On the Inside at EVIL BEAN
Coffee should be black as Hell,
strong as death, and sweet as love.
--Turkish Proverb
Writer's Square is a squeaky-clean, real estate developer's
concept. Uniform sepia brick is stacked to make an office
building surrounded by half a block of condos, where even
token displays of bohemian decay, perhaps an ashtray heaped
with cigarette butts on a patio, is probably restricted by a
covenant. None of this is to say that such a plot of uber-LoDo
has no redeeming characteristics. Affluence will get you some
top-shelf drugs and the last of the legal ones are all here in the
retail space of the Square. There's a primo tobacco shop, Vox
vodka sold at Wine Guys and completing the trinity is the caffeine
to be had at the spanking new Evil Bean.
The Evil Bean co-owners Kris VanDeWalker and Geoff Morris,
who opened their shop August 6, are focused on their drinks.
Coffee-- tasty, potent strains from Java Mountain Roasters,
along with chai and other standard barista fare-- is the order of
the day here. In fact, it's all beverage. If you want food you can
take three steps through the door to your right and get a muffin
or a bagel at Jamaica Juice. The various stores of Writer's
Square play nice together, with cooperative events, like the Evil
Bean's "official" grand opening with a flower shop next door,
planned for September 14
The shop name came after a friend of VanDeWalker's tried to
quit coffee. Inevitably, this teetotaler fell off the wagon. It was
then that she related to VanDeWalker her experience struggling
in the insidious grip of "the evil bean."
VanDeWalker and Morris both are in bands. They plan to host
local musicians on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well as
keep a rotation of Denver talent on the sound system.
"We're trying to keep it Colorado-based and local,"
VanDeWalker said. This creed goes for the music and the coffee.
But not the interior decor, and this is reason for gratitude.
Although all independent coffee outlets taking a stand against
the Starbucks blitzkrieg are deserving of support, many are
made up in a way that could make you question your loyalties.
Just because the lazy assumptions of tourists are that all of
Colorado is a ski lodge with a 10-gallon Stetson, this doesn't
mean the misconception should be backed in fact. Potpourri
satchels, rough-hewn pine paneling and soothing strains of
Yanni do not a self-respecting java den make. At the Evil Bean,
things are off to a sleek and tasteful start: undulating blond wood
counters, an exposed brick wall and a couple hanging paper-board
stars lit from within. You can sit back, watch Qwest management
on the march outside, and you're not ashamed if they
look back at you inside.
So swing by. Good things can happen in LoDo. Evil Bean is
living proof.
--Andrew Wells
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Fashion Clip
Has anyone else noticed a new and strange avant-garde trend tickling the
under belly of our fine city? Is it synth beat? Is it electro retro? Is it
techno pop?
There seems to be a cyber-mod experience that has yet to be named or
defined-- but, just like its requisite accessory of a shinny silver Vespa,
it's popping up everywhere.
Shaggy Robot is a psychedelic "robot rock" event that exposes itself the
first Monday of every month. Brought to you by the kinder at 60 South, the
night is hosted by the mondo bizarro Mr. Pac Man. The indescribable Mr. Pac Man is
like Tekken anime come to life.
"We do have more of a cult following," said DJ Quid, one of Shaggy
Robot's resident DJs. "We feature performance art, visual art, music and dance in a futuristic
setting. We are offering something much different than the run of the mill experience."
"Different" ... that's for sure. In the latest installment (August 10) "Pac
Fashion" featured characters with vinyl tuxedos, Ronald McDonald heads, and lobster
claw hands.
Mixed Drinks boutique stirred up its own tech-mod style August 10 with a
standing-room-only fashion show titled Epoque at Sacre Bleu. DJs
Nutmeg and Chris Irvine provided the vibe while go-go dancers from Moon and Sun
Productions warmed up the runway for Denver's underground crowd of chic.
The runway featured electronic looks from Fred Perry, Ben Sherman, and
Acupuncture Shoes with the hair stylings teased and tossed by Ladies
& Gentz Salon. --Kity Ironton
Local Arts
Looking for the Mattress King (or Queen): Someone planted a bevy of
mattress masterpieces (yes, as in sleeping cushions) in the Capitol Hill
neighborhood.
A weird assortment of appealing, if
rather poofy, canvases were sighted in
alleyways and such in and around 13th
and Grant on August 6. What does it
mean? Is it a companion piece to
Lawrence Argent's nearby Pillow
Talk, a sculptured stack of precariously
balanced marble pillows [at
1985 Pennsylvania]? What's next?
Will the mystery mattress marker
drape a set of cleverly hand painted
bed sheets along Pearl Street?
Tune in next time....
. . .
Maybe there are 102 Vampires: Katy
Charles, until recently director of
Emmanuel Gallery, is looking for a new
home for the 101 Vampires show set for
October. It seems Emmanuel, which previously
served all three schools on the
Auraria campus (Metropolitan State,
University of Colorado at Denver, and
Community College of Denver), was
acquired by UCD and Metro on July 1.
Amidst scholastic/bureaucratic squabbling,
both 101 Vampires and the gallery
director's contract were cancelled. Ms.
Charles assures there is a lot of support
for the show to go on. The enthusiasm for
vampirism has spread even to Colorado
Ballet, which is producing Dracula this
fall. Though she laments, "This would've
been a great show for the campus because
it would've brought so many people,"
Ms. Charles is excited about the new possibilities
for venues and activities. "The
show will now be bigger than before; it's
gained a momentum of its own." Because
of all the changes, deadlines have been
extended to August 24 for visual art and
September 10 for spoken word entries.
Please e-mail katyacharles@yahoo.com
for more information.
. . .
Core is looking for love and the erotic in
art. Enter a piece (or five; there's no
limit) in the gallery's Eros show, juried
by Robin Rule. Each entry is $10. As
usual, if "you can get it through the door,
you can enter it." Do not bring slides. The
gallery is located at 2045 Larimer.
Deadline is August 19, 5 pm, but it's
advisable to bring your work by on the
Friday or Saturday prior. The show will
be up August 24 to September 9. Visit
www. corenewartspace. com or call 303-
297-8428 if you need to know more.
--Kimberly MacArthur Graham
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