Wednesday August 31 Evil lurks in Arvada: Local author David Van Meter set his new book, Necessary Evil, in suburban Philadelphia, which is where he grew up. But we can only hope the similarities end there–the psychological thriller is a gruesome tale about a boy-next-door type who turns into the…
Wednesday August 24 Mambo king: Denver’s best-kept secret this week may very well be the two nights of outdoor performances being put on by Tito Puente & His Latin Allstars at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Puente, a master timbalero and bona fide living legend, has been making incredible music–Latin jazz,…
Wednesday August 17 King of the off-road: You could call it a last hurrah for summer mountain bikers, or it might just be a hearty affirmation of the popular sport. Either way, this year’s King of the Rockies Off-Road Stage Race and Mountain Bike Festival goes out of its way…
Wednesday August 10 Tuff enuff: Listen to the album Strange Pleasure and you’ll wonder why Jimmie Vaughan didn’t leave the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the dust sooner. Vaughan, an able guitarist who’s lived in the shadow of brother and legend Stevie Ray, has finally come out on top with Strange Pleasure,…
Wednesday August 3 Fair of the day: There’s nothing like a good old country fair for a dose of plain folks, good eats and rip-snorting entertainment, from buckin’ broncs and tractor pulls to a sweet helping of country music. You’ll find these mundane charms at the Adams County Fair and…
Wednesday July 27 Across the Miles: A mountain vacation doesn’t necessarily mean roughing it–big-city amenities are all at one’s disposal, including big-city music. Witness the Glenwood Springs Summer of Jazz Series, which brings in renowned artists for free Wednesday-night concerts every summer. If you’re in the vicinity tonight, check out…
Wednesday July 20 Tumbling tumbleweeds: Ranger Doug, Too Slim and Woody Paul, better known as Riders in the Sky, will dismount in Denver tonight for a children’s concert sure to please every buckaroo and buckarette in the house–including the grown ones. The trio, famous for its rope tricks, loping humor,…
Wednesday July 13 Shelling it out: Native American literature no longer languishes on the cultural back burner–author Paula Gunn Allen now provides a comprehensive overview in Voice of the Turtle, a book containing published works by indigenous peoples dating from 1900 to 1970. Allen will re-create those voices tonight during…
Wednesday July 6 Belew horizon: Who knew? Adrian Belew may have gotten his start playing covers at the Holiday Inn, but nothing in the transcendent career that followed would indicate it. This thinking guitarist’s guitarist has been Lieutenant Punk to Frank Zappa and the pop foil of Robert Fripp in…
Wednesday June 29 Piano lessons: Practice makes perfect–directors often hone their filmmaking chops on short subjects before working their way up to full-length features as stunning as the Jane Campion flick The Piano or as quirky as Orlando, Sally Potter’s Virginia Woolf adaptation. You can check out shorts by both…
Wednesday June 22 Siren songs: Guitarist Ottmar Liebert knows what the view looks like from the top of the new-age charts. His music–shooting off from a passionate home base of flamenco toward unknown worlds that encompass jazz and other global sounds–defines the genre. And Liebert’s unmistakable instrumental prowess helps carry…
Wednesday June 15 To be or not to be: Can you decide to not be gay? The question is turned over completely in One Nation Under God, this week’s installment of the PBS documentary series Point of View. Combining a look at activities within Exodus International, an organization touting “homosexual…
Wednesday June 8 Sweet home Chicago: Lady dicks don’t get any tougher than Windy City gumshoe V.I. Warshawski, who solves crimes while dealing with midlife crises. She’s the fictional creation of enormously popular author Sara Paretsky, who will autograph Tunnel Vision, the newest Warshawski mystery, from noon to 1 p.m…
Wednesday June 1 Hit or Ms.: No member of the feminist movement has been more visible or accessible than Gloria Steinem, the brainy co-creator of Ms. magazine who now writes bestsellers on self-esteem. Steinem, here to plug her latest volume, Moving Beyond Words, appears this evening at the Radisson Hotel…
Wednesday May 25 Tool of the trade: L.A. band Tool gets the thumbs up from Beavis and Butthead–enough said. These alternative performers were the surprise of last year’s Lollapalooza tour, where they started out headlining the second stage and, on the strength of their blistering performances, moved up to the…
Wednesday May 18 Fit to be tried: The Regional Transportation District, which has a lot riding on the future, is throwing a Try Transit Week shindig that includes a little entertainment, a nostalgic look at the past and a good look at the future. Today, citizens can get a firsthand…
Wednesday May 11 Bigger and better:Funsters John Flasburgh and John Linnel are better known to the world as They Might Be Giants. The quirky, goofy, hook-laden dynamic pop duo will make them all giddy tonight at the Ogden Theatre, located at 935 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets to the show, which…
Wednesday May 4 Spirit world: Tesuque Indian sculptor Mark Swazo-Hinds creates astounding contemporary stone fetish and effigy figures decorated with feathers, shells, potsherds, deer antlers and buckskin. Examples of his work can be seen at the Heard Museum in Phoenix and at the Smithsonian, but Denverites now have a chance…
Wednesday April 27 A walk on the cyber side: Journalist Douglas Rushkoff took a leap off the technological cutting edge and the result was his book Cyberia: Life in the Trenches of Hyperspace, a look into the virtual reality world with insightful interviews of William Gibson, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna…
Wednesday April 20 Riddim method: Reggae queen Judy Mowatt has all the right roots–when Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston left Bob Marley’s Wailers, she stepped in alongside Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths as one of the I-Threes. Since then, this talented Rasta gal has gone solo, making waves wherever she…
Wednesday April 13 How big was it?: On the subject of fishing, you probably fall into one of two categories–those who do and those who can’t fathom it. Author John Gierach belongs to the former group and his book Dances With Trout, a collection of perceptive fish stories, does everything…
Wednesday April 6 Gallic symbols: It’s time to bone up on your French, Francophiles. You’ll need your linguistic chops for An Evening of Tales From Provence, presented by Denver’s Alliance Francaise and interpreted in French (and English) by mesmerizing storyteller Jean Guillon. The stories are free, beginning at 6:30 p.m…
