Jay Vollmar

HuffPo idiot: Colorado is fifth most overrated travel destination, Denver is "weirdly bland"

At Westword, we're all about hometown/home-state pride -- hence, posts such as "50 reasons we're glad we live in Denver and not the United States" and "Happy Colorado Day: Here are 50 reasons you should be glad you live here." So you can imagine our befuddlement over a Huffington Post article calli ... More >>

Our twenty favorite Westword covers of 2012

As we point out (as if we needed to) in our Year in Review issue on stands now, 2012 was a weird, wild year for Colorado. And we would know: We've covered it online and in 52 print issues throughout the past twelve months. Choosing the images to embody the news on our front cover is often as tough a ... More >>

Seven Denver spots that could benefit from David Beckham's H&M statue

Metro Denver will welcome another H&M store tomorrow, but sadly, even though statues of the store's body model, David Beckham, appeared in three cities last week, Denver is not getting one. (For a consolation prize, just look at those abs. Now try to look away.) In preparation for the chain's latest ... More >>

Colorado love -- and Shaw Nielsen's amazing cover art

For "Rocky Mountain High," Westword writers scattered around the state on Colorado Day, August 1, and returned with reports on why, even in this very tough summer, there are plenty of reasons to love Colorado. And Shaw Nielsen gave us one more: his wonderful cover art.

Choose your wacky Denver event! (flowchart)

It seems like every weekend in Denver there's another fun run with a theme, which is great, really. Sure, there are themed runs (often involving beer before, during or after) in other cities, but surely not with the frequency, participation level or gusto as we can boast here in Colorado. It's an ac ... More >>

Happy Colorado Day: Here are 50 reasons you should be glad you live here

It's been a tough summer for Colorado -- the toughest in memory. But on this August 1, Colorado Day, there are still many, many reasons to celebrate life in the Centennial State. And Missy Franklin's gold medal is just the most recent. The oldest? Just take a look to the west. Can't think of any? W ... More >>

Photos: Most awkward places to put new Denver International Airport ad screens

This week, Clear Channel announced that it had made an agreement with Denver International Airport to install a "a first-of-its kind digital advertising program" that will feature 118 LCD screens throughout DIA, including six overhead video walls and four, 26-foot high diagonal LED video towers. Wh ... More >>

Photos: Naked DIA lady throughout history

Yesterday we offered the bare facts on the woman taken to Denver Health after she stripped naked at Denver International Airport -- allegedly after she was told to extinguish the cigarette she'd lit up on the concourse. People at DIA were shocked by the sight, but as these historical photos indica ... More >>

Gustavo Arellano's favorite "Den-Mex" joints (infographic)

This week's feature story, "Mexican Hamburger Helper," by Gustavo Arellano, takes a look at the unique "Den-Mex" cuisine. Proclaims Arellano:

Denver's eleven best roller derby nicknames

A roller derby nickname must be several things. Among them: short, clever and intimidating. This year's winner of "Best Roller Derby Nickname" in our 2012 Best of Denver issue is all three: Boo Boo Radley of the Denver Roller Dolls. But there's more cleverness and badassery to go around. Here, we ... More >>

Photos: Tim Tebow's first New York billboard makes veiled reference to his junk

Ever since Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets, observers have wondered if he can maintain his squeaky clean image in the City That Never Sleeps (and Tends to Sleep Around). Just prior to his scheduled introduction to the NYC media, we're getting an indication via a billboard that makes a vei ... More >>

Tim Tebow: Top five pieces of advice for Jets fans facing Tebow Mania

Dear Jets and Jets fans, As you know, Tim Tebow was introduced as a Jet today, which is funny, because you just gave your starting quarterback a $40 million extension and your coach is one of the most boisterous and profane personalities in the league. But that's another issue. We're here to help.

Tim Tebow-Peyton Manning billboard and poll: The Chosen One the choice?

Remember that billboard last season urging Broncos coach John Fox to play Tebow? Well, it's been updated. This time, the sign asks folks to vote for who they'd rather see at quarterback: Tebow or Peyton Manning. And at this writing, Tebow is winning.

Chris Brown seagull attack reimagined (ten images)

Getting mounted by the Denver International Airport demon horse, known as "Mustang."Fresh off his Grammy win for best R&B album and dropping a pair of remixes with Rihanna, Chris Brown was attacked by seagulls Sunday while on vacation in Miami. The Daily Mail (of course) has a pretty hilarious phot ... More >>

Play Vince Neil Bingo at the Grizzly Rose tonight!

So with all the hip-hop, punk rock and scary metal happenings this weekend, you hair metal maniacs probably feel a bit left out that we haven't mentioned a word about Vince Neil playing at the Grizzly Rose tonight. Well, rest easy. We didn't forget about you. We've been busy crafting a bingo card fo ... More >>

Tim Tebow: Top five franchising opportunities

Big pics below.​No question about it, the ascension of Tim Tebow has established a unique style of football in Denver. The Broncos have managed to distill all the heart-pounding excitement and nail-biting competitiveness of NFL action and compress it into the final couple of minutes (and somet ... More >>

Corey Donahue: How we transformed him into Don Quixote for this week's cover (VIDEO)

Video below.​This week's feature story, "Tilting at Windmills," profiles Corey Donahue, a modern-day Don Quixote, who keeps the cops and the courts in Denver very occupied. We featured Donahue on the cover, and in the following making-of video, art director Jay Vollmar reveals how the shot was ... More >>

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls: Will they be national roller derby champs two years in a row?

Jay VollmarRMRG celebrates its win.​ "Rocky, Rocky, Rocky! Fight, Fight, Fight!" That's the cheer of the number-one roller derby team in the country: Denver's own Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, who kicked all sorts of spandex-ed ass last year to win the WFTDA Championships. The team will defend ... More >>

Buzz Kill: View the animated cover for this week's feature story

This week's feature story, "Buzz Kill," profiles the Knapper twins, whose cast of street-art icons earned them popularity from fans and unwanted attention from the police. Westword art director Jay Vollmar provided this animated version of the cover, which you can check out below.

Ten slogans for the pro-Tim Tebow, anti-Kyle Orton billboard

This is one. Nine more suggestions for that Tebow billboard are below.​As if losing to the Oakland Raiders at home on the first Monday Night Football nightcap of the year wasn't enough humiliation, the Denver Broncos are a laughingstock again today in the sports world because of a plan by a gr ... More >>

The hipster's guide to sports: an info-graphic

​If religion is the opiate of the masses, as Karl Marx once observed, then sports are, like, the meth of the masses... or something. Whatever. The point is that mainstream sports -- or "borts," as we like to call them ("boring" "sports") -- like football and baseball are for plebeian doucheb ... More >>

U2 360 tour by the numbers (infographic)

​When the U2 360 tour rolled through Denver on May 21 at Invesco Field, it was exactly one week removed from the massive 108,800-person concert in Mexico City. The tour was huge (Huge! Remember how that stage dwarfed the grid at Invesco?) and on Monday, Live Nation released a report drilling d ... More >>

Lisa Wimberger's five fast ways to slow down quickly (INFOGRAPHICS)

​This week's feature story, "Shall We Trance?" by Amber Taufen profiles Lisa Wimberger, who teaches cops how to de-stress for success. Here, Wimberger offers up these ways to de-stress after a hard day -- ideas around her top five to-dos. Story by Wimberger, illustrations by Jay Vollmar.

Denver filmmakers unveil trailer for Derby Baby roller derby documentary

​After watching Drew Barrymore's Whip It with her daughters two years ago, Robin Bond -- the Denver-based filmmaker behind the new documentary Derby Baby -- set out to chase down some roller derby dreams of her own. She didn't get very far. "I'm fairly athletic, and had started skating a lot ... More >>

Boss 302 reunion at Larimer Lounge video, 4/24/11

​This past Sunday, April 24 at the Larimer Lounge, a bunch of friends of Rick Kulwicki got together one more time to celebrate the life of the dearly departed guitarist at the Pure Sunshine BBQ. Boss 302 reunited for the occasion, and our art director Jay Vollmar was there and captured these ... More >>

A brief history of medical marijuana (INFOGRAPHIC)

​No need to explain 4/20 in these parts, what with medical marijuana continuing to be such a hot topic in Colorado. Some politicians are all for it, others say we don't need it, and all the while, pot makes news daily.

Break Dancing! Animated GIFS will pop and lock your day

​Break dancing took Denver by storm in the mid '80s, drawing 10,000 people to a competition at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where this paper's founder and editor Patricia Calhoun was a judge.

Smoothbore at Bender's Tavern: Backbeat's "At the Gig" feature

Westword presents "At the Gig," an occasional video feature by art director Jay Vollmar. In this video, Smoothbore performs on February 26, 2011, at Bender's Tavern. The song is "Ironsides" off its record Red Lines.

David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand on the influence of Middle Eastern music

Mark HolthusenDavid Eugene Edwards​ Wovenhand (due at The Marquis Theater tomorrow night with Git Some) is the current musical project of David Eugene Edwards. In his early bands, Bloodflower and The Denver Gentlemen, Edwards was developing an aesthetic that some consider synonymous with all ... More >>

Highlands Mommies map: If you don't live within these boundaries, you can't be a Mommy

​ The Highlands Mommies is an exclusive group. In order to be accepted into what some say is northwest Denver's most powerful organization, you must live within certain boundaries. As described in this week's cover story, "The Mommies," the group accepts mommies (and less frequently, daddies) ... More >>

Faces of Colorado Art billboard: Can you name all these artists?

​Have you seen this eye-catching billboard on Champa Street just south of 14th Street? It's been dubbed the Faces of Colorado Art billboard, a collaborative effort curated by the Denver Theatre District's Art Salon. But who are the artists behind the billboard?

I Love This Bar Bingo, anyone?

Jay Vollmar​ Alas, the agonizing wait is over: This weekend at Northfield, I Love This Bar & Grill -- Toby Keith's, well, bar and grill -- is celebrating its grand opening. Near as we can tell, there's only four of these bad boys in the world, and somehow we got one. Yay us! We haven't made i ... More >>

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls win national championships, crowned best derby team

Jay Vollmar​ The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are officially the best. In the final bout yesterday at the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships in Chicago, Denver's Rollergirls beat the Oly Rollers of Olympia, Washington, to become the 2010 national champions. The Derby News Networ ... More >>

Charlie Brown Christmas tree needs home -- even though it's not even Halloween yet

Photo by Jay Vollmar​Seen this week near Alameda and Sheridan: a Charlie Brown-style Christmas tree looking for a home -- in October. Anyone have a spare security blanket?

Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are the No. 1 derby team in the country, new rankings say

Jay Vollmar​The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are on top. Going into next month's national WFTDA Championships, Denver's oldest roller derby league is currently ranked No. 1 in the country by the Derby News Network, a website dedicated to all things derby -- and the only organization to publish ... More >>

Letters: Westword readers think Backbeat got jobbed and request a new Chef & Tell question

Letters: Westword readers laud Lauri and call Ward a has-been phony -- and Westword wins awards!

Roller derby teams from Denver crush terrific Texas in two killer bouts

Jay VollmarThe Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' Whipity Pow at Sunday's bout against Texas​ And now, derby fans, a bit of proof that Denver kicks ass at roller derby, courtesy of a Derby News Network live blog of the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' slaughter bout against the Texas Rollergirls this past ... More >>

Denver Roller Dolls roll out an offer on eBay

Jay Vollmar​Denver's two roller derby leagues, profiled in the Westword's feature "Denver's Roller Derby Rivalry Could Start the Sport Rolling Across the Country," are stepping up their games this year -- both on the track and off. Exhibit A: The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls have been kicking a ... More >>

Denver Roller Dolls make their big debut

Jay VollmarThe Denver Roller Dolls (blue) battle the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls at the national derby association's Western regional tournament, hosted in Denver last October.​ The Denver Roller Dolls -- the fourth-best roller derby league in the country, according to the Derby News Network -- ... More >>

Bad-ass roller derby slide show features plenty of girl-on-girl action

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' Sugar Kill Gang (black) battle the Dooms Daisies (blue) at the league's first bout of the season, on February 6 at the Fillmore Auditorium.​Denver's first roller derby bout of the season went down on February 6 at the Fillmore Auditorium -- site of today's speec ... More >>

Brick by brick, turning Westword's logo into LEGOs

Mark MangerA LEGO Westword, created by Duane Hess​ The idea was so delightful we had to give it a shot: For this week's cover story, which details how local video game developer NetDevil is creating a LEGO version of World of Warcraft with the game LEGO Universe, why not transform Westword's signa ... More >>

Art lovers take home pieces of the Denver Art Museum's "Psychedelic Experience"

Photo by Jay Vollmar "The Psychedelic Experience," a Denver Art Museum exhibit that runs through July 19, is touted by a great poster suitable for framing -- or ripping off. As you can see by the attached photo, DAM personnel wrapped scaffolding around the museum with advertisements for the show, a ... More >>

Live blogging St. Patrick's Day from the Fainting Goat: Happy Birthday to me!

This from a guest bar blogger: Hey all, we're having a great time here in Denver!!! We're discussing social networking and demographics, the future of journalism, and politics. Woo!!! We have found out that the 18-25 age demographic isn't as brain-dead as previous thought. They may actually have som ... More >>

Delegating Denver #55 of #56: Wisconsin

Litterbug

Our art director deserves some shameless promotion. Here it is.

Radio Free Denver

Dance for democracy -- and KGNU.

Express Yourself

A new studio space brings art to the masses.

The Prize Patrol Returns

Westword winners

Poster Boys

What are these punk kids doing, turning Denver into a hot art town?