TicketWeb has prospered since it began selling tickets over the Internet in 1995: Among its clients are the San Diego Zoo, the Guggenheim Museum, the New York Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, as well as sizable promotions concerns in London and South Africa. The system, Swank says, "can be a lot cheaper for the consumer than the way Ticketmaster works. Right now, Ticketmaster charges you the same service charge if you order over the Internet as they do if you order using a live operator. But TicketWeb weights their services differently. Ordering over the Web is the cheapest way to do it, so you pay the lowest service charges--and you pay lower service charges if you order using your touch-tone phone, too."
Current TICKETCHOICE walk-up branches will also benefit. "TicketWeb is going to computerize all of our thirty outlets within the next several months, and the online part of things should be up and running even sooner." He adds, "We're sort of junior partners in this company, but we're really excited about it. It was difficult to be a concert promoter and a ticket agency at the same time, so we're glad to be dealing with people who have so much expertise and have such great potential. I think TicketWeb could definitely be positioned to be a big competitor to Ticketmaster, just because of all the technical advantages--and because it saves people money."
On Saturday, March 13, at the Bluebird, you and yours will have an opportunity to bid a fond farewell to Boss 302, a garage-y act that's made the Denver rock scene a better place to hang out during most of the Nineties. Even though the group (which will be joined on the 13th by the GEDS and Abdomen) has a new CD, Whatever Happened to Fun?, more or less available for purchase, the players have decided to move on with their lives.
Guitarist Garrett Brittenham takes most of the responsibility for the split. "I guess I did it," he says. "I was getting a little burned out, a little tired, and I was ready for a break--and then after that, I was ready to do something else. I was sort of hoping the other guys would want to continue without me, but they didn't."
Frustration had a lot to do with their decision. Last year the combo recorded a raft of material with producer Mike Jourgensen and engineer Bob Ferbrache for what they thought would be their next album on Denver's 360 Twist! Records. But 360 Twist! went bust, and bassist Matt Bischoff, formerly of the Fluid and '57 Lesbian, split. Brad Stanton took over for Bischoff, joining Brittenham, vocalist Rich Groskopf, guitarist Cheyne Bamford and drummer Tony Weissenberg in the group, but the players were unable to find a new label eager to pony up for Whatever Happened to Fun? "We've still got a couple of prospects," Brittenham notes, "but if they don't pan out, we'll probably wind up putting it out ourselves, which we were hoping not to do, because we don't have any money."
The disc certainly deserves to be heard: It's Boss 302's best effort, topping even 1996's Rock Songs. There's not a weak track among the thirteen on hand, and several of the nuggets are as primo as they can be. ("Keith Black's Mummy" is flat-out great stuff, and I also dug the pleasingly dumb title tune, "Pretty Lil' Song," "Rebel, Rebel" and "Everything Is Fine.") Moreover, the band--supplemented by background shouters Chanin Floyd (of the GEDS, '57 Lesbian and Spell) and Shannon Saling--strikes the perfect balance between sloppiness and pure power. Anyone who picks up a copy of Whatever Happened to Fun? won't have to ask that question.
Brittenham expects that at least a handful of the CDs will be on sale at the Bluebird. In the meantime, he's trying to focus on the good times. "We got to open up for a lot of bands that we pretty much idolize, like the Damned, ? and the Mysterians, Thee Headcoats. The whole thing's been pretty cool--which is probably why I'm a little freaked out about not doing this anymore."
Manuel Molina and his fifteen-piece orchestra are back with Carnival '99, Molina's annual salsa-merengue-cumbia extravaganza. This year the bash takes place on Saturday, March 13, at the Holiday Inn-DIA, and Molina doesn't want folks shying away because they can't dance. "Come early," he says, "and we will teach you." Call 303-627-7431 for more information. On the same night, those in the mood to get their Irish up are invited to the Paramount Theatre to witness a post-St. Patrick's Day parade party starring the Emer Mayock Band and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald; and on Wednesday, March 17, Celtic act Susan McKeown and the Chanting House, joined by Siœcra, gets green at the Mercury Cafe.
Other lucky charms. On Thursday, March 11, Bears of the Sun shine at Cricket on the Hill, and the Blue Dogs bark at the Foundry (the combo also appears the next night at the Soiled Dove). On Friday, March 12, Hydrobass gets deep at 'Round Midnight, and St. Paul's United Methodist Church, at 1615 Ogden, presents "Steinway and Stained Glass," a jazz event featuring Joe Bonner, Tom Tilton and artist Kymburley Alisson. On Saturday, March 13, Evie's Edge, the Damn Shambles and decanonizeD make their way to the Cricket, and Rebecca Folsom joins other strummers at Boulder's Caffe Luna. On Sunday, March 14, SPIV celebrates the release of a new CD at the Bluebird, and Skull Flux provides a heads-up at Rock Island, with Hate Department. On Monday, March 15, MSBR, Government Alpha and Chapter 23 crank up the noise at Seven South, and Mudhoney sweetens the Fox Theatre. And on Tuesday, March 16, the Dave Watts Motet gigs at the Fox, with DJ Wizit, and the Kinsey Report is issued at Brendan's. Get a copy of your own.
--Michael Roberts
Backbeat's e-mail address is: Michael_Roberts@westword.com. While you're online, visit Michael Roberts's Jukebox at www.westword.com.
