Best House Music Club Nights 2002 | Skunk Motel and Phrunky FridaysThe Snake Pit | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best House Music Club Nights

Skunk Motel and Phrunky Fridays
The Snake Pit

Devotees of house music are advised to start the week off right by checking into Skunk Motel, the wildly popular theme night at the Snake Pit hosted by Denver's DJ Skunk every Monday. Those with fun-forbidding Tuesday-morning commitments, or those who merely wish a bigger chunk of dance floor for themselves, will find an attractive alternative on Phrunky Fridays, where the Pit's resident house guru, DJ Little Mike, consistently rocks the house. Red Bull and Stolichnaya "legal speedball" specials are guaranteed to have you singing "Who wants the Phrunk?" in two rounds or less.

Best Acid House Club Night

Textiles
1515

On Mondays, 1515 hosts Textiles, a weekly beat happening that fuses the prolific talents of local jazz saxophonist Pete Wall with those of Denver trip-hoppers Equulei, various live percussionists, and turntablists from the Mile High House crew, including Ivy, Todd Colletti, and Tom Hoch. Together these players cut a deep, chilly, down-tempo groove that makes for exceptionally easy yet edgy listening, dancing and socializing. The crowd usually peaks a little after midnight. Until then you can always get a table, though this new night should start to pack out before long. For now, there's no cover charge.

Best Jungle/ Drum 'n' Bass Club Night

Breakdown Thursdays
The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit is little more than a black box, but the music that fills it on Thursday nights is legendary. Breakdown Thursdays are one of the best and best-known jungle/drum 'n' bass club nights on the planet. To be sure, the fluttering drum beats and cortex-rattling bass lines are an acquired taste, but there's no better serving of the stuff to be found than the Pit, where the biggest names in the genre drop records weekly. The fact that Diesel Boy, the reigning monarch of the style, played for free there earlier this year is a testament to the obvious: Breakdown has blown up.

Best Sunday Jazz Joint

B.J.'s Port

B.J.'s Port, a cozy neighborhood bar in Five Points, features jazz only on Sundays, from 4 to 8 p.m. But what music! Pat Bianchi, a hard-driving young jazz organist, leads a smokin' trio composed of the fine Boulder guitarist Bill Kopper and drummer Tony Black, a whirling dervish with the quickest sticks in the business. On vocals you've got singer/actor Ed Battle, who's a Denver institution and a blues master. Saxophonist Billy Tolles may fall by to sit in, along with other Denver jazz players with time on their hands. Hungry? How about some barbecue, with a mess of collard greens and crowder peas? All this, and the sun hasn't even set.

Best Jazz Club

El Chapultepec

Not much has changed at El Chapultepec over the past couple of decades -- not the interior, not the food menu (the beef-and-bean burritos go surprisingly well with bebop), not the fact that the place is packed like a submarine on Saturday nights. Owner Jerry Krantz knows there's simply no need to try to improve things. The teeny club is perfect as it is: a vibey, swingin', smoky little joint where the stage is almost always occupied by the best players in town. For an authentic jazz experience, head to Market Street.

Best Place to Get Away and Get Down

Herb's Hideout

Justin Criado
When jazz saxophonist Laura Newman took over Herb's Hideout at the beginning of the year, she created a welcome den for live music on the fringes of LoDo. Though Herb's has always opened its stages to area players, it's now a bona fide venue nearly every night of the week, with emphasis on R&B, funk, jazz and even big band (the Denver Jazz Orchestra performs at Herb's every Monday night). Grab a booth beneath the Matisse-style mural that runs along the wall, and you can still hear and see the show while maintaining normal conversation. If you prefer to get closer, there's plenty of room in front of the stage. Just take care not to take up too much room on the dance floor; it's bound to get packed at the night goes on. Herb's is the perfect little hideout in a hectic part of town.

Best Acoustic Music Room

Daniels Hall
Swallow Hill Music Association

For players who are accustomed to competing with the bar-room din at many music venues, Daniels Hall can be a tough room to tackle. The loyal legions who attend concerts in the small, intimate space inside Swallow Hill hang on every lyric and lick and honor performers by giving them their full attention. A sort of sanctuary of pure sound, the place is, note for note, an ideal environment for the serious musician and listener alike. Looking to spend time with a listening audience that's hungry for music, not phone numbers? Try heading to the Hill.

Best Faux Honky-Tonk

Skylark Lounge

Mason Craig
Most of the time, the Skylark Lounge is just a bar -- albeit a great one, with an old-fashioned atmosphere (checkered floor, vinyl booths and soda-fountain-style bar stools) that draws the hipsterati from the Baker neighborhood and beyond. But on Thursday and Saturday nights, the staff clears a few tables and sets up a makeshift stage for some of the finest rockabilly, country and blues artists around. Halden Wofford, the Dalhart Imperials, David Booker and the Lee Bradford Trio are among the regulars who incite all manner of swing, Lindy Hop -- and just plain drunken -- dancing. Live music makes this gem of a room sparkle that much more.

Best Hometown Hootenanny

Denver Barn Dance
Mercury Cafe

Held the first Friday of every month, the Barn Dance has quickly become an event worth looking forward to -- a family-oriented, music-heavy and just plain fun community happening. Because its organizers know grownups sometimes have a hard time rocking into the late-night hours, the Barn Dance starts and ends early and is designed to offer a little something for all, from traditional stylings to more alternative variations on the C&W canon. An extension of www.DenverBarnDance.com, the series was initially designed as a showcase for artists who make up Denver's thriving country scene. Since then, Marilyn Megenity's open-minded and versatile Mercury Cafe has proved the perfect venue for listeners to kick up their heels while discovering new talent. Can we get a yee-haw?

Best Latin Club

Sevilla

Denver Pavilions

Courtesy of La Rumba
Though Sevilla recently relocated from its cavernous corner on Wynkoop Street to new digs in the Denver Pavilions, nothing was lost in the move. It still provides the most appealing environment for south-of-the-border musical expeditions, with a huge dance floor, exotic decor and a stimulating menu of live and DJ music. For those who like to move to merengue, tear up a tango and sizzle to salsa, Sevilla is a internationally flavored delight.

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