I'm just back from "Boulder's Home of the Blues," and while it might seem a bit odd to have a blues club inside of an organic restaurant that's also part of Boulder's first zero-waste hotel, Blues & Greens Restaurant in the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites (800 28th Street) is the only place I know of in the People's Republic that consistently books blues artists on a weekly basis.
Over the past few years, the venue has hosted a steady stream of the best blues acts in the area, as well as national talent like Bob Margolin, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Dallas-based guitarist/singer Zac Harmon, who played the night I was there. Harmon had already delivered a solid first set that included a speeded-up version of Al Green's "Love and Happiness," which got most of the forty or so folks in the place on their feet and clapping. But then Arkansas-based guitarist Jimmy Thackery, in town for the Mile High Blues Festival, jumped on stage to join Harmon for an explosive take on the Allman Brothers' "One Way Out," and the energy kicked up several notches. The momentum kept pulsing through Jimmy Reed's "You Got Me Runnin'" and Junior Wells's "Messin' With the Kid."
I wasn't expecting such a powerful set in a place that feels like a hotel bar circa thirty years ago, but the musicians totally delivered, and the crowd, mostly middle-aged folks, really dug the tunes.
Blues & Greens usually has music Thursdays through Saturdays. Upcoming national acts include Coco Montoya and Ronnie Baker Brooks; the club also hosts Sunday jazz and blues jams that alternate weekly with either Mark Diamond or Lionel Young, and blues jams on Tuesdays, as well.
Club scout: On Friday, August 14, San Francisco-based producer and DJ Mimosa will join the Denver Bass Squad, which includes the Juice, S.P.E.C.T.R.E, Citrus and C.DB.SN, in Beatport Lounge at Beta (1909 Blake Street). That same evening, Suite Two Hundred (1427 Larimer Street) will celebrate its first anniversary with a Kid Dangerous Couture Affair; Luxe Salon will be styling hair and DJs Danny and Seth Abrumz will be at the decks. On Saturday, August 15, Suite Two Hundred hosts the second annual Zandi K White Party with complimentary champagne and a client-appreciation cocktail party from 8 to 10 p.m. Bottle-service guests get complimentary Zandi K Hair & Skin Studio gift bags, exclusive Zandi K services and Zandi K product giveaways.
Finally, Hiccups III, which opened nearly two years ago in the former Brewski's Pub & Grill location at 1451 Cortez Street, has closed; the marquee states that the spot is for sale. The other two Hiccups locations, at 7980 Sheridan Boulevard in Westminster and 10250 Ura Lane in Thornton, are still open.
