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The ten best stoner metal bands

No other musical genre (aside from reggae) has a stronger connection to the cannabis lifestyle than heavy metal, hence the term 'stoner metal.' But of course, this term describes a subgenre that can encompass different types of metal music and mean different things to different folks; whether you're into that...
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Picture Perfect

Western art sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to the inclusion and illustration of contemporary themes. But the 2014 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale has been doing just that for more than two decades, with a show focusing on art depicting modern life in rural areas. While...
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Andy Thomas on Hell is in New Jersey, Etgar Keret and Shel Silverstein

Reading is about more than following a narrative or learning facts; it can also be a profound shared experience that culminates in a better understanding of ourselves and each other. In that spirit, welcome to the Westword Book Club, a bi-weekly feature celebrating the books that inspire Denver artists.
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Three ways to stay safer on the slopes this season

For all their popularity, skiing and snowboarding can be risky sports, a point driven home by the death of skier and Vail scion Tony Seibert in an avalanche last week. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, four people have been caught in slides so far this season, with two,...
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For Comida Cantina, the truck stops here

In 2010, as food trucks were taking off in Colorado, Rayme Rossello decided to throw her hat in the ring -- or her truck in the lot, or her key in the ignition, or whatever expression you like best. The venture made sense, given that the country was in the...
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Heat is on for drivers under the influence — whether of alcohol or pot

Before the ball drops tonight, the cops could get a drop on you: Once again, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol have teamed up with 76 law-enforcement agencies throughout Colorado to increase DUI enforcement through Thursday, January 2. During last year's New Year's Eve enforcement period,...
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Symphony of Tastes combines music and beer tonight

An wholly likable alliance has formed between the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra and Blue Moon Brewing Company, and the result will be tonight's Symphony of Tastes, an evening of classical music and brews. See also:Ten Denver restaurants that use beer in their savory dishes...
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The nine best concerts in Denver this weekend

Hoo, boy, it's SnowBall weekend, here in Denver for the first time in the festival's young history. The dance-heavy lineup features reliable names like Pretty Lights and Griz as well as some curveballs, like Earl Sweatshirt and Warpaint. There's more: In the Whale will spend two nights celebrating its new...
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Guess where I’m eating a plate of Parmesan-dusted bread sticks?

"Is this your first time here?" asked the enthusiastic server who's a definite asset to this pizza place. As a matter of fact, it was my first time here, and apparently that admission results in a complimentary heap of Parmesan-dusted, butter-brushed bread sticks, most of which accompanied me home, not...
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The 8 best concerts in Denver from March 24 to March 27

Novelty had its moment in hip-hop; vision had its moment; abstraction had its moment. But thanks in no small part to Top Dawg Entertainment and its star, Kendrick Lamar, good old fashioned high-quality rapping is once again the standard of the day. And now, K.Dot's longtime running mate Schoolboy Q...
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Angel Olsen talks about her imperfect new recording

Though Angel Olsen's music is often dubbed folk or indie rock, it is too diverse to fit neatly into such broad categories. Whatever it's filed under, her music, especially her latest album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness, is informed by a delicacy of feeling that allows her to channel...
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Catching up with Colorado’s Clemency Six

President Barack Obama recently commuted the sentences of eight federal prisoners serving absurdly long sentences for crack cocaine convictions, noting that such harsh punishments couldn't be imposed under current sentencing schemes. But Colorado's recent governors have been reluctant to exercise their own clemency powers, even when doing so could save...
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MCA Denver selects finalists for Twelve & a Half Days of Xmas LIVE!

The results are in, and Denver Museum of Contemporary Art's Twelve and a Half Days of Xmas Live! has selected 12 performers who will rock the museum's modernist atrium throughout the holiday season. Each act earns a $50 honorarium as they compete for the winning prize of $500 and With acts ranging from the holiday inspired burlesque of Gigi D'Lovely to the self-explanatory Crazy Gorilla Drummer, the 12 days of Christmas promise to be filled with all sorts of appealing weirdness from the curated best of Denver's diverse arts scene. Westword spoke to MCA Director of Programming Sarah Kate Baie to hear about the finalists and the selection process.
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Chad Donnelly’s SnowBall Music Festival is on a roll

Sports Authority Field at Mile High is often filled with fans who provide unfaltering support for their home team, who come out in droves and weather malicious snowstorms, biting wind and blinding sun to be a part of something special. With the silhouette of the Rocky Mountains to the west...
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Kevin McDonald on sketch-writing and the new Kids in the Hall tour

Kevin McDonald is an actor, improviser, and comedian best known for his work with Canada's Kids in the Hall sketch comedy troupe. McDonald will be at Denver's Voodoo Comedy Playhouse all weekend, which kicks off at 9:00pm on Friday, May 2nd with a special edition of The Couch, Denver's only improvised therapy session. McDonald is also scheduled to perform on his own Improvised sketch show at 8:00pm on Saturday, May 3rd.Tickets for both shows cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The 2 day sketch-writing workshop runs from 10:00am-5:00pm on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th. The fee is $300. Westword caught up with McDonald in advance of his trip to Denver to discuss bad sketch writing, getting into standup, and the new Kids in the Hall tour.
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Gulp! Author Mary Roach’s trip down the alimentary canal

Whether writing about cadavers, sex or the digestive system, Mary Roach probes the annals of history and science for the funniest anecdotes and most moving characters she can dig up. She assembles these tales into biological travelogues that tour readers through those parts of their bodies that everybody shares and...