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Best li'l independent slice of cybernet pie

www.joesgrille.com

Self-supporting artists from around the globe have a friend in Wendy Rubin of joesgrille.com. Along with Christina Minicucci and Dave Corey, Rubin is the force behind a distribution network that specializes in quieting the hungry tummies of indie-music lovin' folks, all the way from the North Pole to Tierra del Fuego. Jointly based out of Boulder and Austin, Texas, the Internet retail outlet helps aspiring musicians as diverse as Q-Bert and Dorkweed build a customized fan base and promo kit for that ever-searching Argus known as the A&R rep. Rubin and company can also whip up a tasty blue-plate special -- just the thing to grease your virtual gums.

Best local-music how-to

Making a Living in Your Local Music Market: How to Survive and Prosper by Dick Weissman

Dick Weissman, a longtime professor at the University of Colorado-Denver who was part of the Journeymen, a '60s-era folk outfit that included future Mamas and Papas leader John Phillips, clearly speaks from experience in his latest book, issued by the Hal Leonard Publishing Company and available online at Amazon.com. In this update of a book first published in 1989, he demonstrates why Denver remains on the outskirts of the national music business (by contrasting it with Seattle) even as he shows how a performer with modest expectations can forge an admirable career in a place just like this. As evidenced by his latest CD, Pioneer Nights (a collaboration with violinist Gary Keiski), Weissman has done just that.

Best local-music how-to

Making a Living in Your Local Music Market: How to Survive and Prosper by Dick Weissman

Dick Weissman, a longtime professor at the University of Colorado-Denver who was part of the Journeymen, a '60s-era folk outfit that included future Mamas and Papas leader John Phillips, clearly speaks from experience in his latest book, issued by the Hal Leonard Publishing Company and available online at Amazon.com. In this update of a book first published in 1989, he demonstrates why Denver remains on the outskirts of the national music business (by contrasting it with Seattle) even as he shows how a performer with modest expectations can forge an admirable career in a place just like this. As evidenced by his latest CD, Pioneer Nights (a collaboration with violinist Gary Keiski), Weissman has done just that.

Best arts festival

Salida ArtWalk

When you've got that hankering to go river rafting, chances are that Salida, one of the state's prime meccas for rapids-runners, will be your destination. But the picturesque mountain town has a lot more passing through it than the Arkansas River: With some forty little shops, restaurants and galleries lining its streets, it's also home to a fair amount of culture. And the art you'll see there won't all be the kind you expect from a mountain burg. Salida's burgeoning resident artist community turns out works that vary from fine modern art to one-of-a-kind wearables, all showcased year-round, but especially every June during ArtWalk. Face it: In-town fests are crowded, hot, and hell on your feet, but in Salida, you'll get a real vacation along with your art.

Best arts festival

Salida ArtWalk

When you've got that hankering to go river rafting, chances are that Salida, one of the state's prime meccas for rapids-runners, will be your destination. But the picturesque mountain town has a lot more passing through it than the Arkansas River: With some forty little shops, restaurants and galleries lining its streets, it's also home to a fair amount of culture. And the art you'll see there won't all be the kind you expect from a mountain burg. Salida's burgeoning resident artist community turns out works that vary from fine modern art to one-of-a-kind wearables, all showcased year-round, but especially every June during ArtWalk. Face it: In-town fests are crowded, hot, and hell on your feet, but in Salida, you'll get a real vacation along with your art.

Best music-scene organization

Colorado Music Association

The Rocky Mountain Music Association was once the primary advocate for local musicians in these parts, but over time the group grew less and less effective, causing one wag to joke that anything sponsored by the RMMA "couldn't draw flies." Now the Colorado Music Association, or COMA, has undertaken the same mission with an energy and drive that can't be denied; in its first year of existence, membership has grown from the tens to the hundreds. In addition, the group has a first-rate Web site (www.coloradomusic.org) and sponsors concerts, discussions and workshops that people actually attend. Imagine that.

Best music-scene organization

Colorado Music Association

The Rocky Mountain Music Association was once the primary advocate for local musicians in these parts, but over time the group grew less and less effective, causing one wag to joke that anything sponsored by the RMMA "couldn't draw flies." Now the Colorado Music Association, or COMA, has undertaken the same mission with an energy and drive that can't be denied; in its first year of existence, membership has grown from the tens to the hundreds. In addition, the group has a first-rate Web site (www.coloradomusic.org) and sponsors concerts, discussions and workshops that people actually attend. Imagine that.

Best creative music promoter

Alex Lemski

Fortunately for jazz and avant-garde enthusiasts, New Yorker Alex Lemski brings diversity and excitement to the city with forward-thinking cultural events like the Denver Free Music Festival and the Edge of the String concert series. The president and driving force behind the nonprofit Creative Music Works, Lemski has also branched out and begun sponsoring jazz classes and seminars through the grass-rooted Lamont School of Music. A consistent supporter of free-form sounds and risk-taking since the mid-'80s, Lemski's the staunch non-commercial odd man out in today's increasing tide of Ticketmaster-induced slavery, placing music over the almightiest of moolah. Here's to the outer reaches of jazz -- and beyond!

Best creative music promoter

Alex Lemski

Fortunately for jazz and avant-garde enthusiasts, New Yorker Alex Lemski brings diversity and excitement to the city with forward-thinking cultural events like the Denver Free Music Festival and the Edge of the String concert series. The president and driving force behind the nonprofit Creative Music Works, Lemski has also branched out and begun sponsoring jazz classes and seminars through the grass-rooted Lamont School of Music. A consistent supporter of free-form sounds and risk-taking since the mid-'80s, Lemski's the staunch non-commercial odd man out in today's increasing tide of Ticketmaster-induced slavery, placing music over the almightiest of moolah. Here's to the outer reaches of jazz -- and beyond!

Best music-industry scandal

House of Blues vs. the Backstreet Boys

It's hard for most people over the age of eleven to imagine the Backstreet Boys as heroes -- fashion dolls manufactured by Mattel, maybe, but not heroes. However, via its management, the group came to the rescue of innocent ticket-buyers last fall by blowing the whistle on House of Blues's scummy policy (first exposed in Denver) of setting aside large blocks of tickets for various parties rather than making them available to the general public. Backstreet's back? All right!

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