yet. Instead, a handful of vendors like Mountain Man snacks, and two brokers are bringing produce from Colorado, Texas, Arizona and California. When asked why there aren't farmers at the farmers market, Madigan said farmers he's spoken with are already committed to doing other farmers markets in the area (Boulder has a thriving market scene). He said he hopes to gain a track record though this summer and eventually attract farmers to sell at the Legacy market. "For them to come to an unproven market wouldn't be fair," he says. "After two weeks, we'll have a proven record."

The market runs today, 6/27, from 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Legacy High School's west parking lot in Broomfield, 2701 W 136th Ave.

"It's a gamble, but the feedback I've gotten from people is, 'we need one (a farmers market) of our own.' A lot of people are driving to Boulder, Thornton, Westminster, Niwot. 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the shcool. Not one penny is going anywhere else but to the school," Madigan said.
¶
The market is still a work in progress. Madigan doesn't want to charge fees to any vendors, instead charging a percentage of sales. But the percentage hasn't been determined yet. Will it work? We'll have to see.

music news

Lots of little tidbits to mention.

The Film on the Rocks series (movies @ Red Rocks) is back. On 6/20, Friday, it's Fight Club. Movie starts at 9 but get there a few hours early because Slim Cessna's Auto Club will be playing live music before it gets dark. It's $10 if you can get your ticket early at King Soopers. Otherwise $12 at the door.

So Say Hi is planning another long tour this fall, with probably a Denver date in there. Nothing official yet, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, there's a couple dates with The Long Winters in California next month.

We just have to mention, if you are going to Taste of Chicago, Summerfest, Austin City Limits Festival or Bumbershoot this year, Old 97s are going to be at all of those. How exciting

The new album from Rose Hill Drive (of Boulder) is out Tuesday, 6/24, and they play free at Twist and Shout 6/25 at 6 p.m.

The Colorado Symphony has all sorts of goodies planned for the July 4 weekend. On Thursday, 7/3, they play FREE at City Park, 7 p.m. Then that Sunday, 7/6 @ 7:30 p.m., there's a "free" concert at Red Rocks (parking is $10 though, so I don't know, bring the van and stuff it with seven people?) Good deals, anyway

Do you like Counting Crows? They're looking for someone to design their summer tour poster (for free -- though the band will sign the winner's poster. Whee.) The winner's design will be sold on tour. You have to enter by July 1. More rules here

There's probably something we're forgetting, but we'll get back to you.

Koko Taylor / Pinetop Perkins

We went to Boulder for the live taping of "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor's first appearance on the national radio show etown. (The show tapes about 2 hours' worth of material, then cuts it down to about 1 hour for the show you hear each week) Koko Taylor came out on stage at the Chautauqua Auditorium dancing and kept on going. She was backed by her Blues Machine, with Calvin Louden on guitar, Melvin Smith on bass, Shunsuke Kikuta on rhythm guitar, Stanley Banks on keyboards and Ricky Nelson on drums. Even her bodyguard got an introduction. After a couple of songs, she talked about growing up poor in Bartlett, Tennessee, being orphaned at age 11 with her two sisters and three brothers. All of them sang in church. Her dad wanted them to sing gospel, but she and her siblings would secretly sing blues. She later went to Chicago with her secret boyfriend ("the only one who knew he was my boyfriend was me!"). The bus driver let her on the bus even though they didn't have enough money for her to ride. They sat in the back of the bus ("I sat in the back but I got there the same time as the front!") She later married her boyfriend, who encouraged her to sing.

Also on the show, Mississippi bluesman Pinetop Perkins, just shy of 95. He came out sharply dressed in a bright red suit and matching top hat. (Not really a top hat but I'm not up on my haberdashery terms.) He played piano and sang. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith accompanied on harmonica and also sang. They tried to interview him but he mostly wanted to play. At the end he and Big Eyes and Koko Taylor and her Blues Machine all played together. Anyway, you can hear it for yourself on etown. Most likely airing in 4-6 weeks.

Westword's recap of the music festival yesterday if you missed out.

This afternoon (6/15) on into evening, Popwreck, Hemi Cuda, The Omens and others are playing at the Larimer Lounge BBQ. Bring dad.

More Denver bands putting out new albums: Achille Lauro's CD release party is 6/27 (that's a Friday) at the Larimer Lounge

Electric Daisy Carnival

The Electric Daisy Carnival comes to Colorado this weekend. 6 stages, music from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds this Saturday, 6/14. Mark Farina, Colette and Kaskade plus locals like The Swayback and The Photo Atlas. Tickets are $50, but you have to buy them now. They stop selling them mid morning Saturday.

People's Fair is going on right NOW. Downtown at Civic Center park. Lots of good free music, and great weather today. Check out Gubment Cheese at Colfax and Bannock tomorrow at noon.

Also this weekend, check out the sidewalk chalk drawings in Larimer Square

Tonight, 6/7, Ellison Park at the Meadowlark. $5
Also tonight Pseudo Dates / Vitamins / et al at the Lion's Lair. $5

David Sedaris is coming to the Tattered Cover in Lodo (just north of 16th and Wazee). 6/22 at noon. Tickets to see and hear him are gone (you had to buy his new book, from what I understand), but you can still get overflow tickets beginning 11 a.m. 6/22 to get books signed. Details

Grand Archives of Seattle will be in Denver to play at the Hi-Dive this Saturday, 5/31. $10. They play at Sub Pop's 20th annual festival in Seattle on 7/13, the same day as Wolf Parade!

Block party on Colfax tomorrow, 5/31. Free. Vine Street to Race Street, 1 to 5 p.m. At night there's music and drink specials at west of Lafayette at places like Irish Snug and Satellite Bar.

Free music

Thanks to Southern Comfort, if you're over 21, you can see Gnarls Barkley for free 6/28 at the Coors Field parking lot. With Bassnectar, Dead Confederate, DJ Star Eyes but also locals like Hot IQs.

Those bike messengers and other assorted cyclists racing through Denver tonight are part of the Gang Bang dusk til dawn race ... cycling scavenger hunt with checkpoints across town, with points earned by reaching checkpoints, performing stunts and buying/downing certain drinks. Race starts 9 p.m. tonight, 5/24. Cure the hangover 5/26.

Downtown Denver Arts Festival continues this weekend at the Pavilions. Free. Today, tomorrow and Memorial Day.

Khale at the Hi-Dive tonight, 5/24
Death Cab for Cutie and Rogue Wave at Red Rocks 5/28!
REM, The National, Modest Mouse at Red Rocks 6/3

Langhorne Slim

Langhorne Slim at the Hi-Dive tonight. $10
And Khale is there tomorrow night, 5/24, for the CD release show! $6. This show and another one 6/5 at the Meadowlark are their last shows before their European tour

Denver Art Museum's Friday night event next week, 5/30, will have a fashion show (hair styled by 3 Little Birds salon) plus music, including Ian Cooke. Details here

cinco de mayo :: civic center park

Monolith Festival lineup

The lineup for Monolith Festival is out! Highlights include Silversun Pickups, Band of Horses, Vampire Weekend, Denver's own DeVotchKa, TV on the Radio, Cut Copy, The Cribs, The Fratellis, Tilly and the Wall, much more. Denver bands Hearts of Palm, The Photo Atlas and Bright Channel are also scheduled. The festival, in its second year, is Sept. 13-14 at Red Rocks. Hit this for more. Pre-sale going on NOW. Tix on sale to the public beginning 10 a.m. Friday, 5/2, for $110 for both days or $59.50 for single day. (It's TicketMaster, so prep for fees, blah blah)

FREE MUSIC

Newton Faulkner's new album "Hand Built by Robots" comes out tomorrow in the U.S. But you can win a FREE copy here at Delicatessen. Just e-mail us by 11:59 p.m. MDT Tuesday and tell us what you think of his music. We'll draw a name to win the free album. He'll be playing in Boulder at the Fox Theater on 5/31.

Check out who's coming to the Larimer Lounge this Saturday, 5/3: Mobius Band, Black Kids and Cut Copy. Download Mobius Band's "Love Will Reign Supreme" EP here

My Morning Jacket will be coming to Red Rocks with The Black Keys 8/21! A download of "Evil Urges" is available here

Beginning tomorrow morning, about 5:15 a.m. MDT, you can download Coldplay's new single "Violet Hill" for one week, free, at Coldplay's Web site.

Wolf Parade has a new album coming out in June and a tour to support it, but doesn't look like they'll be hitting Denver as of yet. The song "Call it Ritual" is up on their MySpace page.

Atmosphere coming to the Ogden 5/17 and 5/18. Go to Twist and Shout to enter for free tickets

Cubbies!

The Cubs were in town for a short two-game trip against the Rockies. They split the series, with the Cubs winning 7-6 in 10 innings last night, and the Rockies winning 4-2 this afternoon. Here's some scenes from last night. Play ball!



Matt Holliday runs back to the dugout from the outfield:



Todd Helton makes contact:



The rally towels go wild as Tulowitzki rounds the bases after his 3-run homer!



Hmm, the Cubs wait for a new pitcher:



Closer and eventual game winner Kerry Wood, even though he did give up the tying run in the 9th:



The game Wednesday was the Cubs' 10,000th win

Free music

The Neville Brothers play free this Sunday, 4/20, at City Park to celebrate Earth Day. The Green Apple Festival brings free concerts to 8 cities. While some cities get to see The Roots, Talib Kweli, will.i.am, Arrested Development, we get the Neville Brothers FREE at 5 p.m. The festivities start at noon, and if you go, you'll also get to see The Heyday (skedded for 2-2:40 p.m.) and an acoustic set from Rose Hill Drive (2:55 p.m.-3:40 p.m.) Domonique Foxworth of the Denver Broncos should be there.


Remember Aaron Hobbs, from Acrobat Down, Hobbs N.M., etc? He was back in action at the Meadowlark last night playing w/ Eliot Zizic & Casey Dexter under the name Richard Fantastic. It was a rockin', plugged in set, with driving versions of some of the old bare bones Hobbs N.M. stuff. They opened for Khale (you might recognize Blusom in this foursome) which is touring Europe this June. And all their indie rock friends were there to watch

Action Packed Thrill Ride

Action Packed Thrill Ride has a new album, and they celebrate with a show this Friday, 4/18, at the Hi-Dive. They're playing with Mothership (which is planning an acoustic guitar set), Roger, Roll (they have a new record) and The Vitamins.

Back when APTR was being born, Lucas Johannes was pounding out disco beats as the drummer for Mannequin Makeout (RIP) and writing country songs to practice recording. One of those country songs ended up on a friend's record label's compilation, and they asked him to play at a small show. "There was no way I was going to play alone," he said. He got some friends together (Mark Cawthray, guitar; Jeni Sykes, violin), started playing out, and what do you know, now we have the five-member band of today's Action Packed Thrill Ride (which now includes Duncan Dotterer on drums, Jon Evans on bass). A bunch of their songs are up on MySpace, so you can get a taste there and then buy their CD to hear the rest. It's fun stuff, with pretty harmonies (because no one felt totally comfortable singing by themselves, ha) and organ and toy piano thrown in

The agreeable Lucas sat down to talk us through the songs on the new album, "A Looseleaf Script," and agreed to talk slowly enough so I could write it all down:

"Something Tells Me" :: The intro, with the slide guitars, I recorded that a long time ago, over a year ago. The rest of the song got pasted on later, in January. But the first 30 seconds have been on my computer a long time. I use a PC (as opposed to Mac). I'm addicted to right click and roller ball.
"On My Way" :: That's the first song we started playing as a full band out of this batch. It kinda sounds like a train. The 'ooh-ooh', and the shuffle beat kinda sounds like a train.
"Stomp Clap Jubilee" :: It's in 5/4, so 'Mission Impossible' time. I had the rhythm in my head. I sat down with a kick drum and shakers. The guitar and violin came after that.
"I Was A Good Man" :: The basic idea was to do an a cappella song (there's still instruments on this, it just gives way to the vocals). We try to stay away from doing it live because it doesn't always work. It's a spiteful song. It's about getting drunk to piss someone off. Maybe it's a horrible thing to do? But everyone's done it.
"Hug of War" :: It's the most driving song on the record. This is the first song we wrote with our new drummer. Our original drummer was more into jazz. He quit to play guitar in a jazz band, but it was cool. Then Duncan came in and within 30 seconds of the first audition, we were like, you can play with us.
"Your War": Mark wrote this. Usually I bring skeletons of songs to the band. This is one Mark brought the skeleton of.
"Two Dreams" :: This is one of two older songs that made the cut.
"Songs in Reverse" :: Mark brought this one to the band. We made it spacier than he had in mind. There's toy piano. I wasn't too hot on it til we started recording.
"I Can't Recall" :: The point of the song is to have this driving, happy sounding song. But it's about being at a bar, being alone but having high hopes, trying to talk to girls, but then having a sad lonely feeling. It's kind of backwards. The verses are much catchier and upfront than the chorus. That was the idea too.
"I'm a Sinner, You're a Saint" :: This is one of my favorites to perform live, although we have to tune down for it. It's the song we can't mess up in practice. It's always the most solid.
"Yours Truly" :: Features Luke Mossman (Achille Lauro, Hello Kavita) on banjo. The idea was a classic murder ballad. There was a version before this that wasn't working. It had a lot of organ, it was loud, in your face. We decided to go the opposite way, with finger picking. Luke came in, he learned the song in 30 minutes, played amazing. He's just what the song needed, I guess.
"Clean Break" :: Features Jenny Brackhan on trumpet. I told her what I wanted. She wrote the solo part. It was awesome.

A sitting room at the Grant-Humphreys Mansion, one of many sites open free to visitors for Doors Open Denver, a look at Denver architecture.

April snow

It's April 10. The Rockies game has been snowed out. Vail is saying it got 13 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. It's supposed to be in the 70s next week!

Free Boutique

The Free Boutique (free clothes!) has its official opening next weekend, but the donation party is this afternoon. Details here

Planet B-Boy

This movie comes to Denver on Friday, April 11. Check out www.planetbboy.com for more. It opens in Chicago 4/4, Seattle and Detroit 4/25.

OK that video has nothing to do with anything. Just thought I'd share it. It's Steve Poltz, from the Rugburns, former boyfriend of Jewel, playing TLC.

Anyhow, somehow I got to see Bon Jovi at the Pepsi Center with Daughtry opening. So funny. Anyway, these guys are pros, and they knew how to play to all corners of the sold out place. Bon Jovi walked through the crowd, and at one point stood with Richie Sambora on a platform in the middle of the floor, sending all sorts of fans scurrying for their cell phone cameras. He showed logos of the Avalanche, Nuggets and Rockies on the video screens behind him, plus one of him standing next to Elway to get some cheers. For the encore, he put on a Broncos shirt with #7, then took it off and threw it out to the crowd. There was a great "Livin on a Prayer" singalong, and he played "Bad Medicine" with giant videos of dancing ladies' backsides playing on either side of the stage, "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Blaze of Glory" "I'll Be There for You" "Bed of Roses" "It's My Life."