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Best local jazzbo

Hugh Ragin

Esteemed trumpeter and local luminary Hugh Ragin is arguably the area's most accomplished jazz performer, if not its most active. The Fort Collins-based educator is a traditionalist, equally at home fast-boppin' as he is dabbling with neo-swing, rendering a soulful ballad, or flat-out improvising. Combining a freethinker's multi-layered sensibility with simple monster chops, Ragin has spanned collaborating with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra to composing electronic pieces for Pauline Oliveros's Deep Listening Band. A recent tribute to Philly horn-blower Lee Morgan plus the exquisite release of An Afternoon in Harlem made 1999 a memorable year for the ever-widening support of Raginomics.

Best local-music site

www.denver-rocks.com

Many solid locally oriented music sites have popped up over the past few years, but denver-rocks.com remains the URL of choice for the sheer volume of information contained in its many pages. Most impressive is its directory of other sites: Separated by genre, the listings lead to the personal home pages of most local bands worth their salt in megabytes. A calendar of live music events, CD reviews and audio samples, links to e-zines, and music-oriented publications help this site rock as much as the music it promotes.

Best local-music site

www.denver-rocks.com

Many solid locally oriented music sites have popped up over the past few years, but denver-rocks.com remains the URL of choice for the sheer volume of information contained in its many pages. Most impressive is its directory of other sites: Separated by genre, the listings lead to the personal home pages of most local bands worth their salt in megabytes. A calendar of live music events, CD reviews and audio samples, links to e-zines, and music-oriented publications help this site rock as much as the music it promotes.

Best online ranting about local music (and everything else)

The Hooligan www.thehooligan.com

When John Reidy migrated to Ireland earlier this year, it seemed that the end was in store for his caustic publication and companion Web site. Fortunately, Reidy's recently been spotted roaming the dark corners and dusty taverns of D-town, and The Hooligan is once again fooling about, at least as a digital entity. That's good news for those who enjoy Reidy's pummeling of sacred topical cows; the site contains writing on everything from local bands, commercial radio, advertising, movies, television, print media and society at large (recent offerings include the essay "Americans Are Fucking Nuts!"). Reidy's return is bad news, perhaps, for those who find themselves on the receiving end of his hypertext assaults and others who simply fear the f-word. But fuck that. This is one hooligan we're happy to welcome back to town.

Best online ranting about local music (and everything else)

The Hooligan www.thehooligan.com

When John Reidy migrated to Ireland earlier this year, it seemed that the end was in store for his caustic publication and companion Web site. Fortunately, Reidy's recently been spotted roaming the dark corners and dusty taverns of D-town, and The Hooligan is once again fooling about, at least as a digital entity. That's good news for those who enjoy Reidy's pummeling of sacred topical cows; the site contains writing on everything from local bands, commercial radio, advertising, movies, television, print media and society at large (recent offerings include the essay "Americans Are Fucking Nuts!"). Reidy's return is bad news, perhaps, for those who find themselves on the receiving end of his hypertext assaults and others who simply fear the f-word. But fuck that. This is one hooligan we're happy to welcome back to town.

Best li'l independent slice of cybernet pie

www.joesgrille.com

Self-supporting artists from around the globe have a friend in Wendy Rubin of joesgrille.com. Along with Christina Minicucci and Dave Corey, Rubin is the force behind a distribution network that specializes in quieting the hungry tummies of indie-music lovin' folks, all the way from the North Pole to Tierra del Fuego. Jointly based out of Boulder and Austin, Texas, the Internet retail outlet helps aspiring musicians as diverse as Q-Bert and Dorkweed build a customized fan base and promo kit for that ever-searching Argus known as the A&R rep. Rubin and company can also whip up a tasty blue-plate special -- just the thing to grease your virtual gums.

Best li'l independent slice of cybernet pie

www.joesgrille.com

Self-supporting artists from around the globe have a friend in Wendy Rubin of joesgrille.com. Along with Christina Minicucci and Dave Corey, Rubin is the force behind a distribution network that specializes in quieting the hungry tummies of indie-music lovin' folks, all the way from the North Pole to Tierra del Fuego. Jointly based out of Boulder and Austin, Texas, the Internet retail outlet helps aspiring musicians as diverse as Q-Bert and Dorkweed build a customized fan base and promo kit for that ever-searching Argus known as the A&R rep. Rubin and company can also whip up a tasty blue-plate special -- just the thing to grease your virtual gums.

Best local-music how-to

Making a Living in Your Local Music Market: How to Survive and Prosper by Dick Weissman

Dick Weissman, a longtime professor at the University of Colorado-Denver who was part of the Journeymen, a '60s-era folk outfit that included future Mamas and Papas leader John Phillips, clearly speaks from experience in his latest book, issued by the Hal Leonard Publishing Company and available online at Amazon.com. In this update of a book first published in 1989, he demonstrates why Denver remains on the outskirts of the national music business (by contrasting it with Seattle) even as he shows how a performer with modest expectations can forge an admirable career in a place just like this. As evidenced by his latest CD, Pioneer Nights (a collaboration with violinist Gary Keiski), Weissman has done just that.

Best local-music how-to

Making a Living in Your Local Music Market: How to Survive and Prosper by Dick Weissman

Dick Weissman, a longtime professor at the University of Colorado-Denver who was part of the Journeymen, a '60s-era folk outfit that included future Mamas and Papas leader John Phillips, clearly speaks from experience in his latest book, issued by the Hal Leonard Publishing Company and available online at Amazon.com. In this update of a book first published in 1989, he demonstrates why Denver remains on the outskirts of the national music business (by contrasting it with Seattle) even as he shows how a performer with modest expectations can forge an admirable career in a place just like this. As evidenced by his latest CD, Pioneer Nights (a collaboration with violinist Gary Keiski), Weissman has done just that.

Best arts festival

Salida ArtWalk

When you've got that hankering to go river rafting, chances are that Salida, one of the state's prime meccas for rapids-runners, will be your destination. But the picturesque mountain town has a lot more passing through it than the Arkansas River: With some forty little shops, restaurants and galleries lining its streets, it's also home to a fair amount of culture. And the art you'll see there won't all be the kind you expect from a mountain burg. Salida's burgeoning resident artist community turns out works that vary from fine modern art to one-of-a-kind wearables, all showcased year-round, but especially every June during ArtWalk. Face it: In-town fests are crowded, hot, and hell on your feet, but in Salida, you'll get a real vacation along with your art.

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