Boulder Weekly 03.07.2024

Me, myself and you

BMoCA invites artists and audiences on an inward journey P. 12

BATTLE OF THE SAUCES P. 27

Law

Liquor

Live

Live

Live

Local

Local

Lyons

Margarita

Martial Arts

Massage

Mattress

Mediterranean

Mexican

Movie Theater

Moving

Museum

Music

Music

Music

Nail

Natural

Nonprofit

Open

Pizza

06

08

12

27

11

15

16

20

Credit: Chloe Anderson

OPINION

DEI AND LOCAL DEMS

Rare challenge to incumbent women of color reeks of racism

BY PETE SALAS

The cloud of privileged hypocrisy has once again settled over the bastion of progressive Democratic Boulder County.

I saw with much dismay that two incumbent women of color are being challenged in their respective races. Both House District 10 incumbent

Representative Junie Joseph and incumbent County Commissioner Marta Loachamin are being challenged by fellow Democrats. I must ask: Why is it happening now?

Both Joseph and Loachamin are not only incumbents but also accomplished women of color who have served with passion, determination and effectiveness for issues that the Boulder and county communities have long said they favor. These women have worked hard to overcome the obstacles inherent in a Eurocentric county political culture. These hardworking, extremely competent women deserve better than this.

There was a time when Democrats supported their incumbents. There was an unwritten rule that unless there were compelling reasons, party unity was more important. Of course, this

MARCH 7, 2024

Volume 31, Number 29

COVER: Artwork by Sherry Wiggins and Luís Filipe Branco at BMoCA.

Credit: Robert Kittila

PUBLISHER: Francis Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Shay Castle

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Jezy J. Gray

REPORTERS: Kaylee Harter, Will Matuska

FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff

INTERN: Lauren Hill

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Dan Savage, Bart Schaneman, Toni Tresca, Gregory Wakeman, Chloe Anderson, Lisa Marshall, Pete Salas

SALES AND MARKETING

MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER:

Kellie Robinson

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE:

Matthew Fischer

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:

Chris Allred, Holden Hauke

SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER: Carter Ferryman

MRS. BOULDER WEEKLY: Mari Nevar

PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Mark Goodman

CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn

CIRCULATION TEAM:

Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer

BUSINESS OFFICE

BOOKKEEPER/ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE:

Austen Lopp

FOUNDER / CEO: Stewart Sallo

was not the case in 2006 when party power brokers worked to remove County Clerk Linda Miyamoto-Salas (my ex-wife) from office. They blamed her for the length of time it took to get the ballots counted in the 2004 election: three days.

During Hillary Hall’s (Linda’s successor) first presidential election in 2008, it took three days to finalize the count, and no one said a word — complete silence from the party and the Dem chair at the time. There was no challenger to Hall in the next election cycle.

I can’t think of any previous election since I moved here in 1985 that an incumbent Democrat was challenged for a county-level seat. All the incumbents were white.

Editor’s note: In a review of election records from 2010 to 2022, Boulder Weekly identified two instances in

As Boulder County’s only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holdsbarred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county’s most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you’re interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper. 690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO 80305 Phone: 303.494.5511, FAX: 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com

Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. ©2024 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@boulderweekly.com). Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

which local Democratic incumbents were challenged: Sitting coroner Emma Hall in 2014 and District Attorney Michael Dougherty in 2018; Dougherty had been appointed to the post early that same year.

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t run for office simply because the seat is occupied by an incumbent. People should follow their conscience.

My assumption is that when someone decides to challenge a same-party incumbent, they have strong evidence that the incumbent has not done a good job or is guilty of some type of malfeasance. I’m not sure what the motivation is here. I have seen no signs of any public outrage over the personal or professional actions of Commissioner Loachamin or Representative Joseph. I can only speculate based on my experiences as a person of color.

I assume the challengers feel that they can do better and simply can’t wait for term limits to kick in. Needing

a job, big egos or a thirst for power can act as motivators. Or is the motivation deeper than legislative or policy differences?

Could it simply be that Loachamin and Joseph are strong, independent women of color? Is this another case of some privileged Boulder County Democrats putting party loyalty, popularity and personal relationships before espoused social equity and real inclusion?

Why is it that Democrats who tout their desire for diversity and inclusiveness continue, in so many instances, to place their friends and personal relationships above their alleged desire to have competent and qualified diverse representation?

Many of the Eurocentric county Democratic power brokers and their followers, in my opinion, have a history of talking out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to issues of diverse representation. Diversity, equity

We must also realize that privileged groups never give up their privileges voluntarily.”

— MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

and inclusion is great except when… you get the picture.

What is the message being sent to young leaders of color? Does anyone really think that what is happening here won’t have repercussions for the party’s future? Let’s be real: Young people of color will see what is happening here and question the notion that diversity and inclusion is a priority for local Democrats.

I can hear my detractors now. I can hear them giving reasons why this is not the case here — not in progressive

and enlightened Democratic Boulder County. They will probably point to the couple of current local elected POC lawmakers and argue that this is what democracy is all about and nothing more.

Good luck convincing communities of color that this is the case. And good luck to the local party’s efforts to recruit volunteers and candidates of color.

For me, Dr. King’s words on privilege still ring true, especially here in Boulder County. For what it’s worth, I and other people of color are taking names and collecting receipts.

Pete Salas served as vice-chair for the Boulder County Democratic party in 2000 and worked for 25+ years on the staff of the Boulder County Commissioners. He is a former BVSD school board member and lifelong Chicano community activist and advocate. Salas has lived in Lafayette since 1985.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Meet some of the women changing the face of the Front Range

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHLOE ANDERSON

Sometimes it’s easy to pin down the exact moment a woman changes the world.

Rock climbing changed forever when Lynn Hill became the first person to free climb The Nose on El Capitan.

Aretha Franklin, “The Queen of Soul,” was twice named the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone. Marie Curie made history as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 — and she made history again when she won another in 1911.

Despite countless examples where women’s achievements were acknowledged and rewarded, there are just as many — if not more — that weren’t. Mary Kenner, who invented sanitary napkins as we know them today, never saw a dime because the company she was working with rejected her patent when they found out she was Black. Apple never directly paid Susan Bennett for voicing Siri. Francis Crick

and James Watson won Nobel Prizes after they took credit for Rosalind Franklin’s discovery of DNA.

Women’s accomplishments are far too often undermined, dismissed or forgotten entirely. But every March, we’re reminded of the incredible ladies who shaped the world we live in.

For Women’s History Month 2024, Boulder Weekly rounded up a handful of the powerful women altering the course of history right here on the Front Range. Some of them are making space for marginalized communities in a sport historically dominated by white men. One spent the last 45 years as a cornerstone of Boulder County’s media landscape. A few are hitting the pavement and providing the unhoused with life-saving provisions. Many extraordinary women aren’t in this article simply because there are only so many pages in one issue.

This month, shine a spotlight on the women in your life. Ask them how

they’re feeling. Thank them for all they do. Buy them flowers, or chocolate, or — what every woman truly wants — a backcountry touring setup and a day in the mountains followed by a massive burrito and margarita from Illegal Pete’s.

‘We shouldn’t be fighting for a space to belong.’ – SHARA ZAIA

Almost four months after Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit

Mount Everest, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In 2003, South African climber Sibusiso Vilane made history as the first Black person to stand on the highest point in the world — 40 years after King’s speech and Whittaker’s ascent.

Today, the lack of diversity in climbing is still glaringly obvious, with only 1.5% and 4.7% of USA Climbing members identifying as Black and mixed race, respectively. This discrepancy is what led Shara Zaia and Menesha Mannapperuma to co-found Cruxing in Color, a Denver-based nonprofit “connecting, supporting and empowering self-identified climbers of color.”

“Anyone who has found climbing knows the emotional and physical benefits it offers, and everyone deserves those benefits,” Zaia says. “It’s more difficult for some folks to walk into those spaces when they’ve been made to feel smaller, overlooked or silenced. The ideal climbing community watches out for one another and is truly a cohesive community where we’re all on the same team. We should all want to see each other succeed, which means we have to let go of ego and realize that we deserve to be in the space as much as anyone else.”

Zaia is a first-generation AssyrianAmerican climber with a background in education. In addition to her work with Cruxing in Color, she’s a sponsored

Ronda Haskins, pictured at her Broomfield home, worked for the Daily Camera for 45 years. She retired Dec. 31, 2023.

Cruxing in Color co-founder Shara Zaia, center, welcomes climbers to a gym meetup at Movement RiNo on Feb. 23, 2024.

climber and a programs manager at the American Alpine Club, where she oversees Climb United programming and events. She and Mannapperuma keep Cruxing in Color running seamlessly by dividing responsibilities.

“Shara and I share a common goal and understanding of what we want Cruxing in Color to be,” says Mannapperuma, a product manager by trade and longtime boulderer. “We try to communicate early and often so that we’re on the same page about decisions we make about the organization.”

Although both women have full-time jobs and personal goals within climbing, Zaia says they continue to learn from each other and balance each other out.

“This work is so important because we have to be intentional about combating the way things have been in regard to whose voices are heard and whose voices are valued,” Zaia says. “We have to be proactive in making sure we’re creating space for folks who might not be at the table. That’s how change happens, and that’s how we’re going to find a more loving and cohesive society where trauma is healed.”

‘We used to be homeless. Now we fuckin’ help people.’

– JENNIFER LIVOVICH

“Where do you sleep at night?” Angel Thorpe asked a young man.

“Under a bridge,” he replied. Thorpe waved him over to a table stocked with sleeping bags and winter coats, helping him find a pair of boots and a warm jacket.

Sunlight struggled to poke through a blanket of thick gray clouds on Feb. 9. The sky was spitting snow as members of Streetscape — the nonprofit Jennifer Livovich launched in June of 2023 — handed out bowls of chili, blankets, winter coats and snow pants. Livovich oversaw the event at St. Andrew church, firmly but lovingly making sure everyone got what they needed and then went on their way.

Livovich is a fiery redhead with “a big heart,” according to her friend and coworker Thorpe. “She really cares, and she has no problem yelling at people — which definitely makes me happy,” Thorpe says.

Originally from Indiana, Livovich

landed in Boulder in 2012 after fleeing an abusive marriage. She was homeless for five years before enrolling in the Fort Lyon recovery program in southern Colorado and eventually graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in human services. From there, she started Save a Toe, distributing warm socks to people living on the streets. The initiative eventually morphed into her first nonprofit Feet Forward, which she left shortly before forming Streetscape.

“I have a whole lifetime of experience in bouncing back,” Livovich says. “I’m

“Ronda was very warm and personable,” says Quentin Young, who worked with Haskins at the Daily Camera from 2015-2020. “She brought a great combination of warmth and professionalism.” When asked to describe Haskins in one word, Young immediately says, “smart.”

“I always knew that my job was going to include a lot of reading and writing,” Haskins says. She started out working on her high school newspaper in Oberlin, Kansas. After graduating from Fort Hays State University with a degree in communications, she spent two years with the McCook Gazette in Nebraska before moving to Denver.

She joined the Camera as an assistant to the Sunday magazine editor in September 1978. On Dec. 31, 2023, she rushed the papers to the printing press one last time. The woman who guided the paper through local tragedies, regional events and national disasters retired.

“My daughter was in middle school when JonBenét [Ramsey] was killed, and some of that stuff you carry around for a while,” Haskins says. “It just kind of hurts your heart. I assume that it’s kind of like what emergency room doctors do: You have to do triage, you have to separate it out and decide what’s important. Then you just have to start working down the list of the stuff that has to be done. Maybe you cry on your way home from work … maybe you don’t go to bed for four hours while you pace and work some of it out. Some of it’s hard to live with, but that’s where you grow as a journalist and as a person.”

not going anywhere. This is my life purpose, and if I have anything to do with it, there will be many more Jen Livoviches in the city of Boulder.”

‘Something I did is going to help somebody who’s reading about it.’ – RONDA HASKINS Moon-shaped earrings engraved with the words “I love you to the moon and back” hang from Ronda Haskins’ ears. Surrounded by photos of her grinning family members, we sit at the kitchen table and talk about the former editor’s 45-year-long career.

Now that she’s retired, Haskins spends her days reading, keeping an eye on the headlines and “watching the news and tearing it apart.”

“If you ask most people who have worked with me, one of the first things they would say would be, ‘She’s pretty cynical and she’s got a smart mouth,’” Haskins says with a chuckle.

She hopes longtime Daily Camera and Times-Call readers will continue to pick up the paper.

“Just keep reading,” she says “Somebody in the community is still writing for you.”

Jennifer Livovich, who uses her lived experience with homelessness to help others, has a “big heart,” says Angel Thorpe, pictured with Livovich sorting boxes of donated boots at a February event.

BY KAYLEE HARTER

STUDY: SOIL NOT TOXIC AFTER MARSHALL FIRE

Toxic metals in Marshall Fire burn areas didn’t reach dangerous levels, according to a CU Boulder study published in Environmental Science & Technology

“A lot of toxic materials were burned during the fire,” Noah Fierer, who worked on the research, said in a Feb. 29 press release. “So people were justifiably worried that the soil in their backyards might be contaminated.”

Researchers found higher concentrations of copper, zinc, lead and chromium on burned properties, but the concentrations were “well below the estimated thresholds of concern determined by the EPA,” according to the release.

DAY CENTER PLAN RESUBMITTED

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless didn’t make any major changes to its management plan, resubmitted to the City on Feb. 29, to allow day services at its North Boulder facility. The resubmission comes about a month after a neighborhood meeting in which housed residents expressed concerns relating to safety and loitering around the shelter.

While the original plan stated that shelter capacity would be increased from 160 to 180 beds, the new plan says that capacity will only reach 180 if and when the shelter receives funding for additional staff.

The unhoused community members staying at the shelter will also have to

sign a “conditions of stay contract” agreeing not to loiter, camp or leave trash in the surrounding neighborhood.

The shelter will offer free transportation to discourage loitering and camping, BSH spokesperson Andy Schultheiss said in an email. In repeated cases, the shelter can deny services for a period of time as a consequence, he said.

The re-revised plan also adds a stipulation for the shelter to call the police in response to physical violence on the property.

City spokesperson Lyndsy MorseCassillas previously said the City reviews plans on a two-week track. If the City approves the plan, Schultheiss says the shelter expects to provide day services within weeks of that approval.

Read more about plans for day services at boulderweekly.com/news/ under-one-roof.

IN OTHER NEWS…

• Colorado had the third-highest prison population increase in the country (behind Montana and Mississippi) between 2021 and 2022, according to a recent U.S. Department of Justice report. Despite the 8.2% rise, Colorado’s total prison population was among the lowest in the country in 2022 at 17,168 people incarcerated, Axios reports.

• Boulder’s food tax rebate applications opened March 1 and will close June 30. Rebates will be $104 for individuals and $318 for families. Learn more or check your eligibility at bitly/49AsoAk.

What your local officials are up to

BOULDER CITY COUNCIL

On March 14, council will:

• Appoint residents to City boards and commissions that oversee everything from liquor licenses to the use of open space. Eightyeight people applied for 30 open seats, according to City documents.

• Prepare for its annual retreat, where priorities and work plan items are determined for the next two years. The retreat will be held virtually April 3 and 4.

BOULDER COUNTY

On March 12, the Parks & Open Space Department will:

• Host a 6:30 p.m. panel discussion on weed management, including the use of herbicides and pesticides. Public testimony will be taken. More information: boco.org/WeedMgmt Panel.

— Shay Castle

LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL

On March 5, council was:

• Briefed on House Bill 24-1313, legislation addressing housing affordability and the lack of transit ridership through state-regulated zoning requiring increased density in areas surrounding bus transit stations and corridors. Non-compliance will result in the loss of highway funding for municipalities. Learn more at bit.ly/hb-1313.

— Karen Norback

ME, MYSELF AND YOU

BMoCA group show invites artists and audiences on an inward journey

BY LAUREN HILL

There is an unspoken hierarchy in most art galleries: The viewer is subordinate to the artist, who commands the space. However, upon entering the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art’s (BMoCA) spring

exhibition, the first thing you see isn’t work from one of its seven featured artists. Instead, it’s your own blurred reflection staring back at you beneath the exhibition’s title, Performing Self The clever entry immediately abol-

ishes this antiquated perception, placing the viewer on the same plane as the artists. As you explore the ways in which these artists express their performances of self, you can’t help but reflect on your own.

“It’s an invitation for the audience to participate,” says Jane Burke, BMoCA’s curator. “This is my way of having people recognize that we all perform a version of ourselves — many versions of selves.”

The ongoing group show is an exploration into seven artists’ reflections on their projections of identity. Stretching across six installations, the exhibition features a balanced mix of mediums, including painting, sculpture, video and photography.

Among these diverse works is a collection of photographs by Sherry Wiggins and Luís Filipe Branco. It features nine images of Wiggins portraying either Cleopatra or the Egyptian goddess Isis, who signifies love and fertility.

This work on display represents only a fragment of a much larger ongoing series called The Heroines Project, started by Boulder-based artist Wiggins and Portuguese photographer Branco in 2021. In it, Wiggins researches various female historical, mythical and literary characters like the biblical Eve, Aphrodite and Helen of Troy, then embodies them to be photographed by Branco.

Artist Sherry Wiggins sits among works from her self-portrait series with Portuguese photographer Luís Filipe Branco, on display in Performing Self at BMoCA through April 28. Credit: Robert Kittila

BMoCA’s ongoing Performing Self exhibition is an exploration into seven artists’ reflections on their projections of identity. Credit: Laura Shill

“I go into a kind of very introspective state with these women where I sort of empathize and channel them and see how they’ve been represented in these often misogynist ways,” Wiggins says. “It’s really a delving into women throughout history. That’s my inspiration.”

Much of Wiggins’ work is predominantly shot in Branco’s home country of Portugal. They’ve been working as creative partners since 2015, and Wiggins describes the spirit of collaboration between them as kismet. One of the photo series at BMoCA presents Wiggins as Cleopatra wielding a snake and staring at the lens head-on in anguish against a brilliant blue sky, and Branco brought it to life with the perfect shot.

“I was leaning over this concrete wall and Luis was down on the ground lying flat. I was hanging over this concrete wall and I hurt my rib, and he caught that,” Wiggins says. “That action just seems perfect because Cleopatra has gone through so much agony in her representations.”

‘THIS EXPANSIVE LENS’

Though Wiggins’ and Branco’s partnership produced a compelling body of work, most of the exhibition was produced by solo artists. One of them is Noa Fodrie, a current MFA student at CU Boulder. To create her paintings, she follows a precise set of rules, starting with a dance — alone, usually nude. This part is only for her. (“You’re not that lucky,” she says.) The process is meant to help her fully occupy her body. Then, she lays different still photos of this dance on top of each other and paints what she sees. The result is an arrangement of warm, neutral colors in a composition that is abstract yet illustrative of the flowing movement of her body.

VISUAL ART

personify every facet. In her art, she is an entire being.

For Fodrie, this ritual is an act of reclaiming her identity. As a biracial woman, she says she often feels forced to choose parts of herself without being allowed to fully

“I think for a long time, I lost my ability to be present for the sake of perseverance,” Fodrie says. “But now I get to exist fully in myself — feeling safe in my body, while dealing with all the lovely, lovely bullshit that comes out of [other people’s] mouths, without sacrificing myself in the process.”

And as if sorting through all the various performances of self in our daily lives isn’t difficult enough, social media and technology has added an entirely new dimension. A reflective “selfie wall” at the start of the exhibition invites audiences to perform, with the museum itself as a backdrop.

This is exactly what Burke aims to examine in collaboration with curator and educator Sharifa Lafon in a March 14 panel discussion titled Simulated Selves. The talk, led by Lafon and researchers from CU Boulder, will weigh the implications of performance in the digital age.

“It will bring in just another dynamic of artists who are working with and looking at the ways in which technology overlays the performance itself,” Lafon

says. “Within the context of online spaces, or through communications on the internet, that just kind of adds an additional dialogue to those who are doing it in their daily lives.”

Overall, Burke hopes the exhibition and talk will bring a new introspective lens to the precariousness of the ever-evolving daily performances that make us who we are.

“I think it’s really playful. I hope that visitors go away thinking more about themselves in a way that’s more gentle or more exploratory,” Burke says. “It’s supposed to be really celebratory, and not in a way that’s judgmental. To me, it’s really important to have this expansive lens about all of us. We’re all capable of this. And I hope it is empowering.”

ON VIEW: Simulated

Selves: Panel Discussion. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th St. $15

Yellow Terror BBQ

Gourmet NFT Sauce… by Eriko Tsogo, 2023. Courtesy: BMoCA

Above: Transitionary Period (detail) by Noa Fodrie, 2018, acrylic on canvas. Left: Portrait of a Simple Man by Tobias Fike, 2023, video still. Images courtesy: BMoCA

Still available for parties (detail) by Laura Shill, 2023. Courtesy: BMoCA

THEATER

CURTAIN CALLS

Four local theater productions to catch or skip

BY TONI TRESCA

For our latest foray into the local theater scene, we travel to Arvada, Denver, Lafayette and Johnstown to review a quartet of productions ranging from classic musicals to world-premiere plays. Here’s a quick dive into what makes each of these offerings stand out — or fall flat.

TAP-HAPPY ROMANCE

In Johnstown, Crazy for You at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is a toetapping tribute to the timeless genius of George and Ira Gershwin. Directed by Steve Wilson and choreographed by Shawna Hallinan, this production is a testament to the enduring power of musical theater. The seventeen-person local cast delivers performances brimming with energy, perfectly capturing the zany spirit of this romantic comedy. Centered around young New York banker Bobby Child’s comedic endeavors to win the heart of Polly Baker and save a rundown theater, the play is a delightful rollercoaster of mistaken identities and musical extravaganzas.

The chemistry between Sara Kowalski as Polly and Matthew Dailey as Bobby is palpable, grounding the show’s larger-than-life antics in genuine emotional stakes. Dailey, in particular, shines brightly, showcasing remarkable stamina as he dances and

sings his way through the demanding role. The production’s highlight, a hilarious mirror scene featuring Dailey and Patric Case as the comical Bela Zangler, exemplifies Wilson’s sharp direction and the cast’s comedic timing. Richard Shore’s musical direction deserves special mention; his adaptation of the Gershwin brothers’ classic score for a much smaller ensemble retains all the original’s richness. Crazy for You is a must-see for fans of classic musical theater.

ON STAGE: Crazy For

You. Through April 7, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown. $45-$83

RUSSIAN RHAPSODY

The regional premiere of Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 at the Arvada Center is a daring, immersive journey that blurs the lines between audience and performer. Under Lynne Collins’ direction, this electro-pop opera brings to life a scandalous 70-page slice of Tolstoy’s War and Peace with an energy that is both innovative and irreverent. The fourth wall dissolves the moment audience members step into the lobby, trans-

formed into a Russian dinner club complete with cabaret tables, inviting them into the world of the play. This approach creates a shared experience that is both intimate and expansive. The cast, led by Bella Hathorne as Natasha and Brett Ambler as Pierre, delivers powerful performances that capture the emotional turbulence of their characters’ lives. The actors’ dual roles as musicians enrich the show’s texture, creating a live soundscape that complements the innovative staging. Brian Mallgrave’s scenic design is a marvel, utilizing every inch of the space to involve the audience in the story’s opulent, tumultuous world. Despite its somewhat complex narrative, the Arvada Center’s commitment to an immersive experience and standout performances make this boundarypushing production worth your time.

ON STAGE: Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812. Through March 31, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard. $47-$83

BETTY’S BATTLEFIELD

Rubicon presents the riveting true story of a society woman turned spy. Based on the true story of Elizabeth “Betty” Pack, the world-premiere play by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company delves into the complexities of a woman who wielded her intellect and charm as weapons in the shadowy world of international espionage. Directed by Chris Coleman, Rubicon is a captivating exploration of personal sacrifice and the quest for identity against the backdrop of global conflict. Carolyn Holding delivers a layered performance as Betty that captures the protagonist’s determination and vulnerability, anchoring the narrative’s emotional core.

The design elements, particularly Meghan Anderson Doyle’s sleek costumes, effectively differentiate the myriad characters brought to life by the versatile five-person cast. Tony Cisek’s

scenic design feels like a game of Whack-A-Mole as beds and tables rise and fall into the stage, complementing Coleman’s fast-paced direction and keeping the audience engaged throughout Betty’s journey. Although its disjointed narrative structure may leave audiences wanting more coherence, Rubicon offers an engaging portrayal of a woman who shaped history from the shadows.

ON STAGE: Rubicon.

Through March 17, Kilstrom Theatre, Denver Center Performing Arts Complex, 1400 Curtis St., Denver. $42-$88

A LITTLE OFF THE TOP

In Lafayette, the Arts HUB presents a community production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd that balances the macabre with the melodious. Tracy Warren, known for her work with BDT Stage, directs this tale of revenge, madness and meat pies. Jeremiah Martinez as Sweeney and Amy Sheff as Mrs. Lovett lead the charge with onstage chemistry that is both unsettling and captivating, propelling the story forward with a sense of impending doom.

The creative use of Nathan Dow’s ambitious two-story set plunges the audience into the world of Fleet Street. However, the set’s complexity results in slower scenic transitions, frequently performed by crew visible to the audience, which detracts from the show’s pace. Music director Brandon Warren’s direction of the company’s vocal performances is a standout feature, with harmonies and solo numbers resonating with the emotional stakes of the plot. While the production’s ambition occasionally outstrips its execution, the cast’s raw energy encapsulates Sondheim’s work.

ON STAGE: Sweeney

Todd. Through March 10, Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. $18-28

Carolyn Holding, Geoffrey Kent and Aaron Blakely in Rubicon Credit: Jamie Kraus Photography

SCREEN

SPACE IS THE PLACE

Colorado-raised filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite explores our shared humanity in the stars on ‘I.S.S.’

BY GREGORY WAKEMAN

When renowned documentarian and filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite was initially approached about directing the scithriller I.S.S., she didn’t know anything about the International Space Station. But that’s exactly what attracted her to Nick Shamir’s script.

“I’m so curious about entering a new world, researching it and developing a story around it,” Cowperthwaite says. “That’s one of the most exciting things about being a filmmaker.”

Premiering at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, I.S.S. stars Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr. and more as American and Russian astronauts on the jointly operated spacecraft. When Russia bombs the U.S. with nuclear weapons, astronauts aboard the I.S.S. are told by their nations to take control by any means possible — leaving the characters unsure of who they can actually trust.

Cowperthwaite went into the project with certain philosophical and existential themes in mind, but world affairs would radically change the film’s context during the editing process when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“We had to have a very real conversation about whether we could release the movie as people are really being killed,” she says. “Ultimately, the film is about people being made to bear the brunt of big, horrible decisions from

their nations, and that still holds true for me. But coming from the world of documentary, and telling real stories about real people, we had to talk about it.”

FROM FRONT RANGE TO FINAL FRONTIER

Cowperthwaite first came to prominence after directing her 2013 documentary Blackfish, which told the story of a captive orca named Tilikum that killed three people at SeaWorld. The popular film drew the consequences of keeping such animals captive into stark relief.

“I was fascinated by orcas, thought that marine parks were insane, and couldn’t understand why people would want to swim with apex predators,” Cowperthwaite says. The film made such a huge impact that SeaWorld

later announced an end to orca performances in the parks. “I never thought in my wildest dreams that Blackfish would strike a nerve.”

Cowperthwaite was raised in Denver, with family roots stretching back to the 19th century. Her mother is Brazilian, but her father’s side of the family were “original homesteaders’’ in Colorado from the 1860s.

“The bulk of my father’s side of the family stayed there,” says the filmmaker, who credits a keen sense of storytelling in part to her Centennial State upbringing. “I think there was a simplicity to how I grew up: being out in nature, gathered around the campfire and telling ghost stories, taking walks at night in the dark and imagining the worst. I got an excitement from all that.”

‘A HUMAN STORY’

After the success of Blackfish, Cowperthwaite decided to move into narrative films, starting with 2017’s Megan Leavey, starring Kate Mara. She followed this two years later with Our Friend, which brought together Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck. With I.S.S., Cowperthwaite combines her character-driven approach from these biopic films with a dystopian sci-fi scenario, all unfolding in a claustrophobic yet pristine setting.

She knew this dive into the sci-fi genre would be intimidating, but that

was a big part of the appeal for the Colorado-raised artist.

“The idea of making a film with 1000 VFX shots and the fear and adrenaline of imagining how you’re going to make people fly in zero gravity for 32 days [excited me],” she says. “A lot of times, for me, filmmaking is the excitement of being in a new territory and new world and wondering if I’m going to be able to make it work.”

Rather than drawing inspiration from classic space flicks like Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gravity, Cowperthwaite says she was actually more influenced by the horror films The Thing and The Omen. She says she wanted to make I.S.S. feel as insidious as possible. But against a backdrop of real-life suffering and international conflict, the filmmaker hopes her latest work can help cut through divisions of geography and political boundaries to illustrate our shared connections.

“[It’s] a human story about the tension between what you’re required to do in life versus who you know yourself to be,” she says. “Because that’s what can get in the way of finding the humanity in one another.”

ON SCREEN: I.S.S. is streaming now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play.

Filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite was raised in Denver. Courtesy: Bleecker Street

Ariana DeBose as Dr. Kira Foster in I.S.S.

Courtesy: Bleecker Street

STILLNESS IS A MOVE

Meet ‘Jeanne Dielman,’ the greatest film of all time

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

She makes the bed. She peels and boils the potatoes. She prepares the coffee and drinks milk. She cleans the small apartment she shares with her son. She takes a bath and services a john. Then she goes to bed, wakes up and does it all over again.

So it goes for three days in the life of Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig), a middle-aged single mother who lives at 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. It’s fitting that writer-director Chantal Akerman used both name and address for her title, because the more specific, the more universal. Could that be why critics voted Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles the greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound’s once-a-decade poll?

Akerman’s film — playing CU’s International Film Series on March 10 as part of the Women Making Movies celebration — is as specific as they come. She and cinematographer Babette Mangolte watch with patience and unwavering interest as Dielman performs her chores. The camera remains stationary, and the average shot length is about a minute (standard Hollywood shot lengths are mere seconds, sometimes less).

Akerman and Mangolte are inviting us to observe and consider. What thoughts run through this woman’s mind as she prepares the potatoes? As she sits at the kitchen table? As she washes the dishes? It’s possible that you might settle on an answer within the first 10 or 20 seconds of a shot — cinema has taught us to be fast processors. What, then, do you think about for the next 40 or 50 seconds as the camera stares unblinkingly at Dielman? Do you revise your initial thought? Expand on it? Notice something else in the

frame, like those dishes on the drying rack in the back? Or do you think about something else entirely? Your own life? Maybe even what you’re going to make for dinner that evening?

I can’t help but think of my mother and grandmother while watching Jeanne Dielman — particularly the endless but necessary tedium of preparing, making and cleaning. The face of Dielman as she sits at her table is Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” in a picture. But then I think of my own life, pulling dishes out of the cabinets for a meal, making the meal, cleaning up afterward, putting the dishes back in the cabinet and then returning a few hours later to do it all over again. How much of my life is spent in this cycle? How often have I sat at my table and stared off into the middle distance, wondering: “Is that all there is?”

I’m burying a pretty big lead here. And not just the whole “greatest film of all time” moniker but the moment when something does happen in Jeanne Dielman that shatters the monotony of preparing, making and cleaning; something that upsets the potatoes and pushes Dielman to an action well beyond the everyday.

Akerman was 24 when she made Jeanne Dielman, a stunning fact con-

sidering the control and focus she brings to the film. Her age invites comparison to Orson Welles, who was 25 when he made Citizen Kane. Both films are interested in subjects older than their creators, and both films are notable for such accurate observations about those subjects.

Yet another thing, a really big thing, connects the two: greatness. Every decade, the British magazine Sight & Sound invites critics to cast ballots for the 10 greatest films of all time. From 1962 to 2002, the answer was the same. Citizen Kane. A canon was formed, not just around Kane but the other titles that comprised the top 10 — each poll more or less indistinguishable from the next. Then, suddenly, there was a change. And when the results were announced in 2022, the top spot belonged to Jeanne Dielman

How did Akerman’s film, which tied for 35th place in the 2012 poll with Metropolis, Psycho and Sátántangó, jump to number one? The answers are numerous, but the obvious one revolves around the gender reckoning many critics have had in the past 10 years. The canon is overwhelmingly male — and white and straight and all sorts of other things — and there has been a growing interest of late in

women who make movies. That probably made Jeanne Dielman, the highest charting film from a female filmmaker in the 2012 poll, a focus of sorts. Now couple that with Akerman’s suicide in 2015. Let’s face it: If you’re an artist, they don’t love you until you’re dead. Jeanne Dielman is a masterpiece. It’s over three hours long and contains scant amounts of dialogue and minimal action. Your mind will drift a lot, but where it drifts is half the experience. So many movies you see will tell you everything you need to know, and with such volume that you’ll have little time to consider anything else. I love those movies, too, but I also love that Jeanne Dielman allows space for all those thoughts to zip in and out. It’s quite an experience — especially when you get to that ending.

ON SCREEN: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. 2 p.m. Sunday, March 10, International Film Series, CU Boulder - Muenzinger Auditorium, 1905 Colorado Ave. $9 | Full schedule: internationalfilmseries.com

Delphine Seyrig in Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Courtesy: Janus Films

STRANGER THINGS

Co-authors behind reality-bending novel talk collaboration and camaraderie

BY BART SCHANEMAN

One of the central questions in contemporary literature and art is: “Who can speak for whom?” Can a straight Black man write from the perspective of a queer white woman? Or vice-versa?

One way to tackle this ethical conundrum is by working as a team, which is what Denver writer Steven Dunn and Texas co-author Katie Jean Shinkle have done with their new book Tannery Bay, out now from the University of Alabama Press.

The reality-bending novel centers on a community trapped in a time loop, held hostage by ruthless elders who exploit its residents. It’s also about Black and queer joy, family, friendship and the power of art and love. Drawing from a deep well of influences ranging from Anita Baker to the Fast & Furious franchise, Tannery Bay blends elements of speculative fiction and magic realism

with the fundamentals of storytelling.

Dunn and Shinkle collaborated as an exercise in writing from other people’s perspectives while speaking from their own worldview.

“Katie Jean is writing Black characters, and I’m writing queer characters, even though that’s not our lived experiences,” Dunn says. “We’re able to do it because we write with each other. We feel like we’re doing it in an ethical way that’s respectful of another person’s culture and identity.”

‘AN OVERLAP OF VOICES’

Writing is often thought of as a lonely pursuit, with the solitary author toiling to complete a manuscript. But Dunn and Shinkle prove it doesn’t have to be that way.

The pair met at the University of Denver while pursuing degrees in creative writing — Shinkle was working on her Ph.D. as Dunn earned his

bachelor’s. Reading one another’s work, they noticed similarities in style. In 2020, they decided to start working on a book together, with the goal of having a first draft done by the end of the year.

“For years, we had been supporting each other’s work, reviewing each other’s books and writing blurbs,”

Dunn says. “[We were] having all these conversations about collaboration and frustrations with being represented in certain ways.”

That’s why they decided to blend their styles, worldviews and voices. Pulling off that blending is the real tightrope act. Having two accomplished writers work on a manuscript might seem prone to uneven and stylistically disparate prose, but that’s not the case here. It would take a detective-level reader to suss out who wrote what.

“I know my voice is distinct one way and Katie Jean’s is distinct in one way, so we wanted to keep both those aspects of our writing voices while blending the two,” Dunn says. “We found that having a third-person narrator would be the best way to do

that. So we can have an overlap of our voices.”

SUMMERTIME SADNESS

Tannery Bay is structured as an “eternal time loop.” Its characters are trapped in a July with 37 days, and the year is never given. Putting their characters in this constraining narrative device was a way to represent feeling stuck while creating a sense of the uncanny.

“One of our goals with the book was to try to take strange to extremes,” Shinkle says. “That’s just another way of taking this artifice to a strange place.”

Both Shinkle and Dunn confess to hating the month of July. Shinkle lives in a part of Texas where the heat index can hit 115 in the brutal summer months. “It sucks,” Shinkle says.

The summer heat may be less intense here on the Front Range, but Dunn is similarly not a fan. So it only made sense for the novel’s peculiar purgatory to be set during the scorching season.

“I get really depressed in summer,” he says. “I’m a winter person. My least favorite month to live in is July. Every year.”

The authors’ mutual disdain for a certain stretch of the calendar isn’t the only building block of their camaraderie. For any writers out there thinking about co-authoring a novel, Dunn advises making sure the friendship is strong beforehand. To that end, the two writers struck a deal before starting the manuscript that would become Tannery Bay

“We made an agreement that if this process threatens our friendship, we will stop doing it,” Dunn says. “We were able to get through a lot of conflicts, a lot of sticky areas — and celebrate thoroughly with each other too — because we kept our friendship first.”

Steven Dunn (left) and Katie Jean Shinkle will read from their new novel Tannery Bay on March 9 at Boulder Book Store. Courtesy: Katie Jean Shinkle

Tannery Bay tells the story of a community trapped in a time loop, held hostage by ruthless elders who exploit its residents. Courtesy: University of Alabama Press

EVENTS

7

BOCO FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $25-$45

Step into the striking world of Latvianborn American abstract painter Mark Rothko during this “mesmerizing flamenco dance spectacle” featuring movement by José Maya and Grammy-winning guitarist Rycardo Moreno.

8 –10

BOULDER BALLET: MINDFIELD

Fri. March 8-Sun. March 10, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. $20-$55

Explore the intersection of movement and wellness with a contemporary dance performance inspired by physiological and neuroscience-based research. This winter production from Boulder Ballet features work by choreographers Andrea Schermoly, Brandon Ragland and Ben NeedhamWood.

8

FRIDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT SERIES

2:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, Longmont Museum - Stewart Auditorium, 400 Quail Road. $12

Head to the Longmont Museum for a special performance by The Colorado Piano Trio, the University of North Colorado-based ensemble featuring American violinist Jubal Fulks, Polish pianist Adam Żukiewicz and Slovenian cellist Gal Faganelan.

8

LEFTAPALOOZA TRYOUTS: METAL NIGHT

7-11 p.m. Friday, March 8, Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. $10

Hail Satan! It’s metal night in the Leftapalooza Tryout Series, and the folks at Left Hand Brewing are turning it up to 11 with tribute bands Cryptic Writings (Megadeth) and Diaballica (Metallica). Come support your favorite act and see who will make it to the official Leftapalooza 2024 lineup on June 15.

9

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WORKSHOP

10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 9, The New Local, 741 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Join Boulder’s all-women arts nonprofit for a day of making gel, botanical and block prints, seed paper, watercolors and terracotta jars during this International Women’s Day celebration on Pearl Street. When you’re done, shop the diverse work of 80 women artists and makers in the main gallery.

9

SECONDHAND CHIC

10 a.m.-noon. Saturday, March 9, Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $35

Want to enjoy first-rate fashion while supporting a good cause? Head to the Secondhand Chic Fashion Show benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at Muse Performance Space in Lafayette. 100% of funds support the cause at this event featuring music, snacks, door prizes and more.

9 LYONS WINTER WONDERLAND CONCERT

1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 9, Bohn Park, 199 2nd Ave., Lyons. Free

Springtime might be right around the corner, but you’ll get a major dose of winter wonder at this outdoor celebration in Lyons featuring ice skating, hot chocolate and live music by Joe Kuckla and Irons in the Fire.

10

PERSONAL SAFETY AND SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP

3-5 p.m. Sunday, March 10, Boulder Karate, 1672 30th St. $95

Observe Women’s History Month with a self-defense workshop appropriate for all skill levels. This ass-kicking afternoon presented by Battle Woman will teach participants about a variety of dangerous scenarios and the many ways to defend yourself against common attacks.

10

SPRING AWAKENING SOUND BATH

3-4 p.m. Sunday, March 10, Front Range Judo, 2862 Bluff St., Boulder. $25

Celebrate the season of growth with an intentional sound bath for “releasing winter restorative energy and inviting in the awakening energy of spring.” Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for a guided meditation followed by a 45-minute sound bath at Front Range Judo in Boulder.

12

SINGLE AND DIVORCED MOMS GROUP

5-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, Boulder Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oreg Ave. Free

Connection and camaraderie go handin-hand at this Boulder JCC gathering designed to “help support each other by sharing their challenges and successes around trying to find a balance between work, life, single motherhood and raising children.”

EVENTS

14

‘MY BEAUTIFUL BLACK HAIR’

3:30-6 p.m. Thursday, March 14, CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St. Free

Join author St. Clair Detrick-Jules for a discussion surrounding her book, My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood. The 4 p.m. talk will be preceded by a special tour of the ongoing exhibition, We CU: A Visual Celebration of Black Womanhood, Presence and Connectedness

14 –17

SUNSHINE MOUNTAIN BLUEGRASS RETREAT

2 p.m. Thurs., March 14-Sun. March 17, Sunshine Mountain Lodge, 18078 State Highway 7, Lyons. $375 (meals included)

Need to touch grass? Join the Lyons Jam and KC Groves for a long weekend of pickin’ and grinnin’. This music retreat at Sunshine Mountain Cabins features performances, workshops and — of course — lots of jamming. Reservations and lodging info can be found at bit.ly/SunshineBluegrass.

LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

CHUCK SITERO AND DYLAN KOBER 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

JOSLYN AND THE SWEET COMPRESSION 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Boulder. $15

AARON FELDMAN TRIO 7 p.m. The Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Road, Boulder. Free

DOMINICK ANTONELLI 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

JOCELYN MEDINA 6:30 p.m. Boulder Wine Bar, 2035 Broadway. Free

CLAYTON DEXTER’S COUNTRY BACKWASH WITH BODY AND RYAN WONG BAND. 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $15

BRISCOE WITH NATHANIEL RILEY. 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $16

LANY WITH HAZLETT AND CONOR BURNS 7:30 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $60

RYAN BEATTY. 8 p.m. Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood. $28

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

THOM LAFOND WITH FRUTA BRUTAL. 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $22

LUKE BULLA. 6:30 p.m. Stone Cottage Studios, 3091 7th St., Boulder. $35

HUSBANDS WITH BEING BEAD AND POOL SHARKS 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $20

COLORADO PIANO TRIO. 2:30 p.m. Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road, Longmont. $10

JOHN OSBORNE FARLEY 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

CHARLES BLENZIG TRIO 7 p.m.

Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $20

FOGGY MOUNTAIN SPACESHIP. 9 p.m. Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, 1535 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

HEATED BONES WITH HONEY BLAZER, THE RESTLESS ONES AND ALANA MARS 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $15

EVAN DANDO WITH WILLY MASON 9 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $30

SATURDAY, MARCH 9

FLASH MOUNTAIN FLOOD WITH RIVER SPELL (NIGHT 1) 7 p.m.

The Caribou Room, 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland. $10

BOULDER SYMPHONY & MUSIC ACADEMY DRUM CIRCLE 1 p.m.

Boulder Symphony & Music Academy, 4730 Table Mesa Drive, Suite I-300, Boulder. Free (donations accepted)

ANDY EPPLER. 6 p.m. 300 Suns Brewing, 335 1st Ave., Unit C, Longmont. Free

GOOD MUSIC MEDICINE. 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

GARY MEYERS 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $20

MARCUS REZAK (NIGHT 1) 9 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

RITMO CASCABEL WITH FRUTA BRUTAL. 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $20

BRENDAN ABERNATHY WITH CALLIE LAURINE AND IAN MAHAN 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $17

SUNSQUABI WITH LESPECIAL, BIG SOMETHING AND UNDERLUX. 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $30

DESTROYER 7 p.m.

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver. $36

BW PICK OF THE WEEK

LIVE MUSIC

Canadian indierock royalty Dan Bejar brings his critically lauded Destroyer project to the Front Range for a special solo performance at the Marquis Theater on

SUNDAY, MARCH 10

5-FOOT BETTY & THE CRONES

3 p.m. Center for Musical Arts, 200 E. Baseline Road, Lafayette. $10

BOY NAMED BANJO. 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $20

DANNY SHAFTER 4 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

ELENA WITH FRIENDS. 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $20

FLASH MOUNTAIN FLOOD WITH RIVER SPELL (NIGHT 2) 7 p.m. The Caribou Room, 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland. $10

KATIE MINTLE. 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

MARCUS REZAK (NIGHT 2) 9 p.m.

Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

KENDRA MORRIS WITH ROOTBEER RICHIE & THE REVEILLE AND THE MILK BLOSSOMS. 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $18

MARGO CILKER WITH JEREMY FERRARA 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $20

MONDAY, MARCH 11

TAKACS QUARTET 7:30 p.m. Grusin Music Hall, 1020 18th St., Boulder.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12

FLOGGING MOLLY WITH AMIGO THE DEVIL AND GEN AND THE DEGENERATES 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $55

HOCKEY DAD WITH MIND’S EYE. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $20

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13

IMAR 7:30 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $24

KIMBERLY MORGAN YORK. 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

FUNK YOU 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

Want more Boulder County events? Check out the complete listings online by scanning this QR code.

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): “Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads.” So wrote Aries author Erica Jong. Is that true? Is it hard to access the fullness of our talents? Must we summon rare courage and explore dark places? Sometimes, yes. To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening our talents, there may be tough work to do. I suspect the coming weeks and months will be one of those phases for you, Aries. But here’s the good news: I predict you will succeed.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): In October 1879, Thomas Edison and his research team produced the first electric light bulb that was viable enough to be of practical use. In September 1882, Edison opened the first power plant on the planet, enabling people to light their homes with the new invention. That was a revolutionary advance in a very short time. Dear Taurus, the innovations you have been making and I hope will continue to make are not as monumental as Edison’s. But I suspect they rank high among the best and brightest in your personal life history. Don’t slack off now. There’s more work to be done — interesting, exciting work!

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): I watched as the Thai snake charmer kissed a poisonous cobra, taming the beast’s danger with her dancing hands. I beheld the paramedic dangle precariously from a helicopter to snag the woman and child stranded on a rooftop during a flood. And in my dream, I witnessed three of my Gemini friends singing a dragon to sleep, enabling them to ramble freely across the bridge the creature had previously forbidden them to traverse.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The horoscopes you are reading have been syndicated in publications all over the world: the U.S., Italy, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Russia, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Ireland and Finland. Yet it has never appeared in a publication in the UK, where there are over 52 million people whose first language is English — the same as mine. I predict that will change in the coming months: I bet a British newspaper or website will finally print Free Will Astrology. I prophesy comparable expansions in your life, too, fellow Cancerian. What new audiences, influences or communities do you want to be part of? Make it happen!

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Author JeanDominique Bauby wrote, “Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of small near misses.” If you have endured anything resembling that frustration, Leo, I have good news: The coming months won’t bring you a string of small near misses. I predict you will gather an array of big, satisfying completions. Life will honor you with bull’s eyes, direct hits and master strokes. Here’s the best way you can respond to your good fortune and ensure the arrival of even more good fortune: Share your wealth!

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo advice expert Cheryl Strayed wrote some rather pushy directions I will borrow and use for your horoscope. She and I say, “You will never have my permission to close yourself off to love and give up. Never. You must do everything you can to get what you want and need, to find ‘that type of love.’ It’s there for you.” I especially want you to hear and meditate on this guidance right now, Virgo. Why? Because I believe you are in urgent need of re-dedicating yourself to your heart’s desire. You have a sacred duty to intensify your imagination and deepen your willpower as you define what kind of love and tenderness and togetherness you want most.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Author Adam Alter writes, “Perfect success is boring and uninspiring, and abject failure is exhausting and demoralizing. Somewhere

between these extremes is a sweet spot that maximizes long-term progress.” And what is the magic formula? Alter says it’s when you make mistakes an average of 16% of the time and are successful 84%. Mistakes can be good because they help you learn and grow. Judging from your current astrological omens, Libra, I’m guessing you’re in a phase when your mistake rate is higher than usual — about 30%. (Though you’re still 70% successful!) That means you are experiencing expanded opportunities to learn all you can from studying what doesn’t work well.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Sometimes you Scorpios are indeed secretive, as traditional astrologers assert. You understand that knowledge is power, and you build your potency by gathering information other people don’t have the savvy or resources to access. But it’s also true that you may appear to be secretive when in fact you have simply perceived and intuited more than everyone else wants to know. They might be overwhelmed by the deep, rich intelligence you have acquired and would actually prefer to be ignorant of it. So you’re basically hiding stuff they want you to hide. Scorpio, I suspect now is a time when you are loading up even more than usual with juicy gossip, inside scoops, tantalizing mysteries, taboo news and practical wisdom that few others would be capable of managing. Please use your superpowers with kindness and wisdom.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Here’s a little-known fact about me: I am the priest, wizard, rabbi and pope of Parish #31025 in the Universal Life Church. One of my privileges in this role is to perform legal marriages. It has been a few years since I presided over anyone’s wedding, but I am coming out of semiretirement to consecrate an unprecedented union. It’s between two aspects of yourself that have not been blended but should be blended. Do you know what I’m referring to? Before you read further, please identify these two aspects. Ready? I now pronounce you husband and wife, or husband and husband, or wife and wife, or spouse and spouse — or whatever you want to be pronounced.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): “You don’t have to suffer to be a poet,” said poet John Ciardi. “Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone.” I will add that adolescence is enough suffering for everyone, even if they’re not a poet. For most of us, our teenage years brought us streams of angst, self-doubt, confusion and fear — sufficient to last a lifetime. That’s the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming months will be one of the best times ever for you to heal the wounds left over from your adolescence. You may not be able to get a total cure, but 65% is very possible; 75% isn’t out of the question. Get started!

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): A psychic once predicted that I would win a Grammy award for my music. She said my dad and mom would be in the audience, smiling proudly. Well, my dad died four years ago, and I haven’t produced a new album of songs for over ten years. So that Grammy prophecy is looking less and less likely. I should probably give up hope that it will come to pass. What about you, Aquarius? Is there any dream or fantasy you should consider abandoning? The coming weeks would be a good time to do so. It could open your mind and heart to a bright future possibility now hovering on the horizon.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I invite you to entertain the following theory: Certain environments, companions and influences enhance your intelligence, health and ability to love — while others either do the opposite or have a neutral effect. If that’s true, it makes good sense for you to put yourself in the presence of environments, companions and influences that enhance you. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to test this theory. I hope you will do extensive research and then initiate changes that implement your findings.

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m at the point in my life where I’m a caregiver for my parents and my partner. It’s exhausting. I don’t have an open relationship with my partner, although I’d like to practice ethical non-monogamy.

The problem is, he would probably not give permission out of fear I would leave him for someone else, and then where would he be? I can’t leave him, because he needs me — as his caretaker, as his patient advocate and as his companion. But I want the opportunity to get needs of mine met that he can’t meet anymore.

I want permission, I guess, to do what I need to do to stay with him and stay sane, without feeling like an awful person. I should be less of a coward and talk to him about this, I guess, but I’m afraid of hurting him. He doesn’t deserve more pain than he’s in already.

— American Caregiver Has Intense Needs

Ask the average person to describe a “cheater,” and they’ll describe selfish assholes who fuck other people behind the backs of their loving, faithful and willing partners they left at home. But that’s not true in every case.

Some people who cheat — or some people who write to sex-advice columnists seeking permission to cheat — care deeply about their partners and want to spare them pain.

Do what you need to do to stay married and stay sane, ACHIN. Be discreet and vigilant, and don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re an awful person. You’re a good person in awful circumstances who’s doing her best to take care of the people she loves, herself included.

And everybody else: If you’re lucky enough to have a partner, and you’re still relatively young and in good health, now is the time have a talk about your expectations if and/or when — and it’s most likely when — your relationship looks a lot less like it does now and a lot more like ACHIN’s relationship.

My husband and I have been married for thirteen years. We’ve always been kinky, but we’ve been monogamous this entire time.

We met a new friend last year, and we both felt comfortable asking him to be our third. He agreed, but he takes relationships — especially sexual ones — very slow. He said he would like to have some discussions regarding expectations, boundaries and desires. This level of care makes us feel even more attracted to him.

Our issue is that we are growing more deeply attracted to him with each conversation. We talk at least every other day, and we all see each other at least twice a week. We feel like we could fall in love with this person. Are these feelings we should convey to him prior to the threesome? Should we keep this to ourselves and see how the sex goes? What is happening, Dan?!?

— This Hottie Is Really Delightful

You and your husband have a crush on your first potential third, THIRD, which is wonderful. But for now, you need to keep this — the intensity of your feelings — to yourselves. You can tell this guy you’re into him, you can tell him you’re ready to fuck when he is, but you can’t (or shouldn’t) tell him how hard you’re falling for him.

At this early stage, THIRD, you can’t know whether those feelings are genuine. Also, not blurting out “I love you” on impulse is one way adults let other adults know they have good judgment and are capable of self-regulation. For now, THIRD, enjoy that feeling, ride that wave and/or the dick, and wait to see if those feelings deepen after you start fucking.

BODY IN MOTION

Julie Rothschild

MARCH 1 - 31

MARCH 8, 6-7pm

Movement performance by Cortney McGuire and Julie Rothschild

MARCH 15, 6-7pm

Stories and music with Belgin Yucelen, Michiko Theurer + Egemen Kesikli

MARCH 19, 7pm

Projection Installation by Kevin Hoth

BUS STOP GALLERY

4895 N. Braodway, Boulder Fri 4-7, Sat-Sun 1-6, First Friday 6-9pm

ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI

We taste and review local pasta sauces from Blue Parrot, Audrey Jane’s, Spinelli’s and Pasta Jay’s

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

Spaghetti sauce has been a serious thing in Boulder County since the first Italians settled here, many of them around Louisville. That’s where one of the first Italian eateries, the Blue Parrot, opened in 1919.

Few of us are neutral when it comes to the red sauce that covers our rigatoni, spaghetti or meatballs.

From the start, cooks took home quarts of restaurant tomato “gravy,” especially when it was the sauce everyone in the family loved. Today, some local Italian eateries and markets are bottling their sauces to compete for attention on the wall of glass jar options in supermarket pasta aisles.

Which ones taste the best?

We sourced bottles of Pasta Jay’s Classic Marinara, Blue Parrot Original Spaghetti Sauce, Audrey Jane’s Garlic Marinara and Spinelli’s Marinara Magnifico. Then we recruited family members to sit down and taste them.

HOW TO JUDGE PASTA SAUCE

We precooked batches of pasta: chewy penne and my new favorite long pasta — hollow-centered bucatini. Bowls of sauce were heated; my house smelled like an Italian trattoria.

We tasted each for texture, overall sweetness, herbs, spice and overall yumminess, rinsed the palate and moved on to the next sauce.

It wasn’t a scientific or blind tasting, but the experience was a revelation. Spaghetti sauce covers a spectrum of tastes, and the price-per-jar can vary significantly. Even at their most expensive, bottled sauces make a more affordable dinner than dining out in Boulder.

All four are family-inspired pasta sauces in big glass jars and include tomatoes as a major ingredient, but the similarity ends there. Some tasted savory and slow simmered. At least one tasted overcooked and canned.

As we tasted, we read the labels. They were similar in terms of calories, fat and sodium, but we noticed that Pasta Jay’s sauce contains anchovy and sugar, and Blue Parrot’s ingredient list includes pork.

which makes some sense given that a pizzeria produces it.

Also available are Audrey Jane’s Vodka Sauce and Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce.

SPINELLI’S MARINARA

MAGNIFICO PASTA SAUCE

Our consensus favorite sauce in the tasting, Spinelli’s sauce was born at Spinelli’s Market, an Italian family enterprise at 4621 E. 23rd Ave. in Denver.

AUDREY JANE’S GARLIC MARINARA PASTA SAUCE

The thick- and thin-crusted pies dished at Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage, 2675 13th St. in Boulder, have been hugely popular since the eatery opened in 2015.

We all liked Audrey Jane’s pasta sauce and appreciated the taste of high-quality ingredients like crushed tomatoes to red chile. The thick, clingy sauce was perfect for penne. It offered a great natural roasted garlic kick and a pleasant olive oil taste. One taster thought it would be better on pizza,

This zingy marinara was far chunkier and fully embraced the bucatini. The garlic-forward (but well-balanced) flavor showed off the high-quality tomatoes, fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil.

Also available: Spinelli’s Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce, Puttanesca Perfecto Sauce, Tomato Vodka Virtuoso Sauce and Roasted Garlic Fra Diavolo Sauce.

PASTA JAY’S CLASSIC MARINARA

This is the sauce that has been served at Pasta Jay’s Restaurant since it

opened at 1001 Pearl St. in Boulder in 1988. Pasta Jay’s is a relatively thin, salty, un-chunky sauce with a strong hint of garlic, some herbal notes from basil and oregano and a minimal amount of red chile heat. This sauce didn’t cling well to the pasta. One taster suggested it would be better as a dip for garlic bread.

Also available: Pasta Jay’s Creamy Tomato Sauce and Tomato Basil Sauce.

BLUE PARROT ORIGINAL SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This sauce was served at Louisville’s Blue Parrot Restaurant from 1919 until it closed in 2017. However, many locals of a certain generation first encountered Blue Parrot as the primary tomato sauce of the Boulder Valley School District.

One of our pasta sauce testers attended Casey Middle School and Boulder High School. He noted:

“It tastes and smells exactly the same. I only remember this sauce being served in school as a dip for bread cheese sticks.”

We noticed the strong flavor of dried parsley and its ketchup-y consistency and sweetness. Blue Parrot sauce was not the first choice of any of the tasters. While I know that there’s no accounting for taste, it mystifies me why the sauce is still popular.

I’d happily use the sauces from Spinelli’s and Audrey Jane’s again, but here’s the truth: I’m most likely to grab a jar of a house-brand sauce (like Whole Foods 365), or a can of good tomato puree and goose the flavor with garlic, onions, meats and peppers.

Tasting local pasta sauces. Credits: John Lehndorff

NIBBLES

SOUP SOOTHES IN NEW MARSHALL FIRE COOKBOOK

After the Marshall Fire, Louisville’s Mara Quezaire made soup for displaced neighbors. Her efforts inspired the Front Range Soup Brigade, a group of volunteers who shared more than 4,000 servings of homemade soup.

The newly published Soup Brigade Cookbook collects those soup recipes along with photos and memories. Marshall Fire survivors can receive a free digital cookbook. Others are encouraged to donate $20 or more. Proceeds support the ongoing Marshall ROC Recovery Center food pantry.

To order: marshallroc.org/soup-brigadecookbook.

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: IN-N-OUT IN LONGMONT

Quiero Arepas is open and dishing Venezuelan cuisine at Avanti Food & Beverage in Boulder.

Ever wonder why eateries come and go so rapidly in Boulder County? According to Restaurant Furniture magazine, Colorado is the third most expensive state to open a restaurant, exceeded only by California and New York, based on permit and licensing costs, taxes, rent and wages.

JP Cuisine has closed at 1631 Pace St., Longmont. With the 1STBANK Center set to be razed by the end of the year, chef Joe Mazzocco has closed the nearby Mama Lolita Mexican Restaurant. Also in Broomfield: Sushi-Rama closes March 8.

Coming attractions: California-born In-N-Out Burger has announced plans to build a restaurant on Ken Pratt Boulevard in Longmont.

The 32-year-old La Mariposa Restaurant & Margarita House reopens March 11 in Lyons after extensive renovations.

Flight Deck Grill at Vance Brand Airport in Longmont reopens April 1. Send local food and restaurant news to: nibbles@boulderweekly.com

WORDS TO CHEW ON: HOW TO EAT PASTA

“Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner.” — Screen legend and entrepreneur Sophia Loren

John Lehndorff is the grandson of Michael Mazzola, an Italian grocer and maker of fine sausage in Connecticut. John hosts Radio Nibbles and Kitchen Table Talk on KGNU. Podcasts: kgnu.org/category/radio-nibbles

Quiero Arepas is serving in Boulder.

Credit: Avanti Food & Beverage

ON DRUGS

SOOTHED AND SOBER

CBD eases anxiety better than THC, study finds

BY LISA MARSHALL CU BOULDER TODAY

Cannabis products high in the non-intoxicating compound

CBD can quell anxiety better than THC-dominant products — and without the potential side effects, new CU Boulder research suggests.

The study of 300 people, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, is the first randomized trial to examine how legal, commercially available cannabis impacts anxiety symptoms.

The study comes as one in five U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, making it the most common mental illness in the country, and prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications are on the rise.

“We need more data before we can say conclusively that there are longterm, beneficial effects, but the shortterm effects were very clear: CBD was associated with tension and anxiety relief with limited harm,” says senior author Cinnamon Bidwell, associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute of Cognitive Science.

A FIRST-EVER TRIAL

Adults rank anxiety among the top three medical reasons (along with

sleep and pain) for turning to cannabis for relief. Yet research on whether it works has been mixed.

Some studies have suggested that using cannabis too frequently or using potent products high in the intoxicating cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) can actually worsen anxiety long-term. Others have shown that adding CBD to THCheavy products might counteract some of their negative effects, including the impairment and paranoia that can emerge right after use.

To better understand the distinct short-term and long-term effects of both CBD and THC (the two primary cannabinoids, or active ingredients, in cannabis), the research team recruited 300 people with anxiety: 42 were not cannabis users; 258 had tried it at some point. The larger group was assigned one of three flower products: a THCdominant product (24% THC and 1% CBD); a CBD-dominant product (1% THC, 24% CBD); or one with 12% CBD and 12% THC.

ing for research purposes, so participants were directed to purchase their assigned product from a designated dispensary and use it on their own time, off campus.

Over four weeks, participants could use the cannabis products as much and as frequently as they wanted to. On average, the study participants used the designated products three times per week.

During the study, researchers drove a mobile laboratory to each participant’s home and tested them prior to and directly after they smoked cannabis in their home.

SURPRISING RESULTS

At the end of the study period, all four groups reported decreased anxiety. But the cannabis groups saw greater reductions in perceived anxiety than the noncannabis group, and those using CBDdominant products showed the most improvement of all.

after smoking. They were also less likely to experience paranoia immediately after use than those in the two other cannabis groups.

“Our findings suggest that THC did not increase anxiety long-term and that CBD-dominant forms of cannabis were associated with acute tension reduction that may translate to longer-term reductions in anxiety symptoms,” says Gregory Giordano, a professional research assistant at the CU Center for Health and Neuroscience, Genes and Environment (CUChange).

Bidwell, co-director of CUChange, notes that CBD has greater anti-inflammatory properties than THC, so it’s possible that CBD-dominant products could reduce anxiety by quelling inflammation in the brain and nerves. However, she says that even a touch of THC — 1% — can also have a swift impact on mood.

While numerous prescription drugs are available for treating anxiety, many come with side effects and can lead to dependency. And both early and frequent use of THC can increase risk for cannabis-related harms, such as problem use and cognitive difficulties, Bidwell says.

Federal law prohibits the possession or distribution of commercially available cannabis on college campuses, includ-

Surprisingly, while those in the CBDdominant group didn’t feel impaired, they did feel less tense immediately

“Our study suggests that CBD products may be able to relieve anxiety in the moment for adults who use them, and possibly longer-term, in a way that is meaningful and doesn’t necessarily produce the same risks or harms of THC or prescription medications,” says Bidwell. “We need more data before we can make conclusive recommendations, but this is promising news.”

Cinnamon Bidwell (left) and her research team pose in front of the mobile laboratory used for cannabis research. Courtesy: CU Boulder