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Best karaoke host

Mel Apodaca

Mel Apodaca, a former investigator for the Denver Coroner's Office by day and a self-proclaimed "karaoke slut" by night, was captivated by the musical phenomenon as soon as a friend introduced him it. As Apodaca felt pulled by the powerful lure of karaoke, he noticed deficiencies in the business: Hosts took their jobs lightly and lacked enthusiasm and sympathy for karaoke virgins, so Apodaca decided to change all that. Seven years ago he took over the Karaoke Showplace business (303-839-1355), a hosting gig that takes him to the city's karaoke hotspots. Now working mostly at Ogden Street South and Charlie Brown's, the metro-area karaoke guru distinguishes himself from other hosts by taking an interest in the singers and encouraging first-timers. Apodaca sets the mood by singing the first tune himself, possibly a number by Elvis or Sinatra; he's also quick to defend the daring singers from audience hecklers. Denver karaoke fans, meet your mentor.

Best karaoke host

Mel Apodaca

Mel Apodaca, a former investigator for the Denver Coroner's Office by day and a self-proclaimed "karaoke slut" by night, was captivated by the musical phenomenon as soon as a friend introduced him it. As Apodaca felt pulled by the powerful lure of karaoke, he noticed deficiencies in the business: Hosts took their jobs lightly and lacked enthusiasm and sympathy for karaoke virgins, so Apodaca decided to change all that. Seven years ago he took over the Karaoke Showplace business (303-839-1355), a hosting gig that takes him to the city's karaoke hotspots. Now working mostly at Ogden Street South and Charlie Brown's, the metro-area karaoke guru distinguishes himself from other hosts by taking an interest in the singers and encouraging first-timers. Apodaca sets the mood by singing the first tune himself, possibly a number by Elvis or Sinatra; he's also quick to defend the daring singers from audience hecklers. Denver karaoke fans, meet your mentor.

Best dance caller

Chris Kermiet

One thing about dance calling: You can't claim that people never listen to you. Chris Kermiet knows the down-home business better than most, and it's no wonder, considering his pedigree: His mother was a member of the singing Ritchie Family, and his father was a dance-caller before him, so you could almost say he was born with the old-time music and square steps in his bones. After more than thirty years of calling at traditional community dances throughout the region -- most often under the auspices of the Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance -- Kermiet received a Colorado Council on the Arts Folk Arts fellowship award this year, deserved recognition for a guy who knows where to put your best foot forward.

Best dance caller

Chris Kermiet

One thing about dance calling: You can't claim that people never listen to you. Chris Kermiet knows the down-home business better than most, and it's no wonder, considering his pedigree: His mother was a member of the singing Ritchie Family, and his father was a dance-caller before him, so you could almost say he was born with the old-time music and square steps in his bones. After more than thirty years of calling at traditional community dances throughout the region -- most often under the auspices of the Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance -- Kermiet received a Colorado Council on the Arts Folk Arts fellowship award this year, deserved recognition for a guy who knows where to put your best foot forward.

Best place to fiddle around

Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp at YMCA Camp Shady Brook in Deckers

The Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, which debuted last year and was a rousing success, is back this year with added vigor, not to mention an all-star faculty headed up by Scottish fiddle whiz Iain Fraser. But this year's weeklong fête in the mountains will be far more than a bunch of fiddlers fiddling around; expanded to include numerous other instruments, such as harp, piano, mandolin and guitar, the camp is mostly about making good music, and there's plenty of time for that. The music's nonstop, from the time you get up for classes to the time you go to bed, worn out by an evening of jamming and dancing. When the music stops, it's to make room for hiking or fishing or some old-fashioned campfire storytelling. This is non-violins at its best.

Best place to fiddle around

Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp at YMCA Camp Shady Brook in Deckers

The Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, which debuted last year and was a rousing success, is back this year with added vigor, not to mention an all-star faculty headed up by Scottish fiddle whiz Iain Fraser. But this year's weeklong fête in the mountains will be far more than a bunch of fiddlers fiddling around; expanded to include numerous other instruments, such as harp, piano, mandolin and guitar, the camp is mostly about making good music, and there's plenty of time for that. The music's nonstop, from the time you get up for classes to the time you go to bed, worn out by an evening of jamming and dancing. When the music stops, it's to make room for hiking or fishing or some old-fashioned campfire storytelling. This is non-violins at its best.

Best of the best

Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame

Last fall, the Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame, a Denver Center for the Performing Arts affiliate formed to honor Coloradans of repute in the arts, announced a list of six inaugural inductees that read a little like a who's who of American popular culture: Included were theater maven Helen Bonfils, playwright Mary Chase, swashbuckling hero Douglas Fairbanks, brilliant acting team Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine and the King of Swing, Glenn Miller, all bright lights who passed over the American horizon. Gratuitous back-patting at the expense of great folks who for the most part became famous somewhere else? Maybe. But you just can't keep a proud parent from applauding its own. Bravo.

Best of the best

Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame

Last fall, the Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame, a Denver Center for the Performing Arts affiliate formed to honor Coloradans of repute in the arts, announced a list of six inaugural inductees that read a little like a who's who of American popular culture: Included were theater maven Helen Bonfils, playwright Mary Chase, swashbuckling hero Douglas Fairbanks, brilliant acting team Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine and the King of Swing, Glenn Miller, all bright lights who passed over the American horizon. Gratuitous back-patting at the expense of great folks who for the most part became famous somewhere else? Maybe. But you just can't keep a proud parent from applauding its own. Bravo.

Best ticket deals

Hot Tickets

What if a city decided to upgrade its arts and culture venues and no one remembered to come? The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District devised a great way to entice the public into trying out places by offering the kind of package deal one simply can't refuse: Hot Tickets, which include a discounted ticket to a selected event at one of SCFD's myriad beneficiaries along with an added deal -- a special reception, meal, free drink or other perk -- each month. Upcoming Hot Ticket events this summer include a Central City performance of Candide, a night of virtuoso string music with 3 Jammin' Gents at Boulder's Chautauqua Auditorium, A Night Under the Stars at the Colorado Music Festival (also at Chautauqua) and an outdoor concert by the Amazing Rhythm Aces at the Arvada Center. Isn't it time you had a night out, on the town?

Best ticket deals

Hot Tickets

What if a city decided to upgrade its arts and culture venues and no one remembered to come? The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District devised a great way to entice the public into trying out places by offering the kind of package deal one simply can't refuse: Hot Tickets, which include a discounted ticket to a selected event at one of SCFD's myriad beneficiaries along with an added deal -- a special reception, meal, free drink or other perk -- each month. Upcoming Hot Ticket events this summer include a Central City performance of Candide, a night of virtuoso string music with 3 Jammin' Gents at Boulder's Chautauqua Auditorium, A Night Under the Stars at the Colorado Music Festival (also at Chautauqua) and an outdoor concert by the Amazing Rhythm Aces at the Arvada Center. Isn't it time you had a night out, on the town?

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