Best New Venue 2009 | B.Side Lounge | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best New Venue

B.Side Lounge

Formerly the Trilogy Lounge, the b.side is carrying on some of the musical legacy left of the former music venue and restaurant while carving out a niche of its own. Although DJs still frequently spin there, b.side has also brought in an eclectic mix of nationally renowned talent such as the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Dirty Sweet and the Mighty Underdogs. The club has also recruited some fine local jazz talent on Sundays, as well as singer-songwriters, reggae and hip-hop artists. The b.side is especially kind to the electronic folks and electronic-centric groups and organizations like MFA and Communikey, which has helped make the venue a hot spot for electronic music as well.

Best New Venue — Denver

The Loft

When some of us would see the old Muddy's sign on the back of this building, we'd instantly remember the days when downtown Denver was both a scary place and one where interesting coffee shops and clubs could be found. When the building was renovated, a piece of Denver history was erased, and in its place was what looked like a slick extension of LoDo. Turns out the owners had more in mind, as the Loft has been hosting live music of all stripes in a room with surprisingly good acoustics and a spacious, well-appointed environment in which to enjoy them.

Best News for Fans of Western Art

It's hard to believe that the formal Western art galleries on the seventh floor of the Denver Art Museum's Ponti tower were shuttered for five years. Sure, some Western pieces have been displayed on the second floor of the Hamilton building, but most of the collection had been in deep storage until recently, when curators Peter Hassrick and Thomas Smith teamed up to reinstall it. Among the treasures now on display is "Cowboy Singing," by Thomas Eakins, which the DAM recently acquired. The institution signed over half ownership of "Long Jakes," by Charles Deas, to the Anschutz Collection in exchange for half ownership in the Eakins. Times being what they are, this kind of creative financing is likely to become more common, something art fans certainly can't complain about.

Best Non-Alcoholic Late-Night Spot

The Shoppe

Bars are great places for hanging out and imbibing with friends, but when alcohol isn't on the agenda, why not catch up over huge mugs of coffee, bowls of custom-mixed cereal and a couple of gourmet cupcakes? The Shoppe welcomes visitors until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights; Tuesday through Thursday, you can grab a treat until 10 p.m. Not only are the cupcakes super-tasty, but the clean, mod interior is comfy enough for a long chat or a solo night out (there are shelves of zines, books and toys in case your friends don't show and you need to amuse yourself). Owners Tran Wills and Emma Skala are always welcoming, and the scene they've created on this little corner of Colfax couldn't be sweeter.

Best Nooners

Denver Art Museum

Courtesy Denver Art Museum
DAM's slate of lunch-hour events shifts with the seasons, but you can count on at least one Lunch Box Series a month and a Nooner Tour or three to energize your midday break. The Lunch Box features a curator, artist or visiting scholar focusing on one work from the museum's collection; recent talks have centered on conceptual artist Fred Wilson and recontextualist Rachel Lachowicz. The noon tours (generally offered Wednesdays and Fridays) are a brisk thirty-minute run through a particular topic, from the roots of impressionism to the Asian influence found in some Western artists, and permit the mind to wrap around one or two strands of the museum's tangled collection. Best of all, the nooners get you out of the box for a little while, physically and mentally, so that the rest of the day doesn't look quite so artless.

Best Online Hip-Hop Show

DJ Chonz on UStream.TV

Aside from the worldwide fame of Vajra and Cysko Rokwel, DJ Chonz is probably the most famous of his brethren in Denver. He's on KS-107.5 every day, offering live mixes to listeners as they drive home from work; he's rocked a party at almost every club in town; and the ladies absolutely love the guy. But he barely gets to share his love of music through those avenues. So in February, Chonz set up his own channel on Ustream.TV and began spinning live Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon. The playlist includes everything from NWA and Black Moon to MC Shy D and Nemesis — basically, all the songs that radio doesn't play nowadays. And in case you miss a show, they're all archived on Chonz's channel.

Best Outdoor Stage

The Meadowlark

Evan Semón
Prior to its makeover sometime last spring, the back lot of the Meadowlark looked like a much-neglected community garden, sunflowers and all. But somehow, someone at the 'Lark turned the area into the outside equivalent of the bar's interior — intimate, even classy, but with more room and a calming ambience that you rarely find outside of certain jazz clubs in Denver. More often than not, live music performed outdoors suffers from the sound bleeding off into open space, but that doesn't seem to happen as much here. A refreshingly unique setting for live music, the Meadowlark's outdoor stage is a sure bet to catch some remarkable performances.

Best Overseas Experience Without Leaving Home

Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret"A Night In..." series

Eric Gruneisen
The best thing about Lannie's "A Night In..." food, music and wine series, is that, for around $45, you'll be transported to another country for an evening, immersed in the tastes, smells and sounds of a land far, far away. So far, the series has been to Spain, France and Italy, and this month, Lannie's will take lucky participants to Ireland. Bonus: No jet-lag or thin hostel mattresses involved. Just a trip to downtown Denver's favorite clocktower, where you can get away from it all — at least for a few hours.

Best Performance by a Coloradan in a Film

Amy Adams in Doubt

It's been a rapid rise for Amy Adams, who spent many of her formative years in Castle Rock. Since her breakthrough performance in the 2005 indie Junebug, she's co-starred in goofy comedies (Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), headlined a musical-fantasy blockbuster (Enchanted) and appeared with Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson's War). In 2008's Doubt, she held her own alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the person for whose soul these two are fighting. And for this, she garnered her second Oscar nomination. It's a good time to be part of the Adams family.

Best Performance by Colorado in a Film

Ink

The independent flick Ink, which concerns so-called dream people fighting for souls, turned out to be a dream come true for the local film community. The movie was shot entirely within the state, at locations ranging from the plains of Brighton and the peaks of Crested Butte to the Evergreen foothills and downtown Denver — and as a bonus, the crew was entirely local as well. Clearly, Colorado was ready for its close-up.

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