Although the carnival atmosphere downtown, the sign-wavers handing out fliers, the vendors, the riot police and the closed streets thrilled some Denverites and irritated others, nothing had blown up.

Unless, that is, you were in ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/michelle-malkin-can-t-handle-the-9-11-truth http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/speer-boulevard-corners-the-market-in-views-and-obama-souvenirs The whole world is in my back yard.

From the bluffs right above the confluence of the Platte River and Cherry Creek, the layout of the Democratic National Convention spreads before me — from the Colorado Convention Center to the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field at Mile High, where Bara...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/speer-boulevard-corners-the-market-in-views-and-obama-souvenirs http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/the-dnc-proves-it-denver-loves-black-people The last time I can recall seeing this city even vaguely like it is right now — mired in a whirlwind of excitement over the Democratic National Convention — was in 2005, when we hosted the NBA All-Star Game. Then, as now, Denver was aflame with gawkers and groupies, holier-than-thou p...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/the-dnc-proves-it-denver-loves-black-people http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/don-t-fence-me-in The world may be in my back yard — but it's not easy to join the party.

On Monday, I decided to go green and hike along Speer Boulevard to the Pepsi Center for the start of the Democratic National Convention. Although Speer had already been closed to motorized traffic outside of a f...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/don-t-fence-me-in http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/why-do-mexicans-make-asses-of-their-donkeys Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans paint stripes on their donkeys in Tijuana?

Avenida Revolución Reveler

Dear Gabacho: Same reason we put worms in tequila bottles, celebrate Cinco de Mayo and star in Beverly Hills Chihuahua: to cheat gabachos o...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/why-do-mexicans-make-asses-of-their-donkeys http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/the-colorado-daily-changes-course Colorado Daily reporter Richard Valenty is a self-described "political junkie" who has covered the doings of Boulder's activists and office-holders for years — so he was understandably thrilled when his supervisors managed to land press credentials in his name for the Democrat...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/the-colorado-daily-changes-course http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/letters-to-the-editor "Rise of the Flobots," Adam Cayton-Holland, August 21

Adam Cayton-Holland, what a bunch of shit. First off, great job at being an impartial journalist and ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/news/letters-to-the-editor http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/welcome-to-the-weird-wonderful-world-of-bradford-cox-s-deerhunter "Everyone shits. Honestly. And everyone has fucked up things they hide. I show mine with a sense of humor."

So wrote Bradford Cox in a blog post last year, and his words —particularly that last sentence — hold the key to Deerhunter, the Atlanta noise-rock quintet that he front...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/welcome-to-the-weird-wonderful-world-of-bradford-cox-s-deerhunter http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/the-celebrity-starved-denver-media-is-all-twitterpated-during-the-dnc Good grief, man! Can you believe the amount of star-fucking going on in this town right now? Seriously, it's pathetic. Are we really so celebrity-starved that all it takes is some barely-worth-mentioning B-lister to get us frothing at the mouth?

Actually, I shouldn't say us. I hone...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/the-celebrity-starved-denver-media-is-all-twitterpated-during-the-dnc http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/al-green-is-still-as-soulful-as-ever In 2006, soul legend Al Green met with Roots drummer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson and famed hip-hop and R&B producer James Poyser at New York's Electric Ladyland Studio to talk about collaborating on an album. But instead of talking, they ended up writing eight songs in one night.

"We just w...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/al-green-is-still-as-soulful-as-ever http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/a-look-at-the-worst-jobs-in-rock With Labor Day upon us, we thought we'd pay tribute to America's celebration of the working man by recognizing the worst jobs in rock. There are few gigs shittier than these.

Guns N' Roses management

June saw the release of nine allegedly mastered tracks from Guns N' Roses'...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/a-look-at-the-worst-jobs-in-rock http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/ratatat-s-music-sings-without-singing Vocalists get the prima donna's share of attention in most groups. But according to Evan Mast, who represents half of the Brooklyn-based instrumental duo Ratatat, their presence can put a damper on creativity.

"As a band, Ratatat can get away with doing a whole spectrum of styles," he poi...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/ratatat-s-music-sings-without-singing http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/david-byrne-amp-brian-eno My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, released in 1981 (and recently reissued), was an attempt by David Byrne and Brian Eno to forge new territory via found sounds, samples and assorted Africanisms that foreshadowed a good many musical trends. In contrast, Everything That Happens represent...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/david-byrne-amp-brian-eno http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/the-hold-steady "Me and my friends are like the drums on 'Lust for Life,'" sings Craig Finn, opening Stay Positive with what is almost certainly the perfect rock-and-roll analogy. Not only is it a cool literary device, but it captures the essence of the Hold Steady, marrying classicism with punk ethos and...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/the-hold-steady http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/teamawesome For a band that performs live music with such fun-loving, reckless abandon, teamAWESOME! always seems to put out well-recorded, tightly played albums. At the same time, the act manages to preserve the sense of playfulness and fun that accompanies its shows — and Burnt Siena is no exc...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/teamawesome http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/fianc-eacute Bands with designs on commercial success often remove anything resembling a personality from their work in an attempt to broaden their appeal. So credit Fiancé with coming up with material that's extremely accessible without succumbing to blandness. "Pretty Model Hands," a highlight from t...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/fianc-eacute http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/mini-reviews Peter Bradley Adams, Leavetaking (Sarathan Records). Peter Bradley Adams's second solo effort finds the former Eastmountainsouth frontman surveying familiar downbeat territory while taking an introspective turn, telling stories of people and places dear to him. The result is a rough...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/mini-reviews http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/maraca When he was just sixteen, flautist Orlando "Maraca" Valle joined Irakere, a supergroup founded by Chucho Valdés that has featured some of Cuba's finest musicians over the past three decades. After six years of playing flute and keyboards and arranging for the group, Valle began his solo ca...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/maraca http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/car-bomb This Long Island quartet extracts order from chaos perhaps more than any other band in extreme metal today. With its harsh guitar crunch and heavy drum thunder, Car Bomb sounds like something akin to a bunch of helicopters crashing in succession, complete with explosions and blades spinning all o...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/car-bomb http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/gza During the Wu-Tang Clan's prime, most of the group's members enjoyed successful solo outings. But times have changed since then, mostly for the worse: Ol' Dirty Bastard is dead, Method Man and Raekwon are no longer the draws they once were, and recent discs by the RZA and Inspectah Deck failed to...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/gza http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/global-noize Jam bands playing Boulder are a dime a dozen. But once in a while, a group comes into town whose imaginative compositions are rich enough to burst the bounds of self-indulgent musicianship. Taking worldbeat to its logical conclusion, Global Noize combines elements of jazz, rock and funk in a way ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/global-noize http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/tussle Most electronic music makers fall into one of two broad categories: They're either interested in making art or making people dance. However, San Francisco's Tussle, appearing with Pictureplane and Analog Space DJs, frequently straddles these classifications. "Transparent C," a key track from C...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/tussle http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/iuengliss-at-the-meadowlark Sometimes the most brilliant musical minds come in the most unassuming packages. This is certainly the case with Tom Metz. His project, Iuengliss, is a one-man affair that consists of Metz and his laptop. While this setup might seem boring in the live setting, Metz takes on an intense yet ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/iuengliss-at-the-meadowlark http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/king-britt-at-vinyl King Britt's musical resume is long and varied. He rose to prominence as the DJ for the ultra-cool, jazz-inflected hip-hop act Digable Planets. These days, he's known as a master remixer and startlingly original DJ who can fuse everything from Philly soul to broken beats into silky smooth,...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/king-britt-at-vinyl http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/trumpeter-nate-birkey-returns-to-his-roots-at-nissi-s When I first started getting into jazz almost two decades ago, I listened repeatedly to Chet. It's a gorgeous Chet Baker album comprising mostly ballads, ideal for a late-night seduction. At the same time, I was frequenting a jazz club in Santa Barbara that featured Nate Birkey, a trumpete...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/music/trumpeter-nate-birkey-returns-to-his-roots-at-nissi-s http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/tacos-jalisco-serves-southern-comfort-mexican-style-and-free-chips This is not the first invasion Denver has suffered. There was a sci-fi geek incursion just a couple of weeks ago, that basketball thing a couple of years ago. We've had Baptist conventions and World Series games and a thousand smaller, less publicized wrenches thrown in our collective works. And ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/tacos-jalisco-serves-southern-comfort-mexican-style-and-free-chips http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/mel-s-anti-bistro-is-up-for-sale Democratic National Convention? Okay, that's big news. But believe it or not, there's stuff happening around town that has nothing at all to do with who will become the next president of the United States — stuff of vital interest to those who will still be here in town after all the dust s...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/mel-s-anti-bistro-is-up-for-sale http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/berkshire-bacon-bloody-at-the-berkshire The Berkshire is pretty direct about its love of pork products. The brunch menu includes the quote "I put bacon on my bacon," and a brilliant yet unintelligible line from Elvis written between the men's and women's bathrooms reads, "I like pork chops and country ham, creamed potatoes, stuff like ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/berkshire-bacon-bloody-at-the-berkshire http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/hit-the-deck-at-pour-house-pub I'm playing beer pong against a pirate, and it's not going very well. Aim is an issue, certainly, but trajectory is what's causing me the most trouble: My ping-pong balls are either missing the table altogether or rolling around the rims of the red plastic cups before plummeting off the plank. Ea...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/hit-the-deck-at-pour-house-pub http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/benny-s-from-heaven Tacos Jalisco does a good job of blending the Mexican, New Mexican, Texan and Coloradan styles of Mexican food into one reasonably coherent whole, and even offers authe...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/dining/benny-s-from-heaven http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/film/guy-pearce-don-cheadle-can-t-save-the-ho-hum-thriller-traitor Despite his reputation as that rarest of creatures — a Hollywood intellectual — new evidence suggests that Steve Martin reads...prepare yourself...thrillers and spy novels. Or at least that's the only conclusion one can draw from the "story by" credit the comedian receives on Tr...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/film/guy-pearce-don-cheadle-can-t-save-the-ho-hum-thriller-traitor http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/film/we-jam-econo-the-story-of-the-minutemen-at-starz-filmcenter Until the untimely death of singer/guitarist D. Boon at the end of 1985, the Minutemen were one of the most exciting and creative bands of their era. The documentary We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen — which kicks off a four-part film series called Our Band Could Be You...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/film/we-jam-econo-the-story-of-the-minutemen-at-starz-filmcenter http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/ultimate-rush Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/ultimate-rush http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/flick-pick We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen — which kicks off a four-part film series called Our Band Could Be Your Fi...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/flick-pick http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/going-going-gone Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/going-going-gone http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/leader-of-the-pack The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, I was twelve and on a family visit with friends in New Mexico. The book, an elegant old hardback volume that had belonged to their then-grown son, was on the bookshelf in the room where I stayed, and once I made the error of picking ...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/leader-of-the-pack http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/moon-over-boulder Moondance International Film Festival has returned to its roots. Founded in 2000, the fest moved to Hollywood during its 2006/2007 run — but let’s face it, the Los Angeles area has nothing on Boulder, where fest films will screen at Chautauqua Park (900 Baseline Road) and the Bo...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/moon-over-boulder http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/blogs-and-beers everything he starts, there is nothing more madden...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/blogs-and-beers http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/music-for-the-masses The Americana Music Festival<...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/music-for-the-masses http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/mahalo-mercury Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/mahalo-mercury http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/sweet-taste-of-victory Yes We Can! parties organized by MoveOn.org.

Stop by the Shoppe tonight at 8 p.m. to wa...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/sweet-taste-of-victory http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/drowning-convention Drunkard National Convention, sponsored by Modern Drunkard magazine. The debauchery begins today at 3 Kings Tavern, 60 South Broad...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/drowning-convention http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/two-wheels-on-a-mission Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/two-wheels-on-a-mission http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/craft-on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/craft-on http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/a-day-at-the-park-s Aetna Park to Park 10 Miler is so popular: Its ten-mile course connects four city parks, three of which are known for their miles of runner-friendly, crushed-granite paths. Another reason to love this race is that it provides a Labor Day...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/a-day-at-the-park-s http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/hop-on-the-plains-train Our Journey, a day-long self-guided tour of smal...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/hop-on-the-plains-train http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/alpacas-in Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/alpacas-in http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/sheepish-fun Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials. Forget the ribbons and shampoo
...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/calendar/sheepish-fun http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-eyes-of-babylon-reveal-the-thoughts-of-a-gay-marine-in-iraq At the very beginning of his one-man piece, Jeff Key appears in his underwear, so the first thing you find yourself focusing on is his beautifully toned body, an image to which your mind returns periodically — and pleasurably — throughout the course of this very serious and soul-searc...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-eyes-of-babylon-reveal-the-thoughts-of-a-gay-marine-in-iraq http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/retro-loud-offers-nostalgia-both-cheesy-and-sweet In many years of faithful attendance at Heritage Square Music Hall, I have never seen T.J. Mullin lose control of an audience. Sure, he always gives the jokers in the seats some play, letting them interrupt or yell out a comment or two — but he was having serious trouble the night I attende...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/retro-loud-offers-nostalgia-both-cheesy-and-sweet http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/now-playing Iraq War, the Musical. Unlike so many political satires, Iraq War, the Musical has teeth. It's a sustained and ultimately serious attack on the Bush administration's war and the lies told by Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney in order to launch it. Through skits and songs, writer-creator Pau...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/now-playing http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-denver-art-museum-likes-its-figure The Modern and Contemporary department at the Denver Art Museum gained official status in 1978 when the institution hired Dianne Vanderlip to head it up. During her nearly three decades in the post, Vanderlip facilitated the acquisition of thousands of works for the permanent collection. But betw...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-denver-art-museum-likes-its-figure http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-colorado-springs-fine-arts-center-welcomes-a-new-director Last week, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center concluded its nearly year-long search for a new director by hiring Sam Gappmayer (pictured). The job represents a big promotion for Gappmayer, who is currently the director of the much more modest Sun Valley Center for the Arts, in Idaho. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/the-colorado-springs-fine-arts-center-welcomes-a-new-director http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/now-showing About Us... et al. In the West Gallery at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is About Us..., put together by freelance curator Mark Addison, who brought in two dozen works of conceptual realism by a raft of internationally known artists in addition to pieces from his own collect...]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.westword.com/2008-08-28/culture/now-showing