Mile High Makeout: A change of scenery

I often spend my Friday nights at one of our little town’s grubby clubs, taking
in our finest local talent, and maybe a touring band or two. It’s an
end-of-week ritual that I relish for its id-unleashing, community-embracing,
stress-relieving, grin-inducing catharsis.

Last Friday, my plan was to check out the sultry, soulful stylings of Heather Marie
Phillip at the Laughing Goat in Boulder. However, a smart, sexy and
never-boring woman whose company I relish as much as unleashing my id invited
me to join her at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret for Ms. Garrett’s current
production, Under Paris Skies. Had
the invitation come from anyone else, I would have passed, but I’m glad, for
many reasons, that I accepted. On the heels of a particularly stressful week
that involved too many visiting hours in the hospital, I was glad for a mellow
option.

As it turned out, I had a great time. Lannie’s has a delightfully theatrical vibe
of faux decadence that is equally comfortable for night creatures like myself
and for the don’t-get-out-much older folks who make up the bulk of the
audience. The real joy of the show, though, is the gypsy jazz quartet that
backs up Ms. Garrett’s salty, hammy performance.

Inspired by Django Reinhardt
and Stephane Grapelli, guitarist Elliot Reed and violinist Dimitri Fisch lead a
smoking quartet through period-perfect arrangements that retain their vitality
and authenticity, in spite of Garrett’s intentionally campy leadership. By the
end of the show, my definition of “local music” had expanded, and I was
grinning, relaxed and eager to dig out my Django records. Makeout accomplished. — Eryc Eyl