“It’s been pandemonious,” says Basil Vendryes, nonchalantly coining a new word as he describes his busy schedule. Since 1993 he’s been the principal violist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra; he performs and records as a soloist; he teaches at such programs as the Lamont School of Music, the Castleman Quartet Program…
Filmmaker Oliver Stone was one of Hollywood’s most controversial directors in the ’90s, tackling stories rife with conspiracy theories and often testing the mores of the American viewing public. Now a new biography about Stone and a new film by him, focusing on Edward Snowden, is bringing Stone back into…
It’s going to be hard to top Super Bowl weekend, but there’s no reason we can’t try. These next couple days have a lot of dancing, a lot of beer and a lot of nerd stuff to make life a good time. Check out our calendar for a full line…
HBO’s Vinyl is the latest in a series of cultural hard-ons for the rough-and-tumble world of pre-Koch NYC: From novels like Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers and Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire to online photo galleries of graffiti-splattered subway trains and can-you-believe-this-juice-bar-used-to-be-a-crack-den slideshows, there’s a hunger for what Manhattan looked,…
The first Zoolander, Ben Stiller’s dopey, fitfully funny fashion spoof, was released less than three weeks after the September 11 attacks. Its sequel shows the extent to which another kind of nefarious plot — the cynical quest for world domination through cross-brand synergy — has proven impossible to eradicate on…
On February 9 hundreds of thousands of Denver fans were lucky enough to see Superbowl MVP Von Miller ride a fire engine much like you might ride a Bronco: legs splayed, a velvety cowboy hat firmly placed on your head. Well, maybe the fuzzy hat wasn’t typical rugged attire. Indeed,…
#98: Taylor Balkissoon Toronto-born and raised in Colorado, Taylor Balkissoon represents the face of Denver’s next generation of artists. Fresh out of art school and finding her place in the community, she splits her practice between fine-art experimentation and curating at Dateline gallery and MCA Denver. What’s up with our…
Valentine’s Day, that date night to end all date nights, is almost here! Finding the right way to spend Valentine’s Day is never easy, but it can be especially hard on us geeks. It’s not that we mean to be snobs, but another viewing of When Harry Met Sally just isn’t…
Five Points is one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, so it makes sense that it has a long and winding history whose high points include the area’s time as the “Harlem of the West,” when it was a must-stop for African-American entertainers — and the only place in Denver where they…
The wonderful solo Joel Swanson: Polysemic is approaching its final weeks at the Museum of Outdoor Arts. Despite the institution’s name, most of the works are actually indoors, but one, a billboard titled “Respectfully,” is sited outside. The billboard is a digital print on which the word “Respectfully” has been…
Podcasts are among the most direct and engaging mediums to emerge from the digital audio revolution. Liberated from the demands of commerce (though sponsorship and advertising space are necessary evils for those who wish to monetize), podcasters forge meaningful relationships with their listeners, fostering a uniquely intimate bond in the…
With election season in full swing, words like “immigration” and “detention” are repeatedly thrown around by candidates and the media; meanwhile, the people at the center of the immigration crisis are hardly ever given a voice. Detention Nation, a new exhibit opening at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 11, at the…
In its first year of operation Black Cube, a nomadic contemporary art museum, brought Denver a giant inflatable monument, live cinema and a sculpture that questioned the city’s aesthetics. As Black Cube gears up for year two with a new class of artist fellows, Cortney Stell, Black Cube executive director and chief…
“I’ve turned into this kind of crazy optimist,” Michael Moore admits in his new documentary Where to Invade Next, his first film in six years. At 61, the gadfly savant has mellowed. Instead of charging into rooms, he shuffles, the American flag wrapped around his shoulders like a grandmother’s shawl…
A guy I grew up with had the superpower to make anything dirty. No matter what you’d say to him, he’d manage to make it about his dick, or about anal sex, or about how girls — so he had heard — smelled like fish. I asked him what he…
Geek is chic. Ever since TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Mythbusters made brainiacs not just endearing and funny, it’s been socially acceptable to be smart. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education has taken center stage, and nerdy is nice. The Denver/Boulder population is one of…
Artists are natural hoarders. To us, everything has potential, everything has possibility. Add to that the word “free” and resistance is futile, I’m afraid. Though I’ve tried to be incredibly conscious about what I take into my life while building the tiny house, the general rule of stuff is that…
#99: Samantha Johnston In her work as a photographer, East Coast emigre Samantha Johnston focuses on fleeting things — the way the light momentarily falls across the wall or a flowered tendril curls along a garden fence. But in her role as the new director of the Colorado Photographic Arts…
Men seeking both premium street wear and street art now have a go-to place to shop in Denver. David Bywater moved here from Kansas just over five years ago, and he opened Station, a retail store and art gallery with a boutique atmosphere, at 2735 Welton Street last April. Bywater and…
The Grawlix have come a long way since ascending from the ignominy of Colfax open mics. Andrew Orvedahl, Ben Roy and former Westword scribe Adam Cayton-Holland may finally be getting a big introduction to national audiences, but Denver’s known what the rest of the country has been missing for nearly…
Three years ago, Michael Moore wrapped up a TV interview about the Sandy Hook massacre and asked the producers to leave him alone. “You guys call me every time there’s a school shooting,” he sighed. He had, after all, made Bowling for Columbine, which blasted the NRA and the nightly…
Dinner by candlelight, roses, chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne — isn’t that all at little passé for the modern lovers’ Valentine’s Day? Fortunately, Denver’s V-Day weekend calendar is packed with sexy celebrations, chocolate-infused tastings, build-your-own bouquet gatherings, parties involving puppies and, to top it all off, a throwback R&B concert featuring…
