Boulder Weekly 04.20.2023

WILL MATUSKA

14 COMEDY: Colorado comedian Joshua Emerson explores hilarity and heartbreak through a Native lens BY ADAM PERRY

17 ADVICE: ‘Whole Foods Daddy’ answers your burning Boulder questions BY GABBY VERMEIRE

29 DRINK: First Sip returns BY CAITLIN ROCKETT

Photo by Molly McCormick

April 26-30

• 740 Front

• Avanti F&B

• Basta

• Bohemian Biergarten

• Bootleg Betty

• Boulder Spirits by Vapor Distillery

• Café Aion

• Dagabi Cucina

• Dedalus Wine Shop & Market

• Dry Storage Bakehouse

• Gemini

• Ghost Box Pizza

• The Greenbriar Inn

• Hazel’s Beverage World

• The Hungry Toad

A taste of modern Japan in the heart of Boulder

Whether the sun is shining or snow is falling, our little corner of Pearl Street is the perfect place to soak up winter in beautiful Boulder! Feast alongside the jellyfish, sink into a lounge or take a seat at one of our lively bars.

Prefer the great outdoors? Our fireside patios are the coziest place to savor those mild winter days. When your own couch is calling, all of your favorites are available for curbside pickup too.

No matter how you choose to dine don’t miss our ever-evolving specials, delicious seasonal cocktails, and latest rare whiskey!

• Japango

• Pizzeria Alberico

• Postino WineCafé

• R Gallery + Wine Bar

• Rayback Collective

• Roadhouse Boulder Depot

• Rosetta Hall

• SALT

• Sanitas Brewing Co.

• The Sink

• Stella’s Cucina

• Süti & Co

• T/aco

• Wahoo’s Fish Tacos ...and more Learn

COMMENTARY

APRIL 20, 2023

Volume XXX, Number 35

PUBLISHER: Fran Zankowski

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Caitlin Rockett

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Jezy J. Gray

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER:

Will Matuska

FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Adam Perry, Dan Savage, Toni Tresca, Gabby Vermeire

SALES AND MARKETING

MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER:

Kellie Robinson

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE:

Matthew Fischer

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Chris Allred

SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER:

Carter Ferryman

MRS. BOULDER WEEKLY: Mari Nevar

PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

Mark Goodman

CIRCULATION TEAM:

Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer

BUSINESS OFFICE

BOOKKEEPER: Emily Weinberg

FOUNDER/CEO: Stewart Sallo

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

690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO 80305 Phone: 303.494.5511, FAX: 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com

Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2023 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

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

OPINION

Community around Suncor refinery is being slowly poisoned

BY PHIL DOE AND OLGA GONZALEZ, CULTIVANDO

Cultivando, a woman-led, Latinx non-profit that’s taken on the task of monitoring Suncor Refinery’s pollution over the past year, has arrived at many unsettling conclusions. The refinery, which sends up about a million tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) annually, also pumps out enough toxic pollutants to sabotage the health of nearby residents along with everyone else who catches whiffs of the soot and deadly chemicals following wind trails from the site.

GHG emissions from the refinery are roughly equal to the annual tailpipe emissions of the 200,000-plus new cars sold in the state in 2022.

The federal Inflation Reduction Act puts a new climate cost for GHGs pumped into the atmosphere at $130 per ton. Given this yardstick, Suncor pumps $130 million of climate destructive pollution into the atmosphere annually at no cost to it. Even so, Cultivando’s monitoring concentrated on the complex chemical cocktail the people in the Suncor corridor ingest every day. These residents are a traditionally underserved population, majority low-income Latinx. They are being slowly poisoned without their consent and, in too many cases, without their knowledge.

Soot in the air is their constant companion. Scientists refer to soot

as particulate matter (PM2.5). These particles are so small that a human hair is 30 times greater in diameter. The particles are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and brain through the lungs. Worldwide, approximately 8 million people die annually from these particles. These 8 million deaths equate to the combined populations of Colorado and New Mexico greeting eternity each and every year.

The monitoring equipment takes one-to-10-minute readings so people in the Suncor neighborhoods can be warned when their air is unhealthy, especially for children and the health compromised. This monitoring disclosed that the federal 24-hour

OPINION

PM2.5 regulatory average of 35 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) was exceeded in real time about 14,820 times over the past six months, which includes two months when production at the refinery was shut down to repair equipment failures that injured two workers.

The highest swing above the 24-hour regulatory threshold was a single spike of 1700 ug/m3. Many peak readings were in the 200 to 600 ug/m3 range. We at Cultivando think this is significant health information requiring intervention. If the pollution had been stones rather than microscopic particles invading the lungs, residents would have been pelted to death had they dared to venture outside.

There is also an annual regulatory average for PM 2.5. The newly proposed federal annual standard is 9 to 10 ug/m3. Our averaged data of high and low emissions exceeds this threshold. If the World Health Organization’s more stringent threshold of 5 ug/m3 were applied, the regulatory average would be exceeded twice over. As alarming as these revelations are, they don’t fully expose the enduring assault on these residents’ lives, for most of the people in these neighborhoods don’t live there for a minute, or a day, or even a year. Many live there for their entire lives, with their children deprived of choice altogether. Therein lies the rub.

But it gets worse. The poisonous chemical cocktail the people are forced to inhale includes benzene, with a .9 ppb health threshold exceeded 316 times; hydrogen sulfide, with a 8 ppb threshold exceeded 3,895 times; hydrogen cyanide, with a 2.7 ppb threshold exceeded 24 times; and nitrous oxides, with a 53 ppb threshold exceeded a whopping 65,203 times over the sixmonth period. Radioactive particulates, the measurements of which are a national first, also exceeded the health threshold of 1 pc/L 18 times.

The Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) complains that continuous monitoring is akin to “snapshots”

that blind us “to the larger picture.” Actually, what we’ve done is develop a more refined and data-intensive program that allows us to tell people in real time when their air quality is dangerous. Averaging disguises and dampens the actual highs. Perhaps more importantly, treating each chemical as a standalone, as the state does, avoids recognizing the synergy that is known to take place when these chemicals become mixed in the air. The science suggests their combined toxicity can be increased by 3 to 20 times.

Our approach recognizes not only the regulatory standards set by the Clean Air Act, but the requirements of Colorado’s SB19-181, which says that as a condition for oil and gas development in this state, the public and the environment must be protected. The APCD has ignored this statutory standard.

If it’s true that the greatness of a state is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable, then we have mountains to move. Moreover, it’s well past time the greed heads, nature’s freeloaders, and their smug political enablers responsible for this calamity were required to participate. Thousands of lives depend on it.

Olga Gonzalez is the executive director of Cultivando. Phillip Doe is on the advisory board.

Editor’s note: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found higher-than-normal levels of sulfur dioxide in the area surrounding the Suncor refinery in Commerce City on the morning of April 12. The standard for sulfur dioxide is 75 parts per billion per hour. Cultivando’s air monitors recorded two short-term spikes, one at 155 ppb and another at 186 ppb. To learn more about the Suncor Settlement Community Process, visit bit.lySuncorSettlementCommunityProcess.)

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

STOP DYNAMIC TICKET PRICING

When Taylor Swift tickets went on sale last November, the experience highlighted problems in event ticketing.

Colorado has the chance to bring transparency to event ticketing by requiring ticket holdback disclosure and bot reporting via Senate Bill 60.

It’s time for event ticketers to be transparent with fans about the number of tickets for sale. When I tried to buy tickets for a Skrillex Red Rocks show, I was offered premium dynamically priced tickets between $475 and $800 each.

If event ticketers don’t want to be transparent about holdbacks and report bots, lawmakers should look at ending exclusive contracts on publicly owned and financed buildings and stopping dynamic pricing.

— Arthur Lewis/Denver

COLORADANS IMPACTED BY ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA

76,000 Coloradans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to rise by 21% in the next few years. As a Coloradan

whose parents were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I know firsthand how devastating the disease can be. I look to our Members of Congress to support important legislation that will make a difference for families like mine.

Congress is considering reauthorizing two laws that have helped our nation make progress in research, care and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease – the National Alzheimer’s Plan Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act. These important laws have helped researchers and providers understand the disease and the needs of the families struggling with it. Additionally, the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act would streamline the ever-changing healthcare maze that Alzheimer’s families must navigate to get care for their loved one. Coordinating the delivery of Alzheimer’s care can reduce costs while providing improved quality of care.

Thank you to Sen. Michael Bennet for his quick work in cosponsoring these bills and joining the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease.

— Tim Jordan/Denver

GROWING WILD

Is spraying for cheatgrass worth the risk?

BY WILL MATUSKA

Throughout the prairies and foothills of Boulder County, there’s a plant causing concern and debate.

To the layperson’s eye, cheatgrass is barely distinguishable from the rest of the grasses surrounding it. But it’s been a thorn in the side of land managers across the West since the early 1900s.

Cheatgrass is a “significant component of foothills rangeland vegetation” along the Front Range, according to Colorado State University, and can contribute to wildfire risk, decrease plant diversity and impact pollinator and wildlife habitat.

Boulder County uses Rejuvra, a preemergent herbicide manufactured by Bayer, to help mitigate cheatgrass. Previously known as Esplanade, Rejuvra was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2020 to be used on natural areas.

“We’ve been using Rejuva for several years, because we are so impressed with the results, and are confident that it is really the right way to manage our open spaces,” says Therese Glowacki, director of Boulder County Parks and Open Space.

But, months before the County reevaluates its nearly 20-year-old weed management plan, some community members and scientists are voicing disagreement with the County’s use of the herbicide — especially the aerial spray method via helicopter — saying more research needs to be done to justify the use of Rejuvra on cheatgrass, a plant some say might not be worth worrying about on the Front Range at all.

DECADES-OLD NUISANCE

Cheatgrass is found throughout the Front Range, but it’s not native.

The opportunistic plant thrives in grasslands and disturbed ecosystems (like areas of construction, fire, floods or intense recreation) and can out-

compete native species for nutrients, sunlight and water. It has dark green leaves with a hint of purple and small hairs speckled across the body of the plant, which can grow up to 30 inches tall.

Its seeds germinate in the fall and winter. By early spring, the annual

produce thousands of seeds that can linger in the soil for five years before it germinates.

When it comes to fire risk, cheatgrass-filled ecosystems create problems. One Colorado State University fact sheet calls it “highly flammable,” where dense groups provide “fine-textured fuels that increase fire intensity and often decrease intervals between fires.”

“I’ve been on prescribed fires where there’s been cheatgrass … and it’s a problem,” says Stefan Reinold, resource management division manager at Boulder County Parks and Open Space.

According to the County, there have

approved in the United States for use on hops, coffea, bushberries, tropical crops, stone fruit and tree nuts.

Rejuvra targets annual plants and stays in the top portion of the soil for up to four seasons, giving it the potential to remove cheatgrass for years after one application. In areas where the herbicide has been applied in the county, Glowacki says she sees less cheatgrass and more native plants.

The County has used other control methods like prescribed fire and grazing, but Glowacki says Rejuvra is more effective, costs less ($42 an acre), and requires less time and resources than other techniques.

“In the big scheme of things, if we could have an effective treatment that did not include any sort of herbicide, that would be our first choice,” Glowacki says.

KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS

Because Rejuvra is a relatively new herbicide, there are ongoing studies looking at its long-term effect on both plant and soil communities.

Carrie Havrilla is an assistant professor of rangeland ecology and management at Colorado State University. She’s researching how the herbicide impacts the whole ecosystem — something we don’t currently know.

“We have some evidence that indaziflam works pretty effectively controlling weeds and reducing weed cover,” she says. “But there’s less known about some of its more ecological and environmental impacts.”

Tim Seastedt, a professor at CU Boulder who studies prairie ecosystems and fire mitigation, says he is skeptical that Rejuvra doesn’t have extensive impacts on non-targeted communities like native annuals, soil microbes or invertebrates.

“It never hurts to have more information, but there seems to be a definite void in this one,” he says.

plant (also known as downy brome) has already jumped ahead of its competitors — greening up while the rest are still waking from winter. It will turn brown and die at the beginning of summer.

Once it’s established, cheatgrass is hard to control — a single plant can

been about 210 overall applications of Rejuvra with the aim of controlling about 300 acres a year. Some projects are half-acre sites done by hand and others are aerial applications up to 500 acres. (They also use tractors for larger ground application). Rejuvra’s active ingredient is indaziflam, which is

For example, if it stays in the soil for multiple years, he says there’s potential Rejuvra can move with erosion.

Glowacki acknowledged it would be nice to have more scientific research but is confident in studies the County has completed that show benefits from removing cheatgrass with Rejuvra.

“Intuitively, if you have good plant

Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), illustrated by Christiaan Sepp, from Flora Batava or Pictures and Description of Dutch Crops (1868).

sequestration, better soil health, and more water-holding capacity as a result of removing cheatgrass,” she says.

Seastedt says cheatgrass isn’t the “enemy number one” that would justify herbicide treatment — arguing that competition from perennial grasses and available moisture makes cheatgrass less abundant and a decreased fire risk in the Front Range.

Brian Oliver, wildland fire division chief at the City of Boulder’s fire-rescue department, says cheatgrass is fairly easy to extinguish and “does not necessarily raise the fire risk” because it’s part of the overall fuel regime, but can pose a higher threat if it’s the predominant fuel carrying a fast-moving fire to heaver fuels.

Colorado categorizes cheatgrass as a “List C” noxious weed, meaning it does not require active management because of its high prevalence around the state, but counties are allowed to require treatment within their own jurisdictions.

“[List] C means you don’t bother [managing] it unless you see it as a particular problem, and so my interpretation is I don’t see it as a particular problem,” Seastedt says. “I’d walk right by and work on another issue.”

According to county-level distribution data from EDDMaps, cheatgrass has been reported 1,116 times in Boulder

(cheatgrass was reported 1,176 total times in the six counties surrounding Boulder). Patty York, a program manager in the State’s noxious weed program, told Boulder Weekly in an email that those numbers are likely higher across the state because reporting List C weeds is not a requirement.

Seastedt says applying Rejuvra in large patches, especially through aerial applications, is not worth it.

“Would I use the money to hire a helicopter to broadcast spray something that’s going to kill all seedlings for three years to get rid of cheatgrass? The answer is no,” he says.

Viable alternatives have been proven at a smaller scale.

Nick DiDomenico, co-founder at Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR), a regenerative landscape and agriculture nonprofit, had seven acres of hilly terrain on his farm that were overgrown with cheatgrass. Once he introduced strategic mob grazing by sheep in the early spring, it took two years for the hillside to revegetate with perennial grasses.

He says “strategic grazing is a really easy way to manage and mitigate” cheatgrass and that it is scalable, but faces limitations like fencing infrastructure, which can be expensive (Iowa State Extension found a 1,320-foot fence costs $1.48 per foot).

voiced concern for years about the use of herbicides on public lands. In response to public concerns, the City of Boulder stopped using glyphosate (Roundup) in 2011 — a policy change the County did not follow.

There’s currently a petition on MoveOn.org with 3,124 signatures calling for the County to stop using herbicide on open space.

There’s also been a renewed effort to question the County’s weed management plan after its latest aerial application of Rejuvra via helicopter on Nov. 1 at Hall Ranch, adjacent to the Town of Lyons.

Kathleen Sands, who helps organize the Lyons Climate Action Group, was at a town hall meeting the County hosted a few days before the Nov. 1 spray. She says people at the meeting were “up in arms.”

“We were just completely opposed to [the upcoming aerial spray],” she says, claiming the spray drifted to untargeted areas.

According to Glowacki, the County has completed five total aerial applications of about 200 to 500 acres each. There were no opportunities for public input before the aerial Rejuvra program started.

Havrilla says she understands concern over using Rejuvra, a relatively new herbicide “we don’t know a whole

“Boulder is faced with this huge challenge of a ton of this highly flammable and invasive weed on our open space,” she says. “And with [its connection to] the recent wildfires, biodiversity loss and impacts on soil health, we have to do something about those challenges and mitigate those risks.”

Earlier this year, Parks and Open Space and the Boulder County Commissioners paused aerial herbicide application as a result of public concern and to give an opportunity for the public to provide input on its weed management policy, which is slated to be re-evaluated this fall.

While that plan was last amended July 20, 2004, the State’s Noxious Weed Act requires counties to reevaluate weed management plans at least every three years, although changes don’t necessarily need to be made.

Glowacki says Parks and Open Space will still propose to have aerial applications as a method to help access remote areas, and because of its effective weed control and cost.

The County will make online and inperson opportunities for public input available on the Parks and Open Space website. The Boulder County Commissioners will make the final decision on the policy in the fall.

Estate of Dorothea Germiller Whiting aka Dorothea Whiting, Dorothea G. Whiting, Dottie Whiting, Deceased

Case No.: 2022PR30719

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Boulder County, Colorado on or before August 13, 2023, or said claims may be forever barred.

Laura Lass, Personal Representative 9300 N. County Line Rd. Longmont, Colorado 80503

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of David Todd Burnett, Deceased

Case No.: 2022PR657

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Boulder County, Colorado on or before April 16, 2023, or said claims may be forever barred.

Sallie S. Burnett, Personal Representative 760 Bridger Point Lafayette, Colorado 80026

LAWYER CALLS POP INVESTIGATION FINDINGS ‘INCORRECT’ AND ‘ILLEGAL’

BY CAITLIN ROCKETT

After months of investigation, a specially appointed lawyer has recommended that a member of Boulder’s Police Oversight Panel (POP) resign, but some in the community are questioning the validity of the findings and the legality of the recommendations.

The City of Boulder hired attorney Clay Douglas in January to investigate five code of conduct complaints, all of which were filed by Boulder residents, related to the appointment of new POP members. The panel is tasked with reviewing police department disciplinary action in cases where officers are accused of wrongdoing. Two of the complaints claimed that POP member

Lisa Sweeney-Miran had made statements online being critical of police, and as such was unable to make impartial decisions on the panel. The complaints also pointed to Sweeney-Miran’s involvement with the ongoing American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against Boulder’s camping ban.

Douglas agreed.

“Available evidence of Lisa SweeneyMiran’s ‘real or perceived bias or prejudice’ could undermine public trust in and effectiveness of the Police Oversight Panel,” Douglas wrote in the report released on April 14. “I recommend Council consider requesting Sweeney-Miran’s resignation from the Police Oversight Panel. If she refuses such a request, I recommend Council consider removing her.”

But Sweeny-Miran told Boulder

Weekly she has no plans to resign from the board, and her lawyer, Dan Williams of Hutchinson, Black and Cook, has responded to the findings of the investigation via a letter to Douglas and the city attorney, calling the recommendation for his client to resign or be removed from the panel “illegal,” as neither of the two code of conduct complaints directly accuses Sweeney-Miran of misconduct. One complaint accuses members of the POP selection committee of misconduct by selecting Sweeney-Miran. The second complaint accuses six members of Boulder City Council of misconduct by

CITY ANNOUNCES SITE FOR DAY SERVICES CENTER

BY WILL MATUSKA

voting to approve Sweeney-Miran’s place on the panel.

“One must have been found to have personally violated the City’s Code of Conduct as a precondition for the issuance of a sanction against the person,” Williams writes. “Because the Special Counsel makes no finding that Ms. Sweeney-Miran personally violated the Code of Conduct, the City is not authorized to sanction her … or … remov[e] her from the Police Oversight Panel.”

Williams also writes that the city attorney and special counsel “misconstrue what constitutes a code of conduct violation,” that Douglas “failed to conduct an effective investigation” by not interviewing POP selection committee members, and that the recommendations in the report “undermine the integrity of the Police Oversight Panel, disrupting its work.”

Jude Landsman is a member of the executive committee of the Boulder County chapter of the NAACP, and was a member of the POP selection committee who recommended Sweeney-Miran. Landsman confirms that no one from the selection committee was interviewed for the investigation, and calls the focus on “real or perceived bias” a “right-wing tactic.”

“All those words around bias were intended to make sure that the Police Oversight Panel members were diverse, whether they were formerly incarcerated, whether they were homeless, Black, white, Hispanic, Latinx community,” she says. “It was intended, I think in a wellmeaning fashion, for inclusivity, and somewhere along the line certain factions want to make that about bias against the police. That is not, in context, what those words about bias are meant to protect.”

POP member Sam Zhang wrote a letter to City Council in support of Sweeney-Miran.

“If it is biased to articulate alternative visions to policing,” Zhang wrote, “then one has excluded those who have thought most deeply and imaginatively about our community’s future.”

During a Boulder City Council meeting on April 13, the City announced it has located a property for a Day Services Center for those experiencing homelessness.

The building, at 1844 Folsom St., was formerly an office space. Boulder Shelter for the Homeless will run the center, which is scheduled to open later this year, but there are ongoing discussions on what services will be available.

The current structure will be demolished in the next few years. The City is planning to replace it with a larger custom-built space with permanent supportive housing above it. During demolition and construction, the day center will be displaced to an as-yet undetermined location.

Councilmember Bob Yates was pleased to hear the Day Services Center is making headway.

“I find it disappointing that up until now Boulder is one of the few cities on the Front Range of our size that hasn’t had either a 24-hour shelter, or at least a day services center where people can be during the daytime,” he told Boulder Weekly.

But council members and staff also said that they recognize more needs to be done to address homelessness in Boulder.

“The frustration that we have, that the community has, is that despite the success of getting individuals out of homelessness, we still see these challenges,” Kurt Firnhaber, housing and human services director, said during the meeting.

Firnhaber is referencing the 7,000 individuals since 2018 who have gone through the county-wide Coordinated Entry program which helps people experiencing homelessness access housing resources.

About every six months, Boulder City Council has a study session to discuss homelessness updates, efforts and strategies.

New programs are kicking off, including the Building Home Program, launched earlier this month to support newly housed community members, and an onstreet mental health team that will operate without the presence of a police officer.

The City is also optimistic about finalizing the installation of a second operations and clean-up team under its Safe and Managed Spaces program, which will help conduct sweeps of encampments — a tactic that has been shown to decrease life expectancy for the unhoused. At the end of March, the City also shortened the time it gives people participating in unsanctioned camping to clean up and leave under certain circumstances (News, “Ease the harm,” April 6, 2023).

Challenges still persist. A lack of resources to address the growing unhoused population was brought up several times. City staff spoke about the lack of treatment options for mental health or substance use, limited housing options, and a lack of alternatives for people who don’t have housing right now.

The City is also struggling to find solutions for the 45 “high-system utilizers” who put a “disproportionate strain” on justice systems and emergency services.

Joe Taddeucci, director of Public Works for utilities, spoke about the challenges that arise from division in the community.

“There’s really well-intended efforts on all sides of the issues, but at times we are working against each other,” he said. “If we could ever figure out a way to align those efforts it would be huge.”

No decisions were made at the meeting, but Council expects to discuss these topics more in-depth moving forward.

MUSIC

CALL OF THE WILD

Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon gets foxy in the foothills

BY ADAM PERRY

Andy Thorn has always walked a fine line between tradition and experimentation. Even as a kid in bluegrass-obsessed North Carolina, watching banjo greats chop it up at traditional showcases like Doc Watson’s legendary MerleFest, the future Leftover Salmon musician knew he was a little different.

“My banjo playing is always gonna go back to the roots, but I’m fairly progressive,” Thorn says. “Even back then, people in North Carolina thought I played too much ‘hoolyhoo.’ This great banjo player said, ‘Man, you like that hoolyhoo.’”

Raised in a bluegrass-loving family, he started taking piano lessons in elementary school, began “messing around with the guitar maybe around 10,” and picked up a banjo on a whim at age 12.

“I just sort of ended up with this instrument because it was $50 at my neighbor’s yard sale, and [was] fascinated with it because it seemed really unique and fun,” Thorn says. “It was something I messed with at home, but by the time I was in high school I had a little band with my friends. Suddenly, after O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the banjo was cool.”

Picking up his first banjo at that yard sale was Thorn’s gateway to most of the music he loves today — including Béla Fleck,Tony Trischka and his hero Doc Watson, whom he calls “the greatest singer-guitar player ever.” But before long, he also began to gravitate toward the “hoolyhoo” coming from bands like The String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon, two jammy bluegrass-inspired outfits based in Colorado that often toured through

North Carolina — including a stop at Watson’s MerleFest that wound up being a turning point for Thorn.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I’d love to do. This is bluegrass but mixed with some improv and they’re having fun; they’re not wearing suits; they’re smiling and having a great time,’” he says. “I knew they were from Colorado, so I was, like, ‘I’ve gotta get out to Colorado and see what’s going on with the music scene.’”

whole other level of excitement, especially because we were already starting to do some really big stuff,” he says.

Not only has Thorn found a home in Leftover Salmon, but his literal home in the Boulder foothills has been an unexpectedly productive creative site for his emerging solo career — thanks in part to the local fauna. The property attracted a wild fox (named Foxy by his family) who has inspired multiple solo albums, most recently the instrumental Songs of the Sunrise Fox (2022).

His latest LP follows a widely shared video of Thorn playing a then-unreleased tune (“Aesop Mountain”) to Foxy, who appears to groove with the music against the beautiful Boulder Valley backdrop. The footage went viral, and people all over the world started asking what the song was. He recorded it, along with other open-tuning improvisations, and soon learned something interesting about what his listeners wanted.

‘WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?’

Thorn visited Colorado in high school, hiking 14ers and camping. On a ski trip in 2003, he met Anders Beck, later of Greensky Bluegrass, and the two started jamming together. Thorn ended up spending a summer in Durango, and even winning the banjo contest at the RockyGrass festival in Lyons. After two years touring in Larry Keel’s band, Thorn finally drove to the Centennial State in his station wagon, this time to stay, taking a job in the Emmitt-Nershi Band.

“It was pretty obvious growing up in North Carolina that everybody knows the roots there. I think [a lot of people] take that a little bit too far,” Thorn says. “In Colorado, it was sort of the opposite end of the spectrum. Between those two cultures, I’ve figured out how to keep the roots alive while jamming.”

After original Leftover Salmon banjo player Mark Vann died in 2002, there was a void in the band, and Thorn eventually stepped in, bringing a youthful energy and a musical style built on creativity, levity and tradition.

“It already felt incredible to be with Drew and Bill Nershi, because I grew up a big fan of Leftover and String Cheese. Joining Leftover was just a

“When I started to take videos and post them online, [I noticed] that the fans out there really liked the clawhammer stuff,” Thorn says, referring to the traditional style of downward strumming using the nails of the index and middle fingers, rather than plucking strings individually. “I’d spend all this time practicing this fancy piece with the three-finger banjo, but then some little thing I would make up that was clawhammer would get more reaction. I noticed people really dug it. It’s lyrical and it’s simple.”

Foxy felt the same way. And for Thorn, a musician who has always lived with a foot in different worlds — roots versus radical, tradition versus “holyhoo” — the feedback from his fourlegged friend was just as instructive.

“He did not like it when I was playing the louder, faster three-finger style,“ he says. “But we noticed he likes the clawhammer.”

ON THE BILL: Andy Thorn with Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufman of Yonder Mountain String Band (Future Arts Foundation benefit show). 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 27, Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Road, Boulder. Sold

out.

Songs of the Sunrise Fox (2022) by Andy Thorn.

“My banjo playing is always gonna go back to the roots, but I’m fairly progressive,” says Leftover Salmon banjo player Andy Thorn. Photo by Molly McCormick.

FOUND SOUNDS

What’s in Boulder’s headphones?

Stuck on the same old Spotify playlists? Lucky for your listening life, we’re back with another roundup of the week’s bestsellers from Paradise Found Records and Music (1646 Pearl St., Boulder). From heavy metal mainstay Metallica to sad-girl indie rock supergroup Boygenius, here are the records your neighbors can’t stop spinning.

For the complete

BW STAFF PICK: “It fell off the Boulder Top 10 a few weeks ago, but I’m still stuck on 10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs. The latest LP from the impish hyperpop duo — who just dropped by Mission Ballroom last week — is a brilliant and bonkers pastiche that gleefully scrambles the boundaries of genre and taste. If you can make it through the album’s 26-minute runtime without immediately starting it over, you’re made of stronger stuff than me.”

— Jezy J. Gray, BW arts and

culture editor

1. METALLICA 72 Seasons

2. BOYGENIUS The Record

3. LANA DEL REY Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

4. EL MICHELS AFFAIR & BLACK THOUGHT Glorious Game

5. AHMAD JAMAL The Awakening (reissue)

THE SACRED ATTEMPT

Colorado comedian Joshua Emerson explores hilarity and heartbreak through a Native lens

BY ADAM PERRY

When Joshua Emerson’s mom died in the winter of 2019, he felt like a crucial part of himself had been severed. The Denver-based comedian, writer and actor was raised partly on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, and his mother’s passing sparked a difficult reckoning with his Native heritage.

“There’s a sense that I lost a little of my Indigenousness when she died, because she was the one that was Navajo, and was from the reservation, and she spoke Navajo,” says Emerson, whose dad is white. “I don’t speak Navajo. There’s a sense that I have to learn how to come back to that as an adult … I feel orphaned culturally, and because of that, it’s made me want to do Native projects and be around Native people.”

Now 31, Emerson is co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission, and puts on one of the only Native comedy showcases in the United States. He also just became managing director of Creative Nations Collective, a permanent onsite gallery for Indigenous artists at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder.

Emerson stays busy these days, performing comedy and helping various communities blossom — from the Colorado indie-comic circle to the world of local Indigenous artists. He’s also the co-founder of DeadRoom Comedy in Denver, a troupe and production company he started with friends Elliot Weber and Jacob Jonas after graduating from Fort Lewis College in Durango four years ago.

Hosting nearly 200 events since its inception, including the Colorado Native comedy showcase, DeadRoom has become the perfect vehicle to combine Emerson’s industrious ambition with his passion for Indigenous issues. He sees comedy as a vehicle for Native people of various tribal

backgrounds to connect and learn from each other.

“Comedy is unique in that it’s able to give voice to minority communities,” he says. “It helps us talk about difficult things and then relieve it through a punchline that just makes everybody laugh and brings [them] into community. When you can talk about difficult things, you’re able to be more honest.”

‘YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S FUNNY UNTIL YOU TRY IT’

With that uplift and honesty in mind, Emerson stresses that “Native Americans are not a monolith.” As the only Indigenous member of DeadRoom, which has expanded from its three founding members, he wants folks to know that understanding Native people takes more than catching up on the latest season of Reservation Dogs

cool; we have similar struggles; we see each other. There’s definitely, like, a head nod. There’s a community [that comes] from being Native.”

DeadRoom is now putting on roughly a dozen comedy events a month, according to Emerson, stretching across Colorado and into surrounding states. And as the collective’s footprint grows, Emerson waxes poignantly when asked whether there is any subject that shouldn’t be joked about.

“If you’re going to talk about something that’s going to bring up trauma in people, you gotta have an exit for it,” he explains. “Are you being irresponsible by making jokes that are gonna hurt people? And then there’s this other thing of, you don’t know what’s funny until you try it. So the attempt becomes sacred.”

laughing about it,” he says. “You come up to Boulder, I think there’s less racism but the racism that is here is very inside — very hidden — and it’s very hard to reach. When you do bring it up it makes people uncomfortable, because they’ve compartmentalized it. It’s hard for them to find the funny in it. I don’t know if it’s that they’re ashamed, or if they’re aware they even have it stored away.”

But as Emerson continues to push audiences into uncomfortable territory while working to ensure “a seat at the table” for Native people through various organizations and events, the selfdescribed comedy “lifer” returns to a simple but profound goal.

“When you’re talking to a Native you gotta ask, ‘So what tribe or community are you from?’ They [each] have their own history and backstory,” he says. “There’s a big difference between being Ojibwe and being Navajo — being Diné, which is what I am. But it’s

When it comes to that “sacred” attempt, Emerson says there are few crowds tougher than those found here in Boulder.

“I’d say Boulder is one of the hardest places to talk about race … even [harder than] Colorado Springs or Fort Collins. When you’re talking about race in those communities, their racism is out in the open, and they’re OK

“The best you can do is try to make it better, and hope that creates a lineage so that it’s easier for anyone that comes behind you.”

ON STAGE: Underground Comedy Showcase feat.

Joshua Emerson and Ben Roy. 7:30 p.m. April 27-29, License No. 1, 2115 13th St., Boulder. $25

Joshua Emerson performs as part of the Underground Comedy Showcase at License No. 1 in Boulder, April 27-29. Photo courtesy the artist.

Joshua Emerson, 31, puts on one of the only Native comedy showcases in the United States. Photo courtesy the artist.

GROWING PAINS

Local staging of coming-of-age ‘pop opera’ supports LGBTQ youth mental health

BY TONI TRESCA

Many artists are drawn to the theater because it fosters a sense of community. So when a playhouse announces its closure, the creatives involved frequently feel like they are losing a home.

“A year ago, when we found out that [Longmont’s] Jesters Dinner Theatre was closing, a few of us tried to do a fundraiser concert at the Arts HUB to save Jester,” says local performer Alex Colin. “It didn’t work out, but Kenzie [Rosen-Stone, the Arts HUB Director of Programming] snatched us all up.”

Now Colin has a new home at the nonprofit’s multi-disciplinary, multi-million dollar arts facility in Lafayette, where she works as a teaching artist and handles a number of duties on both sides of the curtain.

“Between directing, acting and helping backstage at the Arts HUB, I haven’t stopped,” she says. “I now know where all the best nap spots are in the building.”

Helen Campbell was looking for that same sense of belonging when she auditioned for The Addams Family at the Arts HUB in the summer of 2022. After being cast as Wednesday Addams, she found the organization to be a great way to make friends and has since appeared onstage in several other shows.

Campbell and Colin became close while portraying Heather Duke and Heather Chandler in Heathers: the Musical, produced earlier this year as part of the Arts HUB Emerging Artists mentorship program, offering aspiring theatermakers the chance to gain practical production experience. Now the pair are working together as codirectors for the ongoing production of Bare: A Pop Opera, whose upcoming final weekend wraps at the Arts HUB on Sunday, April 23.

“A couple of shows were being thrown around for our next project,” Rosen-Stone says. “But Bare won out because we all love this musical and we have many artists who work with us who resonate with stories that center on the expression of identity. … Bare is the type of story we want to share with our community.”

FOR THE KIDS

Set in a co-ed Catholic boarding school, Bare is a 2000 coming-of-age rock musical by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere following a group of seniors — Peter, Jason, Matt, Ivy and Nadia — as they walk the tightrope of their emerging sexual identities and religious anxieties while rehearsing for a production of Romeo and Juliet

“As directors, we took time to dive into every song to pull out the message behind it,” says Campbell. “One of the central elements of Bare is this queer relationship between Jason and Peter that occurs within the Catholic church. There are some productions of this where you think they are just friends, but it was important to us that it was about their sexualities and religious response.”

That’s not the only way the Arts HUB is bucking the tradition of some other Bare productions. When it came to casting the show, the co-directing team set out with a wider net than previous stagings of the 23-year-old musical.

“We didn’t want to be limited to specific genders or body types,” Campbell says. “The only roles that we felt needed to be cast a certain way were the priest as a cis-male, and the leads had to [be] a queer couple. Aside from that, we prioritized

finding a cast with greater diversity than the theater industry’s traditional vision for Bare.”

In addition to more inclusive casting, the Arts HUB double-cast the production to give as many people as possible the opportunity to work on the show. Instead of a traditional single slate of actors, this production of Bare features alternating performance crews known as the Capulet Cast and the Montague Cast.

“I come from [Jesters Dinner Theatre], which has always doublecast, and I love it,” says Colin. “It is authentic to the human experience for people to be able to interpret these characters and their relationships in vastly different ways. Actors might walk to the same spot, but they are walking with such different motivations and intentions.”

To better serve those different acting choices, the co-directors worked with the design team to create an allblack stationery set to keep distraction at a minimum. Aside from occasional red and blue accent pieces, the environment is a blank canvas for the performances to shine.

“This is going to sound silly, but the general vision was a very bare version of Bare,” Colin says. “We want to strip it down and create a playing space for the actors, but not much

else. When a show is written so well and has so many important themes, it doesn’t need all those flashy technical elements to be really powerful.”

The team knows those themes, which include drug abuse and selfharm, might be challenging for some audience members. That’s why the Arts HUB has partnered with local LGBTQ organizations, like the Denverbased Center on Colfax and Boulder County’s OASOS (Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Support), to provide resources and support to patrons at the show.

“On top of feeling like you saw a great piece of theater — and maybe having a new favorite musical — we hope people walk away having learned,” Campbell says. “We hope that after watching the show and listening to the nonprofits, people’s eyes will be opened — because everything you see in the show is happening in real life.”

ON STAGE: Bare: A Pop Opera by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere. Various times through April 23, The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. $28

Bare: A Pop Opera runs at The Arts HUB in Lafayette through Sunday, April 23. Photo by Mads Abraham.

1085 S Public Rd. Lafayette (303) 665-0666

Hours: Tues-Sun: 11a-8:30p Closed Monday

a play by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Showing now through May 14th Downtown Boulder

DEAR WHOLE FOODS DADDY

Your burning Boulder questions, asked and answered

BY GABBY VERMEIRE

We all have questions and need advice, but sometimes the pseudo therapy in the Instagram stories of astrology girls doesn’t cut it. Or maybe the gate-keeping culture of adventure bros has you fearing the judgment that comes with revealing yourself as a newbie at anything. This advice column exists to hold space for you and your Boulder queries — especially the uncool ones.

HOW DO I SURVIVE HERE IF I DON’T CLIMB?

It sounds like what you are rather facetiously asking is if social acceptance is possible in this town for the un-sendable among us. I get it; sometimes living in Boulder feels like some middle-school clique shit, and somehow you always feel like you’re on the outside looking in. Is everyone at Rayback staring at you and laughing to themselves at how much of a loser and a fake you are because you don’t have chalk permanently smeared on your face, or did the edible just kick in? No, they probably hate you, and it’s because you don’t climb.

WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO PICK UP OLDER WOMEN IN BOULDER?

Unless you’re Leo DiCaprio or the average Pearl Street bartender — to whom an older woman is a hostess in her senior year at CU — let’s agree to define “older women” as baddies over 45. With this in mind, few things are as sexually charged as a mature woman who just dropped $200 on hydrangea and pots at Sturtz & Copeland.

Or even better, acquire a frontfacing service job where the older mommas get their drug of choice, i.e., coffee and wine. There’s nothing like a lanky young bartender or barista with excellent customer service skills to remind a lady of all the ways her husband is inadequate (and make her wonder what those nimble fingers can do besides make an amazing espresso martini).

You could always construct an identity around something more meaningful than a single hobby. But have you considered, like a high schooler ripping their first weed pen during lunch period by the Boulder Creek, just giving into peer pressure? If you are lucky enough to have a body able to take you up a climbing wall, you should probably do it at the great risk of maybe having fun. But remember, everyone will be judging you for how bad you are.

HOW DO I SHOOT MY SHOT OVER DM WITH A WELLRESPECTED PERSON IN MY INDUSTRY?

A surprising amount of beautiful love stories start with a drunk ’n’ flirty 1 a.m. “;)” in the DMs between two people who have kind-of-sort-of seen each other around.

Start out small, with a few well-placed story likes on Instagram. If you receive a follow back — or even if you don’t and want to embrace delusion — maybe escalate to some casual, industry-related replies to their stories. Dare I say, show a genuine interest in what you have in common! Hopefully there is some mutual banter occurring in the DMs at this point. If there isn’t, it would be remiss to advise you to keep on this doomed-yet-well-traveled path to becoming (sorry) kind of creepy.

Note: If your industry is weed, disregard all of the above and just go for it full-throttle. I’m sure they’re down.

HOW DO YOU AFFORD HOUSING IN BOULDER WITHOUT A TRUST FUND OR JOINING A CULT?

This might be adjacent to joining a cult, but you can always try creating a large immediate family by engaging in civil unions and perhaps acquiring some children to get around occupancy ordinances. I’m obviously joking; this would assume that anyone would make an effort to abide by housing density ordinances. (Urban legends of cops counting toothbrushes in the bathroom are highly sus.)

Anyway, I hear Longmont is cute!

WHAT

DO YOU DO

WHEN

YOU TURN DOWN A BARTENDER AT YOUR FAVORITE BAR AND THEY’RE CRUMMY TO YOU AFTER?

There is much to be said about the power imbalance between service worker and customer, and the uncomfortable ways in which us wage slaves must accommodate creepy advances of the always-right customer. However, a Boulder bartender with years of experience in the food industry (and an alcohol problem to match) holds more power than the average service industry employee. This is the only situation where it’s ethical and appropriate to Karen-up and speak to their manager

Got a burning Boulder question or conundrum? Follow wholefoods_ daddy on Instagram, or email letters @boulderweekly.com with the subject line “Dear Whole Foods Daddy.”

21

GROWING GARDENS: SCHOOL DAYS OFF

8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, April 21, Growing Gardens Hawthorn Farm, 1630 Hawthorn Ave., Boulder. $95 (registration required)

School’s out on Friday at Growing Gardens Hawthorn Farm, but that doesn’t mean fun won’t be in session. Student or not, the farm invites your little one to kick off Earth Day weekend with a full day of planting seeds for summer harvest, pollinator studies and delicious seasonal food.

22

JACK’S SOLAR GARDEN: PUBLIC TOUR

10-11:15 a.m. Saturday, April 22, Jack’s Solar Garden, 8102 North 95th St., Longmont. $20

Learn about the power of combining solar energy and agriculture during a familyfriendly tour of Jack’s Solar Garden in Longmont, the largest agri voltaic research of its kind in the country. Check out this incredible feat in sustainable farming on Saturdays through July 22.

22

DANK GRASS FESTIVAL

Noon-8 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Oskar Blues Brewery, 1640 S. Sunset St., Longmont. Free

It’s the “dankest day of the year” at Oskar Blues in Longmont, as the local craft beer giant kicks off its first official Dank Grass Fest — a celebration of IPA beers and bluegrass music from Tenth Mountain Division, The Wrecklunds, Deer Creek Sharp Shooters and more.

22

LONGMONT EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Timberline Pre K-8 School, 233 E. Mountain View Ave., Longmont. Free

The Ninth Annual Longmont Earth Day Celebration will provide sustainable agricultural education along with a full slate of activities for you and the kiddos: upcycled arts and crafts, a treasure hunt, baby goats, music, food trucks and more.

22

SATURDAY MORNING

HATHA YOGA

9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22, Eldorado Mountain Yoga Ashram, 2875 County Road 67, Boulder. $15

Hatha, the Sanskrit word for “force,” refers to a sequence of movement and breathing techniques for a slower, more mindfully focused experience. Eldorado Mountain Yoga Ashram welcomes you to harness your energy at their beautiful location for this Saturday morning hatha session.

22

BATTLE WOMAN: SELF DEFENSE FOR RUNNERS

10:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 22, Performance & Recovery Labs, 2595 Canyon Blvd., Suite 150, Boulder. $55

Join local expert Rachel Mahloch for hands-on instruction on how to circumvent dangerous situations and learn basic skills pertaining to self-defense. Have fun, enjoy the great outdoors, and learn all about staying safe during this Saturday morning workshop designed specifically for runners.

22

THE ART OF HERBAL TEA BLENDING

2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary & Supply, 1227 Spruce St., Boulder. $45

Join herbalist, nutritionist and forest therapy guide Cat Pantaleo at Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary on Saturday, for a lecture and hands-on class in which participants will make and taste several tea blends. Optional blending ingredient kit ($24) sold separately.

23

TULIP FAIRY AND ELF FESTIVAL

1-5 p.m. Pearl Street Mall, 1303 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Catch a glimpse of Boulder’s own Fairy Queen and her band of “pint-sized fairies and elves” during this annual springtime festival, complete with live performances, activities for kids and the first glimpse at more than 15,000 budding tulips stretching down Pearl Street Mall.

EVENTS

NICK FORSTER’S HIPPY BLUEGRASS CHURCH: EARTH DAY

10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, April 23, eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $15

Celebrate our beautiful planet with Nick Forster, the father of Hippy Bluegrass Church, with his brand of “guilt-free gospel” at eTown Hall. Sunday morning “services” will feature bluegrass music, poetry readings, storytelling and community.

DROP-IN FIGURE DRAWING

1-3 p.m. Monday, April 24, NoBo Art Center, 4929 Broadway, Unit E, Boulder. $25

Celebrate the artistic rendering of the human body during this drop-in class, regardless of skill level or creative medium. Art of Modeling will supply workhorses, easels, tables and chairs — all you need is your own set of drawing supplies, an open mind and a blank canvas.

LIVE MUSIC

WIZ KHALIFA AND JOEY BADA$$ WITH ACTION BRONSON 6:45 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $40

ROLLING HARVEST 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $10

MODERN DANCE CLASSES WITH MARY WOHL HAAN

5:15-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 24, Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. $15

Get moving with Mary Wohl Haan, a seasoned artist and instructor in our community for more than three decades, for body expression on the dance floor at Boulder’s Avalon Ballroom. This modern dance class is open to dancers “intermediate and up.”

25

STREET DOG COALITION CLINIC

2-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, Boulder Bandshell, 1212 Canyon Boulevard. Free

The Fort Collins-based Street Dog Coalition was founded “to provide free medical care and related services to pets of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.” They’ll be providing free physical exams, vaccinations, microchipping and more at the Boulder Bandshell. Email info@ annieandmillies.org to schedule an appointment.

ON THE BILL: Loveland art rock outfit Shiny Around the Edges brings their cerebral post-punk sound to Meow Wolf in support of Texas stoner-gaze trio True Widow for a hypnotic and head-nodding night of feedback-drenched jams on Tuesday, April 25. You’ll want to pack your weed pen and ear plugs for this one. See listing for details. (Photo credit: Andi Harman)

THURSDAY, APRIL 20

MADDY O’NEAL WITH JOSH TEED, KASES AND SUBB SPACED 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $20

THE MARLEY BROTHERS 6:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $80

COLE SCHEIFELE WITH LONELY CHOIR 8 p.m. 301 Morning Glory Drive, Boulder. $20

CITY MORGUE WITH VEIN.FM

8 p.m. Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $40

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

KAIVON WITH MERCI AND DJFEEDBACKCONTROL. 9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $30

ICE CUBE WITH WESTSIDE BOOGIE

8 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $99

SOFI TUKKER WITH GIOLI & ASSIA

6 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison. $44

CORDAE WITH N3PTUNE

8 p.m. Glenn Miller Ballroom, 1669 Euclid Ave., Boulder. $50

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

SIERRA FERRELL WITH THE CACTUS BLOSSOM (DUO).

8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. $32

CURSIVE WITH NEVA DINOVA

8 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $25

HAZEL MILLER & THE COLLECTIVE WITH JOSH BLACKBURN 7 p.m. Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway, Denver. $26

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

THE FRONT PORCH BLUES SHOW WITH MAD DOG BLUES DUO AND LIONEL YOUNG 6 p.m. The End Lafayette, 525 Courtney Way. $20

GOTH BABE WITH YOKE LORE. 8 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $95

WHISKEY REVOLUTION 4 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

MONDAY, APRIL 24

COLORADO’S BLUEZ CATZ BLUES JAM 7 p.m. The Speakeasy, 301 Main St., Longmont. Free

TUESDAY, APRIL 25

CAROLINE ROSE. 8 p.m. Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood. $30

GOTH BABE WITH CAUTIOUS CLAY AND YOKE LORE 6 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison. $95

TRUE WIDOW WITH SHADOWS TRANQUIL AND SHINY AROUND THE EDGES. 7 p.m. Meow Wolf, 1338 1st St., Denver. $20. BW Pick of the Week

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

BOULDER BLUEGRASS JAM 7-11 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl St., Suite V3A, Boulder. Free

POUYA 6 p.m. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 N. Clarkson St., Denver. $35

THURSDAY, APRIL 27

ANDY THORN WITH ADAM AIJALA AND BEN KAUFMAN OF YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND 6 p.m. Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Road, Boulder. Sold out. Story on p. 12.

ON STAGE:

Playwright Mat Smart set out to spark contemporary political conversations in a historical setting with his Vietnam War-era play Eden Prairie, 1971, a Butterfly Effect Theatre Company of Colorado (BETC) production currently running at the Dairy Arts Center through April 29. See listing for details, and read last week’s Boulder Weekly feature on the show by scanning the accompanying QR code.

ON THE SHELF:

Lafayette Poet Laureate ZBassSpeaks (or simply Z) presents The Experience Project at the city’s Collective Community Arts Center on Thursday, April 27.

“The action of writing poetry sometimes isn’t perceived as being on the front lines [of political activism],” Z told Boulder Weekly “But how does one expect to have a rallying crowd if someone doesn’t first say what needs to be said, or inspire people to get into action and care? That’s where poetry comes in.”

Bare: A Pop Opera by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere. The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. Through April 23. $28. Story on p. 15.

Eden Prairie, 1971 Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Through April 29. $40. Story at boulderweekly.com

Cat’s Cradle. Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road. April 27-29. $25

Colorado Authors League: Michele Packard, Harper MacDavid, L.R. Braden and Joseph Hutchinson.

2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Tattered Cover, 8895 Westminster Blvd. Free

Leigh Campbell-Hale: Remembering Ludlow but Forgetting the Columbine: The 1927-1928 Colorado Coal Strike. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St. $5

Robert R. Crifasi: Western Water A to Z: The History, Nature, and Culture of a Vanishing Resource 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. Free

The Color Purple The Marvin & Judi Wolf Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex Address, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street. Through May 7. $25

Damn Yankees Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Through May 7. $45

A Great Wilderness Benchmark Theatre, 1560 Teller St., Lakewood. Through May 13. $30

ON VIEW:

There’s still time to catch Returning Home, the ongoing exhibition of works by Cindy Loya and Victor Escobedo paired with UndocuAmerica monologists Kiara Chávez and Cristian Solano-Córdova. Presented in partnership with Motus Theater, the show is on display in the BMoCA lobby as part of its Present Box series through April 27. See listing for details.

MOTUS + Cindy Loya: Returning Home. BMoCA, 1750 13th St. Through April 27. $2 BW Pick of the Week

Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. Through May 13. $15

Jerrie Hurd: Beyond the Male Gaze. BMoCA at Macky, 1595 Pleasant St., Boulder. Through May 26. $2

Lasting Impressions. CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St., Boulder. Through June 2023. Free

Emily France: Daughter Dalloway 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St. $5

Andrea Olsen: Moving Between Worlds: A Guide to Embodied Living and Communicating 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St. $5

The Experience Project with ZBassSpeaks 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 27, The Collective Community Arts Center, 201 N. Public Road, Lafayette. Free BW Pick of the Week

Augmented Organics: Eleanor Sabin, Cheryl Coon and Alexandra Christen-Munoz Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Ave., Longmont. Through June 4. Free

Explorations of Resilience and Resistance / Our Backs Hold Our Stories 4550 Broadway, Suite C-3B2, Boulder. Through June 28. Free (by appointment only)

Onward and Upward: Shark’s Ink CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St., Boulder. Through July 2023. Free

Photo credit: Karina Wetherbee Creative

Kiara (detail) by Cindy Loya Image courtesy of BMoCA.

Kate Hebert and Adrian Egolf in Eden Prairie, 1971 Photo by Michael Ensminger.

YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET

Dispatch from the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

It ain’t like it used to be. But it’ll do.” So says one grizzled old timer to another at the end of 1969’s The Wild Bunch — one of the few movies that can truly claim to have changed the trajectory of cinematic storytelling. Set during the Mexican Revolution, director Sam Peckinpah’s pastobsessed Western focuses on a group of men who represent a way of life rapidly being replaced: semi-automatic pistols in lieu of six-shooters, cops as crooked as criminals and violence that is as collateral as it is personal.

So it went at the 14th TCM Classic Film Festival, three days and four nights in Hollywood full of flickering classics, rediscovered gems and anniversary celebrations inside the movie palaces of yore. The governing theme of this year’s festival, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” celebrated the cinematic stories that shape and share cultural identities, particularly those made at Warner Bros. studios, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

WB’s centenary wasn’t the only milestone at this year’s festival. Many

of the movies screened were also celebrating anniversaries, including Alfred Hitchcock’s ode to small-town America and the darkness underneath, Shadow of a Doubt (1943), the film that transformed Vincent Price from a third-billed actor into a horror icon, House of Wax (1953), Bruce Lee’s American breakthrough Enter the Dragon (1973), and another groundbreaking movie whose tagline might as well read, “It ain’t like it used to be”: American Graffiti

Released in ’73, set in ’62, American Graffiti is pure Americana. The story revolves around a group of teenagers in Modesto, California, all sharing a collective long night of the soul. Some are ready to leave Modesto; others want to stay.

Everyone is waiting for their real life to begin. One in particular (Richard Dreyfuss) isn’t sure one option is better than the other.

It’s a classic hangout movie where the kids do most of their hanging out in cars that casually cruise up and down Main Street — until a race breaks out. Rock ’n’ roll permeates the soundtrack, and everything seems fun and idyllic until the movie reminds the audience that the reality awaiting these pranksters, goofballs and budding intellectuals is the Vietnam War.

You’ve probably seen American Graffiti and Enter the Dragon and all the others before. If you haven’t, keep an eye out: Many are slated for anniversary screenings this summer. Even if you have seen them, give them another look. Cinema is our cultural heritage, and you’ll be amazed at how many revelations and warning signs are lurking in the nostalgia of days gone by.

Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, William Holden and Ernest Borgnine in The Wild Bunch (1969). Photo courtesy Warner Bros.

Boulder Weekly Market

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): In English, the phrase “growing pains” refers to stresses that emerge during times of rapid ripening or vigorous development. Although they might feel uncomfortable, they are often signs that the ongoing transformations are invigorating. Any project that doesn’t have at least some growing pains may lack ambition. If we hope to transcend our previous limits and become a more complete expression of our destiny, we must stretch ourselves in ways that inconvenience our old selves. I’m expecting growing pains to be one of your key motifs in the coming weeks, dear Aries. It’s important that you don’t try to repress the discomfort. On the other hand, it’s also crucial not to obsess over them. Keep a clear vision of what these sacrifices will make possible for you.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Satirical Taurus author Karl Kraus defined “sentimental irony” as “a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves.” Please avoid that decadent emotion in the coming weeks, Taurus. You will also be wise to reject any other useless or counterproductive feelings that rise up within you or hurtle toward you from other people, like “clever cruelty” or “noble self-pity” or “sweet revenge.” In fact, I hope you will be rigorous about what moods you feed and what influences you allow into your sphere. You have a right and a duty to be highly discerning about shaping both your inner and outer environments. Renewal time is imminent.

bestofboulderdeals.kostizi.com

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): In his poem “October Fullness,” Pablo Neruda says, “Our own wounds heal with weeping, / Our own wounds heal with singing.” I agree. I believe that weeping and singing are two effective ways to recover from emotional pain and distress. The more weeping and singing we do, the better. I especially recommend these therapeutic actions to you now, Gemini. You are in a phase when you can accomplish far more curative and restorative transformations than usual.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): After careful analysis of the astrological omens and a deep-diving meditation, I have concluded that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to indulge in an unprecedented binge of convivial revelry and pleasure. My advice is to engage in as much feasting and carousing as you can without completely ignoring your responsibilities. I know this may sound extreme, but I am inviting you to have more fun than you have ever had—even more fun than you imagine you deserve. (You do deserve it, though.) I hope you will break all your previous records for frequency and intensity of laughter.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): In 1886, Vincent van Gogh bought a pair of worn-out shoes at a Paris flea market. When he got home, he realized they didn’t fit. Rather than discard them, he made them the centerpiece of one of his paintings. Eventually, they became famous. In 2009, a renowned gallery in Cologne, Germany, built an entire exhibit around the scruffy brown leather shoes. In the course of their celebrated career, six major philosophers and art historians have written about them as if they were potent symbols worthy of profound consideration. I propose that we regard their history as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. What humble influence might be ready for evocative consideration and inspirational use?

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Gliding away from the routine for a rendezvous with fun riddles? I approve! Delivering your gorgeous self into the vicinity of a possibly righteous temptation? OK. But go slowly, please. Size up the situation with your gut intuition and long-range vision as well as your itchy fervor. In general, I am pleased with your willingness to slip outside your comfortable enclaves and play freely in the frontier zones. It makes me happy to see you experimenting with AHA and WHAT-IF and MAYBE BABY. I hope you summon the chutzpah to find and reveal veiled parts of your authentic self.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): The German word Sehnsucht refers to when we have a profound, poignant yearning for something, but we don’t quite know what that something is. I suspect you may soon be in the grip of your personal Sehnsucht. But I also believe you are close to identifying an experience that will quench the seemingly impossible longing. You will either discover a novel source of deep gratification, or you will be able to transform an existing gratification to accommodate your Sehnsucht. Sounds like spectacular fun to me. Clear some space in your schedule to welcome it.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Most of us have at some time in the past been mean and cruel to people we loved. We acted unconsciously or unintentionally, perhaps, but the bottom line is that we caused pain. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to atone for any such hurts you have dispensed. I encourage you to be creative as you offer healing and correction for any mistakes you’ve made with important allies. I’m not necessarily suggesting you try to resume your bond with ex-lovers and former friends. The goal is to purge your iffy karma and graduate from the past. Perform whatever magic you have at your disposal to transform suffering with love.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): The blues singer-songwriter B. B. King wasn’t always known by that name. He was born Riley B. King. In his twenties, when he began working at a Memphis radio station, he acquired the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy.” Later, that was shortened to “Blues Boy,” and eventually to “B. B.” In the spirit of B. B. King’s evolution and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to identify areas of your life with cumbersome or unnecessary complexities that might benefit from simplification.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Proboscis monkeys live in Borneo and nowhere else on earth. Their diet consists largely of fruits and leaves from trees that grow only on Borneo and nowhere else. I propose we make them your anti-role model in the coming months. In my astrological opinion, you need to diversify your sources of nourishment, both the literal and metaphorical varieties. You will also be wise to draw influences from a wide variety of humans and experiences. I further suggest that you expand your financial life so you have multiple sources of income and diversified investments.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): It’s challenging to track down the sources of quotes on the Internet. Today, for instance, I found these words attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: “I enjoy the simple things in life, like recklessly spending my cash and being a disappointment to my family.” That can’t be right. I’m sure Plato didn’t actually say such things. Elsewhere, I came upon a review of George Orwell’s book Animal Farm that was supposedly penned by pop star Taylor Swift: “Not a very good instructional guide on farming. Would NOT recommend to first-time farmers.” Again, I’m sure that wasn’t written by Swift. I bring this up, Aquarius, because one of your crucial tasks these days is to be dogged and discerning as you track down the true origins of things. Not just internet quotes, but everything else, as well — including rumors, theories, and evidence. Go to the source, the roots, the foundations.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I’m turning over this horoscope to Piscean teacher Esther Hicks. Here are affirmations she advises you to embody: “I’m going to be happy. I’m going to skip and dance. I will be glad. I will smile a lot. I will be easy. I will count my blessings. I will look for reasons to feel good. I will dig up positive things from the past. I will look for positive things where I am right now. I will look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It’s natural for me to love and laugh. I am a happy person!”

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m away this week. Please enjoy this column from June of 2018. — Dan

DEAR DAN: I’ve been married to my husband for two years. Five months into our relationship (before we got married), he confessed that he was an adult baby. I told him he would have to choose: diapers or me. He chose me. Shortly before the birth of our child, I found out he’d been looking at diaper porn online. I lost it. He apologized and said he’d never look at diaper porn again. Once I was free to have sex again after the birth, he wasn’t into it. He told me he wasn’t into sex because diapers weren’t involved. He agreed to talk to a counselor. But on the day we were supposed to go, he said he wasn’t going. I went crazy and called his mom and told her everything, and she said she found a diaper under his bed when he was 7! Then I found adult-size diapers in the house. He told me he was tired of me controlling him. He also said he was mad at me for telling his mom. Please give me advice on how to make him understand that this is not him!

— Married A Disgusting Diaper Lover

DEAR MADDL: “There’s a fair bit of controversy over whether people can suppress fetishistic desires like this — and whether it’s healthy to ask them to do so,” said Dr. David Ley, a clinical psychologist and AASECT-certified sex therapist.

“Given the apparent strength and persistence of her husband’s interest, I think it unlikely that suppression could ever be successful,” said Dr. Ley. “In this case, I think MADDL’s desire for her husband to have sexual desires she agrees with in order for her to be married to him is a form of sexual extortion. Without ... a willingness to negotiate and compromise ... this couple is doomed.”

Now let’s hear from an actual diaper fetishist.

“The common misconception with ABDL (adult baby diaper lovers) is that they are into inappropriate things

— like having an interest in children — and this couldn’t be more wrong,” said Pup Jackson, a 20-something diaper lover and kink educator. “AB is not always sexual. Sometimes it’s a way for a person to disconnect from their adult life. With DLs, they aren’t necessarily into age play — they enjoy diapers and the way they feel, much like people enjoy rubber, Lycra, or other materials. A lot of people want/need these kinds of outlets in their life.”

Now my thoughts.

“Great guys” can be into diapers. People don’t choose their kinks any more than they choose their sexual orientation. Outing your husband to his mother was unforgivable and could ultimately prove to be a fatal-toyour-marriage violation of trust. And a counselor isn’t going to be able to reach into your husband’s head and yank out his kink.

You’re clearly not interested in understanding your husband’s kink, nor are you open to working out an accommodation that allows your husband to explore his kink on his own. You’ve convinced yourself that if you pitch a big enough fit, your husband will choose a spouse who makes him feel terrible about himself over a kink that gives him pleasure. And that’s not how this is going to play out.

If you can’t accept his kink, do that diaper-loving husband of yours a favor and divorce him.

CORNERING THE MARKET

The Top 10 rules (and shopping hacks) for getting the most out of your Boulder Farmers Market visit

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

Go the distance. That’s the prime directive. Walk through the whole Boulder Farmers Market first, before you buy anything, says manager Liz Thomas. “It’s easy to miss everything that’s available, especially from new vendors.”

As the market commenced its 2023 season, Thomas gave Boulder Weekly a guided tour of the market, pointing out a dozen new farmers, bakeries and guest vendors. She knows the territory well. On a typical Saturday, she says she averages more than 15,000 steps.

Before you get too far into the market’s season, we offer the following do’s and don’ts to being a good market shopper.

Rule No. 1: Leave your snake at home, Thomas says. That also goes for the cats, parrots, ferrets and, of course, dogs that customers have tried to bring into the market. “We all love dogs, but leave them at home. You have to think of this as an open-air grocery store where you also wouldn’t bring your pet,” she says.

Rule No. 2: Visit often, Thomas says, because the parade of produce

and flower varieties changes week to week and progresses through the season from early greens to end-of-season apples and winter squash.

Rule No. 3: Go around the corner. Visit the booths along Canyon Boulevard, which include Masa Seed Foundation, the award-winning Harkin Cider, shaded seating, and a vegan ice cream truck.

Rule No. 4: Never ask for bananas. Or pineapples. Or peaches out of season. “Do expect to find only local produce and Colorado fruit,” Thomas says. Yes, the market’s food booths use produce and ingredients from other places but are encouraged to feature locally sourced items. There is coffee available because, well, we must have coffee … but it is always locally roasted.

Rule No. 5: Talk to the farmers and vendors — yes, interpersonal communications, Thomas advises. “Ask the farmers: ‘What’s the best you have today?’ Talk to them about how they grow their vegetables,” she says. Try a produce item, even if it’s unfamiliar, and ask for some prep and cooking tips. Most importantly, never turn down a free sample!

Rule No. 6: Always arrive early. “The selection of produce is always better first thing in the morning; it’s cooler, the crowds are smaller and the parking is easier. Some farmers bring small amounts of certain crops,” Thomas says. In other words, if you want the raspberries, be there at 8 a.m. Later in the season, consider coming back later in the day, in the last hour the market is open. Farmers are loathe to haul produce all the way back to the farm if they don’t have to. Make a deal for a box of fresh goodness.

Rule No. 7: Get over your passion for pretty fruits and vegetables. Learn to love produce with personality, not looks. Ask for farmers’ “seconds” — the less attractive tomatoes, potatoes, squash and rutabagas they keep in a box in the back of the booth. They are perfect for cooking and canning, Thomas says.

Rule No. 8: Don’t just buy fresh veggies and fruits to eat today, tonight or next week. Learn to preserve, pickle, ferment, dry, can and freeze these goodies for great meals in the months

to come. Talk to the preserving experts at the Healthy by Design and Mountain Girl Pickles booths for tips.

Rule No. 9: If you drive, don’t think about trying to park close to the market. Consider walking or biking. Do your part for sustainability by bringing your own reusable bags. Thomas also asks market customers to bring their own coffee or tea mug, as she does, and your own utensils to cut down on stuff going to the landfill. Remember that Boulder’s composting rules no longer allow so-called compostable silverware or containers.

Rule No. 10: Don’t whine about the prices. It is irrelevant that you can buy onions cheaper at Wal-Mart. “Everyone at this market is local. Your money stays local, it keeps farmers in business and helps local food security,” Thomas says. “You are truly supporting your neighbors.”

One final strong suggestion: Gather your kitchen knives and get them sharpened at the Johnson’s Sharpening booth while you shop the market. You will need safely sharp utensils to turn all that produce into tasty summer feasts.

Photos by Kirsten Boyer Photography

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: CELEBRATING EARTH DAY

Slow Food Boulder County and MASA Seed Foundation celebrate Earth Day Saturday afternoon at MASA Farm, 1367 N. 75th St. Festivities include a garden seed exchange, farm tours, tree planting and art projects. Vendors will offer local farm foods and Farow Chef Patrick Balcom will serve fresh Pie Dog Pizza Dickens Prime 300 has closed in Longmont. Broomfieldbased Roots will open a second restaurant in the historic Main Street building. The Dickens Opera House upstairs will be available for events.

The Bee Hugger, 12590 Ute Highway, Longmont, is open for the season with fresh honey, animal feeding, tractor climbing and kids’ pony rides.

NIBBLES INDEX: WE EAT IN CHAINS

No matter what we think, we mostly don’t eat at local, independent eateries. According to Technomic’s Top 500 restaurant survey, the 10 biggest chains, including McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chickfil-A, accounted for more than 25% of all U.S. restaurant sales last year. The 500 biggest U.S. restaurant chains produced nearly 60% of all sales.

WORDS TO CHEW ON: CRANKING JOHNNY CASH

“Every summer, he made peach ice cream on the lawn, with peaches from his own orchard. He hand-cranked the oldfashioned ice cream maker until his arm was surely aching and stiff. He set firecrackers off while we ate huge bowls of his homemade ice cream.”

— Roseanne Cash, writing about her dad, Johnny Cash

John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles Thursdays on KGNU (88.5 FM, streaming at KGNU.org). Comments: Nibbles@BoulderWeekly.com

Chef Patrick Balcom. Courtesy Farow

SECOND SIP

Beverage-focused First Sip returns

BY CAITLIN ROCKETT

When Jessica Benjamin took over First Bite in 2019, she realized the traditional restaurant-week model with prix fixe menus wasn’t working for the eateries or the customers — restaurants were boxed into a model that didn’t necessarily reflect their style, and customers weren’t likely to try more than one restaurant in a week.

So First Bite threw the model out, allowing restaurants to craft their offerings for the week with no set price.

Benjamin and her team at Savor Productions apply the same logic to First Sip, the beverage-focused event taking place April 26-30 at roughly 30 restaurants in and around Boulder.

“I’m more willing to snack and nibble in multiple spots in one evening over a couple days than I am to have a multicourse meal,” Benjamin says.

For this second iteration of First Sip, Benjamin says businesses “really got creative” in their offerings, mixing small plates with beverage specials, like The

Greenbriar Inn (8735 N. Foothills Highway, Boulder), which will offer three featured cocktails paired with suggested appetizers and dessert. Or at Dagabi Cucina (3970 Broadway, Unit 101, Boulder), which offers a free tapa when you order a glass of tempranillo blanco wine. Or at 740 Front in Louisville, where you can split a halfdozen Chesapeake Bay oysters and a bottle of Roederer Estate Brut with a friend for a decadent night out on the town for just $42.

But nonalcoholic drinks were “really front of mind,” Benjamin says, when curating restaurants for First Sip.

Those looking for a refreshing pickme-up can head to Dry Storage (3601 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder) to try a flight featuring hibiscus limeade, ice kum-

quat-thyme espresso and raspberry vanilla matcha. The Sink (1165 13th St., Boulder) will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a variety of milkshakes, including Fruit Loops and chocolate with bacon.

A handful of businesses are hosting pop-up events, kicking off with music, prize giveaways, snacks and booze during Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) at The Sink on April 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. If you’re still looking to keep the night going after FAC, head to the patio at Dry Storage where you can snack and sample natural wines with beverage director Caroline Clark and guest sommelier Joel Kampfe.

Gracia Coffee will host a cupping event at Rosetta Hall on Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. Limited to 10 partic-

ipants, guests will taste four of Ampersand’s single-origin roasts. Gracia will also feature three new summer coffee drinks — an espresso and tonic, a matcha spritz, and mazagran, a cold, sweetened coffee drink — throughout the weekend.

On April 30, The Hungry Toad will host The Sipping Game, where guests can taste six scotches, with brief history notes on each, plus snacks for $25 a person ($45 for two). You’ll also get a deck of playing cards with your drink.

To close out the weekend’s festivities, Rosetta Hall will throw a beachthemed party on its rooftop, with caipirinhas, Caribbean punches and East Coast highballs alongside oysters on the half shell, lobster roll sliders, and shrimp tostadas.

Clockwise from left: Gracia; Postino; Dry Storage coffee flight; Stella’s Cucina cocktails; bloody Marys at The Sink.

STREET LEGAL

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and conducting its own research on cannabis-impaired driving to promote safer driving habits.

“Regardless of substance or scenario, impaired driving is never OK,” says Liz Zukowski, policy and public affairs manager at Native Roots Cannabis Co. “We feel a responsibility and duty to inform our customers about how cannabis can impact the body and mind, and how to make a safe transportation plan when consuming.”

That’s why, ahead of 4/20, Native Roots teamed up with RBI Strategies to conduct a survey to understand the consumption and driving habits of their customers.

BY WILL

Drunk driving wasn’t illegal in all 50 states until 1988. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act not only set the age of consumption to 21, it also made driving under the influence of alcohol illegal nationwide.

That might seem insane today, but just 35 years ago it was perfectly legal to get in your car, crack a brewski and hit the road. It still might be if it hadn’t been for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Throughout the 1980s MADD helped states pass more than 700 drunk driving laws; the organization pushed to close loopholes, impose stricter penalties and lower the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 — where it remains today.

Since MADD was founded, there has

been a 55% reduction in drunk driving deaths — with little thanks to the alcohol industry itself. Their lobbyists fought hard against MADD and still are today. According to the National Library of Medicine, in order to create a favorable political environment, the alcohol industry is still using “information and other means to gain access to political decision-makers … promoting alternative policies or voluntary measures … providing financial incentives to influence government policymakers; and [employing] legal preemption, litigation, or circumvention.”

The cannabis industry, by comparison, is taking the opposite approach. Cannabis brand Native Roots is working cooperatively with MADD and the

“There wasn’t a lot of consumer data out in the public relating cannabis use with a customer’s driving habits,” Zukowski says. “So we saw this gap in the data and set out to fill that gap.”

Over 16 days in February, 520 people responded to questions at 10 Native Roots locations about cannabis use and driving. The interviews were staggered across the morning, afternoon and evening. And the results were revealing — if not surprising.

Forty-one percent of respondents say they may drive under the influence; with 22% saying they would drive depending on the amount they consumed, 11% saying they were “very likely” to drive while high and 8% saying they “probably” would.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they consume cannabis while driving in a vehicle, or on a scooter or bicycle. Twelve percent said they ride with a driver who is under the influence of can-

nabis every day. Twenty-four percent of daily users didn’t even know you could get a DUI for driving high.

There were also places where cannabis consumers demonstrated responsibility. More than 70% said they’re almost never a passenger with a high driver, and 96% said they usually consume at home (or at a friend’s house, or at an event). More than half, 59%, indicated they were “not very likely” to drive while high. For non-regular users, it was even less, with just 2% indicating they would operate a vehicle while stoned.

“I thought it was really interesting how much [these results] resembled some of the research that’s been done by the [Center for Disease Control] over the years,” says Sam Cole, traffic safety manager with CDOT, referencing a CDC report from 2021. “They’re showing about the same number, the same percentage of cannabis consumers that are driving high that we’ve seen in previous data.”

On top of the survey, Native Roots is also partnering with CDOT to train all of its 180 budtenders using CDOT’s Cannabis Impaired Driving Course. The course, offered through the platform Learn Brands, is using cannabis budtenders as an entry point for education about driving while impaired.

Zukowski says this course is now a standard part of Native Roots’ budtender training.

As part of this partnership with MADD and CDOT, Native Roots is also offering free delivery services through April 22. So if you’ve already partaken and don’t want to risk getting behind the wheel, you won’t have to.

Unlike the alcohol industry, cannabis is cooperating with CDOT and MADD to raise awareness about the dangers of driving high

BRENDZA