If you’re a true believer who scans the December sky for a man on a sleigh, take heart. You’re not alone. The Denver UFO Society has been conducting such work year-round for more than forty years. But while Mr. Claus’s followers cite presents under the tree as proof of his…
If St. Nick enjoys a choice malt beverage, he’ll be especially jolly when he rolls into town in a couple of weeks. Just in time for the holidays, microbrewers along the beer-blessed Front Range are breaking out their inspired seasonal brews, upping the ante on our state’s already rich rep…
December 3 Thursday National AIDS Awareness Day was December 1, but a Denver gallery is continuing its NAAD fundraising efforts through this month. Abend Gallery Fine Arts is serving as the agent for the late Mel Carter, a Denver artist who was active in the local fight against AIDS. Abend…
It sounds like the plot of a made-for-the-holidays TV movie: Cowboys save Christmas for cancer-stricken youngsters. But in this case, it’s a real-life drama, one you can help resolve. Wild West re-enactors The Hole in the Wall Gang are seeking donations for the Candlelighters of Southern Colorado, a Colorado Springs…
Since their first gig in Denver last spring, Jon-Paul Johnson & the 3rd Degree have made rapid-fire gains on the local circuit. The high-octane blues trio (guitarist Jon-Paul, brother/bassist Adam Johnson and drummer Jeff Hieatt) has opened for Dick Dale, George Thorogood, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and a handful of local…
Delbert McClinton has delivered close to forty years of all-American rhythm and blues and roots rock, and he’s penned more than his share of moneymaking songs. But when it comes to his relationship with labels, he’s snakebitten. “Every record company I’ve ever been with since 1973 has folded except one,”…
Long before Gene Autry paid tribute to life on the range, a different shade of cowpoke was singing out where the longhorn cattle fed. In post-Civil War America, one of every four trailblazers was African-American, and these generally unsung men and women played a vital role in settling the western…
Thursday November 19 If you’re one of those insensitive types who thinks feeding the area’s hungry is a laughing matter, tonight you could actually be right. The Comedy Works is hosting another evening in its month-long Dennison’s Chili Stand-Up Comedy series, with a performance by Showtime favorite Robert Schimmel. Bring…
The house owned by blueswoman Mary Flower looks like it could belong to practically any young musician. The living-room walls are adorned with onstage photos of Flower and her musical heroes, along with a small collection of oddball and cheapo guitars; the bedroom contains more axes–a steel-bodied National Tricone and…
Sure, Denver’s traditional cowtown image hardly seems appropriate in these modern, boomtown days. But a trip to the Buckhorn Exchange Restaurant offers a unique sense of the city’s past and insight into the origin of its bovine brand. This month marks the 105th year since Henry H. “Shorty Scout” Zeitz…
Thursday November 12 Even though Colorado has no state boxing commission, area promoters continue to book matches for fans of the pugilistic arts. Tonight at 7, the National Western Complex Stadium Arena hosts a full card of world-caliber professional boxing at the Coors Light Night at the Fights. The lineup…
Back in late October, Gary Boyce didn’t seem like a man headed for a whipping. Settling into a red leather chair in his “Denver office”–the boardroom-swank Churchill Room at the Brown Palace–Boyce was the picture of cowboy calm while discussing the two initiatives he and his water-development company, Stockman’s Water,…
When it comes to the dance arts, Denver has its share of high-caliber entertainment, from the formal charms of the Colorado Ballet to the modern dance leanings of the Cleo Parker Robinson School. But for Katrina Lairsmith, a former Parker Robinson student, there’s a gap in the local dance culture–maybe…
Thursday November 5 If you find the dating game to be more like combat, Colorado Free University’s Art of Meeting Someone New course may be just the thing for your heat-seeking arsenal. The class covers the full range of dating topics, from foolproof ice-breakers and meet-and-greet etiquette to how-to’s for…
While Mike Shanahan stumps for Pat Bowlen’s pro-stadium forces, who are scrambling to replace Mile High, former Bronco James “Jumpy” Geathers wishes they’d lobby for one more thing: a ring for his hand. Geathers, a 6′ 7″, 300-pound pass-rushing specialist who spent last season on injured reserve, is the lone…
“Being good at being poor has allowed me to do what I want to do–and it’s allowed me not to be hamstrung by a lot of things,” says singer-songwriter Micah Ciampa. “It’s a good thing, in a lot of respects. If you live like a monk and plan on it,…
“As time passes, memories fade, but we will never forget.” –Inscription from the WSU crash memorial at Loveland Pass On October 2, 1970, highway construction crews working above Georgetown looked up to see a puzzling site. A Martin 404 twin-engine plane was traveling low through the canyon, straining for the…
Harvey Reid looks like your standard-issue new-age guitarist. But when he speaks about the state of the acoustic-music field he works in, it’s clear that there’s more behind his flowing locks than initially meets the eye. “A lot of my guitar compadres are still lost in open-tuning mantra stuff and…
Pianist Forrest Meyer is the leader of a group that specializes in big-band music–a style that’s hotter today than it’s been in decades–and whenever he plays live, he draws large and appreciative crowds. But while most of his peers work their brand of brassy magic in smoky nightclubs or theaters…
The past twelve months have been very, very good to A.J. Salas. Since last summer, the blues-and-boogie-woogie pianist has composed and arranged a piece for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and wowed large crowds at the People’s Fair, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and several other big-time local events. He’s also…
When Bill and Jack Swets decided to plant a maze in their cornfield an hour and a half north of Denver, they thought their biggest problem would be finding a way out once they stepped in to enjoy it. Designed by a Utah agro-artist, it’s a complex work of wonder,…
For President Bill Clinton, the attention being paid to Monica Lewinsky these days has meant plenty of trouble. But Candye Kane, a jump-blues singer whose new single is titled “200 Pounds of Fun,” sees the rise of the big-boned former White House intern as a personal blessing. “She probably weighs…
