Volume 1, Issue 4
January-February 2020
Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver
DenverNorthStar.com
DELIVERED FREE!
INSIDE Are You Ready to Rock? Session
Starts
What to Expect this Legislative Season by David Sabados
T Dining Dimestore Dish Page 4 photo courtesy of Voice Rock!
Voices Rock! Gives Adult Enthusiasts Opportunity to Sing
The adult choir Voices Rock! is giving adults of all ability levels the opportunity to sing their favorite rock and pop songs in a choir while building a sense of community connection.
Adult Choir Builds Community Through Casual Crooning by Sabrina Allie
Politics Tiny Tilden Page 15
Community Welcome to The Gray Zone Page 7
Arts & Culture Former School Board Member Authors Book Page 12
Shopping Valentine’s Guide Page 8
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or many, a choir is something that conjures images of school or church groups, and that’s it. If you want to sing your favorite rock and pop tunes as an adult, it’s car karaoke or singing in the shower -- and hoping your kids aren’t secretly recording you for their Instagram story. That’s why Jill Teas and Betsy Marino Leighton created Voices Rock!, a choir for adults (and teenagers 16 and older) that sings pop, rock and chart hits without the need to audition, read music or have any previous singing experience. “In 2014, I moved back [to Denver] from London, where I had been in a few different choirs, and I was looking for a similar non-audition, casual experience but couldn’t find anything here,” said Leighton. She looked for a partner who had experience with musical direction, found Teas, and they co-founded Voices Rock! in 2013 at a bar
on Colfax. They’re now more than 300 members strong and just sold out a concert at Denver University’s Newman Center. “For me, it was about creating a sense of community together,” said Leighton. “One of our taglines is ‘come for the music, stay for the community,’ and that really does sum up what and who we are.” Teas said that when Leighton approached her and explained her rock choir experience in London, “it was like a lightbulb went off.” She said she’s spent her entire adult life teaching children music in classrooms, but she was compelled to sign on because “the idea of having adults sing together not in a church was such a great opportunity to create something completely accessible to anybody.” Teas said there’s a whole community of people out there who love to sing, many of whom did in youth or school choirs, but who had
nowhere to go as adults. Others, she said, never had a chance to sing, don’t consider themselves singers or may have been intimidated because they have no formal training. “We welcome people of all levels,” she said. “There’s always something for everyone. We sing in three part harmony. The music is very accessible for any adult to just step in and start singing.” Voices Rock! now has locations on Colfax at the Sie Film Center, in Park Hill, Congress Park, Louisville and the Highlands. Choir members can join a 10-week session for $200, and attend any of the locations, which meet four nights a week. Diane Goldsmith leads the Highlands choir, which practices from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday nights at The Garage, 3830 W. 32nd Ave. Goldsmith was previously involved with the performing arts program Up with People!, See Casual Choir, Page 12
he second regular session of the 72nd General Assembly kicked off earlier this month. Before they got to work, we talked with two North Denver legislators: State Senator Julie Gonzales and State Representative Serena Gonzales-Guiterrez to discuss their legislative priorities and what people can expect the state legislature to work on this year. With Colorado now a Super Tuesday state for the presidential election, many are focused on the national stage, but Sen. Gonzales said, “I really encourage people not to overlook what the state legislature is doing.” One of the biggest bills both legislators said to pay attention to is Family Medical Leave. In 2019, the legislature commissioned a study on a statewide program for paid family and medical leave to be presented by the start of the 2020 legislative session. That study’s findings were not available by our publication deadline, but it’s expected the legislature will again take up the issue. Rep. Gonzales-Guiterrez said that she generally used up all of her sick time during her three maternity leaves, which left no time off to tend to medical matters when her children were young. She believes passing the bill this year will help working families. Sen. Gonzales, who serves on the finance committee, said she is looking into more ways to help working families access capital. When voters passed a measure capping the amount payday lenders could charge, many See Bills, Page 7