THE SUPER-DUPER
MUSIC CHALLENGE!
J uly is the busiest time of year
for concertgoers, and the best time to acquaint
yourself with the plethora of musical talent in Denver. Whether you're
new to the city or just haven't been off
your fat ass frequently enough to catch
the action, here is a laundry list of bands
to catch this fortnight. The challenge: get
out every night and support a local musician.
Ready? Set? Go!
Thursday July 5, 2001
You'll need to save ticket money on this
adventure, so let's start off free, shall we?
Laura Newman and Alive On Arrival
(sometimes known as AOA) play the
Civic Center Park Amphitheatre this
evening gratis. In addition to Laura's
smokin' soprano sax, you'll hear keyboards,
vocals, bass, and drums combine
to hit R& B and jazz flavors.
Unfortunately, we ... uh ... misplaced the
information on what time the show will
start. Just go right after work, tour the
grounds, check something out of the
library, harass a state official, and bide
your time until the fun starts.
Friday July 6, 2001
More free music? You got it. You can
catch Kristina Ingham and the Ryan
Tracy Band tonight outside the Denver
Pavilions. Their show is just part of a
summer-long free concert series featuring
all local talent. Ingham is up there with
Wendy Woo, Hazel Miller, Liz Clark and
Nina Storey as one of the region's best
songstresses. Meanwhile, Ryan Tracy
Band is a must-see for any serious fan of
Denver music. The show runs from 5 to 9
pm.
Saturday July 7, 2001
Let's keep this free thing going, shall we?
At today's Cherry Creek Arts Festival,
you've got enough selection to easily
catch five great locals without breaking a
sweat (depending on the weather).
Choose from: Third Degree, Laura
Love Band, Alison Brown Quartet,
Bolaņos Jazz, Natalie Renee Band,
Little Jack Melody, Xiren, Toure
Toure, The Stanleytones, Darryl
Purpose, Exit 232, Cup-A-Joe, Liz
Clark, Wendy Woo, and the Jammy
Man Band. The festival is all over
Cherry Creek North. We'd supply a parking
tip, but the situation seems to change
every year. Good luck!
Sunday July 8, 2001
Here's what you've been saving that ticket
money for: The Van's Warped Tour
(presented by Target ... hee hee hee) hits
the Adams County Fairgrounds tonight
for a whopping $30. That's okay, though,
because there will be a whopping 30
bands on hand, including a local favorite
(if not locally based), the Distillers (who,
last time we checked, still love Go-Go).
Monday July 9, 200
Okay, time to trek up to Boulder, where
you can find Elea Plotkin ripping
through her patented rock-and-roll piano-based
music at Tulagi's. Located at 1129
13th Street in the City That Never
Smokes, Tulagi's keeps every show open
to all ages, and they serve alcohol to 21-
and-over patrons. What a concept!
Tuesday July 10, 2001
Sportsfield Roxxx hosts the Colorado
Underground Music Awards tonight, a
local tournament of musical talent that
has recently made ties with a larger
national syndicate of independent contests
across the country. This is a great
place to see the cream of Denver's crop,
while also grabbing a decent bite to eat
(seriously, don't let the name fool you ...
they serve lobster!).
Wednesday July 11, 2001
Colorado's got quite a thriving a cappella
scene, and at the forefront of that scene is
the remarkable and aptly named 17th
Avenue All-Stars. See doo-wop with a
twist for free (there's that word again)
tonight on the Pearl Street Mall in
Boulder.
Thursday July 12, 2001
Blues come cheap tonight at Brendan's
Pub in LoDo, where Michael
Hornbuckle (a sometime member of
Lewis & Floorwax's Groove Hawgs) can
be enjoyed for only $4. Arrive early for
Brendan's 5 to 9 pm happy hour 1624
Market St.
Friday July 13, 2001
Avoid the crazy hell of tonight's LoDo
Music Festival (don't worry, we'll send
you there tomorrow night) and catch a
free show with Wendy Woo at Rock
Bottom Brewery, a safe five blocks away
from the mob on the 16th Street Mall.
Describing Woo's incredible talent would
take more words than would fit here: preview
her voice yourself at www.wendywoo.com.
Saturday July 14, 2001
Okay, now you can drop your $15 to join
the cattle call around Coors Field to see
the LoDo Music Festival, where such
nationals as the Indigo Girls, Tower of
Power, and Reverend Horton Heat will
play for your pleasure. Don't forget the
locals though: the Josh Joplin Group,
Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men, Los
Mocosos, The Itals ... don't lose sight of
the mission.
Sunday July 15, 2001
Let's get back to the free stuff, shall we?
Trudge through the aftermath of last
night's party to get to The
Soiled Dove, where it's
Locals Launch night, featuring
such newbies on the scene
as Wheelchair Molly, Three
Degrees of Freedom,
Mercury Project, and
Tabularasa.
Monday July 16, 2001
It wouldn't be summer if you
didn't go to Red Rocks at least
once. We've plugged it before
and we'll plug it again: the amazing, fabulous,
beautiful summer movie series
continues tonight, with Nina Storey
opening for the classic From Here To
Eternity for only $5 to $8. That's right,
same price as any other movie, only it's at
Red Rocks, it's opened by Denver's most
celebrated female singer, it's on a huge
screen ... what more do you want?
Tuesday July 17, 2001
As much as we'd like to send you to
Steamboat Springs to see the incredible
Tony Furtado Band, it is a Tuesday, so
take a shorter road trip up to Boulder and
catch Eric Gunnison, another local jazz
star (if not quite as luminous) at Trios on
Canyon and Broadway. You can hear
Gunnison's piano playing for free
(though we recommend you drop some
green for some of Trios' great food and
wine) from 7 to 11 pm.
Wednesday July 18, 2001
You've made it this far ... might as well
end on a bang. Check out the Alchemysts
at the 15th Street Tavern tonight, with
Aytobach and The Cuts. 15th Street is
the prime purveyor of cheap punk-n-metal
in the city, and no concert binge
would be complete without cramming
through its door at 623 15th St. If you've
played along with us this issue, you've
now seen more than 70 bands in two
weeks for less than $80. Congratulations!
Chris J. Magyar
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