Head over to the Fashion Denver HQ for hot times and cool designers in this heat of the summer.
The doors of the HQ open at 5PM-9PM and is the perfect stop on your way to art events and other things. Hang out on the stoop and listen to some music, watch a spontaneous fashion show outside, eat some chow at the new Denver Pizza Company next door, and see the styles from some of the best local designers Denver has to offer.
It’s always a good time, but it gets super crowded over there at the headquarters, so get there early for the fun!!
Filed under Denver Fashion. |
I’ve seen a great deal of hamstring and quad injuries this summer during kickball play. Indeed, I usually end up limping around for a few days post-game due to my knitted up thigh muscles.
Maybe we’re all just too tightly wound, ready to spring forth on powerful legs at any minute.
But maybe we’re just not stretching those big muscles properly. (I’m guessing that’s it.)
This weekend, get your stretch on at Old Town Yoga in Fort Collins as they offer a special “Take a Leap: Hips, Hamstrings, Hanuman” workshop on July 5th from 12PM-2PM.
The yoga studio is located in a beautiful old building directly off the main drag in Ft. C- it’s run by a guy who is bendier than anyone I’ve ever seen, so I suspect he really knows his stuff.
The class will also dip into the mythology of Hanuman, the monkey god of Hindu faith, and will ultimately challenge students to prepare for the hanumanasana- or the dreaded splits.
Get those hips and hams in kicking and dancing shape for the summer, and maybe we won’t all be dragging ourselves off the field or the dance floor after an especially aggressive tango.
It costs $14 for drop-ins, and is free to Old Town member.
Filed under Denver Trades & Skills and Denver Upcoming. |
Holy smokes! This is going to be a busy week, what with the holiday and all sorts of events coming up for First Friday.
If you’re meandering down Broadway to enjoy the festivities this Friday, stop in at the 11th Avenue Gallery to check out the “El Merezer” show featuring two of Denver’s favorite artists.
The show will feature works by John Henry Egan and Maria Gonzalez, two of the creative forces behind the gallery itself.
The opening reception starts at 7PM and runs til 11PM, and there are always snacks to be devoured.
It’s a lovely little gallery space, for those who haven’t seen the 11th Ave spot, with exposed brick and a cozy atmosphere. A nice crowd always turns up, so be there and meet plenty of other artists, creators, and other interesting people as you check out the art.
It’s free, too. Can you beat it? No, not even with a stick.
Filed under Denver Fashion. |
It’s tough being an unknown writer with a script you want the world to see: Thankfully, there are groups like the Modern Muse Theatre who help artists and playwrights bring their dreams alive on the stage.
This weekend, The Muse will be hosting their “The Play’s the Thing” new play festival, which offers a peek at some new works developed by new talent, as well as workshops and seminars on how to really bring a play to life on the stage.
The Festival runs June 25-27.
Head over to their website for more info.
Filed under Denver Trades & Skills and Denver Upcoming. |
It’s that time of the month again!
Another chance for wacky, who-knows-what spontaneous fun tonight!
Head on over to the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer) tonight for SPUN. It promises to be a cavalcade of acts and activities from 9PM-midnight.
This month, music will be provided by Safe Boating is No Accident and Danielle Ate the Sandwich, comedians from Wrist Deep Productions will be providing the laughs, and designers from Fashion Denver’s showroom will be providing the looks. The outdoor patio stage is particularly great, as you can smoke and drink your cheap beer and enjoy the fun in the cool summer air.
It costs just a ‘fin ($5, for those who aren’t up on their jazz lingo) and there’s usually a party to be had afterward.
Filed under Denver Art, Denver Comedy, Denver Fashion, Denver Music and Denver Social. |
I returned this weekend from the hot, murky depths of Houston, TX, and am glad as ever to be back in the cooler, greener arms of Denver. There was nothing resembling wild life out there, save a couple of bugs that I could see: Thank goodness that, here in Denver, we have some nature close (but not too close) at hand!
This week, get a little closer to that nature on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge’s Twilight Photo Tour.
A free event, running from 5-8 PM on Tues, June 25 and will partner photographers with a tour guide, and give visitors a chance to potentially see wildlife, great scenes, and a lovely sunset.
Contact the Arsenal for more information and reservations for the event.
Filed under Denver Photography. |
In an unconscionable misuse of Denver Connects, I’m going to go ahead and say get a house before interest rates start heading back up, and use Scott Harding to do it.
I’ve known Scott since 1994 and he’s a real people’s person: honest, good sense of humor, and he knows Denver like nobody else*.
I bought a home in Seattle years ago, and to me those three things are more important than anything else in an agent. Buying a place is a wacky but fun experience, and you need someone who is straight with you, yet can inject the right amount of experience into your decisions.
*Scott’s lived here for decades. If there’s a neighborhood, he’s been there. If it’s an obscure Denver celebrity, he knows him/her. He was a builder for many years, and a city inspector also(!). He knows code, construction and land. On his site he also writes about neighborhoods and goings-on around Eisenhower Park, Slavins and other south Denver happenings.
Ok, shameless plug over.
Filed under Denver Trades & Skills. |
I’m not one to go to stores that sell primarily children’s clothes: I have no children, and don’t quite know what to do when I’m in their presence (”You’re rather small,” is my usual response to any child that crosses my path.)
But I’m very tempted to head to Rock the Cradle, an edgy children’s clothing store on 18 S. Broadway to check out the latest show in their gallery space, Pocket Full of Posies (A Pleasing Medley of Art Maidens)
Curated by the minds behind Bad Art for Bad People, the show features women artists creating kitschy, youthful works.
The show runs until June 30th, and it’s free to pop in. And if you have humans that are rather small in your family, you might find some fun stuff for them there, too.
Filed under Denver Art and Denver Fashion. |
This Saturday, June 13, a group of local Colorado musicians will be performing at the Toad Tavern in Littleton to raise funds and awareness for the Avon Breast Cancer Foundation.
All proceeds from the $6 admission ($4 if you get tickets early at the Toad Tavern site) will go to the Foundation.
Here’s the lineup:
Almost Legends – 11:20 -12:10 a.m.
Scott Julsen Band – 10:30 -11:10 p.m.
Release – 9:40 -10:20 p.m.
Matt Nasi – 8:50 – 9:30 p.m.
Lauren Brombert – 8:00 – 8:40 p.m.
Filed under Denver Music. |
Monkeys are amazing creatures: They have little grasping hands, some of them have prehensile tails, some of them are swimmers, some of them are drinkers, and many of them often make faces that are startlingly similar to those we see on the humans around us.
At the Arvada Center’s newest exhibition, well-known photographer Jill Greenberg takes a break from her usual portraiture of celebrities and other people and instead takes on some of our closest relatives in the animal world.
Her show featuring portraits of monkeys as well as a series of bears opened last night, June 11, and is a free exhibit for anyone who wants to swing by the Center. She’ll be giving a free artist talk on June 15 at 10 a.m.
Filed under Denver Art. |
This weekend, why not take a spin up to Golden? The air is crisp, you can grab a beer at one of the local breweries or join a family with screaming children on a tour of Coors, and finally hit up the Foothills Art Center for their great new exhibition.
Just opening last night, the exhibit by Charles (Chuck) Parsons features his nature sketching (amazing), his constructed views of the horizon, a series of “booths” in which you can sit and contemplate as soft, distant sounds reverberate gently in your ears, and ring one of his many constructed “bells.”
A Colorado artist (as well as a teacher at Denver’s Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design), Parsons takes on the concept of the horizon, that distant fade-out to which we never quite make it, and personalizes it. Sounds, shapes, and images all interact to create a personal echo of that distant stretch of the future.
Filed under Denver Art. |
It’s that time of year again!
Head out to the Golden Triangle all this weekend to check out the latest and greatest in local Colorado bands, as well as some big name groups making a stop for the annual Westword Music Showcase festival.
Built to Spill are the headliners this year, and Cursive (popular and influential indie rock band) both take the stage, along with Meese.
10 whole stages feature music from here and beyond, and you can spend all day marinating in the sun and catching the latest word in music.
Check out their site today and pick up some super cheap tickets, or get ‘em for a prettier penny on Saturday or Sunday.
Filed under Denver Music. |
Color’n'Light Art Gallery will be hosting their own Sparkle Saturday jewelry artist event this Saturday, June 13th, from 1pm-4pm. CnL features a different local jewelry artists each weekend, with the artist available for meet’n'greet during the event on Saturday. Visit their website at color-n-light.com for directions and more info!
Color’n'Light is a gallery of ‘pure defiance’ in the face of a poor economy, large corporations, and anxious artists. Bringing local artists and the community together makes art available to everyone!
Filed under Denver Fashion. |
This month at Andenken gallery, New York graffiti legend Chris“Daze” Ellis is on display, with urban-themed mixed media works and graffiti paintings on the walls that bleed into paintings.
In the 1970s, Daze began painting subway trains. Recognized in New York with work in the MoMA and Brooklyn Museum, Daze will be showing work at Andenken from June 5-June 27.
If you’re in the neighborhood, swing by Andenken and then stop into Larimer Lounge for a show or a frosty, cheap beer! It’s just a couple blocks away.
Filed under Denver Art. |
With the economy the way it is, we could all use a break… preferably a free one! Fortunately for us, there are a lot of opportunities!
The Denver Art Museum is free on First Saturdays! This interesting (and air conditioned) building is one of Denver’s most interesting attractions and has an impressive collection of art from across the ages and the world. If you have a little extra to spend, you can also get into the current special exhibit (right now it’s the groovy Psychedelic Experience).
Why not enjoy one of the city’s many parks? Locals know the wonderful spaces that are City Park, Cheesman Park, and Congress Park, but almost every neighborhood has their own unique outdoor space, free for public use. Pack your own picnic, bring your wiffle bat, and make it a party! Try Skyline Park in LoDo for an urban change!
Would you like to do a little shopping anyway? How about the Mile High Marketplace, an expansive flea market with food, activities, and of course, shopping! Visit their website to find a coupon for FREE entry any day they’re open (but you’ll have to get up a bit early, be there by 8:30 to use the coupon), Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7am–5pm, year-round.
And of course there’s always the simple pleasure of enjoying the sights and sounds of our city by just walking about any of our many pedestrian malls like the 16th Street Mall, or Belmar in Lakewood. I myself enjoy a stroll down one of our most colorful Colorado streets: Colfax!
Filed under DenCx, Denver Art, Denver Social and Denver Upcoming. |
Wowza! This is shaping up to be a crazy busy weekend in town!
Besides all the good stuff going on tonight (First Friday), this weekend is jam packed with stuff, too!
On Saturday and Sunday, head over to Larimer Street downtown for the annual La Piazza, a festival celebrating Italian chalk art. Artists from all over will be out drawing amazing things right there on the street using only chalk and imagination. It’s really quite amazing to see how quickly these skilled workers (and some volunteers!) can make a beautiful scene appear on what was once dull, gray asphalt.
It’s a free event, an besides the art, here’s some more going on:
-Wine Tour: Try out 18 different wines from around the Italy!. $15 gives you one glass and five tastes. You can also pick it up by the bottle or a single glass.
-Kids’ Corner: For $5, you can have the kids taken care as professionals and volunteers guide them through creating their own works of art. Proceeds go to the Starlight Children’s Foundation and Larimer Arts Association.
-High School Challenge: A dozen Colorado high schools will compete for cash prizes that will go to their respective school’s visual arts departments.
Head out from 7AM-10PM both days of this weekend for some art in the sun.
Filed under Denver Art. |
Admittedly, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the musical Rent. A show about so-called Bohemians and artists struggling to make it in Alphabet City in New York during the upswing of AIDS and gentrification, the characters more-or-less struck me as petty and not as cool as they wanted you to think they were and I had a hard time believing the “junkies” actually had ever seen smack, but hey, lots of people liked it.
The musical will be returning to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts at the Buell Theatre from June 9-14. Original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp will be reprising their roles (although I think they might be getting a little too long in the tooth to play early 20-somethings… Quibble quibble quibble…)
Tickets start at only $20, and since it closed on Broadway, this is a good chance to see a show that became a theatre culture touchstone.
Filed under Denver Upcoming. |
Hey thriftonistas- here’s a sale that’s sure to catch your eye!
This Friday-Sunday, the Denver Gypsy Boys will be holding an estate sale in Lakewood, and there’s a lot of nice stuff there, including modern furniture and power tools, etc.
If you like a deal, check it out! Sunday is half-price day, but get there early to snag the best stuff!
The address is
569 South Alkire St.
Lakewood, CO 80228
(corner of Exposition & Alkire)
Friday-Saturday:
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday June 7th
10:00 am – 2:00pm
Filed under Denver Upcoming. |
This First Friday at the 11th Avenue Gallery (11th Ave. between Lincoln and Broadway) is bound to be a great one.
Featuring work by Sarah Roberts, Nate Michels, Riki Takaoka, and Neal TePaske, the show (featuring drawings of various kinds from these artists) will be opening from 7-11PM this Friday.
I’ve seen Neal’s work, but haven’t had the chance to see the rest yet. Neal’s stuff is hilarious- working at City O’ City, he took to doodling odd little non-sequiturs on cocktail napkins, and now he’s amassed quite a collection of these bizarre, witty, and funny drawings. You can pick up one of your own at the show for only $5. I have a couple, and they’re worth it.
So get on over there this Friday and check out the great show!
Filed under Denver Art. |
It’s the time of the month to get stylin’ again!
And as Summer begins to peek its head in around the rain, it’s time to add some heat to your wardrobe!
This Friday from 5-9PM, Fashion Denver will be opening its doors of its newly remodeled Headquarters for a showroom celebration!
Come check out the latest in local couture and accessories with featured designs by Turbo Lovin’, Chasing Rainbows, Kimono Dragon, E. Streete Designs, Funky Orange, Arcatus Jewelry, Studio Yoshida, Girl with the Curl, L. Train Recycled, and Mukee.
Also showing will be the artwork of Denver artist Joseph Findeiss.
The headquarters was just recently renovated by the Fashion Denver crew, and some new interns will be on hand to meet and greet the stylish set!
Get in on the fun with fashion this Friday!
Filed under Denver Fashion. |
I’m a sucker for anything Andy Warhol, so when I saw the name of this art/fashion/dance event called The Factory was happening on May 30th, I was immediately drawn in. I’m assuming it’s a tribute to the glory day’s of Warhol’s Factory, a creatively explosive place he helmed in the 1970s.
Head over at 9PM to see all the fashion, check out the live art, and dance the night away.
Click the clicky picture for more info.
Filed under Denver Art, Denver Fashion, Denver Music and Denver Social. |
Tonight, web mag Illiterate is hosting Creative Keggers 001 at Cluster Studios (3881 Steele St.) Celebrating the street games played in ol’ New York City, Double Dutch, basketball, hop scotch, and a variety of other games played by kids throughout the ages will be enjoyed. I’m hoping that Kick the Can and Hoop-And-Stick will be there, too, but I think those games are best played in sepia tones whilst wearing knickers and a page boy cap.
While it’s not quite New York, we did enjoy games of Blind Man’s Bluff and Red Rover on the mean streets of Westminster back in the day: Wonder if those old gems will be resurrected tonight, too.
Join in the fun at 8PM, for a cost of only $10. Snacks and cool refreshing beer will be offered.
Filed under Denver Art and Denver Social. |
Ha! Typically when walking around a “Serious Art Museum,” ones sees a lot of nodding heads, furrowed brows, and stern glances. Head to Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art this summer, and you might actually see people smiling or (heavens!) even laughing.
In the Project Gallery, Jim Green (local sound artist perhaps best known for the sounds emanating from the grates just off the Arapahoe and 16th Street Mall, as well as the concourse train sounds at DIA) breaks the stuffiness barrier in the museum by using machines to break wind. A wall of mechanized boxes trigger via motion detector, squeezing a series of whoopee cushions over and over in seemingly random sequence.
It’s awesome.
Seriously, fart sounds in a place like the MCA is just so unexpected and seemingly out-of-place that it’s all you can do not to roar with laughter at some points, especially when you’ve left the exhibit and strolled off, only to hear the distant farts start up again, triggered by another visitor.
In the downstairs New Media Gallery, visual artist Paul Slocum twists a scene familiar to all of us who grew up with ABC’s former Family-Friendly TGIF lineup: Taking the seminal “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do, You’re Not My Father Scene” from Full House, and looped the scene, using different actors to re-enact the drama.
It’s a pretty great commentary on a “classic” TV moment so many of us 20-somethings probably witnessed in our television viewing (what were we thinking back then with these shows?) It’s funny to see how the scene shifts in import and maybe even meaning when all different sorts of pairs act it out.
Head over to the MCA soon- there’s plenty going on, and some good laughs to be had- how often can you say that of a Contemporary Art museum?
Filed under Denver Art. |
It’s Diapers & Dentures tonight for the Denver Cruiser ride. The Cruisers, a pack of friendly, theme-loving bike riders, meet every Wednesday this summer to tour about the city, stopping in for refreshments along their safe and law-abiding path.
Tonight’s meet up starts at the Gin Mill, and the riders will lead the way from there.
So check out their site for more, dust off that diamond back today, do your best Senator David Vitter impersonation and go out and cruise!
Filed under Denver Social and Denver Upcoming. |
Come on over to the Meadowlark Lounge to for a variety cavalcade tonight, with entertainment organized by Denver’s hostess with the mostess, Brandi Shigley of Fashion Denver. There will be comedy, art, music, jokes, drinking, and pretty much everything else you can imagine.
Here’s the line up thus far:
8:00-8:50ish MUSA
8:55-9:00 Brandi intro and sillyness
9:05-9:20 Orange Peel Moses performance #1
9:20-9:50 MUSA
9:50-10 Kevin Brown comedy
10-10:35 B.Sous performs
1035-10:45 Nathan Lund
10:45-10:55 Maggie’s belly dance performance
10:55-11:05 Orange Peel Moses performance #2
11:05-close Musa takes us out in style
The fun starts around 8PM, so get there and get ready to get some spontaneous enjoyment!
It’s only $5, for all that fun.
Filed under Denver Comedy, Denver Fashion, Denver Music, Denver Social and Denver Upcoming. |
Careful with your credit card if you order from Wok To You on Alemeda and Logan. They charged my girlfriend $100 extra on one charge a few months ago. She caught it reading her statement, called them and got it credited back in her next statement.
Then yesterday I’m reading my statement and pow: $46 charge from Wok To You on 4/27 (can you tell we like liked W2Y?). Funny, we never order more than $24 from them at a time… we’re just two people.
So yea, same thing again. It could be management or a rogue deliver driver adding numerals to credit card receipts. I just don’t know.
I called yesterday and explained what happened, not mentioning the past $100 overcharge. Gave my name and phone, then the employee said management would get back to me on Saturday.
Saturday? How about… oh… Today?
So I’m waiting. I haven’t done a credit card company chargeback… yet. I’ll follow up here when I speak to them again.
Filed under Denver Comedy. |
