Best Band Name Change 2014 | Wiredogs | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Band Name Change

Wiredogs

The punk band Wiredogs finally found a name to fit its sound, just before releasing last year's The Resistance. Frontman Dan Aid and his crew of mighty punk men finally got it right, as the handles they'd used in the past didn't quite fit. As White Leather, the band could have been mistaken for an '80s outfit like A Flock of Seagulls. The Hate captured the group's ferocity, but casual observers might have taken it for an emo band on a tirade. Wiredogs fits just right.

Best Bathrooms at a Music Venue

Red Rocks Visitor Center

Everyone discusses the "secret bathrooms" at Red Rocks in hushed, reverent tones, but those aren't even the best ones in the venue. That prize goes to the bathrooms in the Visitor Center, at the top of the amphitheatre. They are so luxurious that we frequently hear first-timers in there gushing over how fancy they are. There are private toilets with full walls and real, lockable doors in between, a lounge for families, and TV screens on the floor. Combine those amenities with an attendant who keeps things orderly, and you're left with an experience that more resembles hotel living than the bathroom adventure awaiting you at most concerts. Stay hydrated on the Rocks and experience sweet relief at the prettiest potties in town.

Best Beach Parties

Inkmonstr Pool Party Series

Inkmonstr turned the Exdo Event Center's parking lot at 34th and Larimer into a gigantic beach party with a trio of events last year. The Denver print studio brought in a couple of stages, a sixty-foot slip-and-slide, a dunk tank and a pool, along with booze and live music from Lama Squad, DJ Manos and a slew of others for three of the biggest summer blowouts in recent memory. A who's-who of Denver scenesters showed up, lingering late into the afternoon hours on the makeshift beach.

Best Blues Club

Ziggies

Now in its fiftieth year, Ziggies is Colorado's oldest blues bar. No surprise, then, that it's also Denver's main spot for catching the area's finest local blues talent every night of the week. But Ziggies brings in its share of national touring acts, too, and even some international players. While there's a flat-screen that displays upcoming events and specials, there are no TVs broadcasting anything else, one more clue that it's all about the music here. And like any blues club worth its salt, Ziggies is a great place for musicians to hone their skills: In addition to its legendary blues jam, it hosts three other weekly jam or open-mic nights.

Best Blues Jam

Ziggies

Ziggies has been around for five decades, and it boasts the state's longest-running blues jam. Every Sunday, whether you're looking to hone your chops or just listen to some great local players, Ziggies is your spot. The Blues AllStars and Doc Brown switch off hosting duties every week, getting things started and then opening the stage to other players. Ziggies also hosts an acoustic open mic on Mondays and a Hump Day Jam on Wednesdays, where you'll hear a variety of music, including rock, funk and zydeco. Step right up...

Best Book on Denver Architecture

Guide to Denver Architecture

Architecturally speaking, Mary Voelz Chandler loves every design triumph and structural flaw that makes Denver Denver. She spent years covering art and design for the Rocky Mountain News and used her expertise to compile the Guide to Denver Architecture, which saw a second edition released in 2013. What makes this writer most valuable, though, is not just her experience, but her insight: While she can lament the loss of an architectural marvel like I.M. Pei's hyperbolic paraboloid to demolition, she's hardly stuck in the past, since she also champions such modern builds as the Merchants Row housing development in Curtis Park.

Best Burlesque Night

Cora Vette's RestoMod

Last year, the reigning madam of Denver's burlesque scene premiered Cora Vette's RestoMod at the Voodoo Comedy Playhouse. The Thursday-night extravaganza takes its name from car culture: A "restomod" is a vintage car that's been rebuilt for speed under the hood but maintains its classic appeal everywhere else. And Cora Vette has done just that with this production, which is a stylish meld of classic burlesque with the more modern offerings that have proliferated since the burlesque scene exploded here a few years ago. Attendees are treated to songs from the lusty gal herself (whose alter ego, Reyna Von Vett, held down major roles on Broadway before turning to the darker side of the stage curtain), as well as performances by the VaVaVettes and other special guests. It's the biggest, baddest burlesque night that Cora Vette's ever put together — and that's saying something. Wowza!

Best Choreography

Nick Sugar

Hair is a musical that doesn't have very well-defined dance numbers. Yes, there are big songs and dances, but at the Town Hall Arts Center, the entire production was a swaying, shimmying, surging celebration, with action and music so intertwined that director/choreographer Nick Sugar must have found both his roles merging into one. His fine cast brought Hair into the present while maintaining the ethos of the hippie '60s — easy sex, casual nudity, idealistic ideas and rebellious romances between black and white that were highly unusual in those racially tense years. Sugar's smart, sexy choreography, along with the exuberant musical direction of Donna Kolpan Debreceni, made for a transcendent evening.

Best Club Night

Mile High Soul Club

A monthly club night that's been going strong for close to five years, Mile High Soul Club is the place where Northern Soul and Motown fanatics can share the dance floor with folks just looking to get down to the throwback sound. DJs Dogboy, Tyler Jacobson and Steve Cervantes rotate on the ones and twos, curating sets of well-known favorites by Aretha Franklin and the Five Du-Tones and more obscure tracks by the likes of the Showstoppers and Rita & the Tiaras. The DJ trio has recently started booking live acts under the Mile High Soul Club name, but the focus is still on providing the right sonic atmosphere for busting out the bird, the pony and the watusi.

Best Club Patio

Bar Standard/Milk Bar

The rooftop patio on the building that houses Bar Standard and Milk Bar is rarely open for business. But when it is, it makes for one hell of a party pad. After climbing up the metal staircase to the top of the building, you'll find a tiered space with ample seating and a large shade to protect you from the sun, as well as a sound system that carries music to every corner. But best of all is the view: an unobstructed panorama of the Rocky Mountains that's particularly lovely during the summertime. On warm Sundays, the patio plays host to an array of local DJs, who wind down the weekend with gorgeous music. And the well-stocked rooftop bar almost always has drink specials on offer.

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