Best Second Act 2010 | Jim McTurnan and The Kids That Killed the Man | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Second Act

Jim McTurnan and The Kids That Killed the Man

With well-received appearances at Monolith and CMJ for its sixth and seventh shows, respectively, it's safe to say that former Cat-A-Tac frontman Jim McTurnan has gone from good with that group to better with his new band, The Kids That Killed the Man. This time around, McTurnan is writing catchier songs that hit harder. Maybe it's the freedom of having the lead role to himself, or maybe he's just wiser and happier; we're not going to ask too many questions. Now with a second guitarist locked in, the band is working on what promises to be an awesome album of rock-and-roll fuzz.

Best Old Venue Makeover

Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom/Cervantes' Other Side

When partners Duncan Goodman, Joshua Sonnenberg, Jeff Howell and Scott Morrill bought Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom and the adjoining Quixote's (now known as Cervantes' Other Side) from the Bianchi brothers last October, they immediately started making improvements in both places. And we're talking about a lot more than a new coat of paint and new decor. The partners went all out, putting a new stage, sound system and lights in the Ballroom, while making the Other Side much more functional by taking down the wall that separated the front and back of the club.

Best Jukebox

Gabor's

The jukebox at Gabor's is one of our favorites for price alone, since the staff fills it with credits so often it's as good as free. But this juke also holds some killer platters: from staples like Johnny Cash's Live at Folsom Prison and the Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! to Tom Waits's Rain Dogs and Lou Reed's Transformer. And in between, there's jazz by Miles, Monk and Dinah; newer alt-discs by Nick Cave, Grizzly Bear and Sonic Youth; and punk by the likes of the Clash and the Ramones. With some fine mix CDs to fill the cracks, any night at Gabor's is guaranteed to come with the perfect soundtrack.

Best New Tradition

Lumberjack Pub Crawl

Kiki Nichols had a very good reason for putting together 2009's inaugural Lumberjack Pub Crawl: "I think it sounds fun to dress up like woodsmen and march down Colfax," she told us. And fun it was, complete with Paul Bunyans, a big blue ox named Babe (or two), fake stubble and more flannel than you could shake a hatchet at. One lumberjack even gave out syrup shots in honor of the manliest of all lumberjack breakfasts, the flapjack. Costuming was far less labor-intensive than a zombie pub crawl (unless you're going as Babe), and lumberjacks are definitely bigger drinkers than zombies (unless you're talking about blood). Nichols is already planning her 2010 version, so start practicing the "Lumberjack Song." Timber!

Best Holiday Lighting

Hudson Holiday

Let there be light! Although several spots around town have holiday light shows, the Museum of Outdoor Art-sponsored extravaganza at Hudson Gardens outshines the rest. Conceived and designed by MOA resident wizard Lonnie Hanzon, Hudson Holiday one-ups everybody else with its artsy attention to detail, whimsy and spectacle that combine to create an experience that's funny (one of its more parodic attractions is an overdecorated and super-synchonized suburban house), psychedelic (huge white globes and animal figures swim with abstract light projections), folkloric (one forested corner of the gardens looks like a page out of a Russian fairy book), and, in part, a steampunkish throwback to Victorian times. Horse-drawn wagon rides are available to take you over the river and through the woods, and we guarantee you'll never want to leave.

Best Movie Theater -- Drink

Mayan Theatre

Next time you sit down to enjoy Hollywood's finest, why abuse your teeth with high-fructose corn syrup when you can abuse your liver with high-octane ethanol? The Mayan offers a great selection of beer, wine and cocktails to help wash down your next flick. And your designated driver gets pampered, too: This theater offers some of the best coffee and tea available in town, much less at a movie palace.

Best Public Art Save

Boardman Robinson Mural

In 1940, Colorado artist Boardman Robinson created a fabulous 6' x 12' painting for the then-two-year-old Englewood post office, where the mural's been on display ever since. Late last year, though, the U.S. Postal Service suggested that this office might be closed and its operations consolidated with other locations — which meant that the Boardman might go the way of a 43-cent stamp. But after considerable uproar, the Postal Service reversed course, the Boardman was spared, and now Congresswoman Diana DeGette is working to get the building stamped with a seal of approval from the National Register of Historic Places.

Best Gallery Show ? Group

Collective Nouns

Faculty shows don't often rise to greatness, but few college faculties have the artistic talent and range of Metropolitan State College of Denver. In fact, Metro is Colorado's biggest art school. So when the college's mini-museum, the Center for Visual Art, decided to do a show dedicated to its instructors last spring, it had nearly fifty faculty members to choose from. The resulting selections covered a wide range of aesthetic interests, featuring standout pieces from such top talents as Edie Winograde, Sandy Lane, Mark Brasuell, Amy Metier and Carlos Frésquez. The CVA is currently closed and will reopen this summer in a new spot on Santa Fe Drive; given the success of past shows, we can't wait to see what it will do next.

Best Show About the Intersection of Art and Race

Floyd Tunson: Remix

The role of African art in the development of modernism in the early twentieth century is a well-known story. With Floyd Tunson: Remix, Colorado artist Floyd Tunson, himself African-American, turned that story on its head — or at least its side. He painted dead-on copies of famous Picassos and Matisses, put them up sideways, then inserted exact replicas of racist cartoons and illustrations done at the same time as the original paintings. The show, curated by then-gallery director William Biety, was super-smart, very funny and one of the strongest offerings at van Straaten last year. The gallery remains a flagship on Santa Fe Drive, despite now being open only by appointment.

Best Theater Production

Slut Energy Theory

Jazz singer René Marie's self-written, one-woman tour de force packed an emotional wallop that lingered in your mind long after the show had closed. For Slut Energy Theory, Marie created a stubborn, vulnerable, tough-minded protagonist called U'Dean who carried in her mind and body the scars of her father's sexual abuse. Having conjured up U'Dean from somewhere deep in her mind and soul, Marie wrote U'Dean's words; acted the role with depth, precision and mind-blowing intensity; sang to her audiences of love, lust, fear, betrayal and acceptance; and gave new meaning to the overused word "indomitable."

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