Boulder Weekly 05.30.2024

COMMENTARY

OPINION

MS. OCHS GOES TO WASHINGTON

BY JENN OCHS

Last month, I wrote about the difficulties of traveling for wheelchair users (“Inaccessible world,” April 22). Not long after, I took a solo flight to Washington, D.C. for the Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) and experienced many of the chal-

lenges I had just described for Boulder Weekly readers.

Planning the trip was not easy. Two days before departure, I was told the hotel could not guarantee I would have a wheelchair-accessible room and that my name was put on a waiting list; I wouldn’t know if I would have an accessible room until the day I arrived.

I had confirmed an accessible hotel room with Marriott reservations weeks prior, but I have since learned that only the actual hotel can confirm that — a huge flaw in Marriott’s system.

In tears and frustration, I canceled my room reservation. I was not flying across the country without being guaranteed a room I could actually use.

The executive director of The Arc of Colorado called me to tell me that she might be able to help. The Arc is a Denver-based nonprofit that advo-

cates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I shared an accessible room with the nonprofit’s director Elizabeth Moran so I could still attend.

I flew with United Airlines. They have a wheelchair service that makes traveling easier. I contacted them one week before my departure, which allowed them to mark me as a wheelchair user in their system. On the day of departure, I went to the wheelchair assistance counter. A United employee was assigned to get me through check in, security and gate boarding. This is incredibly helpful for attempting to navigate airports as a wheelchair user. Going to the bathroom on my threehour flight was an adventure. I told the booking agent that I would need an aisle seat closest to the restroom. I was able to stand up and use the seat

MAY 30, 2024

Volume 31, Number 41

PUBLISHER: Francis J. Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Shay Castle

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Jezy J. Gray

REPORTERS: Kaylee Harter, Will Matuska

FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Colin Davidson, Jenn Ochs Dan Savage, Bart Schaneman, Ann Schimke, Alan Sculley, Toni Tresca

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

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Chris Sawyer

CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn

CIRCULATION TEAM: Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer

BUSINESS OFFICE

BOOKKEEPER/ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Austen Lopp

FOUNDER / CEO: Stewart Sallo

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

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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.

BOULDER COUNTY-BASED NONPROFIT IMAGINE! IS SPLITTING INTO TWO ORGANIZATIONS. READ MORE ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: BIT.LY/IMAGINEBW

backs to support me as I slowly walked to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned that there wouldn’t be secure hand holds around the bathroom door. Thankfully, a passenger realized my problem and instantly offered me her forearm to support myself.

I was so thankful for the insight and compassion of this fellow passenger, but I do not recommend everyone try this method. I worked with my physical therapist before my flight to attempt to be as safe as possible. If my flight was experiencing any turbulence during my attempt, I would have fallen.

DPS was a three-day event. The first two days were packed with sessions to inform attendees about current disability issues and provide networking opportunities. Day 3 is Hill Day, the purpose of the Disability Policy Seminar. Self advocates were led by advisors from various state advocacy groups to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill.

All of us advocates from Colorado were called the Colorado Caucus. We focused on housing, autism, funding, education and disability rights and services.

I was the team lead for the meeting with Congressman Joe Neguse, where I discussed a grant program, Money Follows the Person, that allowed me to transition from living in a nursing home to living independently in the community. We are advocating to make the Money Follows the Person a permanent Medicaid service. I also spoke about how additional funding for home- and communitybased services is needed to support home health; that’s what makes independent living possible.

Other advocates expressed how asset limits tied to Medicaid benefits desperately need to be raised and how the Autism Cares Act must be

OPINION

passed to continue vital services for the autism community.

Congressman Neguse’s senior aide informed us about an awesome universal design bill that he has collaborated on with Boulder’s Center for People with Disabilities. Universal design is the latest and greatest solution to accessibility issues. I am so proud that Colorado is leading the country in disability rights.

In exciting news this month, President Biden signed a number of airport accessibility measures, including mandated training for airline employees to assist people in wheelchairs. The legislation also requires accessibility upgrades to airports and lays out a plan that may eventually allow people to use their own wheelchairs on flights.

It’s hopeful that more people are aware of the barriers wheelchair users deal with, but there’s a lot of work that must be done to ensure wheelchair accessibility in air travel.

For me personally, the opportunity was amazing and motivated me to become the strongest disability rights advocate possible. I learned so much, both about myself and disability systems advocacy. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to prove to myself that I could still travel independently.

Jenn Ochs lives in Boulder and enjoys listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks while painting or drawing.

Courtesy: Jenn Ochs

CASH FOR KIDS

Boulder Valley pursues taxing district to fund child care

BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado already has lots of special districts that levy taxes for things like fire protection, water sanitation and libraries. But what about for early childhood programs?

Aspen leaders advocated for a 2019 Colorado law that allows communities to band together to create special districts for that purpose since it can be hard to find child care in that area of western Colorado. Plus, the options available can be expensive for employees of the town’s ski resorts. But solving those problems requires regional cooperation since lots of workers live “downvalley” in places like Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, but work “upvalley” in Aspen, one county over, says Maggie Tiscornia, who heads the Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition.

That’s why her group has led the charge to create one of the state’s first special districts to levy property or sales taxes for early childhood efforts. Another group is trying for a special district on the Front Range. Both will have to win approval from commissioners in each county included in their district’s proposed boundaries before they can ask voters to sign off.

Special taxing districts for children’s services exist in Florida and Missouri. They’ve been possible for five years in Colorado, but none exist yet. While cit ies and counties already had the ability to levy taxes for preschool or child care, special districts allow communities to take a regional approach to early childhood needs, which, depend ing on where families live and work, can quickly spill over the boundaries of a single jurisdiction.

Advocates say the special districts can make child care more accessible, affordable and higher quality by subsi

dizing teacher training, boosting wages and helping families cover tuition costs. They say such districts aren’t a cure-all for the underfunded early childhood sector, but can be a partial fix in some communities.

“The biggest thing we see in Colorado writ large is it’s hard to pass things statewide,” says Jason Callegari, senior program officer at the Buell Foundation, an early childhood funder

get folks to buy into a localized solution, that can be really helpful.”

While Colorado did pass a statewide nicotine tax in 2020 to help fund free preschool for 4-year-olds, several other statewide ballot initiatives for education have failed, including in 2019, 2018, 2013 and 2011.

Callegari says the foundation recently created a toolkit and has grants available to help Colorado communities secure dedicated local funding for efforts focused on young children, including through special districts. Although special taxing districts for early childhood are now allowed in the state, there are reasons none have come to fruition yet, he says.

“Special taxing districts are not easy,” he says. “You need to have a lot of governance expertise to figure out how to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.”

Olivia Allen, vice president of strategy

Project, says local tax levies for early childhood — whether in special districts or a single municipality — can help build trust among voters and momentum for broader public investments.

“These local measures ladder up to state-level support and successes,” she says.

THINKING BIGGER IN BOULDER-ST. VRAIN

The push to create a special district encompassing most of the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts grew out of a narrower effort in 2019 aimed at doing more for young children in Longmont.

As more nonprofits and government representatives came to the table, leaders realized that focusing just on Longmont risked leaving out too many non-resident children and families who have school or work ties in the area,

NEWS

City Council member and a cofounder of the Early Childhood Alliance, the group spearheading the special district.

The group eventually broadened their focus to the two school districts, specifically the portions in Weld and Boulder counties. Leaders excluded a small portion of the St. Vrain Valley district in Larimer County, as well as pieces of the Boulder Valley district in Gilpin and Broomfield counties, to avoid having to win approval from five counties for the new district.

But even with just two counties in the mix, the plan was ambitious.

“We made the decision to go big or go home,” Waters says.

The alliance sought to raise about $60 million a year through a 5 mill property tax levy — the equivalent of $5 worth of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The money would help child care providers raise teacher wages, expand childhood mental health services, provide more services for children with disabilities and provide child care subsidies to families, especially for infant and toddler care.

Their bid failed after Boulder County commissioners rejected the plan in 2023, before voters could consider the proposal.

This time around, Waters says, “we’ll make a smaller ask with a more focused scope of work.”

He says the group’s plan for using special district funding will be similar to the first time, though they will seek a levy of less than 5 mills in 2025, He also says they’ll include a sunset date instead of asking to make the tax permanent from the outset.

MAJOR STRUGGLES IN RURAL RESORT REGION

A coalition of business, government and nonprofit leaders in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys hopes to create a special district that would raise $10 million a year to help families find child care, provide sliding-scale child care subsidies and help local providers improve quality.

The district would stretch 84 miles from Aspen to Parachute, and include Pitkin and Garfield counties and part of Eagle County.

“Our region is very economically and socially interconnected,” says Tiscornia of the Confluence Coalition. “It really doesn’t make a lot of sense to look at one subregion and provide supports there.”

Hannah Berman, senior manager of sustainability and philanthropy at Aspen Skiing Company, says resort leaders advocated for the 2019 special district law and belong to the coalition because child care — like housing — is a major financial and logistical struggle for many of their 4,000 employees, particularly women.

A recent coalition report found that there are enough licensed child care slots in the region for 47% of children under 5, but that staff shortages prevent some of those seats from being filled.

In addition, child care for one preschool child eats up 15% to 18% of the median family income in the region — more than twice the 7% “affordability threshold” set by the federal government.

Berman says, “We want to make sure our employees and community members have a genuine option to stay in the workforce if they want to, and that means we need to improve child care access and affordability.”

Berman says the biggest challenge in creating a special district in the two valleys isn’t getting prospective voters to understand why child care is a big issue — recent polling shows they do — but rather persuading them to raise taxes. Many already feel stretched financially, she says.

That feedback was part of what prompted the Confluence Coalition to hold off on pursuing a special district ballot measure this year.

Tiscornia says the coalition still has some key questions to answer before going forward with a ballot measure in 2025: What kind of tax should it be? What size should it be? And how many years should it last?

As one of the first early childhood special districts under consideration, she says, “it requires a really careful approach.”

Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering education.

GOV’T WATCH

What your local officials are up to this week

BY SHAY CASTLE

BOULDER CITY COUNCIL

At its June 6 meeting, council will:

• Hold a public hearing and vote to adjust the 2024 budget to reflect $46 million in “unspent funds, additional revenue” and “unanticipated expenses,” such as shifting timelines or increased costs for construction projects. For example: Boulder purchased land for its planned relocation of Fire Station #2 one year earlier than expected, according to staff, so money will have to be moved around to fund the purchase. Another project to improve 19th Street was delayed to allow Xcel Energy to bury power lines and expanded to include storm drainage and flood infrastructure repairs, adding to costs. The process, called an “adjustment to base” or ATB, is routine, happening twice yearly. The next ATB is in the fall.

The agenda item may also include information about federal grants. According to notes from staff, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), of which Boulder is a member, requested $199.7 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund efforts to reduce cli-

mate pollution. Additionally, Boulder has $11.7 million in remaining funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. Boulder received more than $20 million in COVID-era ARPA money.

• Hold a public hearing and vote on whether or not to make changes to its permitting and development review process (by which buildings and businesses are cleared for construction and/or operation). Read more about the proposed changes: boulderweekly.com/news/ red-tape-reversal/

BOULDER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

During the week of June 3, commissioners will:

• Vote on whether or not to allow a marijuana grow, production facility and dispensary at the former Eldora Lodge site on Coal Creek Canyon Drive near Golden. The 2.67-acre property is currently zoned for use as lodging; commissioners are considering a change of use. A vote is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 4. Attend in person (1325 Pearl St., 3rd floor) or virtually: boco.org/ BOCC-June4PM. Sign up to speak in person: boco.org/InPersonJune4PM

• Meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, with the Boulder County Consortium of Cities, a group of local government officials who work on regional issues such as minimum wage and transportation. Attend in person (3280 Airport Road, Boulder) or virtually: zoomgov.com/j/1603553572

LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL

A May 28 workshop was canceled due to lack of quorum (a majority of members were not available to meet). Items on the agenda — which include updates on a study of city staff compensation and the city’s climate action plan — will instead be discussed at the June 4 meeting.

All agenda items are subject to change. Karen Norback contributed to this reporting.

•

BOCO, BRIEFLY

BY KAYLEE HARTER

COUNTY APPROVES

WEED MANAGEMENT PLAN

Boulder County Commissioners approved a controversial weed management plan during a four-hour meeting May 23.

The final plan, with changes from the commissioners incorporated, will be presented and officially adopted at a future business meeting.

The commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of the plan, with Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann opposing and calling it “a big loss for the community.” Stolzmann said she hoped for an herbicide-free plan, and if not that, an organic management plan.

The plan has faced criticism from environmental activists for its use of pesticides and aerial spraying by drone, though it eliminates use of some pesticides and aerial spraying by helicopter. The plan includes a provision to cut herbicide use in half by 2030.

“I don’t think we can take one of the tools for controlling the spread of invasive weeds out of the toolbox,”

Commissioner Claire Levy said in the meeting. “And for me, herbicides must be available. But what’s important is to have a truly integrated weed management plan that prioritizes mechanical,

cultural and biological tools.”

The plan proposes pilot projects for alternative weed management including goat browsing, hand pulling and expansion of the “Weed Warriors” volunteer program.

Stolzmann said she thought the plan was too similar to the previous plan and felt approval was “ignoring the tremendous amount of public input and feedback to do things differently.”

“If we wanted to show a commitment to doing things differently, we would adopt a no-herbicide plan with a way to do things like this holistically across the approach,” she said. “We could take a regenerative management approach and integrate Indigenous ways. And we’re not doing that.”

HOMELESS DAY SERVICES COMING IN JUNE

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless (BSH) says its 24-hour services are set for a grand opening in mid-June.

The day services center will provide a dedicated space for the unhoused to go during the day — something that hasn’t existed (other than during bad weather) in the city since 2017. City council made a day center a priority at their 2022 retreat. After previous plans for the center at a separate location from the current shelter fell through in July 2023, the city and BSH announced in December 2023 plans for the day center to open in the existing shelter facility.

“This is going to be a chance

for us to help a lot more people, in a lot more ways,” the shelter’s chief development and communications officer, Andy Schultheiss, wrote in a fundraising email. “For example, some of the unhoused folks who don’t use our emergency night shelter will finally have a chance to take a shower, do their laundry, and — most important — get on a path to permanent, supported housing, where they can rebuild their lives off the streets.”

The shelter has raised about $30,000 of its $50,000 goal to support its expanded budget by opening day.

IN OTHER NEWS…

• The BolderBoulder 10K drew more than 48,000 participants and 100,000 spectators over Memorial Day Weekend. 2024 Olympic qualifier

Conner Mantz from Utah won the Elite Men’s division with a time of 29:12 and Kenya’s Grace Loibach Nawowuna won the Elite Women’s division with a time of 32:45. Boulderbased Aidan Reed and Indianabased Olivia Ballew were the top male and female participants in the citizen race, respectively, with times of 30:02 and 32:12, according to unofficial results. Reporter Will Matuska dashed to the finish line in an hour and a half, snacking on Dorito handouts and shotgunning beers along the way.

• Boulder Mental Health Partners employees voted in favor of unionizing, making it the first unionized mental health and substance use facility in the city, the Daily Camera reports.

MIND

MELD

Poet Anne Waldman looks back on 50 years of Naropa

BY BART SCHANEMAN

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Boulder’s storied Naropa University and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, legendary poet Anne Waldman teamed up with a local independent press to offer a vital account of the institution’s early days.

Published May 28 by Trident Press, the imprint operated by the Pearl Street coffee shop of the same name, Tendrel: A Meeting of Minds explores how controversial Naropa founder and Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa taught and influenced a number of important poets and artists, including Waldman and fellow poetry department co-founders Allen Ginsberg and Diane di Prima.

The collection also includes neverbefore-published poetry and recollections from Waldman as well as photos from the early days of the institute. The essays, poetry and images evoke the energy of this charged intellectual moment in time, when writers were pushing the boundaries of American poetry. The time capsule is a fascinating look at these cultural figures as they built a monument to creativity and free thought in Boulder.

“I can’t believe we made it to 50 years,” says Waldman, who serves as the artistic director of Naropa’s annual summer writing program. “I am amazed that our project has come this far, with so much history and such extraordinary people being part of it over the many dynamic years.”

‘ROCKY MOUNTAIN RENAISSANCE’

The last half-century has brought more than its fair share of challenges. Waldman points to the upheaval the planet has experienced in recent years, from COVID-19 to the worsening effects of climate change, as trials that have tested the strength of Naropa.

“Just thinking of all the unnatural disasters and the natural disasters, the precipice we’re all on, with the incredible grief and suffering and war and people not getting along,” Waldman says.

“It’s up to the poets and educators and writers to keep the vision of an alternative way to live. It’s more of an intervention on the version that we’re living in.”

Naropa wasn’t founded as a traditional Master of Fine Arts program like so many writing programs in America. Instead, the early students were undergrads and dropouts who were coming to Boulder for the natural beauty and culture “that were good for the mind, meditation and the health of poetic imagination and consciousness,”

Waldman says.

“Boulder was a terrific common ground for this kind of endeavor, getting to know the people from the University of Colorado worlds — translators, scientists, filmmakers, linguists and all kinds of energy there,” she says.

“Feeling part of an experiment in a different environment: The Rocky Mountain Renaissance.”

‘CHANNELS OF EMPATHY’

Poetry has always been the driving force for Waldman, and it helped guide her to create this tight-knit community of poets in the foothills. She has also been long known for passionate, intense live readings. A documentary

ordinary mind and intervention and ways of questioning our sense of solidity,” Waldman says. “There’s my connection to what I see as Buddhist ideas and practice, but it’s much more complicated than that when you’re thinking of how you found and actually create a school, a university — the infrastructure of all that.”

She also emphasizes that Trungpa was not a saint, god or savior. As critics have noted, his mixed legacy includes a history of sexual relationships with students and allegations of physical abuse.

film titled Outrider, focusing on Waldman as a poet and performer, is soon to hit the film festival circuit. She reminisces on that performative component of the poetry during the early days of Naropa.

“We were projecting into the world, raising our voices,” she says.

“It was an oral reclamation for poetry. Transmission of sound. That was my dream as a younger person, about taking poetry into public space.”

Waldman wanted to publish Tendrel “to present something about this wild experiment I’ve been involved with for 50 years,” she says.

The book focuses partly on Trungpa’s importance to the founding of Naropa and the subsequent artists who studied his teachings. Waldman describes him as a generative, controversial and consistent kalyanamitra (spiritual friend) and master teacher on the path of Buddhist study.

“He’s always been a trickster figure for many people, stirring the pot of

But Waldman sees reason for optimism when she looks to the future of an institution founded by a flawed figure. The 79-year-old underscores the success of the university’s psychology training program and the promise in the ongoing study of psychedelic therapy. Applications for Naropa’s psilocybin facilitator training program opened May 1, with the hope of educating 60 trainees in the inaugural year.

“That’s something that will help people, training therapists to work on the curing of the mind through psychedelic medicine,” she says. “I think we at Naropa are taking it seriously. We knew many years ago it had therapeutic value, opening channels of empathy and love.”

When it comes to dealing with political and cultural shifts nationally and here in Boulder over the coming years, Waldman still sees big potential in another powerful medicine: the humanities.

“I think the arts will have a role in how communities and ecosystems are shaped into the future,” she says. “It’s what I hope for, and I will support and work for this vision as long as I can.”

ON THE PAGE: Tendrel: A Meeting of Minds reading with Anne Waldman, Jeffrey Pethybridge, Shannon Sky and Zoe Brezsny. 4-7 p.m. Sunday, June 23, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Renowned counter-culture poet Anne Waldman co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at what is now Naropa University in 1974. Courtesy: Anne Waldman

Exploring the cultural and intellectual influence of Naropa founder Chögyam Trungpa, Tendrel: A Meeting of Minds was published May 28. Courtesy: Trident Press

OK BOOMER

Fixating on the mid-20th century with ‘The Beach Boys’ and ‘Let It Be’

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

Few cinematic forms benefitted from the advent of digital technology like the documentary. And not just in cost and access to equipment but in the proliferation of digital archives directors can draw upon. Add social media’s connective power to track down interview subjects and streaming services — more than you will ever be able to keep up with, each with an insatiable need for new content — and the stars have aligned in ways the first century of documentarians couldn’t have possibly imagined. So what will it take for you to click that button and devote two hours of your life? Star power? Acclaimed filmmakers? Genre innovation? How about a simple tug at the heartstrings with some good old-fashioned nostalgia? If you’ve spent evenings clicking endlessly through your platform of choice, you’ve probably noticed a lot of that. Here are the songs, movies or toys you grew up with, coupled with behind-thescenes stories you could guess if you tried but don’t need to because there’s a documentary right here and now that’ll explain it to you.

Into that stream slips two new music docs sure to garner your attention: The Beach Boys and Let It Be Streaming on Disney+ and directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zinny, The Beach Boys is the then-to-now story of the mid-century band that went from selling the California Dream one surf song at a time to reinventing and codifying the pop formula while inspiring countless imitators and true believers. Marshall and Zinny lean on the tried-and-true blend of archival footage for excitement, modern-day talking heads interviews for context and a smattering of editing after-effects to make it all feel vintage. Yes, it’s very by-the-numbers, but it’s still interesting to see how a band can build and rebuild its identity.

Now turn to Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary, Let It Be, also available on Disney+, which captures The Beatles writing and recording the

songs for their two final albums: Let It Be and Abbey Road. Lindsay-Hogg probably thought he had a hit on his hands while filming the most popular band in the world, but the hit was not to be. The director’s cameras captured the lads from Liverpool in full-blown divorce mode, and when the movie was initially released in 1970, a few weeks after the break-up went public, the bloom was off the rose.

For years, Let It Be was difficult to see, but thanks to Peter Jackson’s comprehensive documentary, Get Back, set during the same January 1969 recording sessions, LindsayHogg’s footage got a fresh restoration and is now available for all with a Disney+ login.

To borrow a line from Tolstoy: All music docs are alike, but every Beatles music doc is different in its own way. There’s a beauty in the containment of Let It Be: Just one month and a dozen or so songs crammed into 80 minutes of magic. The Beach Boys is significantly more expansive but not nearly as deep. But then you get that twinkling cascade opening of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” or the heart-swelling organ of “God Only Knows,” and a wave of euphoria washes over you in the way only a pop song can.

But do we really need another doc about The Beach Boys? About The Beatles? Talk about well-mined territory. You could ask the same about any documentary covering the 1960s, one of the most picked-over eras for understanding how we got here while waxing poetically about how things made sense back then. The latter drives this particular brand of nostalgia in The Beach Boys. Everyone — from OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder to Janelle Monáe (how’s that for a talking head grab-bag?) — loved Beach Boys’ music. Taylor Swift might be able to claim that level of cross-quadrant stardom, but even that feels different.

Everything feels different now. The world feels so fractured these days. Surely it wasn’t always like this? But when were we whole? No wonder we keep returning to a time when people felt connected, even if we weren’t. It helps that these docs focus on the art and not the environment in which the art was conceived. The country was tearing itself apart back then, too. Students were protesting a foreign war they felt was unjust, and talk of who was going to be the next president split families in two. You want nostalgia? You can get that wholesale in the daily news.

ON SCREEN: The Beach Boys and Let It Be are streaming on Disney+.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary, Let It Be, gets a streaming-era refresh on Disney +. Courtesy: United Artists

The Beach Boys tells the story of a mid-century band that got their start selling the California Dream, one surf song at a time. Courtesy: Disney+

Megan Foreman FNP-C

HIGH COUNTRY

Honky-tonk hitmakers Brooks & Dunn scoot their boots on the Front Range

BY ALAN SCULLEY

When Brooks & Dunn saddled up for what they billed as their “Last Rodeo” farewell tour in 2010, they really meant it as a final goodbye.

But now the iconic duo is back together for their third straight summer outing — and if their newfound gusto is any indication, it seems like the timetested pair will be kicking up dust for the foreseeable future.

To hear co-founding guitarist and vocalist Kix Brooks tell it, that longevity is due in large part to the fans who still turn out in droves to stadiums like Denver’s Ball Arena, where the venerated ’90s country hitmakers will take the stage May 31.

“It’s not just the folks that have been paying our rent for 30 years, but we’ve got a whole new bunch of fans that are bringing a lot of energy to the shows,” Brooks says. “That whole room is awake, and it’s putting fire into me and Ronnie Dunn. Now [when] we walk out there, it’s not like, ‘Here we go again.’ It’s like, ‘This is going to be fun.’ And as an entertainer, that’s what you want to feel when you’re walking out on stage.

“Even though we played these songs so many times, it just doesn’t feel tired,” he continues. “And there was a place where, even with new music out there, it was feeling tired to us. The redundance of just going out and doing it night after night was maybe wearing us down. But like Ronnie said the other night, this is about as much fun as we’ve ever had doing this.”

Brooks says the band’s touring configuration, rounded out by a cast of veteran players from across the industry, is a big reason why the Country Music Hall of Fame duo is feeling rejuvenated on stage. As a result, the 69-year-old says his skills are sharper than ever.

“I wish to hell I’d been singing this well there in the thick of our career,” he says. “I was really learning how to sing on stage even though I’d sung in a million bars. I was just screaming my way through it. That doesn’t get it when you actually do hit the big time. And now I’ve kind of learned to breathe, learned to sing over time, and I go on stage with some confidence that at least I can do my part and do it well.”

REBOOT SCOOT ’N’ BOOGIE

Brooks & Dunn initially got coaxed back into action when they were offered a 2015 residency slot with Reba McEntire in Las Vegas. It was a familiar pairing, following Brook & Dunn’s collaboration

with McEntire on the 1998 hit ballad, “If You See Him/If You See Her.” Their subsequent tours together were major draws, which translated to the 105show Vegas residency.

“That was a real fun few years together,” Brooks says. “I think we all got to the point that we felt like, ‘Well, we worked Vegas pretty hard.’ Ronnie and I … just kind of [thought] we ought to put another tour together. Let’s go do this.”

As Brooks & Dunn got back in the swing of performing, they were getting indications that their popularity had not waned in the dozen years since their most recent album, 2007’s Cowboy Town

That much was confirmed with their 2019 anthology Reboot, a collection of a dozen hits from across their career, re-recorded with a host of current stars from the country scene. Luke Combs took on “Brand New Man,” the title track of Brooks & Dunn’s 1991 debut album and the duo’s first chart-topping single. Thomas Rhett put his spin on “My

Maria” and pop-country queen Kacey Musgraves gave new life to the outfit’s iconic ballad “Neon Moon,” bringing these classic cuts to a new generation of listeners.

“We threw a record together just not even trying,” Brooks says of the chart-topping album that set the stage for a return to national touring. “It was like it just came together so effortlessly and with a lot of joy in the studio.”

‘WHAT’S OUR LEGACY?’

During their initial run together, Brooks & Dunn helped transform the country concert experience, bringing to their shows the kind of elaborate stage sets and visual production that were already common in the rock world. So it’s no surprise that this summer’s Reboot 2024 tour will boast its share of eye candy.

“It’s hard not to turn around during the show and catch some of that,” Brooks says. “Hopefully fans will be impressed by some of the visuals, and it’s always good to get the right thing that kind of helps to rock the music along, too.”

Of course, fans come first and foremost to hear the music. This was the case even when Brooks & Dunn kept upping the visual ante during the 1990s and the 2000s, and will no doubt hold true for their upcoming return to the Front Range.

“Even back then, as much fun as we were having doing crazy stuff like that, we always questioned each other: ‘What’s our legacy going to be? Is all this nonsense going to ultimately take away from why we really came here and what we really care about?’ Which always was the music,” he says. “But fortunately, I guess we have survived, at least at this point.”

ON THE BILL: Brooks & Dunn: Reboot 2024 Tour. 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver. $130+

Kix Brooks (left) and Ronnie Dunn have claimed their crown as country music royalty since coming onto the scene in 1990. Credit: Todd Owyoung

Featuring new recordings by Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs and more, Brooks & Dunn’s 2019 Reboot offers a fresh take on familiar favorites. Courtesy: Arista Nashville

‘ROCKY

HORROR’ HIGH

Culty, campy Pride kickoff promises to be ‘loud, proud and so much fun’

BY TONI TRESCA

There are run-of-the-mill cult classics, and then there’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show Since its release in 1975, the comedyhorror musical film has amassed a devoted following thanks in large part to midnight screenings in which audiences dress up, use props and shout out dialogue in tandem with the characters on screen.

“As someone who has attended live Rocky Horror events before, it is an experience you will not forget anytime soon,” says Arts HUB operations director Clara Wendland. “It is all about connecting with those around you.”

Boulder County audiences can expect as much on June 1, when the Arts HUB kicks off Pride Month with an event led by the state’s largest Rocky Horror “shadow cast.” Known as Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient, the troupe has been performing in front of the screen since 2000 in and around Denver, one of 30 cities in America that

have screened the film consistently since its release nearly a halfcentury ago.

The upcoming Lafayette production is a fitting launch for Pride, considering the film’s rich history with the LGBTQ community. On top of its campy embrace of gender fluidity and sexual freedom, Rocky Horror screenings are well known among fans as a place where everyone is welcome and nobody is judged.

the year, allowing performers to stylize their outfits to reflect whatever Pride means to them, and we encourage the audience to do the same.”

“Rocky has always been this space of radical acceptance and queerness,” says performer Erik Sundblad, who also serves as Elusive Ingredient’s production director. “We never shy away from that, but it is on full display during our Pride performances. The group allows more flexibility with costume alterations than we do the rest of

‘ROCKY’ IN THE ROCKIES

This will be Elusive Ingredient’s first performance at the Arts HUB. The collaboration began with a meeting between the two organizations at a concert by Denver experimental band Itchy-O during last summer’s Lafayette Art Night Out.

“We had a mutual friend and patron who approached us and said, ‘Hey, you are cool, and Elusive Ingredient is also cool; I think it would be great if you could be cool together,’” Wendland recalls. “It sounded like a lot of fun, so after meeting in September at the Itchy-O performance and really hitting it off, we decided to do a Rocky Horror show together the following year.”

If you have never been to a shadow cast performance before, you will be marked with a red V on your forehead (with your permission) to indicate that you are a “Rocky virgin.” To begin the show, these virgins are asked to take part in a “virgin pop game” as an initiation.

“Our show is all about audience interaction, which starts when you

walk in, hopefully dressed in costume,” Sundblad says. “I would highly recommend purchasing the prop bag we have available, which will allow you to interact with the film. Expect our cast members to be in the crowd, so feel free to interact with them.”

For Sundblad, the magic of Rocky Horror lies in this audience participation and the resulting sense of community and spontaneity.

“One of my favorite recent Rocky memories was when Casper Smith did the opening chant,” Sundblad says. “Casper chanted, ‘Give me an R. Give me an O. Give me a C. Give me a K.’ I guess they were so caught up in the moment they forgot to say Y, so when they yelled, ‘What does that spell?’ The audience yelled back, ‘ROCK!’ with complete confidence. I knew it was going to be a great show.”

LOUD AND PROUD

In addition to their show in BoCo, Elusive Ingredient will be performing Rocky Horror Pride shows at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Studio Loft on June 21 and will conclude the month with the group’s final show at the Esquire Theatre on June 29, before the beloved 97-year-old venue closes in July to become an “upscale office, restaurant and retail space.”

Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient, the state’s largest Rocky Horror “shadow cast,” has been performing in tandem with screenings of the cult classic across the Denver area since 2000. Courtesy: Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient

Rocky Horror screenings are well known among fans as a place where everyone is welcome and nobody is judged. Courtesy: Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient

Locally, the Arts HUB’s production of RENT, a musical following a group of Bohemian artists in NYC who deal with the HIV/AIDs crisis, opens the weekend following the Rocky Horror event. Together, these productions will help kick off a celebration of the LGBTQ community.

STAGE

“June is going to be loud, proud and so much fun,” Wendland says.

ON STAGE: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. $15

OUT AND ABOUT

More ways to celebrate Pride Month in Boulder County

LONGMONT PRIDE FESTIVAL

3:30-8 p.m. Friday, June 7, Roosevelt Park, 700 Longs Peak Ave.

Expect a rainbow of fun for the whole family when the Longmont Pride Festival returns to Roosevelt Park. The day will include “Pride goodies” from Out Boulder County along with art vendors, interactive games and treats from local food purveyors like Abo’s Pizza, Los Dos Bros, Sol Popsicles and more.

LAFAYETTE YOUTH PRIDE

Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 15, Courtney Way

With LGBTQ youth under siege by legislatures across the country, now is the time to show up for the kids. This Pride-themed block party celebrates young people in the queer community with a family-friendly bash featuring free entertainment, food and activities.

QTPOC PRIDE SUMMER

SOLSTICE OTA VOGUE NIGHT

6-11 p.m. Friday, June 21, Mi Chantli Dance and Movement Sanctuary, 1750 30th St., Boulder

Serve your fiercest face of the season during this summer-solstice runway event in Boulder. Out Boulder County, The Kiki House of Majik and Mi Chantli Dance and Movement Sanctuary present this all-ages, low-stakes Vogue Night. 18+ only after 9 p.m.

50+ MIXER

4-7 p.m. Friday, June 21, Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains, 3340 Mitchell Lane, Boulder

Out Boulder County and the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging invite LGBTQ folks and allies ages 50 years and older to this annual mixer on the first floor of the Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains. Food and drinks will be provided. Younger partners are welcome to join.

QUEER CIRCUS

7-10 p.m. Saturday, June 29, Junkyard Social Club, 2525 Frontier Ave., Suite A, Boulder

Everything’s a little queerer under the big top. Head to Junkyard Social Club for an 18+ cabaret-style show featuring local LGBTQ comedians, dancers, poets, musicians and other performing artists. Drinks will be available to purchase for attendees over 21.

BOULDER PRIDEFEST

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 30, Boulder Central Park & Bandshell, 1212 Canyon Blvd.

Boulder County Pride Month wraps up with the main event at Boulder Central Park. Everyone is welcome at this annual LGBTQ community celebration featuring performers, giveaways, family-friendly activities and delectable offerings from McDevitt Taco Supply, La Rue Bayou, Grace’s Lemonade and more.

HELP WANTED

Program Manager, Medtronic, Inc., Lafayette, CO. Req. Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Industrial or Biomedical Engr. or related engr. degree & 5 years of exp in manufacturing engineering OR Master’s degree & 2 yrs exp. Requires 2 yrs. exp. in R: ISO 13485; Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) & Good Documentation practices (GDP); Process & design failure mode effective analysis & root cause analysis; DOE (Design of Experiments) with statistical analysis, Design for Manufacturing and assembly (DFMA); Development of Installation Qualification (IQ), Operation Qualification (OQ), Performance Qualification (PQ), Gage R&R & Test Method validations (TMV); CAD Tools SolidWorks or Pro-E/CREO; Value engr. & cost savings projects; Using Lean six sigma Greenbelt (DMAIC) or higher. Apply at https://jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. #2400071F. No agencies or phone calls. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply. Not eligible for relocation assistance.

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WHITE WINE TASTING

4 p.m. Thursday, May 30, Dedalus, 1825 Pearl St., Suite B, Boulder.

For many vino enthusiasts, summer means setting aside those rich reds for whimsical whites. That’s why Dedalus is hosting this free tasting featuring their favorite “high-voltage white wines.” Come check out these seasonal sippers and leave with a bottle (or two).

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ANDREA GIBSON AND TIG NOTARO

7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30, Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place, Denver. $75+

Longtime Boulder resident and Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson takes the stage with comedian Tig Notaro for two nights of spoken word at Denver’s Paramount Theater. Check out a Boulder Weekly profile on the homegrown literary heavyweight before you go: bit.ly/AndreaGibsonBW

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BOULDER CREEK DIP

10 a.m. to noon. Saturday, June 1, Eben G. Fine Park, 101 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. Suggested donation: $5-$10

Take the plunge this weekend at Boulder Creek, where hosts Josh and Reese will lead a cold-water immersion session and breathing exercises based on the Wim Hof technique. Bring a towel, yoga mat, swim suit and dry clothes.

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STREET WISE ARTS MURAL WALKING TOUR

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LAFAYETTE BREW FEST

2-6 p.m. Saturday, June 1, Morrell Printing Solutions Parking Lot, 990 S. Public Road. Free entrance

Lafayette’s annual craft beer bash returns for a day of world-class brews, live music and food trucks. All breweries and cideries are located within 75 miles of the city, including Cellar West,

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 1, Creature Comforts Cafe, 1647 Pearl St., Boulder. Suggested donation: $10-$50

Experience Boulder’s eye-popping public art up close with a guided walking tour led by a knowledgeable Street Wise Arts docent. Tours run for approximately two hours and cover up to two miles. Registration required.

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ARTS IN THE PARK

7-9 p.m. Saturday, June 1, Boulder Civic Area, Broadway and Canyon Boulevard. Free

The City of Boulder presents its annual program of performances representing a wide swath of artistic disciplines. This weekend’s showcase focuses on the Boulder Ballet, with food trucks, beer and wine vendors on site.

EVENTS

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SUMMER YOGA SERIES

9-10 a.m. Saturday, June 1, Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway.

Head to the rooftop at the Museum of Boulder for a relaxing yoga session presented by Boulder Parks and Recreation. Focusing on standing flows and floor poses, this weekly series is designed for beginners and experienced students alike.

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STAINED GLASS SUMMER NIGHTS

5-7 p.m. Saturday, June 1, Colorado Glass Works, 1500 Pearl St., Boulder. $310

Try your hand at stained glass during this two-hour workshop at Colorado Glass Works. All tools will be provided to craft your own mountain scene with pre-cut projects. This isn’t a “full beginner class,” but offers a laid-back environment for experimenting with the process.

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SUNDAYS ON WEST PEARL

10 a.m. to noon. Sunday, June 2, The New Local, 741 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Ring in a new summer culture series “to enliven downtown with connection, creativity and fun for everyone.” The New Local and Mayor Aaron Brockett raise the curtain on this weekly event featuring free art activities, fresh flower ateliers, performances and more.

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WATERCOLOR SKETCHING WORKSHOP

1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, June 3, Lafayette Public Library, 775 W. Baseline Road. Free

Learn to fuse two “relaxed and accessible forms of artistic expression” during this Maker Monday workshop cosponsored by The Collective and Lafayette Arts and Cultural Resources Department. You’ll leave with the knowledge you need to watercolor, sketch and experiment.

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FARMFEST SUMMER MUSIC EVENINGS

4:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, Sunflower Farm, 11150 Prospect Road, Longmont. $27

Wednesday summer evenings mean down-home music at Sunflower Farm in Longmont. This week will feature a performance by FoCo bluegrass Shuck Wagon, plus food vendors and non-alcoholic refreshments from Palo Coffee & Bar.

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DANCING WITH THE BOULDER STARS

5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $15-$50

Join YWCA Boulder County for the final iteration of its dance competition fundraiser featuring local celebrities. While Boulder Weekly editor-in-chief Shay Castle’s dreams of participating may officially be dashed, you can experience this “Last Dance” while supporting a good cause.

LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAY, MAY 30

SILENT BEAR. 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

HOW ABOUT NO 6 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free

ALEX HARDESTY WITH ANNA CUTLER. 6 p.m. Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

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

JOSEPH ARTHUR 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $25

DIRTY CELLO 7:30 p.m. Nissi’s Entertainment and Event Center, 1455 Coal Creek Drive, Unit T, Lafayette. Free

BUFFALO GALAXY WITH BRANDYWINE AND THE MIGHTY FINES 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

LIONEL YOUNG DUO. 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

FRIDAY, MAY 31

REBEL WIND LIE. 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

DENNY DRISCOLL 6 p.m. Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Free

OLIVIA ROUMEL 6 p.m. Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

$HY$TER: THE ROCK OPERA. 6:30 p.m. Longmont Public Media, 457 4th Ave., Longmont. $15

STAFFORD HUNTER AND FREEDOM QUARTET 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $20

HAZEL MILLER WITH JULIA KIRKWOOD 7 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. $20

BOB BARRICK 8 p.m. The Laughing Goat, 1709 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

HIGH LONESOME. 8 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $15

KINGS OF PRUSSIA 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $16

BIG HOORAY BLUEGRASS 9 p.m. Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, 1535 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

TYTHEPRIIIME & FRIENDS. 10 p.m. Bounce Empire, 1380 S. Public Road, Lafayette. $40

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

ROCK & REUSE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES. 11 a.m. Resource Central, 6400 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. Free

LAFAYETTE BREW FEST 2 p.m. Morrell Printing Solutions Parking Lot, 990 S. Public Road, Lafayette. Free

JAY STOTT 5 p.m. Beyond the Mountain Brewing Company, 6035 Longbow Drive, Unit 109, Boulder. Free

OUTSIDE FESTIVAL. 1-10 p.m., McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W Colfax Ave., Denver. $59+ BW PICK OF THE WEEK

BRUCE COOK 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

JOE COOL BAND. 6 p.m. Bricks on Main, 471 Main St, Longmont. Free

SHAWN CUNNANE 7 p.m. Longs Peak Pub, 600 Longs Peak Ave., Longmont. Free

BRENDAN JAMES WITH LVDY 7:30 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder. $25

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD 7:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $57

MOONDIAL WITH CLEMENTINE AND ON THE DOT 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $15

CHRISTIAN PORTER 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

BIG HOORAY BLUEGRASS 9 p.m. Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, 1535 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE BILL

Bassist, vocalist and funk-prog virtuoso Thundercat is the main event on the first night of the inaugural Outside Festival at Denver’s Civic Center Park on June 1. Other acts include Sunday headliner Fleet Foxes, along with Lettuce, Say She She, Andrew Bird and more. See listing for details.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2

DR. JIM’S ONE MAN BAND 1 p.m. Bricks on Main, 471 Main St., Longmont. Free

BOULDER FRIENDS OF JAZZ JAM SESSION. 1 p.m. Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. $12

CCJA ADULT JAM SESSION 3 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Free

SHAWN CUNNANE 4 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

MARTIN GILMORE 5 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $15

MONDAY, JUNE 3

MEADOW MUSIC WITH JEFF AND PAIGE. 5:30 p.m. Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. Free

THE EAGLE ROCK GOSPEL SINGERS. 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. $20

BRAD MEHLDAU. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $35

TUESDAY, JUNE 4

CHRISTIAN PORTER WITH ANNA CUTLER, MANY MOUNTAINS AND MEGAN GLOVER. 7 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. Free

LIVE MUSIC AT ROSETTA HALL 7 p.m. Rosetta Hall, 1109 Walnut St., Boulder. Free

THE DAMNED WITH THE MAÑANAS. 8 p.m. Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood. $51

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5

SCOTT VON 6 p.m. Rosalee’s Pizzeria, 461 Main St., Longmont. Free

VIC DILLAHAY WITH DOUG CARMICHAEL 7 p.m. Dry Land Distillers, 519 Main St., Longmont. Free

THELMA AND THE SLEAZE WITH ALYSIA KRAFT TRIO. 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

MAYA OGEA 8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Free

MIDNIGHT STRANGE 9 p.m. Southern Sun Pub & Brewery, 627 S. Broadway, Boulder. Free

WAND WITH SUPREME JOY. 8 p.m. Marquis Theatre, 2009 Larimer St., Denver. $28

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): Welcome to the future of your education, Aries! Here are actions you can take to ensure you are exposed to all the lush lessons you need and deserve in the coming months. 1. Identify three subjects you would be excited to learn more about. 2. Shed dogmas and fixed theories that interfere with your receptivity to new information. 3. Vow to be alert for new guides or mentors. 4. Formulate a three-year plan to get the training and teachings you need most. 5. Be avidly curious.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Poet Emily Dickinson was skillful at invoking and managing deep feelings. One scholar described her emotions as being profoundly erotic, outlandish, sensuous, flagrant and nuanced. Another scholar said she needed and sought regular doses of ecstasy. Yet even she, maestro of passions, got overwhelmed. In one poem, she wondered “Why Floods be served to us in Bowls?” I suspect you may be having a similar experience, Taurus. It’s fun, though sometimes a bit too much. The good news is that metaphorically speaking, you will soon be in possession of a voluminous new bowl that can accommodate the floods.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): All of us periodically enjoy phases I call “freedom from cosmic compulsion.” During these times, the Fates have a reduced power to shape our destinies. Our willpower has more spaciousness to work with. Our intentions get less resistance from karmic pressures that at other times might narrow our options. As I meditated on you, dear Gemini, I realized you are now in a phase of freedom from cosmic compulsion. I also saw that you will have more of these phases than anyone else during the next 11 months. It might be time for you to get a “liberation” tattoo or an equivalent new accessory.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Bold predictions: 1. Whatever treasure you have lost or are losing will ultimately be reborn in a beautiful form. 2. Any purposeful surrender you make will hone your understanding of exactly what your soul needs next to thrive. 3. A helpful influence may fade away, but its disappearance will clear the path for new helpful influences that serve your future in ways you can’t imagine yet. 4. Wandering around without a precise sense of where you’re going will arouse a robust new understanding of what home means to you.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Denmark’s King Canute IV (1043–1086) wasn’t bashful about asserting his power. He claimed ownership of all the land. He insisted on the right to inherit the possessions of all foreigners and people without families. Goods from shipwrecks were automatically his property. But once, his efforts to extend his authority failed. He had his servants move his throne to a beach as the tide came in. Seated and facing the North Sea, he commanded, “Halt your advance!” The surf did not obey. “You must surrender to my superior will!” he exclaimed, but the waters did not recede. Soon, his throne was engulfed by water. Humbled, Canute departed. I bring this up not to discourage you, Leo. I believe you can and should expand your influence and clout in the coming weeks. Just be sure you know when to stop.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo-born Irène Joliot-Curie craved more attention than she got from her mother, Marie Curie. Mom was zealously devoted to her career as a chemist and physicist, which is one reason why she won Nobel Prizes in both fields. But she didn’t spend sufficient time with her daughter. Fortunately, Irène’s grandfather Eugène became his granddaughter’s best friend and teacher. With his encouragement, she grew into a formidable scientist and eventually won a Nobel Prize in chemistry herself. Even if you’re not a kid, Virgo, I suspect there may be a mentor and guide akin to Eugène in your future. Go looking! To expedite the process, define what activity or skill you want help in developing.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): I have a fantasy that sometime in the coming months, you will slip away to a sanctuary in a pastoral paradise. There you will enjoy long hikes and immerse yourself in healing music and savor books you’ve been wanting to read. Maybe you will write your memoirs or compose deep messages to dear old friends. Here’s the title of what I hope will be a future chapter of your life story: “A Thrillingly Relaxing Getaway.” Have you been envisioning an adventure like this, Libra? Or is your imagination more inclined to yearn for a trip to an exciting city where you will exult in high culture? I like that alternative, too. Maybe you will consider doing both.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): An Instagrammer named sketchesbyboze advises us, “Re-enchant your life by making the mundane exciting. You are not ‘going to the drugstore.’ You are visiting the apothecary to buy potions. You are not ‘running an errand.’ You are undertaking an unpredictable adventure. You are not ‘feeding the birds.’ You are making an alliance with the crow queen.” I endorse this counsel for your use, Scorpio. You now have the right and duty to infuse your daily rhythm with magic and fantasy. To attract life’s best blessings, you should be epic and majestic. Treat your life as a mythic quest.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I invite you to invite new muses into your life in the coming months. Give them auditions. Interview them. Figure out which are most likely to boost your creativity, stimulate your imagination, and rouse your inspiration in every area of your life, not just your art form. Tell them you’re ready to deal with unpredictable departures from the routine as long as these alternate paths lead to rich teachings. And what form might these muses take? They could be actual humans; they could be animals or spirits. They might be ancestral voices, exciting teachings or pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries. Expand your concept of what a muse might be so you can get as much muse-like input as possible.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): The Japanese have a word for a problem that plagues other countries as well as theirs: karoshi, or death from working too hard and too much. No matter how high-minded our motivations might be, no matter how interesting our jobs are, most of us cannot safely devote long hours to intense labor week after week, month after month. It’s too stressful on the mind and body. I will ask you to monitor yourself for such proclivities in the coming months. You can accomplish wonders as long as you work diligently but don’t overwork. (PS: You won’t literally expire if you relentlessly push yourself with nonstop hard exertion, but you will risk compromising your mental health. So don’t do it!)

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Typically, human fertility is strongest when the temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. But I suspect you will be an exception to the rule in the coming months. Whether it’s 10 below or 90 in the shade, your fertility will be extra robust — literally as well as psychologically and spiritually. If you are a heterosexual who would rather make great art or business than new babies, be very attentive to your birth control measures. No matter what your gender or sexual preference is, I advise you to formulate very clear intentions about how you want to direct all that lush fecundity. Identify which creative outlets are most likely to serve your long-term health and happiness.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Here’s a key assignment in the coming months: Enjoy fantasizing about your dream home. Imagine the comfortable sanctuary that would inspire you to feel utterly at home in your body, your life, and the world. Even if you can’t afford to buy this ultimate haven, you will benefit from visualizing it. As you do, your subconscious mind will suggest ways you can enhance your security and stability. You may also attract influences and resources that will eventually help you live in your dream home.

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m frustrated. I’m transmasc and use silicone “attachments.” My partner is assigned male at birth. Also relevant: We have very old hardwood floors, non-laminated.

For years, I have expressed frustrations about the careless ways my partner handles silicone lube. Multiple times, he has created dangerous slippery spots on the floor by spilling it. Our old hardwood floors absorb it; I have slipped while getting out of bed because it’s now slippery there. Also mildly annoying: stains on sheets, blankets, etc., including the brand-new sheets that we began using a month ago. Also, even more frustrating, I have repeatedly pointed out that my (very expensive) silicone parts can be damaged and have a shorter lifespan if silicone is used directly on them.

I have gone to great lengths to make sure we always have an assortment of silicone, hybrid and water lubes, as well as non-lubricated condoms that can be placed over my silicone dicks with the option to put silicone lube on the outside. I am at my wit’s end. I completely lost my libido recently because he was about to put silicone lube directly on a new silicone vibrating butt plug and then accidentally spilled it on the living room floor. Instead of feeling turned on, I was imagining the next time one of our elderly mothers walked into the living room and fell down. This is no longer just about lube.

This is about a total disregard for things that aren’t that difficult to manage. Advice?

— Sexy Partner Lacks Listening Skills

If your partner can’t be trusted to use the right lube for the right toy and/ or the right lube for the right act, SPILLS, and if your partner can’t manage to get the lube out of the bottle and onto a toy and/or hole without getting the lube all over the floors and the sheets and the furniture and your moms, then your partner shouldn’t be allowed to handle the lube. You shouldn’t have to apply the lube every time you have sex — you shouldn’t have to do all the lotional labor in this relationship (forgive me) — but for your peace of mind and the safety of your elderly mothers, SPILLS, you might wanna do it.

There are really two different issues here. The first is practical: Your partner is staining the sheets, creating safety hazards and damaging expensive toys. The second issue is symbolic: He’s not listening

He’s not taking your concerns seriously, to say nothing of your sheets, and that makes his inability — or refusal — to do something 10 times more upsetting. Calling off sex when he can’t remember might do the trick, but if it doesn’t, SPILLS, I would suggest making the silicone lube less handy. Keep the water-soluble lube on top of your nightstand and the silicone lube in the drawer.

Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

AW, SHUCKS!

Jax Fish House founder Dave Query ponders 30 years of dishing fish and fun

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

When Jax Fish House opened its doors at 928 Pearl St. on Nov. 18, 1994, it faced a wave of skepticism from Boulder diners who wondered how “fresh” Jax scallops, salmon and softshell crab could really be.

There weren’t many seafood-centric eateries in land-locked Boulder at the time. At 5,430 feet above sea level and at least 1,000 miles from the nearest coast, locals joked about “Rocky Mountain oysters.”

For chef Dave Query, who launched Jax Fish House and Boulder’s Big Red F Restaurant Group, the argument was always “ridiculous.”

“We could get seafood here as perfectly fresh as restaurants anywhere in the country because of Denver International Airport,” he says. “Every single flight coming in was loaded with fresh produce and fish.”

Query decided to snap up a space on Pearl Street that was previously home to the Small Wonder Cafe.

“We had just opened Zolo Grill in Boulder a few months earlier, but I said, ‘Oh, hell yeah,’” Query recalls. “I just loved that West Pearl funky little space.”

Thirty years and millions of oysters later, Big Red F operates the West End Tavern, Velvet Elk Lounge and Centro Mexican Kitchen, seven Post Chicken & Beer locations and five Jax Fish House restaurants in Colorado.

BRINGING OYSTERS TO BOULDER

When Jax opened as Boulder’s first true oyster bar, it started sourcing bivalves from Blue Points to Kumamoto from various coasts. While freshness wasn’t an issue, Query says securing enough high-quality oysters proved a huge challenge because of ocean pollution.

“Oysters are one of the most sustainable organisms around: They are designed for filtering water,” he says. “You can’t grow them in contaminated water, or you’ve got a contaminated oyster.”

Some restaurants contract with farmers to grow specific vegetables for their restaurants, so why not oysters?

After Query and company sampled the sweet bivalves grown in Virginia’s Rappahannock River, Big Red F partnered with Rappahannock Oyster Co.

to grow the Emersum oysters dished only at Jax locations since 2010.

SEAFOOD SUSTAINABILITY

Over the past 30 years, overfishing, ocean pollution and climate change have impacted fisheries across the globe.

“A lot of the fisheries were not sustainable, and there were serious questions about the quality of seafood,” Query says. That’s when a newly hired chef, Sheila Lucero, brought sustainability to the forefront at the restaurants.

Now culinary director at Jax, Lucero worked to make it the first Colorado restaurant recognized by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, an organization working to protect threatened species. That has entailed many things over the years, including serving certain types of fish — which can help rid the waters of invasive species — and not serving others that are threatened or endangered.

“Sheila was the one who spearheaded it,” Query says. “She recognized that sustainability was the key to our long-term success, and the longterm success of the oceans and the human race.”

THE OYSTER SHELL GAME

It’s not just the sourcing of bivalves that Jax aims to make sustainable; when you shuck tens of millions of oysters, thoughtful disposal of the shells becomes a great responsibility. Originally, Query says, the shells were

TASTE OF THE WEEK: LOUISVILLE LEMON BAR

I admit I have a jones for lemon bars, the dessert halfway between lemon pie and lemon cake. They are not as popular as easy sweet pastries like pain au chocolate, chocolate chip cookies or brownies, but lemon bars last. They are so rich, dense and intensely flavored you can savor it bite by bite.

Pucker lovers are like black licorice lovers: There aren’t many of us, but we are passionate about finding great lemon bars and avoiding the many yellow disappointments.

I found a satisfying candidate recently at South Street Market, 824 South St. in old Louisville. Besides offering scratch-made sandwiches, soups and entrées, the kitchen turns out serious baked goods, including a stellar lemon bar. The firm, bright curd over a perfectly buttery crust is not too sweet with tons of fresh lemon tartness. It provided serious pastry satisfaction between sips of a double espresso.

shipped back to coastal farms to help grow new oysters.

“It was a contradiction: If you are supporting sustainability practices and regenerative farming, how can you create a pretty big carbon trail flying the shells back?” he says.

For a while, the oyster shells were picked up by Midwestern contractors who crushed them. According to Query, “they make for a really nice driveway.”

Closing the oyster shell loop remains a conundrum.

The lemon bar from South Street Market in Louisville. Credit: John Lehndorff

Images courtesy: Big Red F

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NIBBLES

“Now,” says Query, “I’m trying to find an organic fertilizer company that will take the shells for free and grind them into a great fertilizer material.”

DISHING FISH

An array of notable chefs have cooked at Jax’s stoves, including Hosea Rosenberg, 2009 Top Chef winner and owner of Boulder’s Blackbelly and Santo restaurants.

same. But everything else evolved, according to Query.

Jax — which recently underwent its first major renovation — is one of the few ’90s-era Boulder eateries that are still open. That roster also includes the Flagstaff House, Lucile’s Creole Cafe, Ras Kassa’s, The Gondolier, Greenbriar Inn and The Sink.

Since it opened in 1994, the narrow, brick-lined location remains the

“The party we put on 30 years ago is not the party that we’ll put on tonight,” he says. “The guests are different and so are the cooks and servers. It’s been a huge job to curate a 30-year party and still keep it relevant.

“I may not be shucking oysters 30 years from now, but there’s a good chance someone else will be.”

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: NEW FOOD AT AVANTI

Peko Peko opens June 6 in Boulder’s Avanti Food & Beverage. The menu includes traditional Japanese favorites including temaki, ramen and donburi. Peko Peko joins Boychik, Lost City, Mangia Panino, New Yorkese, Rooted Craft Kitchen and Quiero Arepas at Avanti. Teocalli Cocina (in Lafayette and Arvada) has opened a third restaurant at 460 Main St. in Longmont.

Coming soon: The Den on 11th, 1111 Francis St., Longmont. Delicious Z’s, open since 2017, has closed at 802 S Public Road in Lafayette.

CULINARY CALENDAR: DO DRINK LOCAL

This is the weekend to reduce your beverage-related carbon footprint by tasting local libations. The Manitou Springs Colorado Wine Festival, 12:30-5 p.m. June 1, offers wines from more than 30 Colorado wineries. The Lafayette Brew Fest, 2-6 p.m. June 1, will pour locals like Cellar West, Liquid Mechanics, Stem Ciders, Wibby, Mother Tucker and Westbound & Down

WORDS TO CHEW ON: OYSTER ECSTASY

“She tipped the oyster into her mouth. It slid down her throat, with an echo of the sea, the siren song of salt and rock and dark depths.” — From The Sparrow Sisters: The Novel by Ellen Herrick

John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles and Kitchen Table Talk on KGNU. Podcasts: kgnu.org/category/radio-nibbles

Courtesy: Big Red F

BUZZKILL

Research shows the danger of using drugs to cut short bad trips

BY COLIN DAVIDSON THE CONVERSATION

As interest in psychedelics has grown, so has interest in ways to end a bad trip. Recent research reveals that people are giving potentially dangerous advice on social media on how to stop a trip that is less than pleasurable.

The last few years have seen a resurgence of illicit use and renewed interest in studying these drugs as treatments for mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Even a single dose of these drugs appears to have long-term therapeutic effects.

But not all trips go as planned. Research shows that if someone is in a bad mood or depressed, they are more likely to have a bad trip, as are people who take too high a dose.

This sort of experience might include extreme fear, time standing still and mood swings. Very high doses of LSD can also cause agitation, vomiting, high blood pressure, hyperthermia and other nasty side effects. At regular doses, psychedelics are relatively safe.

TRIP KILLERS

To mitigate against bad trips, people will often take the drug in a relaxing and safe environment, and they might include a friend or “trip sitter” to look after them for the duration of the experience. More recently, though, some psychedelic users have been turning to “trip killers” to end a bad trip. These are drugs that can either block the direct effects of the psychedelic or simply reduce the anxiety associated with a bad trip.

Few clinical studies have examined trip killers, but one has found that ketanserin — a drug used to treat high blood pressure — reverses the psychedelic effects of LSD.

A recent article in the Emergency Medical Journal analyzed posts on Reddit about trip killers. The researchers found 128 threads with 709 posts from 2015 to 2023. Trip killers were discussed most often for LSD (235 posts), magic mushrooms (143 posts) and MDMA (21 posts). The most commonly suggested trip killer was Xanax (an anxiolytic) followed by quetiapine (an antipsychotic), trazodone (an antidepressant) and diazepam (an anxiolytic).

Alcohol, herbal remedies, opioids, antihistamines, sleep medication and cannabinoids were barely mentioned.

RECEPTOR BLOCKING

LSD and magic mushrooms create their effects by activating certain proteins in the brain. To kill a trip, one simply has to give the drug user another drug that blocks (rather than activates)

those protein receptors. Many prescription drugs can do this, and they tend to be antipsychotic drugs.

Quetiapine from the list above is one popular example, while another antipsychotic, olanzapine, was mentioned in 14 posts in that study. Similarly, the atypical antidepressants trazodone and mirtazapine also block the necessary receptors.

ON DRUGS

suggested in the Reddit posts were high. For example, quetiapine was suggested to be used at 25mg to 600mg, but clinical guidance for these drugs suggests a single dose of up to 225mg.

The doses suggested on Reddit for alprazolam are 0.5mg to 4mg but the clinically suggested maximum dose is usually 2mg to 3mg. Four milligrams could cause low blood pressure, oversedation and respiratory depression. Unfortunately, benzodiazepines are also highly addictive and can lead to overdose deaths.

Another option for psychedelics would be to decrease the anxiety associated with the trip by taking anxiolytics, such as benzodiazapines — alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) being the most popular in the analyzed posts. These would also help the drug taker to fall asleep.

Some of the trip-killing drug doses

People suffering from a bad trip or overdose of a psychedelic are instead advised to visit an urgent care or emergency room, where they will be reassured in a calm environment. If that doesn’t work, they are likely to be given an antipsychotic or lowdose benzodiazepine, at a clinically advised dose.

Colin Davidson is a Professor of Neuropharmacology at the University of Central Lancashire in the U.K. and a paid consultant with the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (MOD) working on new psychoactive compounds. The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent news organization featuring articles written by academic experts.