WINTER SCENE
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, folks. Sure, that’s debatable, but here at Boulder Weekly, we’re locked in for the winter season. In fact, we love it so much, we make a magazine about it every year. Winter Scene is a collection of the warm, the weird and the welcoming, all wrapped up into a bundle for you to enjoy all season long.
So zip up your coat, slap on your favorite beanie, and get out there. Not into that? You can cozy up inside. We’re not here to judge you for your winter endeavors; we’re here to help you make the most of them.
— Carter Ferryman, special projects manager
PUBLISHER: Stewart Sallo
PUBLISHING CONSULTANT: Francis J. Zankowski
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Shay Castle
ARTS EDITOR: Jezy J. Gray
REPORTERS: Kaylee Harter, Tyler Hickman
FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Justin Criado, Natalie Kerr, Gabby Vermeire
COVER: Chris Sawyer
SALES AND MARKETING
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
MANAGER: Kellie Robinson
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Matthew Fischer
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Chris Allred, Tony Camarda, Austen Lopp
SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER: Carter Ferryman MRS. BOULDER WEEKLY: Mari Nevar
PRODUCTION
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Chris Sawyer
CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn
CIRCULATION TEAM: Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer
BUSINESS OFFICE
BOOKKEEPER: Austen Lopp
FOUNDER / CEO: Stewart Sallo
DEAR WHOLE FOODS DADDY
Your Boulder Winter survival guide
BY GABBY VERMEIRE
Every season brings another Outside Magazine guide promising that you too can be as attractive and comfortable as their rugged male centerfolds while sending it in those winter temps. Somehow the answer always involves buying more Gore-Tex and layers with increasingly specific purposes — ultra-light-base/ mid layer for late October/first week of November low-elevation bouldering? Sweetie, you mean a long-sleeve shirt?? It seems like the good folks at Outside and whoever at Patagonia has the enviable job of dreaming up which bougie meals to make as a dehydrated product —
which, and I mean this in the best way possible, looks like human-grade kibble — have you covered in the wilderness. But what about you? You’re just a plebe trying to stay warm and not get RSV half a dozen times while living in a mid-sized, highly desirable mountain town. I can’t tell you how to go *checks article* “Ice sheet camping in Greenland,” but this guide will ensure you emerge from winter in Boulder as not-dead.
EMBRACE THE BODY HAIR
I know what you’re thinking: ‘But who will see my sexy, unshaved pits under all my
winter layers? Isn’t it better to have sexy, unshaved pits in the summer when you can show them off in a pair of overalls like the cutest Naropa pixie dream girl who has never even heard of a bra?’
For once, having body hair won’t only make you more attractive, it will help you conserve precious, fleeting heat that is key to survival in the winter. It has been scientifically proven that not taking off any body hair will keep you from fucking freezing to death because your eco-warrior roommate River refuses to keep the house above 50 degrees.
BEAR GIRL WINTER
Does anyone remember who the “it girl” in the outdoors social media landscape was this year? Was it some badass climber chick who makes your casual enjoyment of touching plastic at Boulder Rock Club seem like a total waste of time? Was it an outdoor influencer who sends V11s with an ass that won’t quit but also seems like she has her life together? And does everyone’s boyfriend have to follow her on Instagram? But, like, it’s totally fine, she doesn’t make me insecure at all…
No, it was Grazer, a.k.a. Bear 128, a.k.a. winner of the wholesome Fat Bear Week contest that literally everyone and their mom can get on board with.
Fat is not just cute — it is literally lifesaving for hibernating bears, and lifeaffirming for the lil momma who suddenly finds herself under two sweaters in her
Retaining body hair in the winter is a surefire way to win the thermostat war with your eco-warrior roommate River who refuses to keep the house above 50 degrees. Courtesy: Instagram
It’s so confusing sometimes to be a (bear) girl. Credit: L. Law, National Parks Service
office and easily demolishing an entire Illegal Pete’s burrito with room for more as the days grow shorter. In all seriousness, listen to your body if it wants to pack on a few in the winter, because it’s normal, healthy and frankly adorable.
TURN TO THE WISDOM OF WELLNESS AISLE CRONES
Whether it be a yeast infection, Qi stagnation or a mystery ailment likely caused by “hormones,” there are few health quandaries that cannot be solved by a walk down
know is where your AirPod went, and find comfort in sex, love or simply a body to distract you from another horrifying cabinet nomination.
1. Practice safe cuddling
Is the spiritual bro who asked for your social media handle at Portal in your DMs again with offers of cuddles? He may have had some bad takes on vaccines, but you were a little distracted by those spiritually ripped biceps. Spiritual bros are all about the snuggles, so take him at his word and do your part to MCLNGA (Make Cuddling Leading to Nothing Great Again)!
the supplement aisles of Natural Grocers to visit the most powerful of Boulder witches. The gray goddesses working in grocery store wellness departments not only know which herbs will heal you, but also which supplement brands are 15% off that week and, unlike our Paul Saladino-coded Health Secretary, will tell you when you need to go to an actual doctor.
FIND SOMEBODY TO *HOLD SPACE* FOR YOUR FREAK
It’s highly generous to call this cuffing season, and for your future timing purposes, cuffing season peaks in mid-October along with the number of niche squash varieties available. Last year, we said that with enough resilience, you could overwinter in Boulder alone just fine.
Well, we just had an election, and this really sucks! Trying to go it alone will probably find you in a current-events-podcast spiral of doom, so it’s time to desperately sift through the dregs of Boulder singles like the coffee grounds in the compost you
While those of us with uteruses find the thought of a national abortion ban to be libido-ending, I assure you that snuggling can be a highly effective form of birth control, as long as you leave some room for the Holy Ghost whatever deity mandates spiritual bro’s semen retention practice.
2. Country roads, take me to pound town
After finally connecting to her Bluetooth speaker after trying for 10 sexy minutes, you better nail that playlist — and who better to soundtrack some groovy times than the Marvin Gaye of the Rocky Mountains, Johnny D? No way, you scoff: John Denver is cheesy as hell! Isn’t Greg Isakov the superlative Colorado-coded “getit-on” music? No, my friend: What makes John Denver so cheesy is his open-hearted sentimentality and romantic vulnerability, and any man sensitive enough to see that must also be a gentle and thoughtful lover.
Also, you can only pretend to be seduced by dudes playing “Amsterdam” so many times.
3. Give poly a try
So, you’ve missed the train on Boulder singles, but wait — there’s still another train that hasn’t left the station. That’s right, it’s the ENM (or ethical non-monogamy) train, and it has something it would like to process with you.
Remember Dan and Elise, the kindanerdy, kinda-cute couple at the St Julien Hotel bar who bought you some cocktail your poor ass could never afford? (DINK life, baby!) If you weren’t so oblivious, you’d have realized they weren’t just down to chat about the uselessness of hot takes and infighting on the political left — they were also down to take you home for some adult activities followed by sex.
Oh, you thought the adult activities were sex? No, just more processing! And while your risk of getting hurt in the scenario is low, there’s a high probability you will come out of it with tattoos and a highly sophisticated, overly complicated emotional vocabulary.
After the 2024 election, it’s more important than ever to find someone who can hold space for your freak. Courtesy: Out Magazine
Put some respect on his name.
Courtesy: Amazon
NEW TERRAIN
What do climate change, more traffic and pricier passes mean for the future of ski season?
BY KAYLEE HARTER
It was a January Saturday after one of the season’s first big snows, and I had managed to talk two day-trip-averse companions into heading to Winter Park. We left early enough (or so I thought) with spirits high. But before we even made it to I-70 from Denver, we were crawling along at a snail’s pace. Four hours later, we were finally arriving, albeit a bit deflated.
“It’s still early,” I remember thinking. “We’ll be out there in no time, and we’ll hardly remember this hellish drive.”
I was wrong. We spent another hour or so circling the free and paid parking lots: “There has to be an open spot somewhere,” we said over and over.
Wrong again.
After giving up on the lots, we eventually found a spot on a side street in town and hoofed it to a shuttle pick-up spot. The line was long, and when a minivan drove by offering a ride for 20 bucks, we paid up. By the time we were finally about to take our first run down, it had been nearly six hours since we left home, just 70 miles away. It was a beautiful day and the snow was great, but I can’t say the vibes ever
fully recovered — especially after it took us another three hours to get home.
This experience isn’t emblematic of every day trip, but it is the type that’s had more and more of my friends swearing off driving to the mountains on weekends.
“It’s not worth the traffic or price for someone who just isn’t that good at it,” wrote one r/COSnow Redditor who said they haven’t skied since the early 2000s. “I feel like it has to be a passion for those willing to spend that much time and money.”
The winds of change are blowing through Colorado’s ski resorts, and they’re not showing signs of letting up. Pass prices are rising, more people are hitting the slopes, and seasons are getting shorter. At the same time, resorts are building faster lifts and expanding their terrain.
“There are numerous people that would say, ‘I don’t like the way it’s changing, it wasn’t like it was before,’” said Joel Hartter, founding director of the Masters of the Environment and Outdoor Recreation Economy program at CU Boulder. “But I work all over the U.S. in resort communi-
ties and recreation hot spots. That perspective is always there. Things are different from what it used to be… That is going to continue.”
‘AN ENORMOUS JUMP’
The price tag on hitting the slopes is getting steeper — both for season and day passes.
The Epic Pass, launched by Vail Resorts in 2008, saw a $982 starting price tag for the upcoming season. That’s 25% more than it was for the 2021-22 season, when Epic cut its price (though it’s only $3 more than the season before the price slash).
The pass has also opened the door to more terrain as the company acquires more and more slopes across the country. The pass now grants access to more than 50 resorts across the world, five of which are in Colorado.
The Ikon Pass, which includes more than 60 resorts, has gone up in price by 39% since its 2018 inception and $90 just in the last year.
“That is an enormous jump,” Hartter said, “and that has all sorts of cascading effects.”
On one hand, increased revenue allows resorts to make “costly upgrades that skiers now expect” such as high-speed chair lifts, advanced snow-making capabilities and resort amenities. On the other hand, Hartter calls it “the biggest issue for consumers,” as the barrier to entry becomes higher.
“It really comes down to becoming an exclusive pastime,” Hartter said.
Still, he believes the bubble isn’t likely bursting on a large scale.
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Hartter said. “I don’t know what that would be. There’s a lot of factors.”
The shift to multi-resort passes also reduces overall cost for frequent skiers while also serving to drive up single-day lift tickets. With day prices for resorts on Ikon and Epic often running more than $200, it only takes as few as five days to break even on a season pass — a move by resorts to lock in revenue before the season begins.
If you were to ski once a week from January through March, it would cost you about $80 per trip on the Epic Pass, or $104 on Ikon. If you had the more limited
Credit: Kaylee Harter
version of each pass, it would cost you $60 per day on Epic or about $70 on Ikon. Bump up your number of days skied to 20, and it amounts to $46 per day on the full Epic Pass or $37 on Ikon.
Average season pass sales have more than doubled across the past decade, according to a National Ski Area Association (NSAA) spokesperson, and sales for 2023-24 exceeded the 10-season average by 75%.
That’s served to make resorts more crowded and has also changed who’s skiing.
“The influx of out-of-town skiers using multi-resort passes has altered the atmosphere at some resorts, impacting the local vibe and community feel,” Hartter wrote in an email response to follow-up questions.
A 2023 Slate article claimed the pass duopoly had “ruined skiing” and turned the sport into a “soulless, pre-packaged, mass commercial experience” that favors jetsetters over ski bums and workers.
“Ruined and also made it affordable,” another Redditor said in response to the Slate article. “I’ve lived in Colorado my whole life and couldn’t afford to ski a single day til I was 15. Now season passes are somewhat affordable compared to what they were in the late 80s.”
SKI’S A CROWD
Despite the rising costs, skiers and riders are largely still paying up. The last three years had the highest visitation on record for the Rocky Mountain Region (made up of six states including Colorado), according to the NSAA.
But the most recent season saw some dips. Visitation declined regionally and nationally after a record-breaking 2022-23.
“Nationally, skier visits are trending up in the long-term, and the 2023-24 season came in above-trend, despite the dip from the previous season,” NSAA spokesperson Tonya Riley wrote in an email. “While skier visits dipped last season across the country, the scale of those decreases were highly varied, especially when considered in the broader historical context.”
Colorado had an estimated 14 million skier visits for winter 2023-24, a decrease of about 5% from last season’s all-time high, according to Colorado Ski Country USA, a nonprofit trade association representing 21 ski areas. That’s still the second-highest skier visit total on record, according to the organization.
Some of the decline, Hartter said, is a return to the norm. After the pandemic, “[people] came back in force,” he said. “We’ve seen this all across the outdoor industry, where after the initial surge, there’s been a sort of normalization.”
Vail Resorts saw a 9.5% drop in visitation for the 2023-24 season, according to its fourth quarter report, and season pass sales through Sept. 20 for the upcoming season decreased by about 3% (though sales dollars were still up 3%). The company attributed the dip in visitation to “unfavorable conditions” and industry normalization.
In response to growing crowds (and discontent from skiers), resorts are putting up major money and implementing new rules.
“We’ve seen tremendous infrastructure investment with high speed [lifts] and so forth to get people up the mountain and return them,” Hartter said. “All of that plays into trying to reduce the congestion down at the bottom and spread people out across the mountain.”
Vail Resorts in 2021 announced it would spend more than $315 million on projects to “materially reduce wait times, increase uphill capacity and create more lift-served terrain.”
That included a dozen new high speed lifts, on-mountain restaurant expansions and new lift-serviced terrain.
According to the company, it was its “largest single-year investment into the guest experience” at the time.
Copper’s Timberline Express was upgraded from a four-person lift to a high speed six-pack that debuted this season, according to the resort. Alterra-owned Winter Park’s master plan involves annexing 358 acres of terrain and adding gondola service from town. It also includes parking upgrades and more snowmaking.
Even smaller, independent resorts have been making upgrades despite fewer resources.
“Limited capital compared to larger conglomerates can pose a challenge,” a Loveland Ski Area spokesperson said in an email, “but we’ve made significant investments over the years, including replacing four lifts in the past decade and implementing numerous other improvements like installing four new snow guns at Loveland Valley ahead of this winter.”
Other efforts target traffic and parking woes.
Dynamic pricing that makes it cheaper to ski on weekdays and off-peak parts of the season also aims to spread out crowds, according to Hartter.
Arapahoe Basin, a local favorite sold to Alterra in November, is implementing a parking reservation system for 2024-25. Spots must be reserved in advance on weekends and holidays and cost $20 unless you carpool; then it’s free.
After implementing a parking reservation system in 2020 and doing away with it the
following year, Eldora now charges $10 for single-occupancy vehicles on peak days. The resort also hands out free tickets for the RTD bus going from Boulder to Eldora on weekends and offers a free shuttle on weekends.
The Winter Park Express, a seasonal Amtrak between Union Station and the resort, dropped prices by more than 40% this year as it aims to increase ridership.
‘THE NUMBER ONE THREAT’
There’s one looming problem companies may not be able to spend or innovate their way out of: climate change.
The NSAA calls it “the number one threat to the snowsports industry.”
“We’re going to have shorter ski seasons,” Hartter said. “Certain terrain is going to close; resorts are going to close earlier. We’re going to have earlier snow melts. We’re going to have rain, it’s going to rain earlier, which melts everything out as well.”
As a result, he expects resort conglomerates will begin diversifying their offerings — not just across different locations — but also in terms of activities, getting a hand in summer recreation like rafting and golfing and building up off-season infrastructure.
U.S. ski areas lost an estimated $5.5 billion from 2000-2019, a study published this year in Current Issues in Tourism found. In the 2050s, ski seasons are projected to shorten between 14-33 days and 27-62 days, depending on emissions, the study estimates.
Vail Resorts, which attributed its decrease in visitation to unfavorable conditions, reported that its snowfall for western resorts in North America for the 2023-24 season was down 28% from the prior year.
“Sustainability success is not a zero sum game; if we do nothing, we all lose,” NSAA spokesperson Riley wrote in an email. “That’s why it’s critical that each ski area identifies its own climate risks and paths to action, and that we move forward with a strong, united voice for climate action.”
Riley points to NSAA’s awards for environmental effort as the shining examples. A-Basin, for example, was recognized for achieving 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality.
The big conglomerates like Vail and Alterra, according to Hartter, may be better positioned for impactful responses to climate change.
“A small resort may not have the resources to be able to do all of that,” he said of efforts like large-scale energy and water conservation projects. “So as an industry, it’s in looking at bigger scale changes and implementing those. We’re also able to make changes as an industry at scale, as opposed to sort of scattered onesie, twosies, different resorts doing their own thing.”
For Hartter, the ski industry needs to move beyond “table steaks” efforts like recycling and transportation initiatives.
“Cumulative impacts make it challenging for the ski industry going forward,” Hartter said. “That’s not to say it won’t survive, it just means that there are new and deeper challenges that will continue.”
HEATERS CLUB
Local music to keep you warm this winter
BY JUSTIN CRIADO
Baby, it’s cold outside — so why not stay warm by checking out a hot up-and-coming local music act?
From hardcore to honky-tonk, there’s a little something for everyone looking to thaw out this winter in Boulder County and beyond.
BIG RICHARD
When Colorado’s Big Richard first got together in 2021 for a one-off festival appearance, the quartet didn’t have any plans to make the group named after a dick joke a full-time endeavor. But the initial welcoming reception and subsequent packed-out shows proved Bonnie Sims (mandolin and guitar), Joy Adams (cello), Hazel Royer (bass and guitar) and Eve Panning (fiddle) had tapped into something special that resonated with audiences.
Soon enough, Big Richard found themselves plugged into the festival circuit, where they built a reputation as a supergroup of sorts, sharing a blend of blue-
grass, Americana, country and pop. (The crew’s cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” is one of the best things you’ll hear this season.)
While the four musicians had played together before across several different groups, Big Richard seemed like a good excuse “to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy,” according to the band’s marketing materials.
The wildest part about Big Richard’s quick rise to the folk forefront is that the foursome has only released a handful of singles and a live album, Live from Telluride (2022), so far. But that’s about to change with their upcoming debut, Girl Dinner, set for release Jan. 24. “The Missing Stair” and “Town Line” offer a nice sneak peak, which is definitely some “Big Richard energy,” Adams quips.
“We hope that as you listen to our music, you feel big feelings,” she says. “And that as you drift off to sleep at night, our songs are the soundtrack to your dreams where you simultaneously dismantle the patriarchy, burn down capitalism and disarm the great war machine.”
CANDY APPLE
means things are back to their regular levels,” vocalist and guitarist Tristan Sagar says. “Those that are still around and involved are the ones that have made Denver so special. It’s the diehards still making shit happen. It’s not for everybody, and that’s how it should be.”
Sagar, guitarist Nick Brownson, bassist Quinn Hudson and drummer Preston Weippert are certainly making shit happen. Together they show why Candy Apple continues to be one of the best hardcore acts around with new record Comatose, put out earlier this year via Denver label Convulse Records. (You can still pre-order a special-edition live cassette of Comatose until Jan. 1).
Carving out a career in a local hardcore scene isn’t for the faint of heart. The subgenre only thrives if bands are committed to a DIY ethos of booking their own shows and road-dog touring. Luckily, the Front Range is home to a healthy hotbed of groups doing just that, including Denver’s very own Candy Apple.
“The hardcore [and] punk scene in Denver is in a good place still. The post-COVID music boom has definitely died down a bit, but I think that just
Sagar says these nine tracks, including “Paralyzed” and “Heaven’s Gate,” have been marinating for a while, and Candy Apple is currently busy working on more original material.
“Those songs are also already several years old to us,” he says. “So it’s very exciting to be able to start putting new stuff together.”
INFINITE COUSINS
Infinite Cousins is one of Boulder’s newest bands, but the mastermind behind it, Theodore Stevens, is no stranger to the scene. In fact, the former guitarist of indierock quartet Pool Sharks and solo ambient artist admits the idea to start his latest psyched-out project came to him years ago when he began messing around and
Front Range favorites Big Richard are set to release their debut LP, Girl Dinner, on Jan. 24. Courtesy: Big Richard
Incendiary Denver hardcore band Candy Apple isn’t letting up anytime soon. Credit: Joe Lacey
recording demos by himself at the onset of the pandemic.
“Living in Colorado inspired and gave space for this project to come to fulfillment,” Stevens says.
Now, Infinite Cousins — including fellow Centennial State musicians guitarist Sam Moylan (Red Light Ritual), bassist Jake DeMarco (In Plain Air), synth player Leo Trevino (Pool Sharks) and drummer Will Tyson (Enso) — are ready to make their official introduction with debut album, Nebulous Tremulous, set to drop independently on Jan. 3. There’s a release show Jan. 9 at Denver’s Lost Lake, with supporting acts Virgil Vigil and Soneffs.
Lead single “Mister Transistor” is a nice tease of what to expect from the psychrock group, with its synth-forward soundscape and Zappa-esque zaniness.
“My vision for this project, as it runs alongside several other musical endeavors, is to keep recording and writing until my time here is up,” Stevens says. “To explore melodies, harmonies, rhythms with our ever-growing Infinite Cousins.”
SHOWS
HOT BUTTERED RUM @ VELVET ELK LOUNGE
If you’re looking for something a little more relaxing and laid back to kick off the new year, then check out Hot Buttered Rum with Sam Walker at the Velvet Elk Lounge on Jan. 9. But be ready to move, as the
cozy Boulder space known for its menu of “live music and good booze,” according to the sign that hangs outside along 13th Street, hosts the longtime sextet known for its progressive mix of bluegrass, Americana, jazz and folk. Add in Walker from up-and-coming Denver country crew Clay Street Unit and you might be nursing your first hangover of 2025 the morning after this show if you’re not careful. At least you can say you had a good time.
Hot Buttered Rum — which is Bryan Horne (double bass and vocals), Erik Yates (banjo, guitar and vocals), James Stafford (drums and mandolin), Ben
MOUNT EERIE @ FOX THEATRE
We can’t be sure if the promoters did it on purpose, but having Mount Eerie play the Fox Theatre on Feb. 22 is the perfect postValentine’s Day show, especially if you spent the heart-shaped holiday alone.
As the solo project of Pacific Northwest producer and songwriter Phil Elverum, Mount Eerie’s lo-fi indie rock may be just what the doctor ordered to treat any lingering melancholia you’re experiencing. Night Palace, Elverum’s latest, is another brooding collection of 26 songs showcasing Mount Eerie’s penchant for turning somber subjects into cathartic, fuzzed-out tomes.
Andrews (violin), Jeff Coleman (keys) and founder Nat Keefe (guitar and vocals) — most recently put out an EP of Ralph Stanley covers, Butter Plays Ralph Stanley, earlier this year, along with Live at The Freight & Salvage 2002. Of course, the band regularly pulls from its catalog of eight studio albums, including their latest offering, Shine All Night.
ON
THE
BILL:
Hot Buttered Rum with Sam Walker. 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St. $26
“I have a devotion to this life of creativity and subversion that has never wavered,” Elverum said in a press release. “These songs and works dig down into the bedrock of this place and try to bring forth a fresh exhale, a big picture glimpse, small beneath the sky, clear water trickling.”
New tunes “I Walk,” “Huge Fire” and “Non-Metaphorical Decolonization” are sure to hit harder live. Plus, Elverum is bringing along another Olympia, Washington, act in doom-loving, black-metal duo Ragana (the band name is Latvian and Lithuanian for “witch”) as opener. It’s going to be hard to stay sad after this one.
ON THE BILL: Mount
Eerie with Ragana. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St. $39
Infinite Cousins is the latest project from local musician Theodore Stevens. Courtesy: Infinite Cousins
Sam Walker of Denver’s Clay Street Unit is set to join Hot Buttered Rum for a Jan. 9 show at Velvet Elk Lounge. Courtesy: Sam Walker
Washington State producer and songwriter Phil Elverum is the man responsible for lo-fi project
Mount Eerie. Courtesy: Mount Eerie
SLIM CESSNA’S AUTO CLUB @ HI-DIVE
Peanut butter and jelly. Salt and pepper. Green eggs and ham. Those are just some examples of two things that always go together. The same can be said about Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and Denver’s hi-dive, particularly the duo’s annual New Year’s Eve run on December 30-31.
The divey (no pun intended) space is a quintessential rock venue — intimate and loud — which is why it arguably remains the unofficial home of Front Range alternative music. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, the OGs of what has become known as the “Denver Sound,” have a long history with hi-dive, cutting their teeth there over the band’s 30-plus years, while continuously returning to share its one-of-a-kind brand of alternative Americana.
“I was trying to be a country singer and I wasn’t very good at it, and I think the reason for that is I’ve always been kind of weird and I wasn’t really like that,” Cessna told Boulder Weekly in 2022. “It took having these other people with me who are really interesting, oddball people. We just dropped any idea of genre, and I think that is the most important thing we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Now armed with new album Kinnery of Lupercalia: Buell Legion, leadman Slim, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Munly Munly, guitarist and banjo picker Lord Dwight Pentacost, steel pedal player Rebecca Vera, bassist George Cessna (Slim’s son) and drummer Andrew Warner are set to fill the hi-dive with a bevy of morbid tales that run the gamut from Gothic country hymns to bizarro alt-rock. It’s definitely more a green-eggs-andham medley than anything else.
Joining Slim & Co both nights this year are Texas crooners Rattlesnake Milk and Denver DJ Ryan Wong.
ON THE BILL: Slim Cessna’s Auto Club with Rattlesnake Milk and DJ Ryan Wong. 8 p.m. Mon.-Tues., Dec. 30-31, hi-dive, 7 South Broadway, Denver. $25
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club is once again ringing in the new year with a twonight run at Denver’s hi-dive. Courtesy: Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
‘OUR STAR’
77 years of marvel and mayhem at Boulder’s iconic holiday display
BY NATALIE KERR
Perusing the aged wooden bookshelves of Boulder’s Carnegie Library, you’ll find boxes full of records from when the Boulder Star made the news. The local history archive holds a treasure trove of stories about the twinkling annual holiday display — from its construction to the very first lighting, and the joy it brings to Boulderites each year.
Trespassers are seen climbing within the boundaries of the Boulder Star on Flagstaff Mountain on Nov. 16, 2024. The City has closed the area to hikers due to steep terrain and wildlife conservation efforts. Credit: Natalie Kerr
But the word that might appear most among the newspaper clippings is “vandalism.”
The first lighting was a few days before Christmas of 1947. The pranks began soon after. It started out playfully: In 1951, the star was rearranged into an “A” — presumably by students at Colorado State University, formerly Colorado A&M. In an effort to not be outpaced, several students from Colorado School of Mines rearranged the star into an “M” in 1958, which landed three freshman students with suspensions, $100 fines and 10 days in jail.
Apparently the punishment was not enough to deter other, more sinister vandals. The following year, the star’s wires were cut and pulled down, dozens of the bulbs smashed or stolen, and throughout the mid-50s the bulbs were repeatedly painted red, which the Daily Camera hypothesized was related to Communist ideology.
“People who are purposefully taking out their aggressions on the Boulder Star,” says John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber. “That’s an infliction of pain to our entire community.”
A NEW TRADITION
The star, now managed jointly by the chamber and the city, was constructed in 1947 after several years of delays from World War II and deliberating how to get electricity up Flagstaff Mountain. Its shape was originally outlined in toilet paper, resulting in a star 259 feet from top to bottom and 125 feet across, with approximately 400 light bulbs.
The beloved seasonal tradition, which now begins on Veterans Day and ends the first Sunday after the New Year, is meant to inspire hope and joy during cold winter months.
“It’s a wonderful community treasure,” Tayer says. “On a winter night, you’ll look up there, and it gives you a lift.”
But for some, the Boulder Star seems to be a beacon for making trouble.
By the 1970s, hijinks at the star were as much a holiday tradition as its lighting. The display was rearranged into a peace sign during the Vietnam War, a “#1” when CU Boulder won the national college football championship in 1990, and strangely, the outline of Minnesota in 1993. But the city
continued to light the star each year and performed its own sanctioned rearranging each spring, making a cross for Easter for two decades until the practice was put to an end after legal disputes determined it violated the separation of church and state.
Those weren’t the only times the star became a political flashpoint. In the 1980s, the City of Boulder kept the star lit for the 444 days that the Iranian Hostage Crisis lasted. That same decade, the star drew the ire of at least two separate environmental advocacy groups, one of which sent a note to the Daily Camera citing energy waste, ecological damage and protest over the United States’ presence in the Middle East. They also called the star “an eyesore.”
After one of the groups unscrewed all the bulbs in protest, donations and support poured in for a $2,000 restoration project. Boulder and Fairview High School student councils publicly pledged to work with the repair teams, and cash donations flowed from residents across town, including a piggy bank full of coins from two young girls.
Unusual activity surrounding the star has historically been reported by residents within minutes, with the aforementioned peace sign protest in 1969 prompting 35 calls in one evening, the Daily Camera reported. On such calls, people would often call the display “my star” or “our star.”
“It’s very clear that the Boulder Star is beloved in our town,” Tayer says. “People have opinions on every detail.”
THE STAR MAN
Perhaps the worst case of vandalism happened in 2001, when a trespasser cut into the light panel and smashed the circuit breaker with a rock, causing the entire star to go dark for the night.
For most of the new millennium, electrician Craig Reynolds got the call when the display was damaged. The chamber reached out to several local contractors in 1998, looking for help repairing the star before the season. Reynolds, who owns Longmont-based Lord & Reynolds
Electrical Services, says he was the only one to show up.
He quickly became known as “The Star Man,” keeping a vigilant eye from his home window. When something looked wrong, Reynolds would head up the mountain with a crew of friends, family and handy volunteers.
“It was such a passion for me,” he says. “In the beginning, it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t even know what the star really was, but after a couple of years, it’s like, ‘I take care of this thing.’”
Reynolds took his responsibility seriously, making sure not to travel out of town between the time the display turned on in November and off in January. He went up the mountain on early mornings, cold nights and even one Christmas Eve when he noticed a significant number of the lights had gone dark.
“My parents were in from out of town, and I said, ‘Well, you know what? There’s a problem up there, I need to go,’” Reynolds recalls. “Sure enough, half the star was out, and I had to fix it — got it back on, though.”
The City of Boulder took over maintenance of the star in 2023, a change Reynolds is happy about. He loves the star, but the city can enforce trespassing rules and vandalism penalties that officials hope will deter people from trying to damage it.
The city has closed off the area to protect the nature and wildlife on Flagstaff Mountain. The mountain itself has a steep grade with loose, uneven terrain, making it unsafe for climbing.
Despite the rules, desires to get closer to the star persist, particularly with local college students who pass around stories of hiking up to the star and stealing a light bulb after getting, well, intimate among the lights.
Just a few nights after the lighting ceremony this November, three trespassers were spotted scrambling their way up the mountain to sit beneath the display. Some things, it seems, are slow to change.
‘IT JUST MAKES YOU HAPPY’
The holiday tradition has expanded to include an annual art competition run by the chamber, with local artists submitting applications to create a work depicting the star that will then be used on postcards, a puzzle and the wine bottle label for the star wine, created and sold annually by BookCliff Vineyards in North Boulder.
Kristen Ross is this year’s winner among 34 applicants. Her work is vibrant and colorful, depicting the star from an angle that includes iconic views of the Flatirons and Longs Peak.
Ross can view the display from her home window, and says seeing it lit up all winter long brings her joy.
“It’s just a nice little reminder how good of a community Boulder is and how we can get together and build something that’s not even
necessarily practical,” she says. “It just makes you happy.”
Ross recalls how meaningful it was to see the star being lit up throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The chamber has illuminated the star at times outside the holiday season to honor important events or commemorate tragedy, like after the King Soopers shooting and the Marshall Fire the following year.
The star’s status as a symbol of hope and inspiration is reflected in its new theme song, “Beacon,” by local composer Jeffery Nytch and performed by the Boulder Philharmonic during this year’s lighting ceremony.
“It’s just one of these glorious traditions that unites our community,” Tayer says.
It’s undeniable that, positive or negative, the Boulder Star inspires strong reactions from the town. In its 77th year, it still shines brightly from Flagstaff Mountain, its storied history of pranks, attacks and rebuilding coming together to make a uniquely Boulder tradition.
Reynolds, the Star Man, has seen and felt first-hand just what the star can mean to people. Throughout the years, his mailbox has been stuffed with thank you cards expressing gratitude for his dedication and people sharing personal stories about the significance the tradition plays in their lives.
“It was really nice,” he says. “It made me even more committed.”
Reynolds himself proposed to his wife while sitting on a rock beneath the glowing lights of the star, looking out onto Boulder, knowing that at that very moment there were probably hundreds of eyes looking back in their direction. It’s no wonder she said yes.
Left: An environmental advocacy group stole the bulbs from the star in the ’80s in protest, dropping them at the Boulder Police Department. Right: Students at Colorado State University, formerly Colorado A&M, changed the star’s configuration to an “A” in 1951. Images courtesy: Carnegie Library for Local History
Local artist Kristen Ross is the winner of this year’s annual Boulder Star art competition. Courtesy: Boulder Chamber
STEW U
BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
Steaming bowls of soup will get dished this season under many names: gumbo, chowder, bisque, borscht, chili and congee.
While soup may be good food, it is definitely not a stew.
Soup is an appetizer. Stew is an entrée. Soup tends to be, well, soupy and brothy. Stew is a bowl of satisfaction — braised meat and sautéed aromatics, simmered in broth and chockablock with potatoes, carrots and flavor.
Making a great stew takes practice and a certain obsession. Longmont chef Steven Podel has had a thing for soups, chowders, chilis and stews for most of the past 40 years.
Podel is the deli manager at Your Butcher Frank, 900 Coffman St., and former owner of Longmont’s Brooklyn Deli. His career has included running Boulder kitchens like Azar’s Big Boy, Jose Muldoon’s and Pearl’s.
Wherever Podel has cooked, he has attracted soup devotees who appreciate his expertise. His Facebook followers at Your Butcher Frank make a beeline to the shop when favorites like his split pea, sweet and sour brisket cabbage or matzo ball soup are one of the specials of the day.
“The biggest thing in making a great beef stew is to use good ingredients to start with,” Podel says. “You can get all the beef and vegetables from local stores and farmers.”
According to him, the beauty of stew is that it adapts to the ingredients you have on hand. Stew is
forgiving and the recipe can be adjusted for any dietary need.
Boulder Weekly recently grilled Podel about the secrets to crafting a killer beef stew as the centerpiece of a comfy wintertime meal.
TIME WAITS FOR A GREAT STEW:
Besides using the best available ingredients, the secret to crafting craveable stew flavor is patience. “It takes time,” Podel says. “Sometimes I come into the shop at 7 a.m. to start soups so they are ready for lunch.”
STEW BEEF IS NOT STEAK:
The best beef stews are made with the right cut of meat that can cook a while, like chuck roast, brisket or round. “You don’t want an expensive cut of beef like tenderloin,” he says. “I tend to use chuck at the shop, but the easiest thing is to use stew meat which is the trimmings from various cuts.”
Many stew recipes call for about three pounds of stew beef (or pork) cut in 1- to 2-inch chunks.
BROWNING, BRAISING AND DEGLAZING: Stews start by browning the meat in a hot skillet with oil. Adding bacon gives the stew an additional layer of smoky flavor.
“You cook them until pieces are browned all over. You want them to sear, not simmer,” Podel says. “Pull the browned meat out and set aside. You add mirepoix – finely chopped celery, onions and carrots to the pan and cook until softened.”
The next step is to set aside those vegetables and deglaze the pan with some wine or broth to loosen all the browned bits of flavor.
GET THICK WITH ROUX: Roux is the combo that thickens stews and gives the gravy that great silky texture. “In a deep saucepan, you melt butter or oil, sprinkle in flour and stir over low heat for a few minutes until it gets smooth,” he says. “Then stir in the beef, the saved cooked vegetables, pan juices and chopped garlic.”
Stews can also be thickened with cornstarch dissolved in water.
ADD FLAVOR, NOT JUST LIQUID: The better the stock or bone you add to the stew, the tastier it will be. “I prefer using homemade broths — part beef and part chicken broth, which is lighter and adds some character to the flavor,” he says.
Podel isn’t shy about admitting that prepared beef and chicken broth bases can also add oomph to soups and stews.
Boulder Broth sells frozen pouches of beef and chicken bone broth.
7TH GENERATION FARM, 100 S 96th St., Louisville, 7th-generation-farm.square.site
ASPEN MOON FARM, 7940 Hygiene Road, Hygiene, aspenmoonfarm.com
BLACK CAT FARM, 4975 Jay Road, Boulder, blackcatboulder.com
CURE ORGANIC FARM, 7416 Valmont Road, Boulder, cureorganicfarm.com
Access local produce and foods all winter long through the Boulder Farmers Market online marketplace: shop.bcfm.org/products
WAIT TO ADD THE VEGGIES: Bring the broth and ingredients to a simmer before introducing vegetables to the mix. “Don’t cut the vegetables or mushrooms too small. Add the potatoes last,” he says. “You want to make sure they don’t dissolve.”
Waxy skin-on red potatoes tend to hold their shape better than Russets.
At this point in the cooking, Podel adds a sprig of rosemary to the pot along with some tarragon.
THE ZEN OF STEW-TWEAKING: As the pot finishes simmering over the course of an hour or more, the flavor can be adjusted to personal taste with salt, black pepper, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, honey, horseradish or mustard. Thin it with more broth as needed.
Podel suggests serving the stew topped with chopped fresh parsley or, if desired, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Some cooks also pair it with noodles or rice.
GLOBAL VARIATIONS ON A STEW THEME: Beef stews dished across the planet have similar ingredients but vastly varied flavors. You can give your stew an Indian or Thai profile by adding curry paste. The addition of tomato paste, basil, oregano and fennel can lend an Italian accent. One popular Mexican beef stew, Chile Colorado (named for its color), features tender pieces of beef in a red chile-accented gravy.
NEIGHBORHOOD BREAD AND BUTTER: Stew calls for good bread to sop up those stew juices. One option is the chewy kaiser rolls or hearty rye bread offered by Longmont’s Bavarian Bakery. In Boulder, Breadworks bakes firmly crusted baguettes that are perfect for dunking or making mini stew sandwich bites. Others opt for challah (try Moe’s Broadway Bagel on Fridays) or serve their stew over biscuits (try Biscuits @Mike’s).
And of course, great bread calls for excellent butter, whether high-fat European salted butters or the freshly churned cultured offerings at Longmont’s recently opened Bella La Crema
BOULDER WINE FOR A BOLD STEW: Pair your local stew and sides with a robust red crafted in Boulder. Boulder’s Bookcliff Vineyards offers Tectonic Red, an affordable, approachable Colorado blend available at Bookcliff’s North Boulder tasting room and at local liquor stores.
FOR LOVE OF LEFTOVERS: If you’re going to the effort to make stew, you might as well make a big batch. Stews generally develop more flavor when they are chilled overnight and then reheated. Leftover stew can be tucked inside a double crust and renamed beef pot pie.
John Lehndorff writes the Nibbles column for the Boulder Weekly and hosts Radio Nibbles and Kitchen Table Talk on KGNU.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT
BY
JFrom ‘the world’s biggest teddy bear’ to a ‘badass villain,’ locals bring Christmas demon Krampus to holiday traditions across the Front Range
ohn Mays is a pretty normal guy, for most of the year. His IT job keeps him busy, he volunteers when he can, and he does some special effects, makeup and prop work for indie films on the side.
But in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the kind-hearted man undergoes a devilish transformation.
Mays — or “Krampus of Northern Colorado” as his alter-ego’s Facebook page calls him — stalks the streets of downtown Fort Collins every weekend in a fuzzy, handmade and horned Krampus suit.
As the mythos of what Mays calls “Santa’s first elf” tells us, Krampus follows St. Nicholas around on the fifth of December, Krampusnacht, rewarding wellbehaved children with gifts and thwacking the bad ones with birch rods.
Mays’ Krampus, however, uses his powers for good.
“I saw it as a fun way to get donations for Toys for Tots,” he says. “Instead of being a heavyset guy in a red suit taking pictures with kids, I can be a bit of a monster, but also doing good things.”
Mays has always been a Halloween guy at heart. He created professional-grade werewolf suits for haunted houses in his hometown of Dallas, but that creative outlet
disappeared when he moved to Colorado in 2010, so he struck out on his own.
“There didn’t seem to be anyone else doing something along these lines,” Mays says, “so let’s try to be unique and put more of a ‘what if’ spin on things.”
Mays isn’t directly affiliated with Toys for Tots, but he has permission to collect
donations using their logo. His Krampus patrols the street, flying the group’s banner fashioned to a heavy wooden staff with a long chain securing a metal donation box, promising to take whoever donates off the naughty list.
“It’s just generally having a good time, putting a smile on people’s faces,” Mays says. “They see Santa Claus everywhere. They see people dressed up as elves. They don’t see a guy that’s seven foot two with horns.”
CHRISTMAS COUNTERCULTURE
Running into a wandering Krampus in Colorado might be jump-scare worthy, but the goat-like beast is a yuletide norm in the legend’s homeland of Germany and Austria.
In Bavarian alpine country, Krampus carries just as much clout as the big man himself — in part because the legend predates Santa Claus and Christianity. Krampus’ true origin story varies from region to region, but the monster’s roots are grounded in pagan winter solstice traditions. When Christianity emerged on the scene, and St. Nick’s rosy cheeks and altruistic nature captured people’s hearts, the two legends became intertwined.
An illustration from Arloski’s second book, The Christmas Curse of Krampus: Secrets in the Ice. Courtesy: James Hutton
TYLER HICKMAN Mays’ Krampus suit catches the eyes of a crowd in downtown Fort Collins on Saturday, Nov. 16. Credit: Tyler Hickman
Traditionally, Krampus appears on Dec. 5, the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas, carrying birch switches to punish bad children and sacks to carry away especially unruly ones — a far cry from finding a lump of coal in a stocking Christmas morning.
“The people of the alpine region will expose their little kids to this creature from birth,” says Devin Arloski, Longmont resident and author of a Krampus children’s book series. Arloski first came across the impish creature on a trip to Germany in 2018 and was fascinated by the survival of pagan traditions in a Christianized society.
Back in the states, though, Krampus isn’t always welcomed with open arms. “Here in America, Krampus is trying to gain traction, but being met with a lot more negativity, a lot more conservative views,” Arloski says.
Mays has his share of interactions with the pious. “I have had people that are extremely rigid in a religious faith,” he says, “and call out for me across the street ‘I will pray for you!’”
But in both Mays’ and Arloski’s experience, Krampus is more of a holiday counterculture figure than anything. “Here, we’re just taking a look at it from afar,” Arloski says. “And we’re taking what we want from it.”
Krampus offers relief from the constant drone of Mariah Carey, dense crowds and long lines to sit on Santa’s lap each December. “We’re adding a bit of uniqueness,” Mays says, “a bit of a break in the Christmas monotonous routine you’ve got accustomed to over the years.”
HERE COMES KRAMPUS
There’s a small but devout community of Krampus enthusiasts on the Front Range who appear at events, like Denver’s Christkindl Market and Loveland Aleworks’ Krampusnacht. While these local Krampus festivities pale in comparison to their European cousins — Krampuslauf in Graz, Austria, attracts hundreds of Krampuses each season — there’s a growing interest in this hairy miscreant’s lore.
Krampus is creeping his way into the mainstream, whether the Christmas traditionalists like it or not. The Christmas demon has made several appearances on the silver screen, perhaps most notably in the black comedy Krampus (2015), and Red One, an action comedy released this year starring Dwayne Johnson, where Krampus is portrayed as Santa’s estranged, adopted brother.
Krampus festivals are gaining traction all over the country, too, from Boise, Idaho’s Krampus Con to Krampus NOLAuf in New Orleans. But the tradition has been a slow uptake in Colorado, largely because of the time and cost investment, says Kate Geesaman, an Englewood local who helps organize Krampus appearances through a Facebook community group.
“It’s not cheap to be a Krampus,” she says. “We jokingly say that Krampus works for perogies, because we don’t even get paid to be at the German Market. It’s a labor of love to be a Krampus.”
Costume can cost thousands of dollars. Authentic masks made in Austria and Germany start at €500, according to Arloski, but quality helps to feed an intoxicating Krampus experience.
“If you have a bunch of people going through town with plastic masks, I’m not sure that’ll do it,” he says. “It’s got to look real.”
Despite the cost, the army of Krampuses who march through the Christkindl Market on Krampusnacht has grown to as many as 30, Geesaman says. “It’s become so popular, our group has tripled since the pandemic, and we have a lot more kids and teenagers now that we didn’t have before.”
“I definitely see it growing, because it seems like a perfect marriage,” Arloski says. “America is obsessed with violence.”
KRAMPUS IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Each Krampus costume in the Denver Krampusnacht parade is unique to its creator. While there is a general likeness with horns and fur, the monster’s image is in the eyes of the beholder.
“We don’t do anything too bloody, because Krampus isn’t really about blood,” Geesaman says. “But other than that, they can go wild with whatever kind of costume they want.”
Mays likens his Krampus to “the world’s biggest teddy bear,” while the Krampus in Arloski’s novel The Christmas Curse of Krampus is more of a “badass villain.” Geesaman is even stepping outside the confines of Krampus as she works on her Franperchta costume — a Baba Yagaesque winter goddess from alpine Bavarian regions.
Whether Krampus is collecting donations or warning naughty children of their fate, the folks inside the costumes just want to entertain.
“The common interest here is to be a fun thing during one of the most stressful holidays of the year,” Mays said. “There’s no other motivation.”
Mays hopes being out on the street each weekend collecting donations will help people realize Krampus isn’t all that bad.
“I’m hoping that other people will pick up the same strange little bug that I have for being this fuzzy suit guy and trying to have a positive impact on kids.”
Mays’ handmade Krampus suit stands at seven-feet-twoinches from toe to horn. Credit: Tyler Hickman
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 TH KITCHEN DWELLERS • SAM BUSH BAND
PICKIN’ ON THE DEAD FT. ROB EATON (DARK STAR ORCHESTRA) & KYLE HOLLINGSWORTH (THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT)
SHADOWGRASS • THE PO' RAMBLIN' BOYS • SISTER SADIE
SATURDAY, MARCH 1 ST LEFTOVER SALMON • DANIEL DONATO'S COSMIC COUNTR Y THE BROTHERS COMATOSE • MOUNTAIN GRASS UNIT • THE FRETLINERS SHADOWGRASS • ARKANSAUCE • THE LANGAN BAND • SISTER SADIE DAMN TALL BUILDINGS • MAGOO • THE LITTLE MOON TRAVELERS (VIP) SUNDAY, MARCH 2 ND TRAMPLED BY TURTLES • THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND PICKIN' ON THE DEAD • PIXIE AND THE PARTYGRASS BOYS THE FRETLINERS • WINTERWONDERWOMEN • ARKANSAUCE THE LANGAN BAND • DAMN TALL BUILDINGS • THE LITTLE MOON TRAVELERS Special Guests Lindsay Lou, Kyle Tuttle & Jon Stickley STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO
DIGGIN' DIRT • COUSIN CURTISS • HIGH COUNTRY HUSTLE FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE • RIVERWONDERGRASS PICKERS
SNOW JAMS
Your guide to live music this season, in Boulder and beyond
All prices listed are as of Dec. 9.
BOULDER THEATER
2032 14th St., Boulder
UMPHREY’S MCGEE (NIGHT 1) 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30. $218+ (resale only)
UMPHREY’S MCGEE (NIGHT 2) 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. $173+ (resale only)
SANTA RIOS (SANTANA TRIBUTE) 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. $17
MANIA - THE ABBA TRIBUTE 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14. $48+
EMMET COHEN TRIO 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. $40+
STEEP CANYON RANGERS WITH PETER ROWAN. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29. $38+
TRACTORBEAM 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. $65
BIG RICHARD 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14. $32
UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS WITH JONATHAN HULTEN 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. $47
OTT. WITH BLOOMURIAN 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. $36
DERVISH. 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. $38+
FOX THEATRE
YACHTY GOT BACK. 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27. $30
BANSHEE TREE WITH DAVID SATORI AND BLOOMURIAN 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. $25
CABIN FEVER BOULDER WITH LOCZI 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. $30
BEAR HAT WITH NORTHWOODS AND STEEPLAND STRING BAND. 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. $20
YOUNG & DEAD WITH RIVER SPELL AND HUCK N’ PRAY. 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17. $20
HOWLIN’ GOATZ AND WENDY WOO WITH THE MAYDAYS 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23. $20
PINK PONY CLUB: CHAPPELL ROAN NIGHT 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24. $20
MOODY GOOD WITH RSENIK AND BALEK 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. $30
FULTON LEE. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. $36
MOUNT EERIE WITH RAGANA. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. $38
MJ LENDERMAN & THE WIND WITH WILD PINK 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. $80+ (resale only)
VELVET ELK LOUNGE
2037 13th St., Boulder
RADIO FLUKE WITH LIGHT THE LETTERS. 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19. $17
KINGS OF PRUSSIA. 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. $16
THE GOOD KIND. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $20
TEJON STREET CORNER THIEVES 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. $24
NETHER HOUR WITH AUGUSTUS 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. $22
CLAY STREET UNIT WITH MADELINE HAWTHORNE 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. $20
DONNY BENET 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. $35
BALLYHOO! WITH SERANATION AND THE HARBOR BOYS. 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14. $27
HOT BUTTERED RUM WITH SAM WALKER. 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9. $26
HOT LIKE MARS WITH FRUTA BRUTAL 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. $19
TOUBAB KREWE 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. $26
TAPER’S CHOICE 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. $28
Umphrey’s McGee. Credit: Tara Gracer
Donny Ben ´ et. Credit: Cara Robbins
ROOTS MUSIC PROJECT
4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder
JERRY JOSEPH WITH DEREK DAMES OHL 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $24
HOLIDAY HO-DOWN FOR HARVEST OF HOPE PANTRY 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22. $18
BILLY HOKE’S XTRAV XVII SUPER PRO JAM. 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. $18
NYE DANCE PARTY 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. $24
HAZEL MILLER WITH JACK HADLEY 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. $24
JJ MURPHY WITH EXPERIMENTAL BRUNCH. 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. $18
JEREMY MOHNEY AND HIS ORCHESTRA WITH LINDY HOP LESSONS. 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. $18
POLDOORE WITH BORAHM LEE AND ELIPTEK 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. $24
CHALK DINOSAUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST (TBA) 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. $18
MUSE PERFORMANCE SPACE
200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette
FRANK ZAPPA CELEBRATION 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $20
KHABU AND FRIENDS 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27. $20
STAFFORD HUNTER WITH JONATHAN POWELL QUINTET. 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. $20
MUSE JAZZ JAM. 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30. $10
OH SNAP NEW YEAR’S GALA. 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1. $10
MOSAIC. 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2. $20
ANDREW ELWOOD QUINTET 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5. $20
RABBLEFISH 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. $20
GLOBAL ROOTS ENSEMBLE. 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. $25
ADAM BODINE TRIO - A TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. $20
GLOBE HALL
4483 Logan St., Denver
HOLDEN REED WITH THIRD WARD AND BECCA JAY. 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19. $19
VERTIGO WITH DYLAN AND DECLAN AND CRACKED RIBS. 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. $19
NEW VERBS WITH CACTUSHEADS AND VATICAN VAMPS. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $20
GERAL DINE WITH LAUREN PODJUN, PSITSIZZY, GENEVIEVE LIBIEN AND KATIE YEAGER. 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22. $19
BOX STATE WITH CHICKEN COUP, IRON ROOTS, INSTANT SHAMAN AND OUT OF MIND 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27. $19
HEIR TO NOTHING WITH THE CHESTERS, OPIUM AND PRIVATE SOCIETY. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28. $19
BUCK WITH HOPEFULLY SOON, GAGG NANCY AND JASON LEE BAND 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29. $19
HIGH COUNTRY HUSTLE WITH FOGGY MEMORY BOYS, DEREK DAMES OHL AND ANDREW COONEY. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. $36
Looking for more concerts? Check out the complete listings at boulderweekly.com.
Hazel Miller. Credit: Bernard Wooten
