Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats will release their self-titled debut album this Friday on the legendary Stax Records. This week’s Westword cover story details Rateliff’s long history in the Denver music scene. But every member of the band has been a notable contributor to the city’s creative community. Over…
For Jen Korte, getting an offer to play at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for an installment of Film on the Rocks sparked a chain reaction. “I get an offer to do a show like this, and in my head I’m already working on eight different other projects to go with it,”…
When I read about plans to demolish the 115-year old building currently housing the Tavern Uptown, I had to drive by and see the structure again for myself. It is a stately piece of real estate on East 17th Avenue — one that I had walked, biked and driven by hundreds…
In 1999, I was working at a toy store in the mall called the Learningsmith. As it went in “education”-oriented mall retailers of the time, we sold “For Dummies” books, yo-yos, Hoberman Spheres, telescopes, Thomas the Tank Engine swag and basically anything that could be even mildly classified as a…
It stands alone, surrounded by a parking lot at the corner of Leetsdale and Exposition in southeast Denver. The little, tan-colored building is squatty and fairly nondescript — well, save for a big sign on its roof that says Planned Parenthood. Across the street is George Washington High School, my…
When we have experiences with famous people outside of just observing them in culture, though our various electronic devices, it feels like we’re always supposed to gauge how “real” they really are. Are they famous and down-to-earth? Do they seem like the kind of person we would want to hang out…
In Denver, the name of a neighborhood can be a touchy subject. The Highlands/Highland/Northside inspire endless debate, and some imaginary areas have now become real, like LoDo and LoHi. And a particular section of South Broadway that has been known as Antique Row for decades almost became something totally different…
Colorado’s history with the urban railway goes all the way back to the turn of the last century, when trolley cars connected passengers across a growing metro area. This Saturday, August 8, the Lakewood Heritage Center invites visitors to learn more about the state’s transit history and take a ride…
The image I had in my mind of Las Vegas before I visited the city last week was a very different one from the city I actually saw. The strip isn’t really a glamorous walkway of lights and people like it’s presented in movies and popular culture; it’s more like…
Though not originally from Denver, DJ, producer and party thrower Max Klaw has spent a good amount of time here, bringing great events to the city. Klaw skipped off to New York about five years ago, leaving a legacy of successful nights across the Mile High City like Sex Panther…
There are many things that make Denver a great city — and Colfax Avenue is definitely one of them. Running through Aurora, Denver, Lakewood and Golden, this 26-mile-long continuous strip carries a rich history of Colorado’s people and transit. Non-profit organization WalkDenver wants to highlight this thoroughfare while also trying…
I only braved two of the four days of UMS this year, which is still a lot considering I was able to catch dozens of sets by some incredible musicians. Now in its fifteenth year, the Underground Music Showcase works to bring hundreds of acts to the multi-venue stage that…
This past weekend, I made a joke on Twitter that the hardest part about attending UMS isn’t trying to see as many bands as you can fit into your schedule, but actually getting from one venue to another without running into (and talking to) 2,500 people along the way. As…
I’ve interviewed hundreds of people over the course of my career as a reporter. One of those people is Keith Garcia, a person who went from source and media contact to good friend over years of our not-so-secret recorded phone conversations. Now my friend — who in the last year…
Sometimes a geographical change is necessary for a band to find its own path. For Cassie McNeil and James Wayne, the Pacific Northwest felt like the right part of the country to re-root the duo’s work as Force Publique. Both musicians grew up in different parts of Colorado, eventually landing…
Being a feminist in public often feels like shouting my cause into the void — whether I’m having a conversation with real humans or leading a discussion on social media about the concept of basic human rights for female-identified people, a very small percentage of folks I know actually want…
As I stood at the concession stand in the bottom of some nameless suburban movie megaplex wasteland before seeing Amy last weekend, a guy behind me in line said, “who wants to see a movie about a woman who drinks herself to death?” I had to restrain myself. I —…
“It’s pretty much made to fail, because nobody really wants to see a guy with a laser pointer doing a PowerPoint, especially at a concert,” quips Andrew Novick. He’s talking about his own work as GetYourGoing, a sing-along show turned PowerPoint performance project that is currently on tour with the…
Colorado is an easy target. We’re America’s new hip spot to stake your claim and the things and experiences that supposedly identify us as “uniquely Colorado” are being exploited and worse, falsely portrayed as representative of who we are. Take the influx of Colorado-themed merchandise lately. We’ve always been CO…
For more than eighty years, Collins’ Bicycles was a staple on East Colfax Avenue — but in recent years, its fate started to look uncertain. Owner Tito Collins — the third generation of the Collins family to run the shop since its 1934 start — had fallen ill. Neighbors and…
Now in its second year — but already one of the largest conventions of its kind in the world — the R.O.S.E. International Doll Show will shine a light on the lifelike world of reborn baby dolls. The meticulously crafted creations are a favorite of doll collectors, but they also serve…
“Before this, we were renting a glorified storage unit in Globeville with no heat, no bathroom and no running water,” says artist and musician Zach Reini. “After a winter there, we were done.” As he lounges on a couch in the sun-drenched front room of his multi-use venue Leisure, Reini…
