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The
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The genre-bending, Denver-born musician is ready to take you to church
by Carter Ferryman
BVSD responds to sexual assault, p. 14
Ezra Furman gets existential, p. 20
Takeout minus the waste, p. 32
Safe, full capacity dining, and outdoor patio. Bar open.
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news:
Boulder-based charity supplies Ukrainians with protective gear and medical aid by Caitlin Rockett
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analysis:
How is BVSD responding to sexual violence? by Emma Athena
buzz:
Denver’s genre-bending N3ptune is ready to take you to church by Carter Ferryman
18 20
overtones:
Interdependence is the mechanism for survival in Ezra Furman’s latest work by Angela K. Evans
nibbles:
Repeater makes reusable takeout containers practical and affordable for diners and eateries by John Lehndorff
32
departments
7 8
Unrepentant Tenant: Hidden history of tenant activism Just Economics: Can the Davids influence the Goliaths?
10 Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered, your views 13 Astrology: by Rob Brezsny 23 Overtones: Colorado musicians unite for Ukraine benefit concert 25 Events: What to do when there’s nothing to do 29 Savage Love: Freyed nerves 30 Film: ‘Lux Æterna’ to play Boe’s Friday Night Weird 31 Weed Between the Lines: Many question how cannabis would fare in a serious economic downturn 35 Drink: January Coffee is for everyone 37 Cuisine: Antonio Laudisio cooks up an Italian feast at Raglin Market pop-up 38 Humor: Masterclass Boulder BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
Publisher, Fran Zankowski Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief, Caitlin Rockett Senior Editor, Emma Athena News Editor, Will Brendza Food Editor, John Lehndorff Contributing Writers: Dave Anderson, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Shay Castle, Angela K. Evans, Mark Fearer, Jodi Hausen, Karlie Huckels, Dave Kirby, Matt Maenpaa, Sara McCrea, Rico Moore, Adam Perry, Katie Rhodes, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Tom Winter SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Carter Ferryman Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman CIRCULATION TEAM Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer May 19, 2022 Volume XXIX, Number 37 Cover photo, Nate Larsen 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-holds-barred 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 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2022 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.
Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.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.
The hidden history of tenant activism in Boulder, part 1 by Mark Fearer
I
’m now going to switch focus from rent control to the broader issue of tenant issues. Tenant protection receives relatively little media coverage, even though more than half of the city of Boulder’s population rents. So, it’s no surprise that tenants know neither their history, nor their rights. My first column (see The Unrepentant Tenant, “Boiling frogs,” March 10, 2022) went into a history of Boulder rent control. Let’s expand on the broader tenant history. There’s always been concern over high rental prices and poor conditions in Boulder. At least as far back as 1922, CU President George Norlin “lashed out at profiteering landlords, sensing students were being raked over
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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the coals,” according to the Daily Camera. Boulder had rent control at least from 1947-1953 and there have always been housing shortages and complaints about housing conditions. In 1968, Boulder was the fourth Colorado city to adopt a housing code for all housing, but it wasn’t well enforced for rental housing. Organized tenant activism didn’t arrive in Boulder until the following year, in the midst of nationwide student activism on a variety of issues (women’s liberation, gay rights, civil rights, anti-war movement, student empowerment, environmentalism, cultural expectations, etc.). The first call for action to the newly formed Boulder Tenants Union (BTU) in the fall of 1969 was a city-wide rent strike against unfair landlords—more than 1,000 student renters voted for it at a meeting at CU. A few weeks later, BTU focused on one apartment building on the Hill see UNREPENTANT TENANT Page 8
MAY 19, 2022
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UNREPENTANT TENANT from Page 7
(present day Campus Townhomes) and it got off to a strong start. While it ultimately failed several months later, it did bring much needed focus on the plight of tenants in Boulder. The following year, BTU broadened its focus and started counseling tenants for the many problems renters faced, including evictions, not getting back deposits, lack of repairs, etc. It also worked with the Colorado Daily (then, an independent CU paper) to publish an annual “10 Worst Landlords” list, based on complaints. The Daily Camera wrote in May, 1970: The Boulder Tenants Union has set out to end what it terms “tenant exploitation by landlords” in the Boulder area.
following year, BCTO had new allies, with the election of some of the youngest people to sit on the City Council and, more importantly, the first renters. Notably, Tim Fuller was a strong tenant advocate on the Council and he worked with BCTO to not only strengthen and enforce the housing code, but to enact the first (and only) rental housing license ordinance in the state. With few exceptions, all rental housing in the city of Boulder was required to pass annual housing code inspections (it’s now every three years) and get a license to legally rent out a residential housing unit. While there are still a number of unlicensed rental units to this day, it made a big difference in improving living conditions for tenants. Predictably, landlords fought the rental license program tooth and nail, but ultimately lost. Later in 1973, Fuller and BCTO again teamed up to address exorbitant rents by gathering 7,000 petition signatures calling for rent stabilization. “Councilman Tim Fuller introduced a rent control ordinance in October,” according to Boulder’s Municipal Government History collection, “which would have included a rollback of rent to January and permission for landlords to raise rents in order to earn ‘a fair and equitable’ profit. In addition, landlords would be permitted to raise rent by 2.5%, if their buildings passed housing code inspections without any violation. The proposal was not accepted by the City Council.” BCTO would continue counseling and advocating for more tenant protection—along with organizing tenants in buildings—for the next eight years. But over time, it lost its activist edge, especially when it started receiving government funding. The 1980s kickstarted a new chapter in tenant activism that will be addressed next time. This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly. Email comments or questions to editorial@boulderweekly.com
THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN CONCERN over high rental prices and poor conditions in Boulder.
Moving toward the dual objectives of lowering the level of rent—which it now feels is exorbitant—and of assuring fair lease terms for the tenant, the BTU is stressing education of tenants as the first step and its campaign. The BTU asserts most tenants in the area are easily exploited by landlords because they don’t understand the local housing situation and because they aren’t aware of their legal rights as tenants particularly with respect to eviction.”
Needless to say, more than 50 years later, little seems to have changed. And yet, unbeknown to most renters, Boulder now has the best laws in the state, thanks to activism resulting in protective state and local legislation. BTU’s activism burned out by 1971, but in December 1972 a new group, the Boulder County Tenant’s Organization (BCTO), picked up the mantle. With new leaders, they eschewed the rent strikes, pickets and confrontation of their predecessors and continued counseling, with a new focus on other tenant issues. Simultaneously, in an important power shift, 18 year olds got the right to vote in 1972 nationwide, and that dramatically shook up Boulder’s politics, which had been relatively conservative up to that point. With City Council elections the 8
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MAY 19, 2022
Can the Davids influence the Goliaths? by Tina Eden
C
ommercial giants, such as Amazon, Walmart, Tyson Foods frequently make the news for high salaries and soaring stock valuations garnered by top management and shareholders. At the other end of the spectrum are stories about the working conditions within these giants detailing low pay, lack of work-life balance policies and sparse benefit plans for employees who do not occupy the C-suite. This dichotomy is considered the normal consequence of a free market economy, and with mixed emotions we accept it as the way of the world. Or is it? What less frequently makes the news are companies that make an effort to consider the welfare of their employees and their communities before that of their shareholders. Yet, there is a movement afoot for this model. Many small- and mid-sized companies have opted to earn the designation of a “B Corporation”—the B stands for beneficial. This designation is granted by a nonprofit known as B-Lab, which
uses metrics to issue a score based on the company’s social and environmental performance standards. Boulder boasts several B Corporations, such as Bloomin, Dojo4, Namaste Solar, Upslope Brewery and Wallaroo Hats. Larger (out-of-state) companies such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s are also B Corporations. B-Lab was launched in 2006 by Bart Houlahan, Jay Coen Gilbert and Andrew Kassoy after the three friends and business associates saw the need for companies to prioritize their stakeholders, such as employees, the natural environment, and the community at-large, over shareholders. Prior to launching B-Lab, Houlahan and Gilbert co-founded AND 1, a $250 million athletic footwear and apparel company. According to Houlahan, AND 1 was a socially responsible business before the concept was popular. However, shortly after the sale of the company, the new owners stripped
TO EARN A B CERTIFICATION, corporations must meet social and responsibility starndards, public transparency, and accountability.
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OPINION from Page 11
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
The Natural Funeral transforms first Coloradoans into compost soil. On March 20th, 2022, Seth and Chris of The Natural Funeral returned the first transformed human remains to the Colorado earth at a historic ceremony at The Colorado Burial Preserve in Florence, CO. (TNF’s Seth and Chris with Chrysalis composting vessels.)
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MAY 19, 2022
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ABORTION CARE IS ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE It’s likely that neither my son nor I would be alive today had I not had access to abortion services. (My son’s birth required a reduction in the number of fetuses I was carrying early in my second semester of pregnancy.) I would not have graduated college had I been forced to carry a pregnancy at 18 years old, and carrying that pregnancy to term would not have been conducive to my need to heal from sexual assualt. Abortion care is essential health care. Bans and restrictions on access to this healthcare will substantially increase the economic burdens and health risks that women face and will disproportionately impact women of color, as well as women with disabilities. Women from these communities already face more barriers to essential health care, with Black and Indigigenous women having disproportionate rates of maternal mortality and miscarriage. The U.S. ranks highest for maternal mortality among the 11 highest income countries. Our communities need an expansion in access to all forms of health care. Barriers to healthcare are already a driving cause related to generational inequality in education, economic opportunities, not to meantime life expectancy. Abortion access is an economic justice, climate justice as well as a l
health equity issue. Congress and State Legislatures must protect our right to access the full spectrum of reproductive health care. Don’t miss the opportunity to join in the reproductive health care marches and rallies that will be on-going in the coming weeks and months. Jodeen Olguín-Tayler/Colorado SEASONUS POLITICUS As we enter the Seasonus Politicus, I wish to gently remind the media that voters don’t need to know what those standing for filing office had for lunch, nor when they take restroom breaks. Nor do the voters need to know these peoples’ favorite shampoos, sweets, or small clothes preferences. What voters do need to know is what these people intend to do if they gain the offices they seek. Of course, plans rarely survive engagement with reality, but at least voters will know the starting points of candidates. Journalists, ask the hard questions of how and why or why not. Make those asking for these posts put in serious sweat equity. Everyone will be better for it. Lora Hansen-Beard/Boulder OUT-OF-CONTROL FLIGHT SCHOOLS NEED TO BE REGULATED Recently, 19 Attorney Generals responded to the EPA’s Draft Strategy to Reduce Lead see LETTERS Page 11
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
OPINION from Page 8
away most of the commitments AND 1 had made to its stakeholders. While a setback of this sort might cause some to feel a sense of resignation, AND 1’s ill-fate paved the way for the creation of B-Lab, which has granted B Certifications to over 4,000 corporations across 77 countries. To earn a B Certification, corporations must submit an application and meet social and environmental responsibility standards, public transparency and accountability. Another anomaly of the business world is Gravity Payments, a credit card payment processing company located in Seattle, Washington. Gravity is a mid-sized company, currently employing fewer than 200 people, but its news-making minimum salary of $70,000, instated in 2015, has garnered it an out-sized public profile. Prior to instituting this salary, Gravity’s founder, Dan Price, became aware of two cases of financial struggles people in his circle were undergoing. One of his employees complained about his low salary, to which Price replied it was market rate. Around the same time, one of his friends was having trouble paying for a rent increase. He tried to help her with budgeting, but eventually concluded that her earnings could be spread only so thinly. Price, who was earning in excess of $1 million annually, cites the Christian values with which he was raised in his decision to raise salaries at his company. In order to do this, he had to take a dramatic cut in pay and mortgage his home. The announce-
ment of Gravity’s new minimum salary made national news, and predictions of his business failing ensued. To the chagrin of Price’s naysayers, Gravity is enjoying financial success, while employee turnover has decreased and the number of employees starting families has increased. These feel-good tales do not exist in a vacuum, rather they beg the question: If a company is to pay its employees a livable wage and reduce its harm to the natural environment, can it deliver goods and services that are affordable? Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s (large B Corps) are working in this direction, but it must be noted that neither company delivers necessities to the masses. A large corporation like Walmart—perhaps the antithesis of a B Corporation—provides a plethora of essential goods to those seeking the lowest price available. And therein lies the conundrum: Without adequate wages, how many people can participate in an economy that tries to uphold the values of organizations such as B Corporations? Do we merely conclude that one segment of society is relegated to low wages and limited to patronizing only the likes of Walmart? While none of us can predict the future, B Corporations and Gravity Payments might be harbingers of a new marketplace. Perhaps these “Davids” will lead the “Goliaths” to a new and more just economy, one stone (commercial enterprise) at a time. This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.
LETTERS from Page 10
Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities. It included a scathing report on the continued use of leaded aviation gasoline by general aviation airports. They commented: “Leaded aviation gas is the only remaining lead-containing transportation fuel and it is the single largest contributor of airborne lead emissions in the United States. The combustion of avgas by piston-engine planes is responsible for 70% of airborne lead emissions nationwide.112 The most recent emissions data from EPA show that these planes released more than 930,000 pounds of lead into the atmosphere in 2017, and emissions from the general aviation sector are expected to increase in the coming years.113 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicts sector emissions
will reach 1.5 million pounds per year by 2025—a 66% increase in emissions from 2017.”
According to the most recent (2017) National Emissions Inventory (NEI) data, Boulder Municipal Airport’s share of this is 285 pounds per year. There is no safe limit of lead in the blood. Other airports have banned this fuel in the interest of the health of the children who live near those airports. Other cities are working on putting control of their airports back to where it belongs—with the people who own the airport. The lead emissions must stop. The out of control flight schools need to be regulated. Gary Keller/San Diego
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Planting seeds of hope
Boulder-based charity supplies Ukrainians with protective gear and medical aid
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MAY 19, 2022
COURTESY SUNFLOWER SEEDS UKRAINE or weeks during Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, in late 2004, Andriy Zakutayev lived in a tent in Kyiv, in solidarity with thousands of citizens in protest of government corruption, voter intimidation and electoral fraud. “That’s where we met,” says his partner, Victoriya Oliynyk. Today the couple is still invested in making their native land a better place, albeit from 5,000 miles away here in Boulder, where they manage Sunflower Seeds Ukraine, a small, all-volunteer organization with a multinational team that provides medical aid and protective gear DETAILS: to groups of citizens on the ground fighting the RusTo donate to sian invasion in Ukraine. Sunflower Seeds also provides humanitarian assistance to civilians who are now tasked with living day-to-day life during a war. “People did not expect this invasion,” Oliynyk says. “No one we know left the country. People never thought that this would get to this level or that anything really dangerous could happen. Everyone’s in complete shock.” “But after the initial shock passed, many were prepared to respond,” adds Zakutayev, “because a lot of grassroots campaigns, humanitarian organizations and a kind of civil movement had been established in 2004 and 2014, those revolution times around the Russian annexation invasion (of southeastern Ukraine) in 2014. So I think a lot of people were able to turn on a dime and just bypass that initial shock and start doing things from the bottom up.” Zakutayev and Oliynyk have been living in the United States since 2006, attending graduate school at Oregon State University before moving to Boulder to start their careers. Zakutayev and Oliynyk began their charity work in 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas, providing some help “on a peer-to-peer basis,” says Zakutayev, to organizations in Ukraine that were supporting troops. They took their aid efforts to the next level when Russia engaged in a full-fledged invasion on Feb. 24 this year, formalizing Sunflower Seeds Ukraine, named after Ukraine’s national flower. “So many Ukrainians in the United States are doing exactly the same thing” as Sunflower Seeds, explains Oliynyk, “just raising funds from their connections, from their friends, buying medical aid, buying protective gear, and sending it to Ukraine. We see these large organizations like Red Cross and UNICEF raising millions, and that’s important work, but sometimes it’s too slow. One of the major complaints from (Ukrainians) is drastic shortages of basic protective gear, helmets, and first aid kits.” As of May 9, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine has received just over $47,000 from nearly 100 donors in 16 countries and provided hundreds of hemostatic kits, compression bandages, tourniquets, chest seals, first aid kits, medical pouches and military tactical gear. With help from friends they met in graduate school in Oregon, plus a delivery team based in Poland, Zakutayev and Oliynyk use donations to purchase everything from medical supplies to military gear and get it to people on the ground in Ukraine. The delivery team works to package, create instructions in Ukrainian, and pass the packages to buses and minivans with dedicated drivers who distribute the goods across the boarder. “I don’t think Ukraine would have been now in a position that it is in the war,” Zakutayev, says “if it wasn’t for everything Poland has done for Ukraine.”
Contact the author at crockett@boulderweekly.com. l
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
by Rob Brezsny
LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS!
ARIES
LIBRA
play in a typical Aries person’s agenda, I’m not inclined to invoke the words “sometimes” or “maybe.” Nor do I make frequent use of the words “periodically,” “if,” or “ordinarily.” Instead, my primary identifying term for many Aries characters is “NOW!!!” with three exclamation points. In referring to your sign’s experiences, I also rely heavily on the following descriptors: pronto, presto, push, directly, why not?, engage, declare, activate, venture into, enterprising, seize, deliver, and wield. You are authorized to fully activate and deploy these qualities in the next three weeks.
nights the sea,” writes Libran author Ocean Vuong. According to my astrological analysis, you are better suited to be the lighthouse than the sea in the coming days. Lately, you have thoroughly embodied the sea, and that has prepared you well to provide illumination. You have learned new secrets about the tides and the waves. You are attuned to the rhythms of the undercurrents. So I hope you will now embrace your role as a beacon, Libra. I expect that people will look to your radiance to guide and inspire them.
MARCH 21-APRIL 19: In defining the essential elements at
TAURUS
APRIL 20-MAY 20: I like Joan Didion’s definitions of self-respect. As you enter a favorable phase for deepening and enhancing your self-respect, they may be helpful. Didion said self-respect is a “sense of one’s intrinsic worth,” and added, “People who respect themselves are willing to accept the risk that the venture will go bankrupt, that the liaison may not turn out to be one in which every day is a holiday. They are willing to invest something of themselves.” And maybe the most essential thing about self-respect, according to Didion, is that it is “a discipline, a habit of mind that can never be faked but can be developed, trained, coaxed forth.”
GEMINI
MAY 21-JUNE 20: “Reality is not simply there; it does not
simply exist,” claimed author Paul Celan. “It must be sought out and won.” I think that is excellent advice for you right now. But what does it mean in practical terms? How can you seek out and win reality? My first suggestion is to put your personal stamp on every situation you encounter. Do something subtle or strong to make each event serve your specific interests and goals. My second suggestion is to discern the illusions that other people are projecting and avoid buying into those misunderstandings. My third suggestion is to act as if it’s always possible to make life richer, more vivid, and more meaningful. And then figure out how to do that.
CANCER
JUNE 21-JULY 22: Wilma Mankiller was the first female
Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She said, “The cow runs away from the storm, while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker.” Political analyst Donna Brazile expounded on Mankiller’s strategy: “Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.” I recommend Mankiller’s and Brazile’s approach for you and me in the coming days, my fellow Cancerian. Now please excuse me as I race in the direction of the squall I see brewing in the distance.
LEO
JULY 23-AUG. 22: [[i]]The New Yorker[[i]] is an influential Pulitzer Prize-winning magazine that features witty writing and impeccable fact-checking. In 2017, its stories exposed the extensive sexual misconduct committed by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein—and helped lead to his prosecution. How did the magazine get its start? It was co-founded in 1925 by Harold Ross, who had dropped out of school at age 13. He edited every issue for the next 26 years. I’m sensing the possibility of a comparable development in your life, Leo. In the coming months, you may get involved in a project that seems to be beyond the reach of your official capacities or formal credentials. I urge you to proceed as if you can and will succeed.
VIRGO
AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: Virgo-born Jocko Willink is a retired naval
officer and author. In his book [[i]]Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual[[i]], he lays down his manifesto: “Become the discipline—embrace its cold and relentless power. And it will make you better and stronger and smarter and faster and healthier than anything else. And most important: It will make you free.” While I don’t expect you to embrace Willink’s rigorous ethic with the same fanatical grip, I think you will benefit from doing the best you can. The cosmic rhythms will support you if you make a fun and earnest effort to cultivate liberation through discipline.
SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: “Some nights you are the lighthouse, some
SCORPIO
OCT. 23-NOV. 21: “Movie people are possessed by demons,
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but a very low form of demons,” observes author Edna O’Brien. She should know. She has hung out with many big film stars. Since you’re probably not in the movie business yourself, your demons may be much higher quality than those of celebrity actors and directors. And I’m guessing that in the coming weeks, your demons will become even finer and more interesting than ever before—even to the point that they could become helpers and advisors. For the best results, treat them with respect and be willing to listen to their ideas.
SAGITTARIUS
TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE PHO HOUSE
NOV. 22-DEC. 21: I’m all in favor of you getting what you
yearn for. I have no inhibitions or caveats as I urge you to unleash all your ingenuity and hard work in quest of your beautiful goals. And in the hope of inspiring you to upgrade your ability to fulfill these sacred prospects, I offer you a tip from Sagittarian author Martha Beck. She wrote, “To attract something that you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you.”
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CAPRICORN
DEC. 22-JAN. 19: According to author Caroline Myss, “You
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AQUARIUS
JAN. 20-FEB. 18: An Aquarian poet was disturbed when a suitor told her, “I’m really very fond of you.” She responded, “I don’t like fond. It sounds like something you would tell a dog. Give me love, or nothing. Throw your fond in a pond.” I don’t advise you to adopt a similar attitude anytime soon, Aquarius. In my oracular opinion, you should wholeheartedly welcome fondness. You should honor it and celebrate it. In itself, it is a rich, complex attitude. And it may also lead, if you welcome it, to even more complex and profound interweavings.
PISCES
FEB. 19-MARCH 20: “I need a playlist of all the songs I used to love but forgot about,” wrote Tumblr blogger Yuyuuyuyuu. I think you could use such a playlist, too, Pisces. In fact, I would love to see you receive a host of memos that remind you of all the things you love and need and are interested in—but have forgotten about or neglected. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to recover what has been lost. I hope you will re-establish connections and restore past glories that deserve to accompany you into the future.
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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MAY 19, 2022
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‘Truth is, it does happen here’
Emergency department visits for sexual violence among Boulder County teens have doubled since 2019— how is BVSD and the community responding?
by Emma Athena
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avin Curwick, a 16-year-old junior at Lafayette’s Peak to Peak Charter School, has been attending Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) schools since the second grade, and of sexual violence perpetrators at school, “I just know too many people that basically walk free,” he says. “There’s a lot of people that I think have done things that aren’t held accountable, like, ever.” When a close friend “had some accusations (of sexual violence) come out against him,” he says the cultural tides swept his friend’s actions under the rug. “I see people that just go, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever.’” Reports of sexual violence among teenagers and elementary school students in Boulder County have increased dramatically over the past two years—a trend not unique to this community, but reflective of national currents. While the Department of Justice reports that the total number of juvenile delinquency cases has fallen between 2015-2019, sexual violence was among the few cases to see an increase. Researchers at West Virginia University’s Department of Pediatrics reported “alarming numbers of U.S. adolescents have experi-
enced sexual violence” in a June 2020 study: 26.6% of 17-year-old girls and 5.1% of 17-year-old boys surveyed reported having experienced sexual abuse. “A large part of it is misogyny,” Curwick says. “Because a lot of guys, I noticed, it’s like those small comments [they start making at a young age] that lead into their actual, like, views.... They started viewing people as less. I can see how that goes, they go down that path.”
Data from Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) shows 11 Boulder County residents in the 10-17 age bracket visited an emergency department for reasons related to sexual violence in 2019. In 2021, twice as many young people did so. The trajectory of 2022’s emergency visits thus far closely parallels that of 2021. At the elementary school level, reports of sexual abuse are rising, too. “We do see more kid-on-kid abuse,” says Don Shires, director of development and outreach at Blue Sky Bridge, the child advocacy center associated with Boulder’s 20th Judicial District. The organization functions as part of a national network of child advocacy centers, each tasked with providing communities safe and supportive environments for abuse victims, and neutral, professionally-led forensic interviews. This year, Blue Sky Bridge broke its record for the most forensic interviews conducted in a month: 38. Forensic interviews happen when law enforcement, judicial and social service agencies need information for sexual abuse cases. In April, Blue Sky Bridge conducted 26 interviews, and “May is shaping up to be very busy,” Shires says. But numbers “just don’t tell the
“NUMBERS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY. Is it that people
are reporting more? Or is it that there’s more sexual assault?” —Janine D’Anniballe, MESA
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Many BVSD students and parents that spoke to Boulder Weekly reported accounts similar to Curwick’s. “This goes back to the root issue, again— why is it that women [are] still seen as these objects?” says Debbie Pope, a BVSD parent and CEO of YWCA Boulder County, a social justice organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women. MAY 19, 2022
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whole story,” says Dr. Janine D’Anniballe, director of Trauma Services at Boulder County’s Mental Health Partners, and director of Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA), where she’s worked for 22 years. “Is it that people are reporting more? Or is it that there’s more sexual assault? We can’t really know.” In some ways, the increased reportage of sexual violence in Boulder County is a product of design: a sign that BVSD and MESA’s targeted work over the last two years to make reporting sexual violence easier for students is working. D’Anniballe says the call volume on the hotline number they’ve disseminated to BVSD students is up 44%. (The hotline is 303-443-7300 and is available to all Boulder County residents; of the increase in calls, D’Anniballe says, “I don’t know if that’s all teens and young adults, but they’re in that mix.”) Over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, BVSD added a bevy of information to its website, making it easier for students to report sexual violence and educate themselves on what is guaranteed to them under Title IX—a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which can “include sexual harassment or sexual violence, such as rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, and sexual coercion” at any public and private schools or school districts
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
receiving any federal funds. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men report experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. The majority of those experiences happen during high school years. “Among those who reported experiencing sexual harassment and assault, 57% of women and 42% of men said it had happened by age 17. High school-age, 14 to 17 years old, was the most frequently selected age people reported for their first experience (27% women, 20% men).” And, as the University of West Virginia researchers found, women aged 16 to 19 are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in all other age groups. According to data shared by NSVRC, one male is the most typical perpetrator of sexual harassment and assault for persons of all genders (reported by 72% of women and 35% of men); the second most typical perpetrator, female respondents said, was two or more males (13%). The fact that laws like Title IX are needed to help keep people free from sexual violence speaks volumes to default settings of U.S. culture. Several lawsuits and charges have been filed against BVSD, its administrators and male students over the last decade for cases related to Title IX issues. Many of the Title IX policies detail how to proceed if and when sexual violence among students happens, but to stick to the law’s foundational purpose of prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs, preventative and educational measures around sexual violence must also occupy the forefront of a school district’s Title IX compliance journey. During the spring semester of the 2020 school year, in response to Title IX policy changes made by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, two Fairview students, Beatriz Sánchez and Sophie Dellinger, took a closer look at Fairview’s compliance with Title IX and sent a letter to the BVSD Board of Education asking for upgrades to BVSD’s sexual violence reporting system. They also asked for students to be actively educated on how to report incidents and to whom. Students need to “be made readily aware of who the Title IX Coordinator is,” the letter asserts—a role school districts are required to fill to maintain and ensure Title IX compliance. “They (students) did bring up a
“I DIDN’T WANT MY ASSAULT TO AFFECT MY LIFE MORE THAN IT ALREADY HAD. I simply wanted it over with! I didn’t want to have to prove myself.” —Boulder High School student legitimate concern about the fact that finding this information (on Title IX and how to report sexual assault) was not easy on our website. And so we actually revamped the website,” Randy Barber told Boulder Weekly in a January 2022 interview. BVSD then turned to MESA, and over the last two school years, the entities have collaborated on strengthening sexual violence prevention efforts through MESA’s educational programs. MESA worked with BVSD’s legal counsel Kathleen Sullivan, who until recently had been tasked with ensuring BVSD’s Title IX compliance, to stand up a student-populated Title IX advisory council that now meets regularly and provides a venue for direct feedback about students’ perception of safety from sexual violence. In August 2021, BVSD announced it would hire its first-ever Title IX coordinator to organize the council and “guide educators through the process of investigating reports of sexbased harassment and discrimination,” according to BVSD. By October 2021, Elizabeth Francis, a lawyer and BVSD alum, was hired as the Title IX coordinator. “This is their education,” she says, and the last few months of relationship-building with students has been fruitful: “All these conversations that we’re having with our students around safe relationships, consent, safe body conversations, using anatomically correct words when we’re talking about our bodies—our students are starting to incorporate into their own conversations and their own relationships at a younger age.” Francis works with Jordan Goto, BVSD’s health and wellness coordinator since 2019, to identify and address student concerns, which inform their sexual violence prevention strategy. “From the beginning of all of our
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work, we heard from students that they wanted to know more about sexual violence, how to identify sexual violence, and where their access to resources and services are,” Goto says. With the increase in reports of sexual violence, “I’m seeing that we’re meeting that need,” she says. “We don’t want to discount that there could be an increase in violence, but we also see that as more people are accessing resources to help.” • • • • While increased reportage points to more people using the system, others still feel uncomfortable with the way the sexual violence reporting (and subsequent investigation) process impacts and alters their lives. Multiple BVSD high school students and parents spoke to Boulder Weekly on conditions of anonymity about decisions not to engage with the district’s sexual violence reporting process, due to fear of retaliation from BVSD and/or high-school peers, or the various other negative social, psychological, emotional and financial impacts imposed upon sexual assault victims that decide to enter the public eye. (The identities of anonymous sources, and their affiliation with BVSD, were verified by Boulder Weekly.) “I didn’t want it (my assault) to affect my life more than it already had,” one Boulder High School student told Boulder Weekly via text messages. “I simply wanted it over with! I didn’t want to have to prove myself.” She claims she was sexually assaulted during the 2021-22 school year: “My assaulter wasn’t held responsible or punished to any degree despite several (female!!) adults being told about it.” She claims she asked a friend to help communicate her situation to three Boulder High School teachers, two of which were female; she wanted MAY 19, 2022
help keeping her assaulter away while at school. “I didn’t tell them (my teachers) directly, as I didn’t want to cause trouble,” she explains. “As in, possibly having to go through (triggering) questioning, confrontation, legal stuff, etc.” “I can name several other girls that have experienced exactly the same thing,” she adds. “Expel rapists.” “The reactions people have when they’re assaulted and whatnot, it’s real,” Peak to Peak student Curwick says. (Among those who reported experiencing sexual harassment and assault to the NSVRC, 31% of women and 20% of men said they felt anxiety or depression.) A female Fairview student, who also requested anonymity, reported similar reasons for not wanting to drag out her sexual assault experience through legal channels—many of which end discouragingly for victims. In 2018 for example, three Fairview students accused Aidan Atkinson, then the school’s star football quarterback, of sexual misconduct. In May 2021, Atkinson took a plea deal resulting in one year of probation, 50 hours of community service and a letter of apology. One of the victims testified about the impact the case has had on her life, and the consequences of testifying against Atkinson. “I went to a high school where sexual assault was the norm,” the victim said, according to The Denver Post. “Why would anybody believe the girl who threatened the hierarchy of the almighty Fairview football team?” Months later, in August 2021, BVSD was sued by two former Fairview students claiming in the lawsuit that high school leaders knew that a student athlete was accused of raping at least two other students during the 2016-2017 school year, but failed to investigate and did not protect students from facing a hostile environment at school. This led Fairview’s principal of 22 years, Don Stensrud, to be placed on paid administrative leave while district officials investigated the federal lawsuit’s claims that the principal fostered an environment permissive of sexual assault at the high school. In a January 2021 interview with BVSD, Randy Barber, BVSD communication director, told Boulder Weekly, “Ultimately, that investigation did finish, see SEXUAL VIOLENCE Page 16 15
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SEXUAL VIOLENCE from Page 15
and he chose to retire. And that’s about all I can say about that,” adding more recently that “we haven’t been seeing violent sexual attacks in school.” As recently as May 13, 2022, a Boulder County jury and judge acquitted a 23-year-old former CU-Boulder student, Braedon Marcus Bellamy, despite evidence found during the hospital examination (administered within hours of the assault) that showed several injuries consistent with the victim’s description of the assault and Bellamy’s DNA on her body, the Daily Camera reported. Bellamy defended himself with a statement that the sex was consensual. (As one of Bellamy’s three charges resulted in a hung jury, prosecutors could hold another trial.) The concept that false allegations of sexual assault are frequent is among the most controversial elements of discourse around sexual violence, but a 2010 report from the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston analyzed cases of sexual assault reported to a major (unnamed) Northeastern university across a 10-year period and found only 5.9% were coded as false allegations. “These results, taken in the context of an examination of previous research, indicate that the prevalence of false allegations is between 2% and 10%,” their investigation states. An independent, international analysis of false rape allegations in the U.S. corroborates this range. In 2017, a team of criminal law and criminology professors at two universities in the Netherlands published a study that found approximately 5% of rape allegations in the U.S. were deemed false or baseless. In Boulder County and elsewhere, D’Anniballe of MESA says, “There’s still so much victim blaming, which is part of rape culture, or not believing victims—that is still happening.” Pope of Boulder County YWCA says, “Some of it (not giving victims credence) is also this idea of, ‘Well, that doesn’t happen here.’ Truth is, it does happen here. … There’s a lot of structural and systemic inequity that’s already built into our system.” She adds, “I think that being able to have people actually talk about this, and survivors feel supported to talk about it, and for all of us to actually l
realize we’re not alone and isolated in this—it has opened things up for us to have to force the conversation more.” The flurry of sexual violence lawsuits, allegations, student protests and walkouts over the last two years, plus BVSD’s efforts to strengthen and make more transparent its compliance with Title IX, led to several BVSD parents and students collaborating with Colorado Senator Faith Winter and Representative Jennifer Bacon on a Senate bill that would help prevent Title IX misconduct in public schools by standardizing Colorado’s Title IX compliance needs. The bill was amended to create a Title IX regulation study in the Department of Education to examine the best practices for prevention, notification, training, and responding to sex-based discrimination and harassment in public schools and the gaps between state and federal law regarding Title IX. Results should be available the spring semester of the 2022-23 school year. • • • • When students return in the fall of 2022, BVSD will implement more changes to its strategy for sexual violence prevention. After spending the last two years helping MESA to provide sexual violence prevention education to students on a school-by-school basis, “what we (BVSD) feel ready to do now is to institutionalize this process,” Francis says. In March 2022 BVSD issued a request for proposal for third-party vendors like MESA who could provide curriculum for standardized district-wide “Title IX-Sexual Assault Prevention and Body Safety Lessons,” and subsequently train educators on how to deliver the lessons. “We’re going to bring this more in-house,” Francis says. “And we’re going to make sure our teachers have the language, they’re talking about it, they know that we’re talking about it, that we’re that we’re prioritizing it (sexual violence prevention).” In mid-May, with input from students and guardians, BVSD announced the two organizations it would contract to provide the education and training: Blue Sky Bridge and Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN). Blue Sky Bridge will expand its existing elementary education body-safety programming to Kindergarten classrooms, where it’ll provide four 15-min-
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DATA FROM THE NATIONAL STUDY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT
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ute lessons to BVSD children over the course of the year—each revolving around foundational concepts, like how to identify “appropriate” and “inappropriate” touches and the characteristics of a trusted adult. SPAN is contracted to provide sexual assault prevention curriculum and educator trainings to all heath classes in seventh through 12th grades. The high school curriculum standards most directly address sexual violence and continue to dig at root causes; SPAN must include lessons, for example, on how to “identify what qualifies as clear consent for sexual activity” and “analyze how media messages normalize violence (e.g., physical, sexual, emotional, relational).” “We’re really ensuring that all students have access to that information ... that there’s some consistency in reaching students throughout the district,” says Anne Tapp, SPAN’s executive director. “It’s a good step in the right direction. But we can’t see this as the solution to young people’s experience of sexual and dating violence.” She says, however, we may be “at a potential turning point—there’s a lot more attention and recognition of just how vulnerable young people are. We saw that through COVID, and the increase in sexual violence and attempted suicides, and addiction issues that have just been embedded in youth culture,” Tapp says. “You had those vulnerabilities play out oftentimes in interaction with each other. If they’re in pain and unsupported, or don’t know where to go for support when the relationships become toxic,
it can be that much more dangerous for them.” BVSD high schools require a health class credit to graduate, so in theory, all students will be required to take a class that could afford them an opportunity to receive this education. But the state of Colorado “mandates that we provide opt-out (opportunities and) parental notifications for certain types of health or comprehensive sexual education,” Francis says. More than one person has questioned the role of a school district in prodiving sexual violence prevention education, prompting questions, too, about the relegation of sexual violence prevention curriculum to health classes and not, say, classes dedicated to history. “I guess it is all about the culture,” Peak to Peak student Curwick says. “There has to be some sort of address of bad behavior to others, because people hold people accountable.” More focused community support would go a long way in addressing the deeper-seeded cultural issues that allow sexual violence to persist. “We have to decide as a community that (eradicating sexual violence) needs to be a priority, and then we need to invest resources to do it correctly,” Debbie Pope says. For D’Anniballe, it goes another layer deeper: “Parents point to teachers, teachers point to parents—I think we all need to be pointing to ourselves and saying, you know, what can I do starting today to stop rape culture?”
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The gospel of N3ptune
The genre-bending, Denver-born musician is ready to take you to church
by Carter Ferryman
G
rowing up in the Baptist church in Denver, a queer Black boy slept while the preacher gave his sermon— but the boy came to life when the choir belted out the gospel. He watched in fascination as members of the congregation “caught the Holy Ghost.” Other church-goers snickered at their spiritual freakouts, but N3ptune wondered: Why can’t I do that to people too? “It was literally always the music,” says the boy, now a 24-yearold creating soulful, electro-tinged pop music under the moniker N3ptune, “other than the fear-based teachings and the word. I didn’t want to hear that shit,” he adds with a laugh. theatrical stage presence, powerful vocals and poignant lyricism—has become a staple in Denver’s music scene, holding down a residency at the Meadowlark, putting on a breakthrough performance at Denver Fashion Week, rocking the house at Meow Wolf and Westword Music Showcase, and opening for acts like Wycleaf Jean, Sleigh Bells, Kennyhoopla and Aluna (of AlunaGeorge). But as a Black queer artist, N3ptune describes performing experience. sister Kayla Rae was with me when I found out. She was like, ‘You’re built for this… you’re here for a reason.’ And little baby me ate that up, then did it again the next year,” and the year after that.
NATE LARSEN
got to showcase his style: He had backup dancers in matching attire performing choreography he developed. In a way it was like being in church, N3ptune now the preacher offering an explosive musical sermon.
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
NATE LARSEN
ON THE BILL:
N3ptune, VYNYL, Blush. 8 p.m. Friday, May 20 Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. Tickets: $15.99, globehall.com
“COVID knocked me the fuck out,” he says. “I went through a physical, spiritual, fullblown rebirth entirely.” Standing at the precipice with the Grim Reaper nudging him to jump, N3ptune did the one thing he could muster the power for: write. Thus, his debut album, Renaissance (which translates to “rebirth” in French), began taking shape. Crafted in collaboration with fellow Denver-based multihyphenate Alex “Rusty Steve” Restivo, Renaissance is a showcase of organic talent, with no room for smarmy love songs or ruminations about the past: Renaissance is a collection of raw, real-time experiences. The album’s centerpiece, “BLACK HORSE,” shows N3ptune pushing the outer edge of his vocal range: “There’s a renaissance on the rise,” he croons, evoking the spirituality of the gospel choir he so loved as a boy. But “the time is nigh,” he warns by the chorus, “prepare to die.” In “ABSENT,” N3ptune speaks on his chronic and current tendency to reality of nuance, the fact that we are “all anti-heroes,” he says. In a recent Instagram post, N3ptune opened up to his fans about his major struggles with depression right at the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month. Music is many things for N3ptune, including a form of therapy and a connection to a higher power.
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“The vibrations and the waves and everything it can be,” he says. “Some folks got Jesus, but music is my savior,” he says with a laugh. Fresh off a studio release, it’s common for artists to be muddled about what the future holds. N3ptune, however, has a masterplan, his ascension plotted “all the way up until Octobe in droves, including Denver’s Globe Hall on May 20, and a nationwide tour alongside Sleigh Bells that kicks off in August, going from Toronto to Detroit, Chicago then Minneapolis, Atlanta, Charlotte and beyond. There are no more ifs, only whens. “If was when I was still living in my mom’s basement,” N3ptune says. “If was when I was working three jobs and music was the third. I in my ability.” N3ptune knows what it’s like to be alienated as an oddball, to be what it is he does and how he should do it. N3ptune refuses to take any of that shit nowadays. “If anybody says what I should do or how I should do it,” he says, “I’ll tell ’em imma do every goddamned thing I want to.” Email comments or questions to editorial@boulderweekly.com
MAY 19, 2022
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TONJE THILESEN
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hat an age! Everyone is dying, everything is dying, and the earth is dying also, eaten up by the sun and the wind. I don’t know where I get the courage to keep on living in the midst of these ruins. Let us love each other to the end.”
The natural arc of rebellion Interdependence is the mechanism for survival in Ezra Furman’s latest work
by Angela K. Evans So wrote George Sand—pen name and chosen identity for French novelist and journalist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin—in 1870. In her time, Sand balked at convention, yet she became one of the most renowned Romantic writers of early 19th century Europe. She smoked tobacco and wore men’s clothing in public, subverting stereotypes and the law, which required a permit for such behavior. She divorced her husband, gained sole custody of her children, and was known for her “romantic rebellion,” unabashed by her affairs with both
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ON THE BILL: men and women. Ezra Furman. 8 p.m. More than 150 Saturday, May 28, years later, Sand’s The Gothic Theater, words (written to 3263 S. Broadway, friend Gustave Englewood. Tickets Flaubert late in life) are $22.50. hint to the existential dread that plague many in our current moment. It’s a reminder that there really is nothing new under the sun, and even if it feels like the world is ending, life really does go on.
for indie-rock singer-songwriter Ezra Furman’s latest album—All of Us Flames, out Aug. 26. Written on a music retreat out in the desert east of Los Angeles, the record is a recognition that when it feels like things couldn’t get any worse, the Earth tends to keep spinning. Life continues, and the question becomes what to do with ourselves then. In Furman’s view, apocalyptic references are often used as a scapegoat, a way of putting all the responsibility of the world’s problems on humans, without engaging in the beauty of helping each other through the mess. It’s an evolution from the punk-heavy protest songs of Furman’s last release, 2019’s Twelve Nudes, which spoke out against the broader social structures, institutions, and power players that attempt to control. With her recent singles
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
BUCK MEEK
and forthcoming album, Furman becomes almost deepest concerns and the solace she’s found with the people immediately surrounding her. “I feel like there’s a natural arc from a rebellion—a noisy moment of catharsis, a big cataclysm of breaking away from something, or destroying, that all happens in a panic; and then it’s like, ‘Well, what’s the sustainable thing to do now?’ It felt like the world was ending, but after the world ends, it keeps going and we just have to take care of each other if we are to survive,” she says. “It’s the idea that the end is never over. That’s the place I’ve been in and this is what In some ways, she says, the same could be said of her (and perhaps most people’s) process of publicly “It’s like this could be a big moment to come out of the closet, to reject what you were expected to be and plant your feet somewhere else,” she says. “But then you have to actually start becoming… At that moment, you’re not done at all, you just started.” On social media, Furman announced she’s a trans genderqueer for years, and what the media has taken as a “I’ve just always been the shapeshifter. There’s sort ing my way to thrive,” she says. “I just think that being a trans woman is a thing, and that seems to clearly be what I’m doing. … It’s a life-saving relief for me to be feminine.” For years Furman resisted labels and the idea that she had to decide, that she owed anyone an explanation. But in the last couple of years, she realized how helpful it could be to communicate with those closest to her—family and friends—what was going on inside. “I guess it’s just started to be true that other people knowing, having some guidance on how to talk about me, really started to be part of that freedom,” she says. “For it to be all internal, it’s a lot of work to be the only one who knows.” Musically, All of Us Flames relies much more heavily on a classic indie-rock sound than her previous work, and the lyrics, while still referencing broader societal
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
attitudes, speak more to community and communal existence. As she wrote, she found herself singing in the third person plural (we), avoiding the “you” of second person and only referencing herself one song. In her words, it’s a move from lone wolf to recognizing who’s in her corner. It really all comes down to “interdependence,” she says: “Sneakily, it’s kind of the key to the challenge of our whole future as a civilization.” On a less conceptual level, Furman thinks she and her band simply made a good record, one she’s proud of. Before putting pen to paper, Furman immersed herself in other music, leading her on a journey of discovering what disparate acts/sounds had in common. Like, what would happen if you fused overlooked ’80s Bob Dylan records with the work of ’60s-era all-girl pop group The Shangri-Las? Or what about putting country blues guitarist and singer Lightnin’ Hopkins next to the earthy textures of Leonard Cohen? “They seem very different, but what do they share?” she says. She also drew from the oeuvre of David Berman, the musician behind The Silver Jews, Purple Mountains, and Pavement. Berman himself drew from the rich history of simple country and poetry to create his infamous “Making records comes from me listening to so, so much music,” Furman says. “And when you hear the stuff that is the best stuff, the stuff that is almost holy, that comes from the fountain of humanity, or the tree of life or something… I just have to see if I can do something like that.” If the three recent singles are any indication of what’s to come with the full-length record, Furman achieves her goal. Like Sand, Furman challenges the status quo, both in life and in art. another layer of herself through the music, a fresh tone of voice. On this record, her stark and simple vocals, set to easy chord strums and melodic drum beats, imbue hope. And she offers it to all of us, asking if we can trust each other enough to keep going. Send comments to editorial@boulderweekly.com
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PURITY RING EKKSTACY
THU. JUN 16 KBCO, TERRAPIN, SKA BREWING & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT: DEAD & CO PRE PARTY
MELVIN SEALS & JGB FRI. JUN 17
KBCO, TERRAPIN & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT: DEAD & CO AFTER PARTY
PINK TALKING FISH ARE DEAD PERFORMING THE MUSIC OF PINK FLOYD, TALKING HEADS, PHISH AND GRATEFUL DEAD SAT. JUN 18 KBCO, TERRAPIN & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT: DEAD & CO AFTER PARTY
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JAMES MCMURTRY WED. AUG 3 INSIDE AN HOURGLASS TOUR
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THU. AUG 4
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105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS
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SON VOLT
JACK BROADBENT
BOYO, SMUT
FRI. AUG 5
FRI. AUG 5
88.5 KGNU PRESENTS
EIVØR
LES CLAYPOOL’S BASTARD JAZZ
EMILY JANE WHITE
SAT. AUG 13
THU. AUG 11
50 YEARS OF MUSIC
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
88.5 KGNU PRESENTS
LOVING SYLVIE
SAT. AUG 13
THE PAMLICO SOUND + THE BURROUGHS
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AUG 20............................................................................... THE DISTRICTS OCT 3 ..................................................................................... BLACK MIDI OCT 4 ............................................................................. EARTH + ICEAGE OCT 7 ................................................................. VIAGRA BOYS + SHAME OCT 18 ............................................................................................... FLOR
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
D
ora Silver says she put together the Ukraine ben-
to help.”
to generators.
Colorado musicians unite for Ukraine benefit concert Denver’s Hi-Dive will host Nick Urata, Slim Cessna and more
generations bear through
generations.”
by Adam Perry ON THE BILL:
I Love You Phillip Morris
Willy and the Poor Boys
Email comments or questions to editorial@boulderweekly.com BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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MAY 19, 2022
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UPCOMING CONCERTS and EVENTS at B.U.S. PRESENTS
“HAVE FUN, BE LOUD, & PARTY”
“THE SPIRIT OF EARTH, WIND, & FIRE”
DOG HOUSE MUSIC PRESENTS
AN EVENING OF ORIGINAL MUSIC BY
“MOTOWN/DANCE”
“COUNTRY/ROCK”
live entertainment, special events, great food and drinks
Nissi’s Entertainment Venue & Event Center 1455 Coal Creek Drive Unit T • Lafayette Get your tickets @ www.nissis.com
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
E VENTS
The Mike Stanley Comedy Show: Stephanie McHugh
EVENTS
8 p.m. Friday, May 20, The Louisville Underground, 640 Main St., Louisville. Tickets: $15, thelouisvilleunderground.com
If your organization is planning an event, please email the editor at crockett@boulderweekly.com
Nick at Nite’s TV Show America’s Funniest Mom. McHigh is a co-founder of the MentalPause Comedy Show and The Twilight Moan Podcast: Laughter, Love and Sex After 50.
Dairy Comedy in The Boe with AJ Finney, Gabby Gutierrez-Reed, Bradley Galli, Ali Kareem, hosted by Arlis Gold
Leftapalooza 2022
11 a.m. Saturday, May 21, Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. Tickets: $15 After a two-year hiatus due to
8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St,. Boulder. Tickets: $15
summer in Longmont than with the return dation’s local tribute band competition and fundraiser! Due to limited capacity in
erner with a passion for the psychedelic Leftapalooza line-up includes:
Erie Hot Air Balloon Festival and Town Fair
Strawberry Festival Vintage & Antique Market
6-8 a.m. Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, Colliers Hill—CR5 and Colliers Parkway, Erie. Free The Rocky Mountains are clearly visible in the distance as the sky comes alive with all the colors of the rainbow. This is the beginning of the annual Erie Town Fair and Balloon Festival. Come in person from 6-8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and watch
Harland Williams
8 p.m. Friday, May 13, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $20-$25, z2ent.com Comedian and actor Harland Williams is known for his hilarious Dumb and Dumber, Something about Mary, Half Baked, Rocketman, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope and more. His stand up comedy routines have been seen on Letterman The Tonight Show Conan
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 21, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, May 22, Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont. $5 per person, children under 12 free Show features dealers from all around Colorado and out of state selling jewelry
County Road 5 and Colliers Parkway. Parking is available in the Erie High
and education in the community.
CrankGameplays presents ‘I Have To Do This Show’
8 p.m. Friday, May 20, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $42, z2ent.com/boulder-theater-venue
else. see EVENTS Page 26
For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events
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EVENTS
EVENTS
EVENTS from Page 25
Free & Organic Plant Exchange
9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, May 21, Unitarian Universalist Church, 5001 Pennsylvania Ave., Boulder. Free Head to Unitarian Universalist Church for the annual free organic plant exchange. If you don’t have any plants to give, come take some anyway. Or bring a can of food for donation at a local food and undermine human health. If you have extra plants in your yard that have not been treated with pesticides, dig them up, put them in a pot, and bring them to our plant exchange. You might see something you like from someone else’s
Andrea Gibson & Zoe Keating
7:30 p.m. May 21, Chautauqua Auditorium, 198 Morning Glory Drive, Boulder. Tickets: $28-$43 literary collection, , is a masterful showcase from the renowned poet whose writing and performances have captured the hearts of also a book of protest. While rioting against gun violence, homophobia and white
career as an information architect and data analyst while moonlighting as a cellist using a computer to live-layer her cello and performing for late-night after-parties
Motus Theater Presents: Power Playback Theater
7 p.m. May 21, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Tickets: $15-$20, thedairy.org Join Motus for an improvisational theater adventure of Power Playback Christina. The night’s theme will revolve around the theme of caretaking and ence caring for others or receiving care when you need support, and then watch professional playback actors enact yout story on the spot using movement, music and dramatic spoken word.
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EVENTS
CONCERTS KURT VILE
Call 720.253.4710 Friday, May 20
Max Wagner Quartet. 6 p.m. Caffe Sole, 637R S. Boulder Road, Boulder. Suggested $15 cover Perpetual Motion. 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Tickets: $15
All credit cards accepted No text messages
Kurt Vile (above) and the Violators with Honey Blazer perform Monday, May 23.
Twang is Dead featuring Dave Watts (The Motet). 7 p.m. The Caribou Room, 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland. Tickets: $15 High Lonesome. 8 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $15 cash cover N3ptune with Rusty Steve and special guests VYNYL and BLUSH. 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. Tickets: $15.99 Son Lux with Nappy Nina. 8:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Tickets: $22-$25
Saturday, May 21
Anjunadeep Open Air featuring Ben Böhmer (Live), CRi (DJ Set), Eli & Fur, Luttrell b2b Yotto, Olan. 3 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. Tickets: $54.95-$129 Art Lande and the S Band. 6 p.m. Caffe Sole, 637R S. Boulder Road, Boulder. Suggested $15 cover Gustavo Caruci and Victor Mestas. 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Tickets: $15 Mellowpunk, Immigrant’s Child, Finn O’Sullivan. Garage, 75 Waneka Parkway, Lafayette. Tickets: $10 Tejon Street Corner Thieves. 7 p.m. The Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder see CONCERTS Page 28
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CONCERTS from Page 27
Sam Zickefoose Duo. 7 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. No cover Gus Johnson. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $39.50 Cancerslug with Cobranoid and Flight Kamikaze. 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. Tickets: $16 Elder Island with JORDANN. 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Tickets: $20-$25
Sunday, May 22
Cara Elizabeth Trio. 6 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. No cover Hot Milk with Doll Skin and Suitable Miss. 7 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. Tickets: $15
N3ptune (above) performs with Rusty Steve, VYNYL and BLUSH on Friday, May 20.
Todd Snider with The Cody Sisters. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30
Monday, May 23
The Pineapple Thief feat. Gavin Harrison with The Cyberiam. 7:30 p.m Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30 Modest Mouse with The Cribs. 8 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. Tickets: $49.95-$109 Kurt Vile and the Violators with Honey Blazer. 8 p.m. Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. Tickets: $35.75-$75
Tuesday, May 24
Bob’s 81st Birthday Bash. 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. Tickets: $20. This is a “pay or play” event; either buy a ticket or bring an instrument and sing a Bob Dylan song. Spoon with Geese. 8 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. Tickets: $36.75-$75
Wednesday, May 25
Bauhaus with Vinsantos. 8 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. Tickets: $87.50-$160
Thursday, May 26
Jeremy Facknitz. 7 p.m. Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Tickets: $15 Cordovas with Bear and the Beasts. 7 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. Tickets: $15 Darlingside with Dori Freeman. 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. Tickets: $26
For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events
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BY DAN SAVAGE Dear Dan: I am a 37-year-old heterosexual woman in a monogamous relationship with a het cis male. Let’s call him and engaged for two. Our sex went from passionate, fun and frequent early in the relationship to nearly nonexistent now. I have gently initiated conversations about how to spice it up—sexy dates, sex toys, new positions, even non-monogamy—but Rick never took me up on any of my suggestions. I encouraged him to get bloodwork done, thinking maybe it was a decline in testosterone or something. I loved him and was legitimately concerned. I also made the pact with myself that I could live with only having sex 4-5 times a year because Rick brought so much “good” to the table. Outside of sex, our relationship is supportive, positive and fun. Fast forward: I recently learned that app. We are not in an open relationship, even though I’d offered that as a possible solution to our sex woes. After some mild questioning, his story unraveled. He admitted to exchanging sexy pics and videos with more than 20 women on the internet over the last few years. He was apparently going into our spare bedroom or bathroom to make and send these videos—sometimes when I was home, sometimes when I was waiting in bed for him. After talking with a friend, she condozens of sexting convos on Rick’s phone with strangers when they were together. My questions are both general and someone to be incapable of physical intimacy when there is love involved? I’m no expert, but it strikes me as troubling that Rick can’t make love with me—going so far as to blame it on hormonal shifts— when it’s not biological at all; he just prefers to jerk off with strangers. Is this actually a thing? Only being physically attracted to an anonymous, impersonal, meaningless stranger? My next question is: Is there hope for a future with Rick when he is lying to me—a GGG partner who wanted to work through this—and also lying to himself? I think I know the answer, but: am I better off alone? —Sick Of Rick’s Dick Image Doings Dear SORDID: Yes, SORDID, some people are incapable of being physically intimate when love is involved. There are straight men out there with what’s called Madonna-whore complexes; these men can’t make love with and/or fuck women they love and respect. These men view sex as dirty and degrading, and
they don’t wanna do dirty and degrading things with (or to) women they have feelings for. Frankly, I don’t know what would be worse: being married to man that refused to fuck me (because he respected me too much) or being fucked by a man like that (because he didn’t respect me at all). who seem to have husband-material complexes. There are guys they can see themselves married to and possibly having kids with—husband material, e.g., good, kind, reliable guys—but those aren’t the men they’re excited about fucking. Instead, it’s bad, unkind, unreliable guys that turn these women on. Oh, and there’s a new type of long-term, committed, romantic partner out there who doesn’t wanna fuck people they love: freysexuals. A freysexual may love their romantic partner and wanna marry that person and make a life with them, SORDID, but a freysexual doesn’t wanna and/ or can’t fuck someone they have strong and/or any feelings for. Basically, love is erotic kryptonite to the freysexual. Being dishonesty, SORDID, assuming he is freysexual and knew that about himself— even if he didn’t know there was a word/ bespoke sexual orientation for him—he should’ve disclosed that to you. And if he only just realized it, he should’ve accepted your invitation to renegotiate the terms of your commitment, i.e., take you up on your offer to have an ethically non-monogamous relationship. (For the record: I’m not suggesting that freysexuality isn’t a legitimate sexual orientation—freysexuwe all know how high that bar is—but I am suggesting freysexuals shouldn’t make sexually-excusive commitments to romantic partners or demand sexually-exclusive commitments from romantic partners.)
Tired of dating apps and Meetup events? Looking to meet local singles but don’t know where to look?
BOULDER AREA SINGLES is the answer you are looking for! Social events around Boulder for single men and women ages 38-59. We do the planning — you just RSVP and go!
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STAY CONNECTED Check us out on Facebook and Twitter for events, local news, and ticket giveaways. facebook.com/theboulderweekly twitter.com/boulderweekly
SORDID, weddings are not famous for reviving sexually moribund relationships. So, if you want more than supportive, positive and fun vibes from your future husband—if you want regular and decent sex on top of all that—don’t marry this guy. But if the idea of being in a companionate marriage with this man appeals to you, SORDID, that’s something you should explore with the help of a couples’ counselor. Oh, and if sexting women he barely knows is his primary sexual interest and opened your relationship—on his end. There’s no reason you should have to wait to open it on your end. Email questions@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. Find more at savage.love.
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YELLOW VEIL PICTURES
How the sausage is made
‘Lux Æterna’ to play The Boe’s Friday Night Weird
by Michael J. Casey
M
ovies are wondrous—magical, moving pieces of art crafted by human hands, designed to explore the very essence of the human condition and, in many cases, instill hope in current and future generations. The same cannot be said of the process of making movies. Legion are the
formers and their bad behavior, exploitative directors and egotistical producers. There are plenty of movies out there about the magic of cinema, but they can’t hold a candle to the endless array of movies about making movies. And some of those are the best around. where the chasm between production and product is this disparate? If a baker they don’t score a lot of points. But even the worst day on a movie set can still
ON THE BILL: ‘Lux
Lux Æterna. Made in 2019 and running a brisk 52 minutes, Lux Æterna is a movie
20, Boedecker Theater,
book panels. Lux talk about making movies, the sexiness of being burned as a witch (for a movie, these conversations, as he will the rest of the movie, with quotes from famous and so on. It’s all very inside baseball and pompous, but so is everything else in Lux
they are doing or what’s happening. Everyone is told to comply, and complaints production assistant kind of holds up a sheet to shield their nudity from the rest of Moments like this feel honest. The rest of the movie feels pretentious. Then an electrical glitch transforms a routine scene of stylized schlock into something beautiful, artistic and, the longer it goes on, hypnotic and terrifying. It’s been over with his enfant terrible approach to cinema. Lux Æterna feels a little bit like a thesis wrapped around a confessional. Email comments or questions to editorial@boulderweekly.com 30
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Recession resilient
With speculation of a recession on the horizon, many question how cannabis would fare in a serious downturn
by Will Brendza
T
he last few years have been turbulent for the economy. And according to chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, a “soft landing” that would avoid a recession might not be possible. “A soft landing is really just getting back to 2%
said in an interview with NPR’s Marketwatch. “And it’s quite challenging to accomplish that right now, for a couple of reasons.”
demonstrate that smokers not only continued to smoke but also actually increased their cigarette intake during this
the study reads. According to Jay Czarkowski, a founding partner of the cannabis business consultancy Canna Advisors, the same thing would likely happen to the cannabis industry in a serious downturn. “I don’t think [a recession] will hurt sales a whole lot ... people want to enjoy their cannabis no matter what,” Czarkowski says, and after a brief pause, adds, “They may need to enjoy it more, to keep their spirits up.” It wouldn’t be dissimilar to the COVID-19 lockdown,
Counterintuitively, a recession might actually Czarkowski suggests. “The cannabis industry here in Colorado was born out of the Great Recession of 2008,” Czarkowski says estate when the 2008 recession hit and turned his career on its head. He and his partner left that industry out of necessity, and entered Colorado’s budding new cannabis industry, instead. “Here I am 13 years later and still in cannabis.” Czarkowski isn’t just in cannabis. His business, Canna Advisors, is a consultancy group that has helped businesses launch and get established across the country. They help clients win cannabis business licenses, optimize facility designs, standardize operations and has helped grow the industry across the US, and if it hadn’t been for the last recession, Czarkowski says it
global pandemic in 100 years, the stimulus response by our government that created trillions of dollars,
“If people start to lose their jobs in other indusoutbreak of war in Ukraine, and the recent shutdowns all across China. All of that compounding has sent the economy into a spiral that’s starting to look more and more like a tailspin. Or, in more technical terms, a “recession.” Since the last U.S. recession in 2008, one very green new industry has blossomed in states across the country. In 2012, just as the U.S. was climbing out of 2008, Colorado legalized cannabis recreationally, launching an industry that would generate over $12 billion between 2014 and 2022. Cannabis has yet to go through a recession—it’s one of the few industries of its size that hasn’t. Leaving many to wonder, how cannabis will fare if the Fed’s “landing” is as rough as some are anticipating. Historically, vice industries like alcohol and tobacco have shown resilience through economic downturns. During the 2008 recession, alcohol sales remained stable, and even saw growth over time. It was the same for tobacco sales. In a study published in Tobacco Induced Diseases in 2009, researchers found that the three largest tobacco companies in the world saw massive returns despite global downturns across other industries. “The sales records of these tobacco companies
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
are getting involved in cannabis,” he says. That could fuel a new era of growth for an industry that’s already
Czarkowski agrees. People trapped at home, without work, suffering through stressful and uncertain times, turned to liquor stores and dispensaries to assuage their sales jumped 46.6% in March of 2020; 14% in April, and through September it continued to incrementally rise. Tothroughout the year. And cannabis? In Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Colorado, cannabis sales reached a three-year peak in 2020. Czarkowski says. “I don’t see why a recession is going to keep people from enjoying cannabis.”
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If nothing else that should speak to lawmakers who are hesitant to legalize or decriminalize cannabis in this country. This is a very resilient industry, and whether you support it politically or not, that’s a very legitimate reason to support its legalization everywhere. “Those folks that still think that this is the ‘devil’s lettuce’ will hopefully realize that they can help protect their communities and protect their states by helping to foster this new industry,” Czarkowski says. Communities, counties, states and federal lawmakers should be embracing cannabis—not just for the ents with secure industries and jobs that are insulated from economic instability, he says. The Fed’s “landing,” soft or not, won’t have much of an effect on Colorado’s cannabis industry, most economists and consultants like Zarkowski agree. So we might as well spark one up before we fasten our seat belts and .
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REPEATER
Takeout minus the waste
Repeater makes reusable takeout containers practical and affordable for diners and eateries
by John Lehndorff REPEATER REUSABLE takeout containers are used at Cafe Aion, Yellowbelly, Zeal, Boco Restaurant, Cilantro Mexican Restaurant and more around Boulder.
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his is ridiculous!” We’ve said it to ourselves more than once as we tore into our delicious, delivered dinner.
hot and tasty. The guilt-laden problem is the garbage that’s required to get that entrée, steamed rice and soup to your front door. Especially during the pandemic, we pondered an ever-growing pile of plastic containers that couldn’t all be repurposed at home. We saw an embarrassment of disposable silverware or chopsticks, napkins, bags for chips, labels with glue and little condiment packages and, of course, the plastic bags they come in. Yes, a miniscule proportion of the takeout delivered in Boulder is in real compostable containers, but the reality is that they are unlikely to end up back in local soil growing a crop of heirloom organic pumpkins. Enter Ashwin Ramdas, co-owner, with Christopher Todd, of Repeater, the year-old reusable takeout container service for independent restaurants in Boulder and Denver. Repeater restaurants in Boulder include Cafe Aion, Zeal, Yellowbelly, BOCO Restaurant, Cilantro Mexican Restaurant, Fresh Thymes Eatery, Gurkha’s On the Hill, Rincon Argentino, Leaf and Naked Lunch. “I started a zero-waste delivery service in Den-
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ver,” Ramdas says. “During the pandemic I saw that doing something about the containers could have a bigger impact. “The size of the issue has grown, and takeout and delivery in single use containers is having a huge negative impact on the planet,” he adds. “So many resources are being wasted on something that is used for a little while and then REPEATER discarded and will never break down naturally in a dump.” Compostables are not much of an improvement, according to Ramdas. “A lot of water and resources are involved in compostables. When they break down, they create methane. Compostables are a sham solution,” Ramdas says. Compostables also haven’t been an adequate solution for many restaurants. Chefs put their soul the time it arrives. Repeater provides restaurants with light, solid, insulated, microwaveable plastic containers for takeout and delivery instead of single-use containers. The company retrieves the containers, and sanitizes, tracks and redistributes them to eateries as needed. Diners drop their Repeater reusables in a bin at the restaurant. “Each container can have hundreds of uses in its lifetime,” Ramdas says. “So far, 98% of the containers have been returned within two weeks.” BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
The key to reusables is making it easy for the customers and the restaurants. Chef Daniel Asher was an enthusiastic early adopter of Repeater’s service at his Boulder restaurants, River and Woods, and Ash’Kara. “To-go packaging is extremely wasteful and has a terrible impact on the planet,” Asher says. “To be able to easily adopt a thoughtful, safe, reusable meal packaging delivery logistics. It also elevates our food visually.” Cafe Aion and its ghost-kitchen, Brasserie Boulder, use Repeater when requested for takeout and delivery, according to chef Dakota Soifer. “It was disheartening during the pandemic seeing how much waste was being created for takeout,” Soifer says. “Repeater is as cheap or cheaper to use, instead of compostables or recyclables. The whole thing is practically hands-off for us,” he says. For customers who want their tacos to-go in a Repeater container, the process is fairly simple and affordable. “It does add one more step,” Soifer says. “Our guests need to sign up for the free Repeater app and get an ID code to use in the order.” Customers press the Repeater button online, the same way they do when they want extra pineapple on NOCO DISTILLERY their pizza. There is a small fee for using Repeaters. Ramdas compares it to borrowing a book from a library and returning in a reasonable amount of time. “We are 100% compostable and recyclable in our containers, but guests say they are excited to have this better option,” Soifer says. In the short term, Ramdas hopes to involve more local Asian and Indian restaurants, which rely heavily on takeout business. He hopes to partner with third-party delivery services to allow an easy, sustainable way for diners to return their Repeater containers. The next big frontier for Repeaters is replacing all of those “recyclable” single-use pizza delivery boxes that are rarely recycled with a reusable alternative. The key to moving reusable into the mainstream will be getting take-out and deliv-
Hello Boulder! We can’t wait to welcome you through every season ahead. Opt for a cozy indoor dining experience with enhanced cleaning protocols and our air filtration system or enjoy all of your Japango favorites on one of our four heated patios. Prefer to indulge in the comfort of your home? We can do that too with curbside pick up. Hope to see you soon!
Daily 11am-10pm | 303 938 0330 | BoulderJapango.com JapangoRestaurant
JapangoBoulder
“As we saw with electric cars, LED lights and bringing your own bags to the supermarket, it always takes a while for us to adopt new ideas,” Soifer says. “It takes some carrots and it takes some sticks.”
Local Food News
Purrfect Pause, a cat-themed cafe and cat sanctuary, is open at 5290 Arapahoe Ave., Suite E, in Boulder. You buy an hourly pass to enjoy the coffee and felines. … Colorado’s most beloved hot dog stand, the Coney Island Boardwalk in Bailey, is on the market for $1.5 million. No doubt it will become a condo—no condiments. … The scene lasted only a few seconds, but a bottle of NOCO Distillery’s Bourbon II whiskey recently appeared on the television series Star Trek: Picard. Star Trek fans’ enthusiasm now
Words to Chew On
“When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous.” —Wendell Berry
Downtown Boulder - 2660 Broadway St. East Boulder - 7464 Arapahoe Rd. Denver - 4030 N. Colorado Blvd.
John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles Thursdays on KGNU. Listen to podcasts at news.kgnu.org. Email questions or comments to nibbles@boulderweekly.com
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
A multi-roaster coffee shop that’s a gateway, not a gatekeeper
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by Matt Maenpaa
hiskey, beer and wine aren’t the only things we like to drink in Boulder County. What about the coffee and tea purveyors that keep us calm and caffeinated? Without coffee, this writer would only stare blankly at the blinking
cursor. It’s easy to pick a favorite shop to grab a cup. Maybe you like the roaster, or you want to support the locals. Maybe you just want to hit the drive through for something sweet and caffeinated on your way back from the gym in the morning. Or maybe you’re a big coffee nerd interested in the the most unique and MATT MAENPAA interesting new beans for your morning pour-over. Full disclosure, I’m closer to the latter than any of the former. Boulder’s newest coffee shop, January Coffee, hopes to offer a happy medium for coffee nerds and everyone else with a blend of adventurous roasts and familiar coffee comforts. The interior is and an outdoor patio. The coffee menu itself is simple, with drip, French press, cold brew and standard espresso offerings supplemented by housemade syrups. “Our motto is that great coffee is for everyone,” says January Coffee co-owner John Imig. “We want to be a neighborhood coffee shop for people that just want to come in and not think about their coffee without getting a TED Talk about where their coffee comes from.” Imig, who opened the shop with his wife, Kristi Persinger, also wants a space for exciting new roasts and techniques as well. To that end, they’ve leaned on their shared experiences in the coffee world. Imig and Persinger combine decades of experience in the industry,
Locally owned & operated since 2020
having both worked for roasters like Intelligentsia, Stumptown and local companies like OZO Coffee. The name, January Coffee, holds multiple meanings for the owners. January was the month they started dating, bonding over a mutual love of coffee and a desire to open a shop together as they shared Pinterest boards of coffeehouse concepts. January is also a nod to the Roman god Janus, patron of doorways, transitions and new beginnings, Persinger says. For the owners, January Coffee represents a transition from workers to ownership, but they are hopeful it can become a gateway for new coffee lovers as well. Rather than roasting their beans in house, the pair are bringing in coffee from all over the country. The staple will be Arkansas-based Onyx Coffee Lab, Imig says, but two more roasts from two Bay Area producers—Ritual Coffee from San Francisco and Mother Tongue from Oakland—which will then rotate every few months. “We want to have that range where there’s something for everyone, the coffee nerds and people who just want something reliable,” Persinger says. To keep things balanced, the couple aren’t just picking favorites. The roast selection process comes from blind cupping of samples they’ve received. Some come from friends that they’ve made throughout the country, others from colleagues in the barista competition scene. Imig says they have their roasters picked out for at least the next couple years, but are always on the hunt for new “Every once in a while we want to try something new, so it’s fun to have different roasters coming through,” Imig says. “It keeps us engaged and our staff engaged as we try new coffees.” The house espresso blend from Onyx Coffee Lab is
NOW SERVING BRUNCH SATURDAY & SUNDAY 9am - 3pm
January Coffee, 1886 30th St., Suite B, Boulder
striking a line between a darker, earthy quality and some brighter fruit notes found in lighter roasts. Presented in a cortado—equal parts espresso and steamed milk—the result was smooth and delicate, without any overwhelming bitterness and no sweetener required, though your mileage may vary. Seasonal specials are also on the menu, utilizing the unique housemade syrups and skills Imig and Persinger have honed throughout their years as baristas and bartenders. Espresso tonics and shaken drinks are coming down the line eventually, Persinger says, to keep things creative. The current special, “Roses are Dead,” adds a rose-cardamom honey syrup to nitro cold brew coffee and cold oat milk foam, garnished with dried rose petals. without tasting like perfume, with a rich texture that rolls across the tongue. Just over a month after January Coffee opened its doors, the couple have reasonable ambitions. Persinger and Imig hope to eventually expand to new locations in the county, eyeballing Longmont in particular to stick closer to home. In the interim, the plan is to encourage their staff to develop and hone their own skills. With a location just east of 30th Street on Walnut Avenue, January Coffee is worth a trip whether you’re Contact the author at mattmaenpaa@gmail.com
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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300 Main St. Longmont, CO • (303) 834-9384 • dickens300prime.com MAY 19, 2022
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Boulder Weekly Market
Voted East County’s BEST Gluten Free Menu
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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
TAVIO LAUDISIO
by John Lehndorff
Antonio pops up
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MANGIA!:
al dente
Recipe of the Week: Colorado spud fudge
Colorado Quick Potato Fudge
Culinary Calendar: Fermenting knowledge
B BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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Masterclass Boulder by Benjamin Rietema
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on’t understand the Boulder bubble? Confused as to how to navigate this highly educated, blisteringly white environment? The University of Colorado is offering classes both for long-time residents and new arrivals to help traverse Boulder’s culture. Astrology 101. Introduction to star signs, moon cycles, energies, soul chakras, co-exist bumper stickers, dreamcatchers, incense and how to deal with people who don’t wear deodorant. Students will learn the basics of sun paths, moon paths, soul paths and how to walk paths in general. Includes an examination of “energy” and its effect on everything from a successful herbal supplement. Dietary Restrictions 221. Explores over 300 dietary requirements and their effect on a potential dinner party. Allows students to distinguish between someone who has a legitimate dietary concern and the person who is high-maintenance in general. Extreme Sports 321. Examines the punishing sports and hobbies that residents of Boulder pursue voluntarily. Teaches the biographies of people who died doing something few care about. Delves into the psychology of the average biker in tight spandex, the explosion of try-hard climbers, and whether you can have a normal conversation with an Ironman competitor. Cannabis Culture 201. Traces the trajectory of the ancient pothead in Central Asia to the modern day housemate who lacks motivation for even the simplest task. Explores how legalization has opened the door to society as a whole for long-winded conversations, hanging Left Politics 107. Introduces students to accepted stances in Boulder on key issues like immigration, affordable housing, organic vegetables, race, polyamorous relationships, addiction and penises. Students learn how these stated positions contrast with NIMBYism and its proponents. Psychedelics 311. Lab and lecture. Part of the drug culture class series. Explores what to expect from mushrooms, LSD and DMT in terms of feeling a greater sense of connection toward soft blankets, Pink Floyd and humanity as a whole. Consists of several a camping trip, then return to society to proselytize about how their life was revolutionized by psychedelics. Woke Terminology 221. various terms, phrases and insinuations that kill a conversation faster than a reference to Christianity. The second half dissects situations really like. Homelessness 111. Teaches the origin of the average unhoused person you may see in Boulder. Entails of a series of guest lectures from
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toes, what it’s like to negotiate with a drug dealer when all you have Green Practices 221. Examines ineffectual strategies to save the planet such as recycling, turning the car off at stoplights and buying a bicycle but never riding it. Then, the course will contrast these with environmentally friendly methods like separating yourself from society and living in a solar-powered cabin in the woods or killing yourself to eliminate your carbon emissions. Real Estate 101. Introduces the idea that few will ever be able to afford a house in Boulder or one of the surrounding areas. Investigates alternatives such as moving to another state or buying a house in Mead. Development 133. Delves into the continuing growth of Boulder from hippie getaway to shiny, tech-centric hub devoid of character. Examines how small businesses are bulldozed to make new hotels, conference centers, and chain restaurants. Benjamin Rietema writes and publishes a satirical zine in Boulder called The Squid Weekly. Boulder Weekly. Email comments or questions to editorial@boulderweekly.com. l
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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