Sensi Magazine - Denver/Boulder (March 2018)

DE N V E R // B OULDER

what about

MEOW

Denver’s Thriving DIY Scene

Designer Komoti Yoshida is the Future The MENver Makeover

MILE MILE HIGH HIGH STYLE STYLE

THE NEW NORMAL

3.2018

mind

blown what’s NEXT for the

FRONT RANGE

{ PLUS } ICE + I C E C A MPING SPECIAL REPORT : THE ABCs OF CBD + FOOD C RIT ICS DISH ON T HE HOT NEW SPOTS + MORE!

C2 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

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ISSUE 3 // VOLUME 3 // 3.2018

80

contents.

FEATURES 68

72

54

Kotomi Yoshida, Unmasked

As Denver Fashion Week approaches, one of the show’s most eccentric—and shocking— designers sat down with Sensi to discuss design trends, politics, gender … and anime.

SPECIAL REPORT

The Allure of Cannabidiol

It seems that everyone is asking about CBD and its healing properties. What is it, how does it work, and could it be good for you?

80

Fashion Police: Menver Style

88

Mile High Rules Don’t Apply

Spring wardrobe updates from right here in the Mile High.

Why I failed my first California assignment … and did we really burn on the bus with Sean Paul?

EVERY ISSUE 15 Editor’s Note 20 The Buzz 28 NewsFeed

THE STATE(S) OF LEGALIZATION

116

34 CrossRoads

Winter 2.0—Mason Jar Event Group’s seasonal cannabis-paired dinner —was an artfully elevated experience.

46 AroundTown

MASON JAR EVENT

GET OUTSIDE

38 TasteBuds

STATE OF THE PL ATE

WHAT ABOUT MEOW?

54 TravelWell

SNOW CAMPING

58 HighProfile

L ANNIE GARRET T

116 The Scene

SENSI MASON JAR EVENT

118 {SoCO}

STREET ART

Sensi Denver/Boulder is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 9

sensi magazine ISSUE 3 VOLUME 3 3.2018

FOLLOW US

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb

CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP RON.KOLB @ SENSIMAG.COM

Tae Darnell

PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP TAE.DARNELL @ SENSIMAG.COM

Alex Martinez

GENERAL MANAGER ALEX.MARTINEZ @ SENSIMAG.COM

EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson

EDITOR IN CHIEF STEPHANIE.WILSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

sensimediagroup

Jake Browne

MANAGING EDITOR, DENVER/BOULDER JAKE.BROWNE @ SENSIMAG.COM

Leland Rucker

SENIOR EDITOR LELAND.RUCKER @ SENSIMAG.COM

John Lehndorff

DINING EDITOR EDIBLE.CRITIC @ SENSIMAG.COM

Randy Robinson

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR RANDY.ROBINSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING Ricardo Baca CONTRIBUTING WRITER

EDITOR

sensimagazine

ART & DESIGN Jennifer Tyson

DESIGN DIRECTOR JENNIFER.TYSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

Amanda Turner

DESIGNE R AMANDA.TURNER @ N2PUB.COM

John “Ljfresh” Gray

HEAD OF SENSI PRODUCTIONS JOHN.GRAY @ SENSIMAG.COM

Danielle Webster

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

sensimag

BUSINESS & A DM I N IS T R AT I V E Tyler Tarr FOUNDING PUBLISHER TYLER @ SENSIMAG.COM

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CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR AMBER.ORVIK @ SENSIMAG.COM

Andre Velez

MARKETING DIRECTOR ANDRE.VELEZ @ SENSIMAG.COM

Hector Irizarry

DISTRIBUTION HECTOR @ SENSIMAG.COM

M E DI A PA RT N E R S National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy Minority Cannabis Business Association

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14 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

spring

preview

editor’s

NOTE

You will notice, if nothing else than by virtue of my

grinning mug at the bottom, that this is not the intrepid Steph Wilson, the lifeforce that has sustained the Denver/Boulder edition of Sensi, the Mother of Magazines, the Haver of Cool Nicknames. Please, do not contact authorities! I assure you Steph is fine. In fact, she’s better than ever.

It’s fitting that our “What’s Next” issue kicks off with her transition into overseeing more periodicals than you can fill a hoarder’s living room with.

She lives and breathes magazines in a way that makes you question if you’ve ever loved anything. Her coffee table book by the editors of New York magazine is so large I believe she’d need to check it with luggage on a flight.

Now, you’re stuck with me.

Hi, I ’m Jake.

I’ll start off like every bad comedy set I’ve ever performed: “A little about myself …” The first time I ever smoked pot was with my friends from the debate team. I moved to Denver, sight unseen, in 2001 because I had a man-crush on Jack Kerouac. I once wanted to be a rapper and yes, I did destroy most of the evidence.

My first job in cannabis was working the front desk for my buddy Zac in 2009. My first crack at writing was our company blog, where I covered the backlogs for patients to receive their red cards (remember those?) and preserving the rights of caregivers. I’ve worked just about every job in the industry and freelance writing since. You may remember me as the cannabis critic for the Denver Post, a position I held for four years until I hung up my reviewing cleats in December. In retrospect, it would have been much easier without the cleats.

Through the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some tremendous teams, but Sensi might just take the cake. Culture isn’t a lip service here; it’s a way of life. The way they’ve embraced me, trusted me, and supported me is truly humbling. Now, I’m looking forward to covering the city I’ve lived in and loved for almost two decades.

Let’s go!

Jake Browne

MANAGING EDITOR

SENSI DENVER/ BOULDER

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 15

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sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 19

THE NE W N O R M A L

the

buzz

headSPIN

A monthly recommendation for musical medication from JON PACELLA , a sales specialist at the iconic Amoeba Music in Hollywood.

throw

HARD D

HAVE AN AX TO GRIND? Well, perhaps it’s time to let some steam off by tossing a literal one at someone who isn’t running from you because you’ve got that look in your eye again. Yes, one of Denver’s new favorite pastimes is going medieval on that ax.

Popping up around the metro area, we can’t explain why this much more dangerous form of darts has taken off like it has. Historically, these weapons were used to mow down enemies at short range rather than let off steam after a happy hour bowl or two. Dating back to the 5th century, the Franks would roar into battle, sans armor, and start chucking the things like baseballs until the battlefield was 300’d up.

Now, you can go solo (around $20 an hour) or bring a group of friends (expect to pay closer to $40 a head but get more time) and whip metal at wooden targets to your heart’s delight. Most of the more reputable places will offer coaching on the spot to help you hit bulls-eyes before no time. Places like Bad Axe Throwing will even let you bring in your own food and drink if you’d like a picnic, but be sure to pack some cutlery. Axes are not made for meat slicing.

If it seems a bit silly, it probably is, but there’s also a great core workout you get from engaging your abs as you hurl the various weighted implements. Some toss two-handed overhead, but a one-handed technique isn’t out of the question. Just like free throws, you should never, ever throw from between your legs, though.

chillout

If you’re one of the many Americans suffering from a lingering

OLYMPIC FEVER but don’t have regular access to a Curling sheet and stones, there’s still a way to freeze your buns off without shed-

–JAKE BROWNE

ALBUM: No Time For Dreaming (2011) ARTIST: Charles Bradley FAVORITE TRACK: “The World (Is Going Up In Flames)” Another year wrought with loss in the entertainment world, 2017 saw one especially sad departure—the passing of the “Screaming Eagle of Soul,” singer Charles Bradley.

As detailed in Charles Bradley: Soul of America, Bradley was the product of a hard knock life that showed him little mercy over the years. But like the great bluesmen of yore, this humble artist persevered—channeling his sadness, struggles, joy, and pain into something tangible, until finally gaining mainstream recognition after he was 50 years old.

Alongside his Menahan Street Band, Bradley stripped soul music down to its very essence and laid it bare. There’s no sadder lament for humanity than “The World (Is Going Up In Flames).” When he wails, “Why is it so hard to make it in America?” (in the song of the same name), you feel every bit of his despair.

And much like the late Johnny Cash, when Bradley covered another artist’s song, he took it in and made it his own: Whether it was the mellow R&B vibes on Neil Young’s classic “Heart of Gold,” the funky groove of Nirvana’s “Stay Away,” or the masterful reworking of Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” Bradley and the band twisted the songs through a musical prism, bending them until they shone through in a beautifully different way.

I highly recommend not only listening to his music but also watching the documentary about his life, Charles Bradley: Soul of America, to learn about this remarkable, inspirational man.

grees. As a bonus, they give you a fresh pair of thermal undies and socks to prevent the freezing of your most intimate areas, and a robe to wear in the interstitial portions. Who doesn’t like donning one of those?

ding a cool spandex outfit. Cryotherapy was once only available to the

The purported health benefits of cryo are debated, but proponents

classiest of world-class athletes, but today anyone with the desire to

say it stimulates a fight-or-flight response in your body, which thinks it

get chilly with it can schedule some chamber time.

is freezing to death. They claim this leads to a release of endorphins and

Unlike ice baths that can take what feels like an eternity to drop your

adrenaline, and can also reduce pain. Localized treatments like facials,

body temperature only a few ticks, cryotherapy takes just a few minutes

offered at the Boulder-based Cyrofusion, for example, aim to reduce pore

for those on the go and can decrease your surface temp up to 50 de-

size and increase collagen production.

20 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

—JB

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 21

THE NE W N O R M A L

the

buzz

breakin’ OUT While March traditionally signaled the return of the swallows of Capistrano—and definitely not salmon, Dumb and Dumber fans—it’s also known for the hordes of college-aged vacationers descending on our slopes and microbreweries.

The advent of legal cannabis cemented Colorado’s status as a top spring break destination that’s not beach adjacent.

Combining warm temperatures with affordable lift tickets, The Beach at A-Basin invariably turns into a party you won’t want to miss if visiting from out of town. Buy a cheap lawn chair and park yourself at the foot of the mountain for great people watching, but leave your smoke at home or risk getting ticketed. If you’re an early-season breaker, don’t miss Umphrey’s McGee at Belly Up Aspen March 7 through the 10.

Find yourself in Colorado this spring but aren’t particularly effective strapped to a board? The concert calendar isn’t very robust, but DATSIK at the 1STBANK Center is primed to be one of the top EDM shows of the season. You could also jump on a bus with Colorado Cannabis Tours and get the full Denver experience. Visit a grow and see thousands of live pot plants, watch some glassblowing, and check out some dispensaries.

Are you a grizzled Colorado veteran looking to avoid the riff raff on the slopes? Schools throughout the country have breaks that run from the 10 through the 18, and most local vacays starting on the 24. And hey, you could always consider a vacation yourself. Just avoid South Beach.

—JB 22 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 23

24 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

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{newsfeed}

by LELAND RUCKER

THE STATE(S) OF LEGALIZATION: AN UPDATE When it comes to adult-use cannabis, “legal” is a slippery term.

How adult sales are going depends upon where you reside.

On a map of the US, if you look for states where

politicians are often the last to pay attention to what

adult use of recreational marijuana is legal, you’ll no-

voters want. Most polls show about 60 percent of Amer-

tice they’re mostly skewed to the coasts. You can buy

icans now favor legal marijuana, yet many elected offi-

cannabis now all along the West Coast, where the le-

cials hold outdated opinions that sound like they hav-

galization landscape stretches east (skipping Utah) to

en’t evolved since the 1970s.

Colorado.

How legalization is working depends on which state

On the Atlantic Coast, a new concentration of legal

you’re in. In Colorado, people have become used to be-

states has cropped up in the Northeast. In 2016, regu-

ing able to purchase and consume a dizzying array of

lated adult use was passed by voters in both Maine

elevating products from a multitude of vendors. But

and Massachusetts. Earlier this year, Vermont became

voters in Massachusetts and Maine who cast ballots

the ninth state to legalize recreational marijuana—

for legalization in 2016 have yet to see retail stores

and the first to do so by passing a law in the legislature

open, and the latter’s governor has vetoed almost ev-

rather than by ballot measure. Adults can possess and

ery cannabis bill that has crossed his desk. The District

grow cannabis, but the state is eschewing the

of Columbia, where voters overwhelmingly chose le-

tax-and-regulate model by not allowing retail sales.

galization in 2014, has created a gray-market barter

New Hampshire lawmakers, feeling the pinch from

system that operates at the outer limits of legality. So

surrounding states, have indicated that they are work-

how exactly is the rollout of legal cannabis going in the

ing to establish something similar in the Granite State.

US? Here’s a breakdown of all legal states.

The state house gave preliminary approval to a bill that would allow adults to possess up to one ounce and to

ALASKA

cultivate it in limited quantities. As Rep. Keith Ammon

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: 2014

told USA Today, “It looks bad for the reputation of the

RECREATIONAL SALES: Began February 2015

Live Free or Die state to be an island of prohibition surrounded by a sea of freedom.”

The state of Alaska has had an up-and-down relationship with cannabis over the last three decades. The

The push in New England suggests that politicians

state decriminalized possession of up to four ounces in

in other states might be well served to listen to their

1982. Eight years later, a voter initiative recriminalized

constituents without being forced by a citizen initia-

all possession, adding prison time and hefty fines for

tive. One major obstacle to national legalization is that

offenders. That one was struck down in 2003 by the

28 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

“LEGAL”

2012 2014 2016

state’s Court of Appeals. A medical program was ap-

the January 1 deadline. Taxes are another ques-

proved in 1998, and voters in 2014 authorized a regu-

tion mark. The state imposed a 15 percent excise

lated adult-use system that began in February of

tax, a state cultivation levy of $9.25 per ounce for

2015.

cannabis flower and $2.75 per ounce for leaves,

As in most states, demand was higher than expect-

and many cities added their own 7 to 9 percent sales

ed in the first months, and shortages were reported as

tax, which makes some advocates skeptical that

the regulatory system came online. In September of

the added cost for consumers might not lure them

2017, the state announced it had collected $3,741,810

in from the state’s long-established black market.

in cannabis taxes. And in the fall, voters in Fairbanks and

We’ll know more as the rollout continues and

the Kenai Peninsula, two places where many cultiva-

temporary applications become permanent.

tors and retailers are located, rejected, by wide margins, local ballot measures that would have prohibited

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

cannabis grows and operations in those areas. Those

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2014

measures cannot be brought back to voters until at

RECREATIONAL SALES: Not Yet

least 2019.

Probably the most outrageous situation is happening in Washington, DC, where an overwhelmCALIFORNIA

ing 65 percent of voters approved legal marijuana

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2016

for adults in a 2014 ballot initiative which went into

RECREATIONAL SALES: Began January 2018

effect February 26, 2015. More than three years lat-

The largest state to legalize adult cannabis sales

er, there are still no recreational sales.

and use faced many of the same problems as others

The explanation is simple—and disgusting. All

before going online with adult sales January 1, 2018.

DC laws are subject to congressional review, and

California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 but

in this case Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, a mem-

didn’t set up a regulatory system until 2018, when the

ber of the Freedom Caucus, decided to override

legislature passed SB-94 to create a framework to

voters’ wishes because, he says, they “made a bad

regulate both medical and adult use. After much hag-

decision.” To emphasize the point, Harris attached

gling, Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law in June, but

a rider to a federal appropriations bill that stopped

the state still had to scurry to get regs in place to make

funding to “enact any law, rule, or regulation to lesensimag.com MAR C H 2018 29

galize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with

events advertised through social media that are equal

the possession, use, or distribution of any Schedule I

parts social gathering and cannabis trade show, with

substance under the Controlled Substances Act or any

selections of edibles, vaporizers, oils, and concentrates

tetrahydrocannabinol derivative for recreational pur-

available for those in the know. The district and its cit-

poses.”

izens are walking a fine line.

When the district appealed to Congress, Republican leaders shot it down, urging the mayor not to move

MAINE

forward and threatening prison for any officials flout-

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2016

ing the overturn of the law. Despite a groundswell of

RECREATIONAL SALES: Not yet, though it’s legal to

bipartisan support for cannabis legalization and regu-

grow it, gift it, and possess it.

lation among congressional lawmakers, no legislators

The thorniest state situation is Maine. Question 1, the

have yet stepped up to oppose the rider. Perhaps they

2016 citizens’ initiative, passed by a squeaky 2,560

are embarrassed that a federally illegal product is al-

votes out of 753,896 cast, with Gov. Paul LePage a vo-

lowed in the district where they work.

cal opponent against it before and after the election,

Though it’s illegal to sell cannabis in DC, you can “gift” it to someone. To get around the ban on sales, a

even demanding a recount before finally conceding defeat in December.

barely underground system has emerged with the tac-

LePage signed Question 1, but he didn’t give up. Af-

it support of the city, allowing people to purchase over-

ter an attempt to extend the moratorium on cannabis

priced trinkets and artwork and be “gifted” something

sales to 2019 failed, last October he vetoed a bill

a little extra, like a few grams of bud. And local officials

passed by both state houses to tax and regulate recre-

are looking the other way at cannabis-themed public

ational marijuana on the rationale that the bill is in

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conflict with federal law, that other states have had

scheduled to begin July 1, after Gov. Charlie Baker, a

serious negative effects from legalization, and the

Republican who opposes legalization, signed a com-

possibility that the federal government might come in

promise bill last year that will allow towns that op-

and end legalization.

posed the initiative to ban marijuana businesses until

Finally, in January of 2018, a comprehensive bill was

December. It also increased the state tax rate from 12

signed by LePage that allows for both retail sales and

to 17 percent, and lets participating municipalities tack

cannabis consumption clubs beginning in February of

on another three percent for themselves.

the same year. This would be one of the most aggressive timelines to institute such a broad program, and

NEVADA

as of press time, it’s still unclear how many dispensa-

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2016

ries will actually open.

RECREATIONAL SALES: Began July 1, 2017 No state seemed more eager to get marijuana le-

MASSACHUSETTS

galized than Nevada. Entrepreneurs, eager to grab a

VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2016

piece of the Las Vegas tourist market, flocked to the

RECREATIONAL SALES: Expected to begin July 2018

state to invest in the new industry. After state voters

Massachusetts has taken a more methodical ap-

approved legalization in 2016, legislators, regulators

proach than other states after adult-use was approved

and business owners worked together to create rules

by 54 percent of voters in 2016. Lawmakers fought

and regulations to get retail stores open, beating its

over how to implement the law as written before de-

original deadline by six months. One hindrance is that

laying implementation to give themselves more time

casinos are not allowed to have anything to do with

to come up with regulations. Recreational sales are

the industry and shops have to be at least 1,000 feet

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 31

from the Strip. That hasn’t stopped the green rush. Early indications were that the state would become the first to allow places for public consumption, but so far that hasn’t happened.

OREGON VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2014 RECREATIONAL SALES: Began October 2015 Oregon was the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis in 1973. It voted to legalize cannabis for adults in 2014, with sales beginning in October 2015. Between January and August of 2016, the state collected $108 million in state and local taxes. After paying off an almost $10 million debt for start-up costs to get rules and regs in place, it has now distributed 85 million dollars in cannabis taxes to police, public health, schools, and local governments. The tax money has become one of the bright spots in the state’s budget, which is currently running a deficit.

After the Trump administration threatened federal enforcement, Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill in October that limits government officials’ ability to obtain data identifying customers who purchase marijuana at state-licensed retail facilities and directs retailers to destroy all customer records from their databases. She has also joined other governors in opposing Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ negative claims about legalization in states where it is legal.

WASHINGTON VOTED TO LEGALIZE ADULT USE: November 2012 (one hour later than Colorado) RECREATIONAL SALES: Began July 2014 Though voters in both Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis in 2012, adult sales in Washington state got off to a rockier start. Legislators struggled with the implementation of regulations, and recreational shops didn’t open for two and a half years. Sales have risen steadily since then, from $31 million in the six months stores were open in 2014 to $1.24 billion in 2017, generating more than $682 million in sales and excise revenue.

The state’s Institute for Public Policy is required to produce a report each year on marijuana use. The latest indicates that adult use has not been associated with any increase in teen consumption or abuse rates.

The researchers found that marijuana use has fallen among young people and that the lower numbers have been most pronounced among prehigh-schoolers. This lines up with recent statistics from Colorado and federal surveys in states that have legalized. The investigators found no correlation between legal cannabis sales and overall adult use, no impact on hard drug use and no increase in property or violent crimes.

32 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

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ADVOCACY.

EDUCATION.

COMMUNITY. sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 33

{crossroads}

by RICARDO BACA

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN How cannabis has intensified my relationship with the outdoors.

With winter almost behind us, it’s time to start wean-

stress, improve focus, diminish depression, and restore

ing from the Netflix binges, cover those unfinished DIY

us physically and mentally. It’s also true that, submerged

home projects with a big sheet, and call the hot chocolate-

in the natural world, things are simplified but also am-

by-the-fire-fueled #relationshipgoals good and met.

plified — and because cannabis is an amplifier as well,

Throwing open the windows to let in the crisp spring air always gets me psyched to put the plans in motion for

the inherent beauty and giddy sense of discovery are magnified on a grand scale.

some warm-weather diversions paired with cannabis.

In addition, it’s still entirely possible to continue con-

While some people find that they’re most comfortable

trolling some aspects —you can bring along your favor-

consuming in a confined and tightly controlled space,

ite beverage in a bota bag, or settle into the tent with the

many of us prefer to explore our natural substances—be

rain fly open to the cooling night sky. It does make sense

it cannabis or psilocybin —while also exploring nature,

to consider the setting and adjust your consumption ac-

believing that the experience is very much enhanced by

cordingly. For instance, where others might overcon-

being immersed in an organic environment.

sume alcohol and get silly, if I’m camping and know that

Don’t get me wrong: Getting high indoors is great.

we’re sedentary for the night — our tent is set up and

You decide what the temperature will be, steep that

we’ve lost track of our car keys, so we’re not going any-

mug of hot tea whenever it’s convenient, wrap your-

where —I might have more cannabis than I normally do,

self in a snuggy blankie, and settle in knowing that all

maybe a solid indica-based edible in the hopes that I

is well in your little self-made world.

sleep better that night on the cold, hard ground.

But getting high in the outdoors can be truly life-­ changing. It’s not just that nature is good for us: Study

In fact, consuming cannabis al fresco has led me to some truly extraordinary adventures.

after scientific study has proven that spending time

Of course, I will always remember fondly my first time

surrounded by red rock, relaxing on a beach, walking

combining open air and edibles: Some friends and I were

through the woods, or paddling down a river can relieve

rafting the Lower Colorado River between Loma (Colo

34 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist and the founder and original editor-in-chief of The Cannabist.

His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership and messaging via thoughtful and personalized content campaigns.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 35

rado) and Westwater (Utah), and we had brought along some chocolate mint cookies to share at the campsite.

These were the early days, and so we were a little un-

I WA S WITH MY L ADY,

OUTSIDE IN THE FRESH, WARM A IR AND

certain about dosage. I wound up getting so high and

WATER, RELEASED FROM MY DAY-TO-DAY

so absorbed in the campfire-heightened ambiance and

OBLIGATIONS, AND THERE WAS NO PLACE

the often hilarious and sometimes deeply contempla-

IN THE WOR L D T HAT I W O UL D R AT HE R

tive conversation that I completely forgot the river was rushing along beside us — and when it hit me, it was a

HAVE BEEN AT THAT MOMENT.

joyous realization all over again.

In the months that followed that fun, I was able to

us rent bikes, and then took us all around the area, from

nail down my own tolerance and began to better ingest

busy streets lined with amazing public art to the rural

within my limits, which wound up being helpful during a

area where our friend was raised. That’s when we ped-

trip to Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Not far from Am-

aled onto this mind-blowing path, which at dusk was

sterdam — where space cake-selling coffeeshops are

just beginning to release the sunrays it had been ab-

in abundance — Eindhoven is home to the famous Van

sorbing all day. We already had been gently lifted earli-

Gogh-Roosegaarde bike path, which beckoned with its

er from pieces of space cake, and that helped to elevate

twinkly, solar-charged lights embedded in stone, meant

this to the otherworldly, with these multicolored lights

to evoke the artist’s trippy and surreal painting The

like stars springing up from the pebbles as we mean-

Starry Night.

dered along, past windmills from other Van Gogh paint-

My wife and I told our host we wanted to check it out, so he walked us over to the train station and helped

36 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

ings and through tree-lined open spaces.

Along a more reflective vein, many would argue that

isolated section of stream and waited for the trout to find my dry fly. I got a couple on but never landed anything, but it was still such a special and meaningful day: I was with my lady, outside in the fresh, warm air and water, released from my day-to-day obligations, and there was no place in the world that I would rather have been at that moment.

Of course, as when ingesting any psychoactive substance, safety is essential. In the Netherlands, I felt fishing is somewhat of a meditative sport, and cannabis

completely comfortable with my dosage, and having a

is a meditative medicine— and so when combining the

guide along was key. And while I don’t smoke flower,

two, it’s no surprise that it can be an enchanting experi-

most cannabis consumers do, and so always be hyper-

ence. Patience is obviously a top requirement (that’s why

aware of where that roach winds up and that fires are

they call it fishing and not catching), and it’s that requi-

completely out. Of course having a designated driver

site steadfastness and dedication that appeals to me

picked out before you imbibe is a must.

— which brings me to the time my wife and I had a day

Also, as legalization spreads across the country, it’s

off, and I heard Colorado’s Clear Creek calling our names.

worth noting that consumption of any and all kinds is

She graciously offered to be designated driver, and

still very much illegal on federal lands—which includes

so armed with a bottle of wine, a 10 mg edible and a

national parks, national forests and designated wilder-

couple of fly rods, we headed out. As I became pleas-

ness areas. But otherwise, enjoy that sun-grown un-

antly elevated, I waded out into the middle of this

derneath the sun.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 37

{tastebuds}

by JOHN LEHNDORFF

JOHN LEHNDORFF is the former dining critic of the Rocky Mountain News. He writes the Nibbles column about Boulder food for the Boulder Weekly.

38 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

STATE OF THE PLATE ’18 Front Range food writers dish on the metro’s hottest eateries, bars and dishes These days so many issues and problems seem to divide us, but by late afternoon one question plagues one and all equally: What’s for dinner?

For a lot of us, that really means: Where do you want to eat?

‘What’s your identity beyond cooking with wood?’

After writing about restaurants for a decade, Zagat Denver food editor Ruth Tobias says this year’s coming attractions are remarkable. “It’s the year where

Being a career food writer and a part-time Lyft

we’re filing in lot of gaps in Denver dining,” she says.

driver, I get asked for restaurant advice daily by lo-

Tobias and many of the other local food writers are

cals and visitors alike. So much depends on cuisine,

anticipating the opening of the Zeppelin Station food

cost, decor, and tastebuds that I end up asking my

hall in the RiNo district. “I’m super excited,” Tobias

riders a lot of questions. I’m a bit like a mobile dining

says. “It will have an Indian street food place from

therapist.

Spuntino’s Cindhura Reddy. Also, montreal smoked

Navigating the culinary landscape in the Den-

meat, vietnamese coffee, and korean fried chicken.”

ver-Boulder area circa spring 2018 is an appetizing

Tobias also expects 2018 to be a big year for new

prospect, but with dozens of new restaurants and

places to imbibe. “Death & Co., the famous New York

food halls open or about to launch, it’s difficult to keep

craft cocktail bar, will open its second location in a new

track of them all. When I need help I crowdsource

hotel in RiNo,” she says, also pointing out unusual

from my compatriots: they are the small collective of

newcomer Liberati Denver, an Italian grape ale brew-

professional food journalists and critics in Boulder

ery serving regional dishes in the Curtis neighborhood.

and Denver who are paid to eat.

Outside of Denver, Tobias predicts Acreage will

I checked in for a little gastronomic therapy this

likely be a major attraction in Lafayette when the 200-

spring, and they shared their latest eatery discover-

seat eatery opens in the new Stem Ciders brewery. “It

ies and detailed the A-ha dishes that made them

will have a tasting room and orchard with a menu

smile, from sinaloa sushi to szechuan fried chicken.

from River & Woods chef Daniel Asher,” she says. sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 39

Among the many recently opened places she points

“The top recently opened places are Tavernetta (from

out Rebel Restaurant in Denver. “Rebel is finally get-

the Frasca team), Señor Bear from Max McKissock, and

ting credit for its weird, crazy, exciting food. Things like

Lon Symensma’s Concourse,” Antonation says.

tripe poutine with foie gras sauce and beef tongue rarebit,” Tobias says.

The best things Tobias has sampled recently include vegan jackfruit chorizo at Centro Mexican Kitchen, the “fantastic” dumplings at Fortune Wok to Table, and the “sub-genre” of sinaloa sushi at El Coco Pirata.

He echoes the other food writers who are eagerly anticipating the opening of Super Mega Bien in RiNo, a pan-Latin eatery from Dana Rodriguez of the acclaimed Work & Class.

When not seeking finer dining, Antonation is barbecue hunter who expresses favor for the meaty flavors

Tobias tells people more kinds of African food are

at these spots: Wayne’s Smoke Shack in Superior,

served here than in Boston, but her local culinary wish

Roaming Buffalo BBQ on Downing, Westminster’s

list is for more modern Middle Eastern fare from Israel

GQue, and the TRU Colotexmex Bar-B-Que truck in Lit-

and many other countries.

tleton.

One of his old-school discoveries is Belfiore Genu-

“You have to eat around tons of dried red peppers flakes” Mark Antonation moved to Colorado when he was 16, has never eaten at Casa Bonita, and is the food and drink editor for Westword. He doesn’t hesitate to name the hottest new restaurants in Denver right now.

40 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

ine Italian Sausage in Wheat Ridge. “They make fresh sausage, and I had their sausage sandwich recently. It’s an entire loaf of ciabatta, three fennel sausages, red sauce, and pecorino—enough for two people.”

He also happily recommends Szechuan Tasty House for its fried chicken, offering this insider tip: “You have

to eat around the dried red peppers and the szechuan

per Mega Bien and the new Bang Up to the Elephant!,

peppercorns that kind of numb your mouth.”

which serves ‘calypso’ cuisine, as examples.

Antonation predicts that cannabis and dining will

While generally opposed to dining “interlopers” from

come together soon. “It will be nice to see when public

out of town, she does make exceptions. Such as for the

consumption becomes legal in some cafés and areas. It

chinese dumplings at Zhū, an established LA restaurant

seems like in a free society we should be able to do it.”

opening in Aurora.

Mickelson’s current list of dishes she would eat

“I love the malted barley Pavlova”

again “right now” starts with the Bangs Island mussels

In her first year as food editor at 5280 magazine in

at LoHi’s Señor Bear and the malted barley pavlova at

Denver, Denise Mickelsen dove fork-first into the ex-

Emmerson in Boulder. When it comes to canna-

isting wealth of eateries and now is ready for 2018’s

bis-paired diners, Mickelsen has a proviso. “There has

crop. High on her anticipation list is Rye Society, a Den-

to be an educational aspect. Why do you match this

ver-style Jewish deli in RiNo. “I’m happy there is a deli

strain with this dish—flavors, aromas, and physical

resurgence in the city started by Rosenberg’s Bagels,”

sensations? The purpose has to be beyond getting to-

she says.

tally blotto.”

Her list also includes a RiNo hotspot based in two small homes. “Call, an all-day café, is open in one of them,” she says. Beckon, a high-end chef’s counter with only 17 seats, will be in the other.

“The pan-Latin trend is hot,” she shares, citing Su-

“Like beef with broccoli … without the beef” Not all of the most anticipated openings this year are dining establishments according to Laura Shunk, a

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 41

Westword contributor who has written about Denver’s food scene for seven years.

“One of the places I’m looking forward to the most is a bar called American Bonded in RiNo,” she says. “It’s from Sean Kenyon, the most nationally recognized bartender in the city. The proposition is it will be a neighborhood bar somewhere between a dive bar and a cocktail lounge.”

But on the restaurant front, she notes the buzz around Boulder’s forthcoming Corrida, a Spanish steakhouse by the co-owner of Acorn, Oak at 14th, and Brider., In Denver, the new spot taking over the longtime home of the landmark Wazee Supper Club is piquing a lot of interest. Opening this spring, Morin will serve modern French fare by chef Max McKissock. “I’ve loved what he has done with Bar Dough and Señor Bear and this is a real passion project,” Shunk says.

One of her favorite local menu items right now is a broccoli

preparation at Señor Bear. “It’s in a super-savory Latin-Chinese sauce—like beef with broccoli without the beef—with a pile of crisp french fries and aioli on top,” Shunk says.

“I could care less about Shake Shack” Rebecca Treon contributes freelance food features to the Denver Post and knows what Denver doesn’t need.

“I see a lot of hot bistros opening that aren’t a great value for most people. I’d like to see more, small neighborhood places that have good quality and are affordable,” Treon says. She is eager to visit Cultura, a new Mexican eatery at Sloan’s Lake from the owners of El Chingon.

In the hole-in-the-wall category, Treon recommends Garibaldo. “Garibaldo is a Mexican taqueria inside a Conoco gas sta42 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

tion on South Broadway,” Treon says. Diners have views into the car wash next door.

Noting that Denver has many top burger joints, she is less than interested in newcomers like In-N-Out and Shake Shack. “I really could care less about Shake Shack coming,” Treon says.

She also wondered whether more food halls will make it harder for “real” sit down restaurants to survive. “My favorite food hall is Denver Central Market. It’s not too big and you can get everything you need in one trip. There’s a nice fish market and I like Il Posto’s pizzeria there,” Treon says.

“A little more sophisticated and cosmopolitan”

Clay Fong, the dining critic of the Boulder Daily Camera, has a lot of meals under the belt after writing about restaurants in the Boulder area for a decade. The city is seeing a small boom in French cuisine.

cannabis DINING AND

ANTONATION PREDICTS THAT

WILL COME TOGETHER SOON. “IT WILL BE NICE TO

SEE WHEN PUBLIC CONSUMPTION BECOMES LEGAL

quiet professionalism unmatched service exceptional results

IN SOME CAFES AND AREAS. IT SEEMS LIKE IN A FREE SOCIETY WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT,” HE SAYS.

“Le French Café was recently opened by a French couple in Boulder and they serve wonderful crepes. I like the Brittany-style savory buckwheat crepe with smoked salmon,” he says. He also noted Boulder’s Le Frigo, a French-style take-out deli, and the French Twist Food Truck that dishes authentic duck confit.

One of the new spots making the biggest splash in Boulder is Emmerson. “They have food that’s a little more sophisticated and cosmopolitan.

I love the sweet potato gnocchi with uni. They also make great yeasted

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waffles in the morning,” Fong says.

He also praises the first class vietnamese soup at Boulder Pho and the New England-y cider doughnuts at Berthoud’s Rise Artisan Bread.

Fong’s dining wish list starts with one persistent craving. “I’d like to see less common Thai dishes on local menus, something beyond the usual pad thai,” he says.

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sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 45

{aroundtown}

by JAKE BROWNE

!

A H HA!

WHAT ABOUT MEOW?

HA!

In the first of a three part series focused on independent art scenes here in Denver, we give you a behind the scenes at the comedians who are working on the fringe to make the city laugh.

The Little

When music giant Live Nation acquired both the Mar-

RoomRoom That Could

quis Theater and Summit Music Hall in January, it felt as if The Loraxes were decisively losing the indie battle

“It was just a stack of booths and tables and chairs

in Denver. DIY spaces Rhinoceropolis and Glob were both

and an old bar thing, and they just threw a microphone

still shuttered for code violations in the wake of the Ghost

in there.”

Ship fire in Oakland that claimed 36 lives. Meanwhile,

Timmi Lasley’s memories of Comedy RoomRoom’s

the Denver airport spent $11.5 million on malfunction-

early days often return to the clutter that’s now absent

ing LED poles that drew the ire of many who thought it

from an ever-evolving, ever-more-polished venue. That

was a waste of money or flat out ugly.

makes sense when you consider the now creative di-

It’s easy to see why many in Denver heralded the

rector—a title she insists is hardly official—had to

paint-splattered rags-to-riches story of Meow Wolf,

carve her way into it, starting as the unpaid host of a

one of the most successful interactive art collectives in

weekly open mic. In fact, the RoomRoom didn’t exist in

the country, announcing it would be opening shop here

name; El Charrito’s owner Matt Orrin, was using the

as a boon for the independent art scene. It was a rare

space connected to his bar for storage.

case where both developers and creators lauded the

“I kept harping on Matt that if he really wants this to

news—the former knowing the tourist revenue they’ll

be a space for comedy, he needed to start clearing out

draw with the latter hoping for more creative opportu-

some of the noise,” she recalls. As layers of old furni-

nities after watching corporate entertainment entities

ture left, it became clear there was a slightly larger

swallow up outlets around them left and right.

space adjacent that could hold the bigger crowds that

In the first of a three-part series focused on inde-

were showing up on Thursdays to either crack jokes or

pendent art scenes here in Denver, we give you a be-

watch young comics bomb. Consistency is key with alt

hind-the-scenes introduction to the comedians who

spaces, and Lasley built up the trust of the community

are working on the fringe to make the city laugh.

as a steady force at the helm, growing far beyond the

46 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

HA!

HA!

HA!

HA!

dozen or so regulars she had when taking over the gig.

cused on curating content for the space to give audi-

Still, there were growing pains. The pressure is al-

ences something to see most nights of the week. A

ways on to keep pushing, and early experiments with larg-

few months earlier, Tompkins and his writing partner

er “showcase” shows were initially rough as the space

Zach Reinert pitched her on a show where comedians

was still coming into its own. “We didn’t have much of a

would roast each other as different characters from

following, and we hadn’t made a name for ourselves yet,

pop culture.

“For people to put the time into costumes, affectations, props sometimes, it’s a lot more work than showing up and doing the act you’ve been working on for five, six, seven years,” says Lasley. Comics were up to the challenge and “Nerd Roast” was born and remains one of the most popular shows on its lineup to this day. In fact, Comedy RoomRoom plays host to a variety of nontraditional stand-up shows: from the shameful storytelling show We Still Like You to the subversive puppet show No Gods No Masters.

There’s a constant process of adding shows and balancing bookings, and Lasley notes, “It’s a community-driven thing with young comics pitching shows.”

With the recent addition of Wednesdays to the comedy lineup, Lasley has ambitious goals for 2018. “If I really work it, I think we can hit 180 shows this year.”

Still, with the specter of three massive comedy clubs that book national acts looming over her and more alt-comedy spaces popping up every week, Lasley remains humble. “I still, in a lot of ways, don’t know that we have made it yet. If I’m honest, I think there’s so much further that we can go.”

so getting butts in seats was a big challenge,” Lasley admits. “It just wasn’t ready yet, and you have to admit it when it’s not and go back to the drawing board.”

Mutiny Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Cabaret tables were pulled to bring the audience

If 25 years in the music business taught Jim Norris

closer together. A fresh paint job fixed the beige walls.

anything, it’s that he likes an underdog. “I’d always rather

Theater lighting was made less dramatic. The stage

work with the guy living out of his van than living in a

was relocated away from the distracting kitchen doors.

bus, you know? I’d rather get the best out of somebody

It wasn’t until one-liner comic James Draper’s ironic

when they’re starting out than the worst of somebody

“Story Time” moved to Friday night’s in October 2015

later when I have to start picking out the green M&M’s.”

that it finally worked, nearly three years after Lasley

You can tell the co-owner of Mutiny Information

began transforming the former diner into a full-fledged

Cafe on South Broadway has seen it all; Norris looks

home for comedy.

like the grizzled punk uncle you drink a PBR with while

Leaving the open mic in the hands of local comic

the rest of the family watches the Macy’s Thanksgiv-

Preston Tompkins in May ’16, Lasley was already fo-

ing Day Parade in the living room. After dealing with

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 47

bands for years, you can tell that he savors providing a space for young comedians to hone their craft. “It’s been great for me. As a promoter, comedians make far more sense, right?” he says. “Put five comedians on a bill and they’re all fucking stoked that you pay ‘em ten bucks and give ‘em two beers.”

He wasn’t sure about comedy until local jokesters Nathan Lund and Sam Tallent approached him about hosting their weekly showcase called The Fine Gentleman’s Club when he was booking the Rockaway Tavern. “I could count on those guys to show up and I’d let ‘em smoke pot on the back patio and those things, and it was a real cool, loose atmosphere,” says Norris. “That was a real DIY space, really hand-to-mouth.”

While Norris continued to bring in comedians while in charge at the

HA!

!

A H HA!

HA!

HA!

Rockaway and Three King Tavern, it’s taken on a life of its own at Mutiny.

Now hosting multiple monthly shows, highlights include J.D. Lopez’s Video Killed The Comedy Star, where music videos get a TRL-esque treatment from a rotating lineup, the guys from Videogames hosting live e-sports

tournaments rife with smack talk and quipping, and Talkin’ Shop where North Carolina transplant Anthony Crawford interviews creators on how the sausage gets made.

Not to be missed, however, is Comedy Super Jam, hosted by next-generation crushers Georgia Rae and Miriam Moreno on the last Friday of

the month. Entering its second year, they quickly owned the space and 48 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

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never fail to score solid headliners along with some of the top young talent you’ll be hearing from in the future.

It doesn’t hurt that almost every show is free to attend. Outside of when the space is hosting shows for the High Plains Comedy Festival, you’ll rarely see a cover attached and never a two-drink minimum. “I think why we do well with the music and the comedy here is those aren’t my revenue stream,” Norris says. “I’m not just a comedy club. I sell books and records and comic books and coffee and (people play) pinball. I have stuff going here 14 or 15 hours a day.” If someone is walking by and sees his giant neon signs that say “BOOKS” then he figured he’s attracting the right crowd, noting that most of what he sells is retro.

You get a sense that Norris appreciates an old-school approach to most things when he talks about how shows find a home there. “I don’t like to book online or over the phone,” he says. “You have to have your shit together enough to be confident in what you do and come and show it to somebody and ask them to their face if they’ll support you. It takes a lot of guts to do that.”

Hearing the old rock and roll soul talk about what he gets out of the venue makes it clear he’s aware he’s closer to the end of his career in entertainment than the start. “I want someone to invite me backstage at the Pepsi Center because I booked your first gig when no one had heard of you, when I sat here and laughed at your same jokes for a year because I’m here all the time.”

When you listen to the reverence he has for the talents cracking jokes there, though, it becomes clear that some of his best times are sitting around and shooting the breeze with the often liberal, quick-witted kids that pass through the space. “It’s about comedy and not money. I’d rather have a good life than the money that goes with it.”

Goin’ to Town “It was our second show and a guy showed up covered in blood, and no one knew why or how he got there,” recalls Meghan DePonceau, cohost of Shanty Town. “I asked him what I could get for him and he said he had lost his dog. Only, he couldn’t remember the name of his dog.”

These things are bound to happen when you throw a comedy show in your backyard.

After a trip to Chicago and seeing the show Shithole (pre-Trump meme, by the way) along with the improvised mics/house parties Ft. Collins comics had been throwing when shows fell through, DePonceau was set on throwing down in the great (urban) outdoors. It didn’t hurt that her new backyard had been the set for a taping of Viceland’s Flophouse episode in Denver.

“We decided we always wanted to do comedy and music together because we thought it was really important to have two scenes that would 50 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 51

support each other,” she says. Of course, even in the often raucous Capitol Hill, being able to pull off a band in a dense residential area takes some skill. “The biggest thing early on was noise complaints and finding bands that could play after a certain time knowing the neighborhood. And, ‘Drums or no drums?’”

That made singer-songwriter Emily Frembgen a no-brainer for their first show, along with a band she had worked with at a past bartending gig. She and co-host Jeremy Pysher were ready to go before the plans changed that afternoon. “The day of, Ben Kronberg showed up and they grilled from 2 o’clock on and it turned into an all day party,” she remembers. “All of a sudden we had a national headliner on our first show.”

From that warm May evening, the show continued to evolve over the summer, embracing a somewhat “white trash” vibe that DePonceau admits serves a bit of a function, too. “When things wouldn’t run perfectly or we’d have to use duct tape or slap things together, it was part of the charm and the feel. Or that’s what I’d tell myself.” It also gave her a chance to flex some of her mixology muscles, passing off batched craft cocktails as hooch to unsuspecting backyard revelers.”My favorite one was this basil, strawberry, white vinegar punch, and it was awesome.”

Put enough liquor in a yard party with a PA and there’s bound to be trouble, though. When things ran later -- and louder -- than expected, DePonceau says she was basically gambling by letting a show finish for 20 minutes so people “didn’t think we were total narcs.” The show takes pride in working with landlords and neighbors to make sure they understand what’s going on, though. “We have gotten one noise complaint,” she says. “I’m from Buffalo. I thought it was going to be a $75 ticket. I looked it up and it could be up to $1000,” she says with a nervous laugh.

If DePonceau is the one keeping the trains on time, her partner Pysher is the one keeping the train conductor from veering off the rails at times, “It was nice because I do love the idea of having a partner and being able to depend on them. I’m all logistics, planning, and the day of I have little meltdowns,” DePonceau admits. “And he has my back, hundred percent” Now, as she gears up for 2018, they’re looking at new spaces—really, whatever people suggest. She and Pysher keep an open mind and want to fit their show to the space it inhabits, as well as the vibe of who’s hosting. “I want to have a seamless transition from outdoor shows to indoor shows next fall to be able to keep it going all year long.” It’s a sentiment that would make Andrew W.K. proud.

52 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

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{travelwell}

by PATRICIA CAMERON

54 54 Denver //Boulder MA MAR RCH CH 2018 2018

CAN YOU STAND THE SNOW? Colorado is one of the nation’s fastest growing states ...

Sunny days, everybody loves them. Tell me, baby, can you

ately felt the weight of the bladder inside my pack. My

stand the rain? Once the sky begins to turn purple, I can

double-take at the “Cat and Bear Country” warning sign

feel the urgent finality of my decision. If I wanted to turn

threw me off balance because of the sloshing water on

around, if I wanted to go back, now would be that time.

my back. The wind continuously shifted the snow and

Especially when deciding if I’m going to tough out a night

landscape in front of me, obscuring the trail. Behind me,

in near-zero temperatures during a blizzard in the middle

my car was already collecting a thin dusting of powder.

of March.

As I hiked in, I encountered a steep hill and it remind-

Earlier, in a different light, in the dark before dawn, I

ed me of sledding, snowshoeing, and even skiing. All of

padded gently around my small apartment in Manitou

which are absolutely perfect activities for this expedi-

Springs to avoid waking my son while I gathered the rest

tion, but I was regrettably unprepared for this day.

of the items for my expedition. Playing through my ear-

And all around me was the solitude I craved. The only

buds is New Edition’s “Can You Stand the Rain," the score

voice I could hear would be mine. So, naturally, I start-

behind my checklist. Do I take my water filter even though

ed talking. I talked myself through my tasks, otherwise

I expected freezing temperatures? Or do I pack three liters

this would get boring really quickly.

of water regardless of the added weight? Every ounce

For example, when I found a spot to make camp:

counts, but this was my first solo expedition—and in a

“Don’t forget to stomp out a flat area before you lay

snowstorm, nonetheless. I opted for safety and comfort

your tarp down.” While preparing your campsite in the

over the weight concerns of my pack, then continued to

snow, you don’t want to lay your tent on fresh flakes

lay out supplies on the couch. Isobutane and propane can-

without giving yourself some solid ground. Simply

isters, my Black Diamond headlamp, et cetera, et cetera.

stomp your boots to create a nice, sturdy square on

Camping in the snow is hardcore even for die-hard

which to set up your tent.

outdoor enthusiasts. Weaving through Ute Pass, head-

Or when it was time for lunch: “Yum, dehydrated

ing up 24 toward my destination of Lake George, I re-

chicken alfredo sounds amazing!” In the interest of

called what originally inspired me to seek this solitude

saving time and energy, I packed dehydrated meals for

in seemingly unbearable conditions. For one, being a

this trip. It’s as simple as boiling water and pouring it

single mother of an 11-year-old son leaves much to be

into the bag. However, dehydrated chicken alfredo is

desired in terms of privacy and quiet time. But, in reality,

neither yummy nor amazing, for the record.

camping brings me something adults search for long af-

Or when I thought that rustling outside of my tent

ter childhood. It brings me the chance to create my own

was a bear: “Only, like, nineteen people have died from

world with plenty of distance away from the dragging

a bear attack in the last hundred years. They are more

banality of adulthood.

afraid of us than we are of them.” I was wrong. The number is actually 25 fatal black bear attacks in North

Bear Country

America over the last twenty years. That’s including

After a while I realized I was the only car on the road,

Canada. Spring camping, unlike winter camping, runs a

and when I pulled into my parking space, I was the only

slightly greater risk of encountering a hungry bear. To

car at the trailhead. I shouldered my bag and immedi-

be fair, the risk in Colorado is still awfully small. sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 55

Fire and Ice

by prairie beaches and piney bluffs. It’s popular for both

In hindsight, I made a few missteps. My feet weren’t

conventional fishing and ice fishing, but the catches can

warm enough, my hands lost heat due to the silly knit

be temperamental, either feast or famine. You won’t

gloves and liners I brought, and I was constantly bat-

get many bites along the shore; you’ll have better luck

tling frigid digits. Some advice I’ll pass along to you:

out in the water.

“Stay warm, never rewarm.” I can’t express just how

I didn’t have to go far, either. Lake George is a little

difficult it was restoring my fingers to a functioning

under an hour west of Colorado Springs, and this site

temperature. On top of that, the time it took to re-

was only a mile into the backcountry. Backcountry sites

warm wasted much of my energy and most of what

cannot be reserved until May, so for spring camping, it’s

little daylight remained.

first come, first served. Or, in my case, only served.

But I don’t want to discourage you, and I hope this warning only serves to motivate. Because even with the splintering cold and wondering if the swishing sound was my tent blowing in the breeze or a hangry ursine—I had the best view in Colorado that weekend. All to myself.

Everything Under the Sun Storms will come, this we know for sure. Tell me, baby, can you stand the rain?

When I stepped out of my tent for dinner and en-

My sole neighbor that evening was the reservoir, lap-

countered the purple horizon, I had to make a choice.

ping aggressively at its banks, sculpting an icy shoreline

If I was going to abandon this trip, I would have to do

at the edges where the water licked the snow. Eleven

it now. Hiking out of the woods at nighttime during a

Mile State Park near Lake George defines the sublime

blizzard could prove fatal. Or I could bring it in, pack it

experience of southern Colorado. Even during droughts,

down, and wait out the night—and the storm.

the place is an oasis of sparkling snowmelt surrounded

56 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

This moment is the crux. As a child, Apollo 13 was

my favorite movie, and in middle school I read the book

Even with a headlamp, your activities are bound to

it was based on. When Apollo 13 slingshot around the

how long the sun sits above you and the mountains.

moon, there was a period where the ship went dark,

Soon enough, that dusk became night, and I snuggled

and the crew could no longer communicate with mis-

comfortably into my toasty Marmot sleeping bag. The

sion control in Houston. As night got closer, the deci-

last sound I heard was the wind rearranging the snow

sion to stay or go reminded me of disappearing behind

over the ground outside. I audibly wished myself, and

the moon, being completely alone and without the

whatever might be listening, “Goodnight,” and drifted

ability to reach out to the real world.

off to the dark side of the moon.

I packed up everything that gave off a scent and

The next morning, as I packed up to leave, I saw

moved them into a bear canister. I ensured my Nalgene

that I had visitors throughout the night. It looked as if

bottle filled with water was within arm’s reach, but

at least one small animal came close enough to leave

kept it separated from my “bathroom” Nalgene. No one

its own frozen paw prints alongside mine. Despite the

wants to leave their tent during a snowstorm to relieve

flurry, I wasn’t completely alone after all.

themselves—or accidentally drink it while reaching

There’s a lot to be said of the outdoors scene in Col-

clumsily for water in the dark. Then I shoved one of my

orado. Many of my friends have a Summit pass, but I

fuel canisters into the bottom of my sleeping bag, for a

spend most of the snowy season by myself. This is how

quick start in the morning. A couple of pulls on my guy-

I discovered solo packing, and how I extended it into the

lines and I was fully committed for the night, the point

colder seasons. There’s more than enough time through-

of no return. Now it was just me in the gloom, the wind,

out the year to find spaces in national forests and parks

my headlamp, and a paperback copy of Game of Thrones.

to meet your neighbors, make new friends, and exchange

Our ancestors knew the importance of daylight.

tips on what the trout are biting on that day.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 57

{highprofile}

PHOTOGRAPHY © DANIELLE WEBSTER

by LELAND RUCKER

58 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

TICK TOCK WOMAN Lannie Garrett reflects on more than 40 years on Denver stages.

If you’ve lived in Denver for any period of time,

finally enjoying slowing down after spending most of

you’ve probably heard of Lannie Garrett. If you haven’t

her life onstage. “We’re going out to eat on a Saturday

seen her and her band playing hits by Frank Sinatra or

night,” she says with a quick smile. “Do you know how

the Beatles or Count Basie, you might have caught dit-

many times I’ve gone out on a Saturday night?”

sy country singer Patsy DeCline or Gloria the Half Gain-

Born and raised outside Chicago, Garrett quit high

er with the Funk You disco band or bought one of her

school and became a struggling waitress. After her

albums. Or perhaps attended a show at the old Ruby’s

boyfriend was laid off his job, she and he climbed into

Nightclub or Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret in the ele-

an Econoline van and headed west. Stopping to visit

gant downstairs of the Daniels Tower along the 16th

friends in Englewood, Colorado, she decided to sky-

Street Mall.

dive, which she had never thought of before. “I jumped

In 2016 Garrett was inducted into the Colorado Mu-

out of a plane, and it became a metaphor for changing

sic Hall of Fame and is still active despite being semire-

my life at that time,” she says. She picked up her car,

tired. “Lannie has brought happiness to me and the

found an apartment here, and became...a waitress.

Colorado music community for four decades,” says G.

But not for long. Inspired as a child by Judy Garland,

Brown, former Denver Post music critic and founder of

Barbra Streisand, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong and

the Hall of Fame. “I met her in the 1980s, when she

Mick Jagger, Garrett knew she wanted to be an enter-

dominated the ‘Favorite Female Vocalist’ category in

tainer. She couldn’t read music or harmonize, but she

the Denver Post Music Poll and watched her realize her

began following popular Denver singer Ron Henry

dreams with shows at Ruby, the Denver Buffalo Com-

around town. “One day I got my nerve, walked up to

pany and her own Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret. I love

him, told him I was a singer from Chicago, and said, ‘If

her madly, and my wife knows all about it.”

you ever need a singer, please let me know.’”

We caught up with Garrett at the LoHi neighborhood

Henry needed someone to join Carolyn Noble and

home she shares with husband Dan Brogan, publisher

Cheryl Barnes, two other well-known Denver singers,

of 5280 magazine, to look back at her career. She’s still

and he hired Garrett. “I was 22, had hair down to my

doing selected private parties, corporate and charity

waist, and I’d never been onstage before,” she says,

events and some Patsy DeCline dates, but she admits to

“but he stuck me in the middle.” At her first gig, the sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 59

band opened for the Four Tops and soon became the house band at the Warehouse restaurant in Glendale, doing shows with Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway, Tina Turner, Richie Havens and Mel Torme. “I got to be onstage to watch these incredible singers up close, and it was like going to school.”

She played in a Canadian all-girl group in the Yukon for awhile and moved to Los Angeles briefly to try her talent at acting. She appeared in what she calls a couple of bad movies. “I was introduced to some famous director who said, ‘You’re too homely to do drama and too pretty to do comedy. You need to get your nose fixed, and you need to get a boob job.’

“PATSY DECLINE WAS

BORN ONSTAGE,

we never wrote it or anything. It just unfold-

ed,” she says. “It’s the most successful thing I’ve ever done. Patsy has made more money than Lannie ever did.”

And at the time, if I had an extra $30,000, I probably would have. But I was too insecure. I came back and started singing again.”

In 1977 she returned for good and joined Forecast, which soon became Forecast with Lannie Garrett, then Lannie Garrett and Forecast, and finally the Lannie Garrett Band. “Slowly, I began to put out my vision of what I wanted to sing and what I wanted to do.” Through the 1970s and early 80s, business was good, and the Lannie Garrett Band worked constantly, at Emerson Street East, Molly’s Upstairs, the Waterworks, the Jazz Cellar, and the Blue Note in Boulder.

Her next breakthrough came when she began adding comedy, goaded by patrons at the then-popular gay bar the Broadway. “I would say that changed my life. I was really still shy, but they really brought me out,” she says. “I was fortunate to have that door open. I still don’t know how to read music, and I don’t know how to harmonize.”

In the late 1980s, after the oil-shale bust, the Denver club scene dried up, and Garrett was forced to knock on doors begging for jobs and driving to other cities like Santa Fe to perform. She created a space in the Westin hotel in Westminster for the Patsy Show, but times were tough.

In 1990, she came upon a solution to schlepping around for places to play and decided to run her own nightclub. She got the chance after stop60 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 61

ping in Ruby, an intimate room attached to the east end of Cliff Young’s famous restaurant at Washington and 17th Street. “I was with (original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer) Cubby O’Brien, who I met at an after party at Strings. We went across the street, and it was gorgeous. I was searching for a stage. Unless you have a stage, you can’t work.”

So she took over Ruby, a tiny space with only 110 seats, and began booking herself and a wide variety of unique acts, from nonmainstream performers like Tiny Tim, the Del Rubio Triplets and Eartha Kitt to folkies Dan Hicks, John Stewart, John Hammond Jr., and Kenny Rankin.

Ruby is also where Patsy DeCline, the country singer with numerous husbands and a lot of crazy stories, came to life. Garrett asked the members of the Randy Handley Band if they would back her for a couple of PHOTOGRAPHY © DANIELLE WEBSTER

nights singing country music during the Denver National Western Stock Show. They learned some classic country tunes, she bought a wig and costume and started adding outrageous comedy in between songs. ”She was born onstage, we never wrote it or anything.

It just unfolded,” she says. “It’s the most successful thing I’ve ever done. Patsy has made more money than Lannie ever did.”

She spent 10 years at the Denver Buffalo Company

ie songs, and the gypsy swing review Under Paris Skies.

before moving to Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret in 2002.

She also booked the Mills Brothers, Melissa Manches-

Besides booking burlesque, belly dancers and aerial

ter, Rhonda Ross, and political comedian Will Durst.

artists performed in a warmly decorated space with

She also booked the sad-sack singing clown, Pud-

chandeliers and tapestries with 135 seats. She found

dles Pity Party. “He left a joint in our back apartment

that her skills extended to writing and packaging

that was the best pot I ever had. I called it Puddles

shows and becoming involved in all aspects of the per-

Pot.” She calls herself a mild cannabis user and hasn’t

formance. “I jumped into that space because that way

gotten elevated in a year. “I get energized and want to

I could do shows and the lights the way I wanted. That

do something,” she says about cannabis, “And normal-

was really important to me, and that’s always been my

ly I don’t. I’m looking for the right strain to do that.”

forte—what set me apart was that it was a more theatrical show than just a singer in a band.”

She considers herself extremely fortunate to be able to make a living doing what she wanted most of her life.

Before selling the Cabaret in 2016, she wrote and

She recently celebrated birthdays in Los Angeles with

performed with many different shows: the Any Swing

an aunt who just turned 105 and who’s still active in

Goes and Slick Chick on the Mellow Side big bands, A

politics and womens’ issues. “She’s a role model,” Gar-

Chick Sings Frank, Betty, Basie and Beyond and Beatles

rett says. “Otherwise, I’m going for walks a lot, reading

to Bacharach tributes, a Screen Gems homage to mov-

books, traveling a bit more. I’m really happy.”

62 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 63

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by RANDY ROBINSON photography by DANIELLE WEBSTER

ko t o m i yosh ida,

As DENVER FASHION WEEK approaches, one of the show’s MOST ECCENTRIC—and shocking—designers sat down with Sensi to discuss design trends, POLITICS, gender… and anime.

IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH DENVER’S CATWALK

fashion scene , YOU’VE LIKELY

S E E N H E R F L I T T ING A R OU N D T HE S TAG E W H I L E W E A R I N G O N E O F H E R T R A D E M A R K S U R G I C A L M A S K S. K O T O M I Y O S H I D A , A J A P A N E S E N A T I V E A N D D E S I G N E R W H O ’S L I V E D I N A M E R IC A H E R E N T I R E A D U L T L I F E , N O T E S T HE M A S K S E R V E S S E V E R A L P U R P O S E S. “I like that little mystery,” she says over a cup of chai

lame, antisocial nerd-geek person back in Japan. I didn’t

and a danish pastry. “I have had someone ask me if it

want to be anything,” she says with a small chuckle. “I

was political, but it’s not political. It’s used for pollen

grew up in the middle of nowhere, so I never thought

and allergies, but now I think it’s a fashion statement.

about fashion back then.”

The doubt in people makes them think, ‘What is going on?’ and I like that part.”

When she came of age, she left Japan to embark on a tour of the US. Life in rural Japan stressed conformity

Japanese mask culture hasn’t quite caught on in

over personal exploration, but America granted her ev-

the US outside of cosplay and otaku circles, the Jap-

ery possibility for exploring her newfound identity—

anese term for young people obsessed with anime and

neither Japanese nor American, but somewhere be-

manga comics. But Yoshida, a product of American

tween the two. “Until I came to the states, life was more

and Japanese sensibilities, has always blended East-

about how to hold in my feelings,” she recalls. “How to

ern taste with Western flavors. Although she’s known

not describe who I am. Not saying what I want. It was

for infusing Denver’s high-brow fashion community

really hard to express myself, but art taught me how to

with ample doses of classed-up gothic-punk, she’s also

describe my feelings and my history.”

veered far off into the realms of the weird, preferring to jolt her audience’s expectations rather than play into them.

Until she discovered art, she says, “I didn’t really know who I was.”

It may come as a surprise that Yoshida has no for-

Born in Saitama, Yoshida describes her hometown

mal training in fashion design—although, to the ex-

as a “countryside” and her parents as “farmers.” Her fa-

perienced eye, her wild visions may tip-off her autodi-

ther, a strict traditionalist, initially steered her away

dact approach. Her start in fashion began in Tennessee,

from the arts. She doodled as a kid, but her dad stressed

not from her arts degree, but after she grew frustrated

that she focus on kanji calligraphy instead. “I was a very

at the notoriously inconsistent sizing of women’s ap-

6868Denver Denver //Boulder //BoulderMAMA R CH R CH 2018 2018

“Art taught me how to describe my feelings and my history.”

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 69

parel in America.

“There are lots of different-shaped people here,” she says. “Not like Japan, where there is only a one-shape person. Sizes there are really just a little smaller or a little bigger. Bone structures are completely different in America.”

Unable to find “anything cute to wear,” she started handcrafting her own outfits from hand-me-downs and second-hand materials procured at thrift stores.

“The fabric is cute, or the design is bad,” she reflects. “Or the design is good, but it’s too big.”

Around the turn of the millennium, Yoshida and her husband decided to move on from Tennessee. She says her peers told her Denver was a place open to artists.

By then, her own work with kimonos had branched out into new, novel clothing styles, and the Mile High City offered a more progressive environment for the two to play in.

Yoshida’s favorite part about living in Colorado, however, has a lot more to do with the scenery than it does the scene. “I like nature. I go up to the mountains and feel so much better,” she says. “I love Prospect Park. In the summer, I often go there alone and just hike around. It makes me so happy.”

“But honestly,” she continues, “anything here is really inspiring. Even a dumpster, or a little drawing on the wall, or a broken-down house—I love everything about Denver. And we have so many varieties of people here.”

In terms of casual fashion—the sort that we can wear to, say, our jobs—isn’t something that concerns Yoshida. “People think, ‘Who’s going to dress like that?

That’s embarrassing,’” she says of her creations. Yet despite her critics, she has a devoted fan following, too. “Other people are like, ‘This is how I live. This is

70 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

Kotomi Yoshida wearing one of her signature designs—and her signature mask.

who I am. I’m going to wear this no matter what.’”

Her creations are meant to be provoking, to chal-

To serve as a model for both the fashion world and her children, Yoshida plans on carrying her quasi-an-

lenge the way people think and see their society. “I be-

drogynous, East-meets-West mentality to this month’s

lieve runway shows should be somehow entertain-

Denver Fashion Week. She’ll be working in the nontra-

ing,” she explains. “It shouldn’t just be, ‘They walk.

ditional section of the show: male models who are 50

They’re gone. That’s done.’ I want it to be more like an

years or older, and who are physically short by aver-

art piece. It’s no different from an art gallery opening.”

age modeling standards.

At last year’s “Wings over the Rockies” fashion show,

Although she’s keeping many of the details under

Yoshida’s collection included male models donning Mex-

wraps, she does reveal she’ll combine the classic kimo-

ican-style wrestler masks with long, flowing samurai

no structure with modern-day business suits, so she

pants. She anticipated anger and dismay at such a polit-

can play with steampunk and cyberpunk modalities

ically-charged display, but instead, she received thought-

while still presenting her older models as mature and

ful responses regarding her plays on gender. “I thought

emboldened.

people would be offended, but I didn’t hear much,” she

This hybridization of cultures, styles, and even gen-

says. “I want people to feel something from it. I don’t

der roles closely follows Yoshida’s postmodern per-

want people to just think, ‘Oh, that was pretty.’”

spectives. In a political climate where multiculturalism

During our chat, I asked Yoshida about her shaved

is seen as an affront to racially homogenized national-

head. She points out that cutting off her hair also comes

ism, humorous but challenging collections like hers can

from the Buddhist tradition of starting over, of letting

show others that America still celebrates our oneness

go of profane pursuits.

because of our diversity rather than in spite of it.

“When you see the Disney Channel, every girl looks

“Creativity is a like a battery,” she says. “After it

the same,” she says. “They have perfect skin and perfect

charges, it can bring a brand-new person out of any-

hair. They wake up in the morning with perfect make-

one. It makes them appreciate the beauty in the world,

up. And I have two daughters, I want to empower them.”

instead of seeing all the hatred and sadness.”

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A

CANN

T HE

U L L

F O E R

I O D I L B A

by LELAND RUCKER

72 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

It seems that everyone is ASKING ABOUT CBD and its HEALING PROPERTIES. What is it, how does it work, and could it be GOOD FOR YOU?

Most of us A R E S T I L L U S I N G C A N N A B I S J U S T F O R E N J O Y M E N T A N D R E L A X A T I O N , BUT A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE TURNING TO ITS MEDICAL PROPERTIES. IT’S BEING UTILIZED FOR MANAGEMENT OF SEIZURES AND SPASMS, PAIN, ANXIETY, INSOMNIA, INFLAMMATION, DIABETES, SYMPTOMS OF CROHN’S AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE, AND AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES. NINE IN TEN AMERICANS TODAY APPROVE OF I T S U S E , A N D 29 S T A T E S A L L O W I T U N D E R C E R T A I N C O N D I T I O N S .

Why all this excitement? It’s mostly because of what

ingested sublingually via tincture or spray, taken trans-

science is learning about cannabidiol, or CBD, as it’s

dermally through the skin via a patch, or applied top-

better known. CBD is the cannabinoid, or chemical com-

ically in salves and ointments. It can also be infused

pound, found in the cannabis plant that is the key to

into “cannabutter” and added to food. The options are

medical marijuana’s benefits. When you see a video of

nearly as endless as the search results you get if you

a child having a seizure calmed after ingesting drops

google “buy CBD.” The phrase returns nearly 9 million

of cannabis oil, you’re witnessing CBD at work. Almost

results in less than a half-second. How much time do

everyone knows someone who is trying cannabidiol

you have to find a dose and method that’s right for you?

for one reason or another these days, especially since

The most basic thing to understand is that, despite

the discovery of CBD-rich cannabis strains in 2009

the miracle stories, cannabidiol, like any substance

started to make headlines and more people became

or drug we put in our bodies, affects each person dif-

aware of its medical properties.

ferently. So be ready to experiment. What might be a

What makes this cannabinoid attractive to some

perfect dose for one person might not even register

people who are otherwise adverse to cannabis is that

with somebody else. Everyone’s body processes things

CBD doesn’t get you “elevated” like the more well-

in different ways. “Some people can have one drink

known cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the

of alcohol and get drunk. Some people can drink all

best-known cannabinoid, and research continues to

night,” says Josh Whitaker, founder of Team Maryjane,

suggest that CBD helps counter those psychoactive

a Denver-based marketing firm that works with top

effects. And while it might not work for everyone, case

CBD companies around the globe. “Some people only

studies show it to be benign, with no real side effects

get drunk on tequila. Some indicas make people live-

and no possibility of overdose.

ly. Unless you get a DNA test, all you can do is have a

Humans have been using cannabis as medicine for

broad guess how it’ll work for you.”

centuries, but we haven’t understood why it works.

Though CBD products aren’t yet sold by big retail-

That’s changing quickly. Scientists have identified

ers like Amazon and Target, they are showing up in

THC and CBD as the most prominent of more than a

health-food and vitamin markets in legal states. As

hundred cannabinoids produced by cannabis and hemp

more people become aware of its uses, demand con-

plants. Cannabidiol extracted from those plants be-

tinues to rise.

comes infused oil available through a variety of deliv-

On January 1, the International Olympic Commit-

ery systems. It can be swallowed as gelcaps and pills,

tee took CBD off its list of banned substances, which sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 73

allows athletes around the world to use it for pain

fer greatly from state to state. Lawyer Jeff Gard, who

management and as part of their training regimes.

works with CBD patients and businesses, describes

With ultramarathoners and elite athletes touting its

the legal landscape as much like the 11-year “Wild

benefits, it’s no surprise that personal trainers and

West” period in Colorado between 2001, when medi-

yoga instructors are using it in their classes, sharing

cal marijuana was passed by voters and a quasi-legal

info about the cannabinoid with their communities.

“caretaker” system emerged, and 2012, when the state

Sharing is caring, after all.

finally implemented rules and regulations.

Still, there’s a lot of information out there—as well

Lawyer and cannabis advocate Rachel Gillette adds

as a lot of misinformation. It’s hard for a novice to

that certain states, like Texas, have really strict laws,

know where to start if you’re interested in trying it.

and she suggests consumers be aware of what their

Jennifer Berger, a young woman in Denver who suc-

own state allows before moving forward. (The Nation-

cessfully treated her chronic health issues with CBD,

al Conference of State Legislatures is a good website

now sells cannabidiol products through Kannaway, a

to start.) “It’s a patchwork of laws as to whether you

multi-level marketing business. Even she admits it’s

can sell it or possess it,” she says. “But it’s not a high

hard to get reliable information. “The more I’ve been

risk from a possession standpoint for the average

involved in the CBD world, the more I realize it is dif-

consumer.”

ficult to know exactly what’s going on.”

At least part of that reason is that if you use medical

WHITE LABELING

marijuana and CBD these days, you’re automatically a

More than a thousand businesses are selling CBD

kind of guinea pig in the medical marijuana experi-

merchandise, and the number is growing. To add to

ment. “It’s early in the game,” says Zev Paiss, a hemp

the confusion, some companies buy white-label prod-

consultant and founding executive director of the Na-

ucts and then slap their own label on them. Which

tional Hemp Association. “Anybody who tries it has to

means you might be getting the exact same bottle of

understand that they are part of the research team.”

CBD gelcaps, for instance, at different prices from two or more different companies.

THE ENTOURAGE EFFECT

“The problem is that there are so many companies,”

Some CBD is extracted from hemp plants, which by

says Team Maryjane’s Whitaker. “And a wide variety

definition can contain no more than 0.3 percent THC,

will white-label for you in literally seconds. The bottle

a tiny amount. It is also extracted from cannabis plants

is the same, the ingredients are the same, and they’ll

with higher percentages of THC. Recent research, most

shoot you a thousand of them within days. It’s so ri-

importantly a 2015 Israeli study, show that cannabis’

diculously easy.”

medical benefits seem to be involved with a combination of THC and CBD, commonly called the entourage

EXTRACTION METHODS

effect, rather than just the CBD itself. Products with

There are many ways to remove or extract CBD from

varying mixtures of THC and CBD seem to be more

the plant, some considered safer than others. The pre-

effective in treating symptoms than those made solely

ferred method is supercritical CO2 , which uses car-

from hemp alone, and there are many products avail-

bon dioxide under high pressure and extremely low

able with varying ratios of CBD and THC.

temperatures, but the equipment needed is expensive

Paiss cautions that we’re still learning about this.

enough to be financially out of reach of most compa-

Much CBD marketing pushes the fact that it doesn’t

nies right now. Other methods include solvents, pro-

get you high. But even that is a misconception, he says.

pane, ethanol, steam distillation and even olive oil to

Just because CBD doesn’t get you elevated doesn’t mean

separate cannabidiol from the rest of the plant. But

you don’t feel its effects. “To say it’s totally non-psycho-

without more research, know that at this point that

active is not accurate,” he says. “You do feel something.”

it’s impossible to determine their absolute safety.

LEGALITY All cannabis products are illegal under the federal

CBD ISOLATE AND TERPENES

Controlled Substances Act. So the production and use

CBD isolate is the distillation of pure CBD molecules

of CBD are governed by a tangle of state laws that dif-

from the plant. The white powder isolate looks much

74 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 75

how to take

{CBD}

THERE ARE SEVERAL POPULAR METHODS TO TAKE CANNABIDIOL, WHICH GIVES USERS OPTIONS.

ments. “It becomes part of your regimen,” says Kanna­ way’s Berger. “We’re not a medicine, and we shouldn’t make those kinds of claims.”

This daily-use model, i.e. finding your sweet spot and sticking with it, is considered the future. “Research has shown that if we can get people to take CBD daily, it dramatically reduces the need for pharmaceuticals,” says Whitaker.

Paiss says he sees a day in the not-so-distant future

ING E ST IO N : This is swallowing a gelcap or

when CBD will be handled much in the same way as

pill, which then passes through the digestive

vitamin C is today. “In the next x number of years

system before being metabolized by the liver.

you’re going to have several versions,” he says. “There

SU B LING U AL: Basically, this is holding CBD oil under the tongue before swallowing.

This allows the oil by be absorbed by the mouth’s mucous membrane, which bypasses the digestive system and liver to enter the bloodstream more quickly.

will a 25 milligram pill that you get at Walgreen’s and take each day. If you need a higher dose, you go to the doctor and get a prescription for a 1,000 milligram capsule.” People dealing with cancer or other major problems will visit hospitals to get intravenous shots. “There will be options.”

DOING IT YOURSELF

T O PICA L: These products are applied to the skin as lotions and salves, which allow

So what should you do if you’re interested in trying

faster absorption and can be rubbed directly

CBD? Education is the key, and you’re going to do

into inflamed areas.

your research. A good place to begin is projectcbd.org, which has regularly updated information on what CBD is and what it’s being used for, with links to the latest

like cocaine, and it can be sprinkled into food or drinks.

research.

“Since much of it is coming from outside the country,

“Read up on the reasons you want to take it,” advis-

there are questions of quality and purity and things

es Paiss. “Let’s say you’re having trouble sleeping at

like that,” says Paiss. “But in the last few years a lot of

night. Search ‘CBD and sleep,’ and see what you find.”

isolate has been made here in the US, and it seems to be in very ‘high’ demand.”

Check labels to find out where the product comes from, who produced it and what percentages of THC and

Then there are terpenes, those rich, organic com-

CBD it has. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you’re

pounds found in all aromatic plants, including canna-

buying at a dispensary, inquire from budtenders and

bis. Basically, what we eat is dictated mostly by what

owners where their products come from and how they

we smell, and terpenes are what make us want to con-

are produced.

sume food, why we are attracted to certain perfumes

In terms of dosing, it’s best to start low and go slow,

and fragrances, and even how we can differentiate be-

just as you would with edibles. “A lot of places will say

tween strains of marijuana.

to start with three or four drops of oil. My experience

“I’m looking forward to the research that will come

is that’s nowhere close to enough,” says Paiss, who sug-

out in the next couple of decades,” Paiss says, adding

gests starting with 10 milligrams a day, upping your dose

that a few companies are now creating “terpsolate” by

slowly until you notice a difference.

adding certain terpenes back into CBD isolate to create

Paiss has witnessed a person having an epileptic

different flavors and fragrances. “We will see more and

seizure settle down just 30 seconds after getting a cou-

more of this. People are wanting to know the terpene

ple drops of CBD oil. Still, he says, it’s best to ignore

profiles of things.”

the talk of miracle cures and think more about can-

THE NEXT VITAMIN C Increasingly, many people are using CBD on a daily basis, much as they do with other vitamins and supple76 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

nabidiol as just another thing to promote everyday wellness. “We just want to be able to add it as an option,” says Paiss. “It doesn’t have to be the end-all. It’s just another tool.”

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 77

78 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

Powered by Science. Fueled by Nature.

Inquire at your favorite dispensary

Colorado Product Services

coloradoproductservices.com @coloradoproductservices • @officialmountainflower sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 79

: E C I L O P FASHION

80 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

BROWN

by J A K E

E

U P D AT E S E B O R D AR .

SPRING W ILE HIGH M e h t in here from right

IT’S ONE OF THOSE

impossibly gorgeous March days

IN COLORADO

AND YOU REACH IN YOUR DRAWER FOR SOMETHING LIGHT TO THROW ON WHEN YOU SEE THAT PAIR OF GYM SHORTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL STARING BACK AT YOU. We’re the Worst

C’mon, man.

Across the front range, guys have earned the du-

“Denver doesn’t dress to impress, it dresses to re-

bious distinction of treating their attire as an after-

gress,” says Brian Howie, creator of The Great Love

thought, even if you’re totally rocking that Patagonia

Debates. Howie spends most of his year checking

jacket. Even if you don’t live in “Menver” proper, the

out everywhere from bars to barbershops of whatever

state tends to be dude-heavy, and you’re not standing

city he finds himself, trying to break down the local

out from the crowd by ignoring the fundamentals of

dating scene through a series of off-the-cuff inter-

a good wardrobe. Putting together some basics this

views. In 2017, he declared Denver the “Worst City For

spring that will last you through summer shouldn’t

Dating.”

be a daunting task, but we’ve enlisted some of the top boutiques in the area to help.

“We did a show right after that, and when I brought it up people cheered,” says Howie. “And I was like, ‘This sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 81

is not a good thing!’” One element that stood out to him

clothes that we barely wear? Kendrick blames the

was the “lazy” nature of how men approached dating

consumer culture of the 90s and 00s that pushed the

in particular. “Denver guys take it to a point where it’s

concept of “more is more” along with the advent of

like, ‘I don’t care, bro,’ and that’s fine that you’re not

cheaply made designs that weren’t found at a place

dressing to impress anybody. But at the same time, it

with a “Mart” in the name. “Minimalism is the way of

still has to look like you tried, and women are extreme-

the future,” according to her.

ly frustrated with that, especially on dates.”

In general, a good way to start shedding old duds

The biggest dichotomy tends to be indoors vs out-

is to place every hanger in your closet backward. “At

doors, where he sees men make the most effort on

the end of the season, anything that’s still facing the

“I THINK A GUY CAN SPEND AROUND $200 AND HAVE A PAIR OF RAW DENIM JEANS THAT WILL LAST FOR YEARS AND WILL BE ONE OF THOSE PIECES THAT WEARS IN WITH YOU.” DANIEL ARMITAGE

the slopes or out for a hike. Once they step into a

wrong way has to go.” The process doesn’t have to be

microbrewery, though, it all changes. “It looks like a

painful, however: she’s made a lucrative side hustle

junior high dance, where the women are all gathered

using sites like Poshmark (her handle is @garmet.

together in the middle, and the guys are all standing

broker.com) to make money off castoffs. “Even Pla-

around the edge of the bar, sipping their beers and

to’s Closet is great because they’ll give you cash and

not engaging,” says Howie. “They’re dressing to blend

they’re desperate for men’s clothes,” says Kendrick.

in, not to be noticed.”

Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle

Old School Cool From Gene Simmons to John Legend, his family

Breaking up can be hard to do, especially with

business has outfitted stars for decades, but Rock-

that expensive pair of jeans that only has a tiny guac

mount Ranch Wear’s President Steve Weil isn’t eager

stain on them from last year that you can’t get out.

to mess with success. “The sawtooth pockets and di-

According to fashion expert and reseller Amanda

amond snap is our core design, it’s like our Levis 501,

Kendrick, that’s where you have to start: paring down

and this is the longest running shirt in America,” says

to basics. “I think the mistake is thinking, ‘I’m going

Weil. Quintessentially Colorado, the flagship store and

to wear this one day,’” says the 15-year pro who has

museum in Denver’s LoDo district, is more than a

built a business out of helping people let go of rarely

tourist trap: it’s a piece of the city’s fashion history.

worn items.

How did we wind up here, staring at a vast sea of 82 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

It should come as no surprise, then, that he is unabashedly a “shirt guy” when it comes to building a

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 83

strong closet. “The first thing I look at in the morn-

I was a kid,” says Sandona. “It’s the reason I like to

ing is ‘What shirt am I going to wear?’ and then I go

keep one of the biggest hat selections in the city here

from there,” he says, building his look from the top

at Abstract with over 130 hats at all times.”

down. “Shirts are what everybody sees first. They’re

Sandona tends to eschew seasonal styles, even

eye-height.” His biggest pet peeve in Denver? Dark

if he notes that Denver fashion is “pretty simple”

shirts with ties. “I think it looks like some gangster

and that there’s “no shortage of flannel and denim

from New Jersey,” he says with a laugh.

out here.” Instead, he encourages people to embrace

While western wear may feel like something out of

their own style and wearing what you like. Outside

the 1950s, it’s being incorporated into modern styles

of headwear, though? “You can never have too many

and can be dressed up or down very easily. Weil sees

hoodies!” he says.

the pieces as interchangeable, with denim, boots,

Great finds can be found in the proverbial ashes, however, with thrifting becoming more popular and

“THE FIRST THING

a number of consignment stores popping up with Macklemore-esque racks of your grandpa’s style.

I LOOK AT IN

“Vintage is continuing to grow, and it’s cool to see a lot

THE MORNING IS

of older styles coming back such as bomber jackets

‘WHAT SHIRT AM I GOING TO WEAR?’ AND THEN

and things like that,” Sandona says.

HE SAYS, BUILDING

enough with the Hammer pants. “I think men in Boul-

I GO FROM THERE,”

HIS LOOK FROM THE TOP DOWN. “SHIRTS ARE WHAT EVERYBODY SEES FIRST. THEY’RE EYE-HEIGHT.”

Ooo Baby I Like It Raw When it comes to faux pas in the scene, there’s one thing that our experts couldn’t repeat enough: der and Denver tend to make the same fashion mistake, which is that they don’t focus enough on fit,” says Daniel Armitage, co-founder of Armitage & McMillan, an upscale men’s boutique that launched in LoHi in 2014. “They tend to wear their clothes a little too big, whether it’s their pants, or shirt, or outerwear, their clothes always seem to be swallowing them alive.”

STEVE WEIL

Not sure what qualifies as the “right fit”? Armitage recommends starting with what works with your body type, then focus on what makes you feel confident. Not sure what to cop? He recommend denim

and shirts working well together or on their own.

as one staple you can get years out of. “I think a guy

“That’s the beauty of the western lifestyle: it’s for the

can spend around $200 and have a pair of raw denim

individual to decide,” he says. “It’s not a uniform that

jeans that will last for years and will be one of those

some all-powerful social peer is telling you that you

pieces that wears in with you.”

have to wear exactly this way.”

Keep a Lid on It

Sure, $200 seems like a lot until you think about how often you blow through cheap jeans in that same amount of time. All the rage, raw denim actu-

There’s no shortage of hipster barbers with beards

ally conforms to how you wear it, picking up subtle-

so long they should be nicknamed “Colfax” here, but

ties like where your wallet or phone sits as long as

a strong hat game is still crucial on days you don’t

it remains unwashed—up to three months if you can

want to bust out the pomade. Abstract made a name

make it that long. When it comes to bottoms, howev-

for itself as a millinery and streetwear shop that quick-

er, he’s over the loungewear trend. “Guys of all ages

ly outgrew its digs on South Broadway, and their

and of all fashion leanings are breaking out fashion

manager and buyer Taylor Sandona practices what

sweats and it just doesn’t work for me,” he says. Per-

he preaches.

haps you can hold onto a pair for around the house,

“I’ve worn a hat almost every day of my life since

84 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

but remember: we’re decluttering this spring.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 85

86 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 87

IN

by ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE

DISTILLATE

&ROLLED KIEF IN

88 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

Why I FAILED my first CALIFORNIA ASSIGNMENT … and did we really burn on the bus with SEAN PAUL?

I haven’ t seen MY FRIEND SALLY (NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT A CANADIAN)

SINCE THE THANKSGIVING IN BOULDER BEFORE SHE MOVED BACK TO SAN DIEGO IN 2010. WE MET ON A SATURDAY IN JANUARY AT OB NOODLE HOUSE IN OCEAN BEACH. I ROLLED INTO SAN DIEGO ON MY AIRSTREAM’S MAIDEN VOYAGE ABOUT A WEEK AGO, HERE TO OBSERVE AND PAR-

TAKE IN THIS HUGE NEW PART Y, TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE LEGAL CANNABIS SCENE IN CALIFORNIA TO WHAT WE’VE BUILT IN COLORADO.

CALIFORNIA

IS A LEGAL STATE!

BRING. IT. ON.

Four years ago, you could get beers at OB Noodle for

$1. Not anymore. Lunch is going to cost more than expected, but that’s on meme, pretty much how it’s gone since I crossed the border into California and started paying $1 more per gallon (or more) for gas. We order fried rice, chicken lettuce wraps, and $6 Goose Island IPAs that our server says come with a shot of peanut butter Jameson or a shot of sake. He recommends the peanut butter Jameson, a secret recipe, but whiskey worries me so I have sake. Sally has only the IPA because she’s the designated driver for our visit to Urbn Leaf, a cannabis store a half mile away, later this afternoon.

After lunch, we walk along Ocean Beach, enjoying sunshine and brisk breezes. People wrap themselves tightly in their sweaters and fleeces as they stare into what the radio announcer called sizable but trashy surf.

The pier is closed, and everyone we ask has a different reason why.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 89

But how cool is this? We’re walking right toward a

Sean Paul on the Bus

big, gleaming black party bus that says Urbn Leaf!

The Urbn Leaf lady leans in and whispers, Sean Paul

The guy wearing a black golf shirt with Urbn Leaf

is on the bus. Oh, hey, I say. That’s all I’ve got. I’ve had

stitched on it says we can ride to the store for free and

a lot of churro. I want to see if it’s really Sean Paul, if

smoke whatever we buy during the ride back to OB.

I’d even know, but I don’t want to look like a groupie.

It’s a miracle! We just have to remember where we

I’m dancing in my seat. I try not to do that again.

parked, Sally says.

Churros on the Bus

We pull up to Urbn Leaf’s superstore. It looks massive. That might be the churro working.

A hellacious line snakes out from the front doors,

We get on and take seats in the back with two other

down the sidewalk, into the parking lot. People wait,

ladies who seem not too sure but not too worried about

used to this, a part of the California lifestyle, like every-

this. The one with the pink weave looks up from her

thing being expensive and the freeway turning into a

phone and smiles when Sally makes a few moves on

parking lot, and the Maps lady saying traffic is getting

the stripper pole.

heavier but you are still on the fastest route. Which is

We wait a while. An entourage boards and fills up the

always the goddamn freeway.

front. Suddenly the bus is busy, loud, and we’re taking

People here need cannabis like they need the free-

off. A guy is walking up and down the aisle taking videos.

ways. Waiting in this line, with sour-lemon faces, is a

A young woman wearing an Urbn Leaf t-shirt is passing

price they pay to live in a legal state with palm trees.

A HEL L AC I O U S L I N E S N A K E S O U T F R O M T H E F R O N T D O O R S , D OW N T H E S I D E WA L K , I N TO T H E PA R K I N G L OT. P E O P L E WA I T, U S E D TO T HIS, A PART OF THE CALIFORNIA LIFEST YLE, L I K E E V ERY T H I N G B E I N G E X P E N S I V E A N D T HE FREEWAY TURNING IN TO A PARKING LOT. around something called a churro, an Urbn Leaf specialty, 3.5 grams of flower dipped in distillate and rolled in keef (we’re pretty sure there’s another step involved, but neither Sally or I can remember later). The churro is the fattest blunt I’ve ever seen, with a plastic mouthpiece so it smokes low and slow.

It’s tasty. I take hits every time she brings it around.

Feeling Sad at the Feel Good Drug Boutique Maybe we get to skip that line because we’re with Sean Paul, I say to Sally and the other ladies.

And we do! The bus handlers lead us to a side door.

We got on the right bus! Then Sean Paul and his people are gone, and so is our Fastpass.

Sally doesn’t, because she’ll be the driver again after

The bus handlers drop us at the first in a long row

this bus ride is over, and she’s nervous. The bus isn’t

of check-in booths. Sally won’t submit her ID for reg-

going to the address Maps gave us for Urbn Leaf.

istry, but I give mine up and then beg my friend to sit

I think there’s more than one Urbn Leaf, I try to re-

with me in the waiting room. I’m a little too churroed

assure her, but she’s afraid that being on a cannabis

to be alone in that bright space full of unhappy people

registry could jeopardize her Canadian citizenship,

flipping through magazines, staring at their phones

which is pretty crazy considering that Canada’s legal-

and out the glass walls into the parking lot.

izing, but this is the world we live in. She doesn’t want anything to mess with that citizenship—and who would, given this world we live in?

A couple sits, arms crossed, under the words “A Feel Good Drug Boutique” painted on the wall.

No one except me has had any feel-good drugs recently, it seems. I’m out of my homegrown-in-Colorado element. The churro keeps on giving.

90 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 91

The security guy opens the door to the inner boutique and says the next four people can go in. Six people rush the door. After sharp words, two sit back down.

perience my first legal purchase, I bust out the door hoping to avoid anyone from the bus.

The lovely young woman with the churro is right

I catch a glimpse inside, lines of people zigzagging

there, of course, waiting to see what we bought for the

like DIA security or Disneyland during spring break.

ride home. We tell her we didn’t buy anything. I feel

No one looks excited like my relatives from the Mid-

bad, after that ride with Sean Paul and all.

west when they buy legal cannabis in Colorado. People have their because-the-freeway’s-stuck-for-whateverfucking-reason faces on.

In the waiting room, everyone’s grabbing the next

I tell her I couldn’t do that last line. She seems annoyed as we slink away to grab an Uber.

Do you think we should tell her she oversampled me? I ask Sally.

seat over. A lady from the check-in kiosks slides into

I think she got that, Sally says.

the chair to my left. I think that’s supposed to be my

Do you think that was really Sean Paul? I say.

chair, but I’m pretty happy where I am, and I never liked musical chairs anyway. I tell her she should buy a chur-

Happy on the Trolley

ro when she gets inside. She’s not interested in chat-

We have rollicking fun telling our driver Kris about

ting, which is a relief because I’m not quite sure what

people standing in line for legal weed like it’s Space

else I might say.

Mountain or merging onto the I-5 at 5. We pass the bus

I want to buy a churro to take home, but I might not have enough cash. In Colorado, $100 is a pretty safe

as it rolls toward the beach to pick up another load of people to stand in line at Urbn Leaf.

bet, but California is a whole new expensive world. I’m

Kris drops us off at the People’s Coop, where we buy

worried I haven’t accounted for the headline-making

carob macaroons. The churro keeps on giving as we

California cannabis taxes.

walk on the reopened pier, watch the sunset, then

I keep wanting to call this the Happy Place Drug Boutique, I tell Sally. But look at everyone.

huddle under heaters to eat tacos on the patio at Carnitas’ Snack Shack. The day feels magical.

The joyless couple under the words glares at me,

The good vibes linger, even during my trolley ride

and that cracks me up. This is the most hilarious scene

home—perhaps the day’s biggest miracle because

ever. I start laughing and laugh like I haven’t laughed

no one’s ever happy on the trolley.

since I tried to hang on the porch at the after-party for

I do wish I’d bought a churro. I imagine slowly puff-

a psychedelic conference in Vancouver. (I definitely

ing it with friends over a long, lingering evening, in a

need to get out of Colorado more.)

safe place, away from people who haven’t had their

We have to get out of here.

Let’s get an Uber, I say to Sally.

Couldn’t Do That Last Line This is how I fail at my first attempt to report on adult use in California.

Instead of entering the third inner chamber to ex92 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

feel-good medicine.

I think I’ll go back to Urbn Leaf and buy a few churros after the newly legal crowds have died down— and we know in Colorado that they do, at least until 4/20 rolls around.

Oh, but wait. Did I learn nothing from this escapade?

This is California. Colorado rules don’t apply.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 93

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Problem Solvers HOW THAT “DEVASTATING” FEELING CREATED A NEW- GENERATION FLOWER GRINDER AND DISPENSER. Any cannabis consumer can sympathize with the terrible moment that inspired the creation of PenSimple.

“I had a grinder full of herb I was getting ready to © WWW.GETPENSIMPLE.COM

use,” says Brian Seckel, owner of Boulder-based JAEB Designs. “I was loading my device when I dropped the grinder and spilled it on the lawn. My afternoon was shot, so I wondered, ‘How can I solve this?’”

Seckel researched the grinder landscape and couldn’t find much innovation. “They were all pretty much the standard hockey-puck-shaped grinders that have a lot of problems associated with them,”

sumers to precisely dispense flower into a device

Seckel says.

with the push of a button. The grinder section of the

For one thing, consumers had to open the whole

pen is modular, meaning it can be removed so the

grinder to access their cannabis. And everyone they

entire device can be used for storage and dispensing.

talked to had spilled their grinder or knew someone

It uses a micro USB charger and gets about 100 uses

who had. “It’s a devastating feeling. People have lost

per charge.

a lot of costly weed that way,” he says.

Seckel had modest ambitions when the product

Also, he adds, consumers have to pinch the weed

was refined, and he launched a crowdfunding cam-

with their fingers to fill a device which leaves them

paign. “We were planning on building 1,000 units,

sticky and smelly.

but we had to ramp up immediately because of de-

Frustrated, Seckel set out to create a new device that solved these problems. He talked to a friend who

mand. The first batch ended up being 10,000 pens,” Seckel says.

is a mechanical engineer, and he came on board.

The consumer feedback has been extremely

“We did a lot of 3D printing at the local library. We’d

positive from both newbies and regular smokers.

print out a design, test it, and then make another

“Now that we are marketing PenSimple, we are look-

model. We wanted a dispenser that did a good job

ing at other cannabis problems. We have about a

with both the driest and the stickiest flowers. It need-

dozen new products in development, and we are

ed to be portable, good-looking and easy to clean,”

always on the lookout for new problems to solve”

he says.

Seckel says.

The result is PenSimple, a new type of device that simplifies grinding, storing and dispensing dried

For more information:

flower. Unlike other grinders, PenSimple allows con-

GETPENSIMPLE.COM

98 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

You

+

GROUNDED Natural Plant Powered Products (@# . COM)

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 99

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

THE CLINIC

Cannabis Consultants THE CLINIC J U M P S T A R T S INDUSTRY NEWCOMERS ALL ACROSS THE NATION. Since cannabis was legalized here, Colorado has

The Clinic is currently consulting for cannabis busi-

been the nation’s de facto testing ground and petri

nesses in Pennsylvania, Florida, Arkansas, California,

dish for all things marijuana-related. Colorado was

Ohio and Oregon. “We have the opportunity to take

among the first to figure out what to do about li-

what we’ve learned in Colorado about regulations

censing, transportation, packaging, and many other

and operations to help jumpstart businesses in oth-

unforeseen challenges created by the emergence

er states,” Cook says.

of a new industry.

Some companies need help with regulatory com-

The Clinic has been an active part of that process

pliance, others have more specific needs. “We’re

almost since the beginning and now operates four

there to help them as much or as little as they need,”

dispensaries, three in Denver and one in Lakewood,

he says. “Our cultivation and processing teams offer

two cultivation facilities and a processing facility

in-depth operational expertise to help our clients.”

that produces concentrates offered at dispensaries

The Clinic has also worked with regulatory agencies as they face the cannabis industry for the first time. “We are helping to create national standards for extracts and cultivation, pesticides and testing regulations,” Cook says. The Clinic fashions products to fit the differing regulations in states and municipalities and offers a full menu of consulting options designed for new or existing operations. “It’s everything from equipment and construction to financial modeling and product SKUs.” The company partnered three years ago with a group from Illinois, and they were recently awarded a cultivation/processing license and four dispensary locations across New York state. “We are excited to

across the state. “Colorado is really providing great

open up a location in Manhattan in 2018,” Cook says.

leadership in the industry,” says Ryan Cook, COO of

Cook is especially proud of The Clinic’s record. “We

The Clinic.

The Clinic recently launched a full-service canna-

have been operating for eight years, and we have zero violations here in Colorado or nationally,” he says.

bis consulting arm. “We started our consulting business in 2017 in response to overwhelming market

For more information:

demand for a cannabis organization with operation-

THECLINICCOLORADO.COM

al experience,” Cook says. The company’s hard-earned

or THECLINICUSA.COM

practical experience sets it apart.

100 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

(720) 639-6720

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

CANNAR A BBIT

Moving Product Efficiently COLORADO LOGISTICS/CANNARABBIT E A S E S CANNABIS TRANSPORT. A barely noticed tweak to Colorado’s cannabis reg-

“We work with dispensaries, testing facilities, MIPs,

ulations is already easing a major business bottleneck

growers, wholesalers, and brokers,” he says. “Occa-

and saving companies money in the process.

sionally, we even move hardware such as lighting

“It wasn’t that growers, dispensaries and other can-

and other specialized equipment,” he says

nabis businesses couldn’t ship their test samples, bud,

As Colorado’s cannabis industry has matured,

concentrates and edibles,” says Corey Young, found-

Young is pleased that the new rules resulted from

er of Colorado Logistics/CannaRabbit courier services.

consultation between businesses and the Marijuana

“It was an old rule written into the original Colorado regulations that said the products had to be delivered during the same business day by the same driver.”

“Our hands were tied. It was a logistical nightmare,” Young says. “We would have to ask MIPs, growers and dispensaries, ‘Hey, can you be there at 6 a.m. for a pick-up?’ If there was road construction, a rockslide or a blizzard, the driver would have to bring it back. A lot of transports had to come back empty from the Western Slope, making it very inefficient,” Young says.

Last July Colorado Logistics/CannaRabbit became the first approved applicant for the state’s new Mar-

Enforcement Division. “Now we can transport efficiently all over the state in a safe fashion,” he says.

ijuana Enforcement Division transport license. It al-

One of the state’s first courier services, Colorado

lows the company to move, distribute, and also store

Logistics/CannaRabbit has stressed security from

cannabis products for up to seven business days and

the start. “Our drivers come in very late at night or

provides the ability to efficiently ship to specific routes

early in the morning. We have 24/7 security moni-

accordingly.

toring. We have eyes on everything, especially when

“Now we can warehouse the product. Over the

there is activity at our facility. Furthermore, all prod-

course of a week we can take it to all of the dispen-

uct and money is GPS tracked. It really helps pro-

saries a company operates as well as to all of their

tect our clients and our employees,” Young says.

customers. As they sell it, we can ship it out the same day,” Young says.

Colorado Logistics/CannaRabbit has a warehouse in Denver and is actively negotiating for one on the

Now that Colorado’s regulations have been refined, Colorado Logistics/CannaRabbit is looking toward opportunities in other states that have recently approved legal cannabis.

Western Slope and in the San Luis Valley, making

For more information:

business a much easier proposition for companies

WWW.CANNARABBIT.COM

around the state.

102 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

or call 720-951-4918

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 103

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

D O C T O R' S O F NAT U R A L M E D IC I N E

The Doctor is In NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF MEDICAL CANNABIS APPLICATIONS CAN BE DAUNTING, AND THE ROOM FOR ERROR IS ABOUT ZERO. DOCTORS OF NATURAL MEDICINE CAN HELP EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THE WAY. Colorado’s medical cannabis program is one of the

Natural Medicine can count on them to mediate be-

best in the nation. Patients meet with a licensed med-

tween the patient and the state agencies. Doctors of

ical doctor, and after an assessment, the doctor writes

Natural Medicine works directly with the medical

a suggestion for medical marijuana. Afterward, the

marijuana registry to ensure that if any mistakes are

patient applies online through the state website, fills

made, everything gets cleared up as quickly and effi-

out the forms, and that’s it. Voila, they get sent a medical marijuana card, and they’re on their way to higher potency edibles, lower sales taxes, and a greater selection of cannabis-infused options.

If only it were that easy.

In reality, signing up for the state’s medical marijuana program can be a chore. One little error— a single digit off on the social security number, numbers reversed on the home address, even misspelling a name — can send an application into the corrections process. And that process can last for weeks if not months.

For many patients seeking cannabis treatment for debilitating conditions like chronic pain, epilepsy, or PTSD, they don’t have that kind of time to spare. Thankfully, Doctors of Natural Medicine can expedite the entire application and renewal processes.

“We do the entire process from start to finish here in our office,” says Adam Pawlikiewicz, the CEO of Doctors of Natural Medicine. “Once the doctor ap-

ciently as possible. Which is why Doctors of Natural

proves the patient, we sit down with them and walk

Medicine offers careful attention to detail, so mistakes

them through the online application process.”

are avoided in the first place.

Currently, there are nearly 100,000 registered med-

If you’re planning on signing up as a new patient,

ical marijuana patients in Colorado. “You can imagine

or if you’re renewing your card, consider a quick stop

how backed up that whole process can be,” notes

at a Doctors of Natural Medicine location in Colora-

Pawlikiewicz. If something goes wrong, “the fastest

do Springs, Denver, and Pueblo. “We want to make

way to get a hold of the state is by email, and it can

sure everyone’s in and out of here within an hour.

take a week for them to get back to you.” Actually

Never longer,” says Pawlikiewicz. “In general, we’re

finalizing those details can take even longer.

very quick and efficient, and we ensure all the pa-

However, patients who go through Doctors of

104 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

tients’ questions are answered.”

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S P E C I A L A DV I S ORY BOA R D S E C T ION AS THE CA NNA B I S I ND U S TR Y G R OW S, SO DO T H E N UM BE R OF N I CH E E X P E R T S W I T H I N IT. FROM TOP-TIER DISPENSARIES AND EXTRACTION BRANDS TO EDIBLE MAKERS AND MARKETING SPECIALISTS, THESE COMPANIES ARE INCREDIBLE SOURCES OF INSIDER INFO ABOUT THE TRENDS AND ISSUES DRIVING THIS THRIVING MARKETPLACE FORWARD. THE SENSI ADVISORY BOARD IS COMPRISED OF LE ADERS FROM A VARIETY OF FIELDS WITHIN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY. EACH ISSUE, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS SHARE SOME OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR READERS IN THIS DEDICATED SECTION. THIS MONTH, WE H E A R F R O M E X P E RTS AT T H E B A N K G E N E T I C S For a full list of Advisory Board Members, turn to the masthead on page 11.

The Five Essentials To Breeding Seeds In Your Extra Space

by Josh Malman, Bank Genetics MANY GROWERS WILL SHY AWAY FROM UNDERTAKING BREEDING PROJECTS IN THEIR PRODUCTION WAREHOUSE FOR OBVIOUS REASONS; ONE ACCIDENT WITH POLLEN GETTING INTO A PRODUCTION ROOM COULD RUIN AN ENTIRE FLOWER CROP AND NEGATIVELY IMPACT PROFITS. HERE IN COLORADO, A NUMBER OF COMPANIES HAVE BEEN PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY SEEDS IN PRODUCTION FACILITIES FOR YEARS.

There are several steps you can take to ensure total

Step 4: Create standard operating procedures/best

pollen exclusion from the main production in a shared

management practices for the new breeding area. These

space. Below you find some easy steps you can take to

could include who can enter the breeding area, when

allow you to take up some breeding projects without in-

during the day work can be done in the breeding room,

creasing risks to your production.

personal protection equipment considerations for work-

Step 1: Try to find a small, out-of-the-way space

ers that need to work in both the breeding room and

in your warehouse that you can hang a few extra lights.

production rooms, signage to alert other employees

It doesn’t take a ton of room to create a large amount

when pollen is present, and more.

of seeds. This space can be an extra closet, office space that is unused, or a small grow room.

Step 2: Ensure that new breeding space is condi-

Step 5: Over the top precautions. One such idea is that a person working in a breeding room must always wear a full Tyvek suit, shoe covers, and mask while work-

tioned separately from production rooms. You wouldn’t

ing in the breeding area. This person must be sprayed

want to use a space that shares HVAC equipment with a

down with water before disrobing to render any pollen

production room and risk pollen entering through that

present inviable, or alternatively must leave the facility

system. The new breeding space should be negatively

as soon as they are done working in that area without

pressurized by exhausting directly out of the building,

going through any areas that share air with standard

which will make sure the airflow will never lead from the

production spaces.

breeding room to a standard flower production room.

We think that all growers can tackle breeding proj-

Step 3: Enlist one person to be responsible for the

ects within their production facilities. With a little plan-

breeding in your facility. With one person assigned to that

ning and oversight, you should have no trouble accom-

area, it will be easier to manage that person’s movements

plishing your breeding goals with little to no added risk

throughout the facility and the ability to schedule jobs in

to your production crop.

the breeding area after work in other areas is complete.

110 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 111

The name for clean in the cannabis industry Since 2014

Cleaning SOPs, supplies and equipment packages Employee training | Complete Site Analysis Call today to schedule your free site evaluation!

844-879-3737

112 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

cannabisclean.com

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 113

PHOTOGRAPHY BY L I S A S I C I L I A N O O F D O G D A Y Z P H O T O

M A S ON JA R EVENT

the

SCENE

What: Winter 2.0 Where: Space Gallery When: February 15, 2018

Winter 2.0—Mason Jar Event Group’s seasonal cannabis-paired dinner —was an artfully elevated experience.

2 .15.18

The dessert course was to be served around the firepit.

Unexpected snow kept guests indoors but that didn’t stop the s’mores from being roasted.

116 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

Mason Jar’s Kendal Norris guided guests through each paired course.

sensimag.com MAR C H 2018 117

{soCO}

by RANDY ROBINSON

THE STREETS ARE

Get out and watch back, as the spring gives us a great opportunity to better know our city by exploring the street art that covers it. In Boulder, start near 20th St. and Pearl St. Denverites can find great pieces around 26th St. and Larimer St.

WATCHING Snap a great photo out there?

Tag us on Instagram: @sensimagazine

118 Denver //Boulder MA R CH 2018

G

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