Brave the house of roses
Rosehouse is absolutely not for the faint of heart; a perfect cranny of a store, tucked away in the still-hip Broadway shopping district.
Rosehouse, 14 S. Broadway in Denver, is a small exotic plant shop, not much bigger than your average kitchen. I make the mistake of frequenting there all-too-often and always walking away with more than I bargained for. My most recent trip resulted in the purchase of a carnivorous pitcher plant, which will definitely die a slow, painful death at the hands of my dry-ass kitchen.
However, if you love plants, this is the place to go.
-MM
Edelweiss Pastry Shop in Idaho Springs
My dear friend Larry Dungan finally opened a bitchin’ little bakery right along the main drag of Idaho Springs, and I have dropped the ball on getting up there to visit his soon-to-be famous Edelweiss Pastry Shop.
Filled with all manner of delectable treats, Larry calls upon a long history of being a total ski bum and former CDOT snow plow driver to make treats that off of us powder-hounds dreamed of every day. Unfortunately, all of our money was wrapped up in ski passes and there were no croissants in our near future.
Stop up and visit Larry at 1520 Miner St. and tell him Matt sent you. He might chase you out with a pitchfork.
-MM
Take a walk with the women who built the west
I love putzing around downtown Denver, especially on a rainy day with some good music in my headphones. But if you’re looking for a walk with a little more purpose, the new Mavens of Denver tour seems fascinating.
The 2-hour walking tour celebrates the inspiring and courageous women throughout the city’s history. Stops as part of the tour include the Colorado Convention Center, Union Station, Larimer Square and The Dairy Block. The local guide will provide histories and stories of the women who shaped our city.
Get the pertinents about scheduling a tour, costs and more at https://www.denverlikealocaltours.com/.
-CR
Santa Fe not on first Friday
Surprise! The Santa Fe Art District on Santa Fe Drive in Denver between 5th and 13th avenue in Denver is actually a place other than the six warm First Fridays of every month when they pull out all the stops for starving artists to show off their latest wares.
On weekends in the summer a lot of the shops and galleries are open around the noon hour to the public, and it is a FAR less stressful experience. You can walk into most shops and not get a contact high, a rare event here in Colorado these days.
I highly recommend checking out the district on off days before going the full-Monty with a First Friday.
-MM
Slingfist at Herman’s Hideaway
Slingfist, you say? Probably the first and last time you will ever hear of this rage filled metal band, but I truly wish it weren’t. These guys absolutely show up to melt faces, and they are a true experience if you need to get your shit kicked in before warming up for the Blink-182 concert this weekend.
Put it this way: if you thrash hard for Slingfist at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway in Denver, you’re going to go into the Millennial Pit at Pepsi center later this week and be Mountain-From-GoT-Esque.
You can get Tickets here, and they will not break your bank any worse than the broken bones will.
-MM
✨ Phish dicks
Let me start here: fuck you for going to this if you pay full price.
Tickets for the three-day run from Friday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way in Commerce City, at the cheapest right now are $933 for the 3-day pass, and I know at least two-to-three of you weird assholes are going to get in a fight with your on-again-off-again party girlfriend while on your totally righteous spirit and acid journey and dive head-first into a plague-infested prairie dog hole.
Is that how you want to spend you dollars? Is there nothing else that could go towards? For gods sake Rolling Fucking Stones tickets were 25 percent of that price! If it is, I hope the prairie dogs get you.
Tickets are here.
-MM
Amos Lee and Patty Griffin at Red Rocks
Amos Lee is one of those performers that is absolutely adored by Colorado audiences – just check out the live album he released back in 2015 with the Colorado Symphony for proof. His blend of jazz touches and folk rock sounds perfectly at home in Red Rocks, which is lucky, because that’s where he’s playing at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2.
He’ll be joined at the amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, by Patty Griffin, she of the magic voice. Seriously, if you haven’t heard what Griffin could do, you should go just for that – she can shake the very stones if she sets her mind to it.
Go to www.redrocksonline.com for information and tickets.
-CR
For some reason, Blink-182 and Lil Wayne play the Pepsi Center
Look man, I don’t know what to tell you about this one. If nostalgia is your thing, this might be up your alley. It’s worth noting lead singer Tom DeLonge isn’t currently with Blink-182, and Weezy got off to a rough start on the tour opener, so take that into consideration.
The show is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle in Denver. It’ll probably be good for signing along with some hits, and if you want to feel the full weight of the slow, unstoppable shuffle of time, this is your shit.
Tickets at www.pepsicenter.com.
-CR
✨ See ‘Once’ at Miners Alley Playhouse
For my money, John Carney’s Once is the best musical of this century (though his other classic, Sing Street is also a contender. And granted, I haven’t seen “Hamilton” yet) and its transition from film to the stage in 2011 was another opportunity to celebrate the delicate beauty of the love story between a Dublin busker and Czech musician. About 75 percent of the soundtrack can still wreck me with startling ease.
A story this intimate and quiet will breathe beautifully in a small performing space, which means its run at Golden’s Miners Alley Playhouse theater, 1224 Washington Ave., from Sept. 6 through Oct. 13 is going to be fucking legendary.
This is may well be the theatrical production I have been looking most forward to all year, and I can’t wait to see it. Get your tickets at www.minersalley.com.
-CR
Getting high with the women
The supergroup we didn’t know we needed until they posted a photo together on Instagram, The Highwomen is modern country and alt-country greats Brandi Carlie, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. The name is a tip of the hat (see what I did there?) to the Highwaymen, the supergroup made up of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristoffersen that released three albums in the late 80s and early 90s.
Anyone who has been listening to country this decade knows that the women have been running the game for a while now, and this new album, released on Friday, Sept. 6, is certain to reaffirm why these women are at the top of their genre. The interplay between the four members is sure to be stunning and I can’t wait to hear the thing.
Info and details at www.thehighwomen.com.
-CR
