Colfax Love

Celebrate New Year's Eve with Rowdy Shadehouse at Lost Lake

Vintage Colfax: Denver City Tramway car stuck in the snow

From the Western History/Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library.

Take a look at this 1913 photograph of a Denver City Tramway trolley car on Colfax Avenue in Denver stuck in the snow. Also shows the Argonaut Hotel, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (completed only a couple years earlier in 1911) in the distance.

Colfax in Aurora, 1950s

Naughty New Year's Eve ft. Rowdy Shadehouse

Rowdy Shadehouse is both an amazing Denver based funk rock explosion and an attitude. Their music taps into an innate wildness where some primal part of the body wants to simply feel good, be free and share that sensation with others. Singer Jon Thursday not only embodies this mindset, he exudes it as if his aura is an aphrodisiac. He’s a natural born front man who resembles Anthony Kiedis, resonates Iggy Pop’s full-frontal energy and acts as if he was conceived to Parliament Funk and spawned at a Kiss concert. He’s backed by a band of equally epic and enthralling musicians that include: Michael Weeze on the guitar, Mason Shelmire on the bass, Perry Abbott on the drums, Fab Folz on the saxophone, and Blake Manion on Percussion/Drums. Together they are a musical force to be reckoned with, treating the stage as if it’s a sacred breeding ground for funk, flesh and folly.

There is musicianship backing the showmanship, a message fueling the madness, and an undeniable brilliance to any band that can have their crowd chanting, ‘take off your clothes and dance with me’ as that’s transpiring. They provoke the power and beauty of nudity the same way the Red Hot Chili Peppers did while performing with nothing but tube socks hanging off of their very public parts. And even if you don’t approve, you must appreciate anyone with the creative courage to bare all of themselves artistically and physically, especially artists who are able to encourage that expression in others.

Rowdy Shadehouse are performers and provocateurs, seducing their listeners like the shirtless, spandex clad, pied pipers of mayhem and merriment. They are performance art and funk music making wild love with one another till they spawn a whole different animal that should not and cannot be confined. An animal with a well endowed sense of humor, some serious musical talent and nice leather boots.

Rowdy’s credibility becomes more fortified by having shared the stage with many bands, including George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, War, Slightly Stoopid, Blackalicious, Matisyahu, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Fishbone, and many more.

Thu Dec 31 | Twist & Shout and Ultra 5280 present | 21+

Naughty New Years Eve Ft.  
ROWDY SHADEHOUSE  

COLFAX SPEED QUEEN
BOT-SOULD

Doors open at 8 PM   |   Show starts at 9 PM   |   $20 ADV | $30 DAY OF SHOW

Changing Colfax: Chick-fil-A used to look like what??!

Photo by Jonny Barber

Photo by Jonny Barber

Photo by Jonny Barber

Photo by Jonny Barber

Photo by Jonny Barber

Merry X-Mas!

The Gurkhas to debut at Streets of London Pub on New Year's Eve!

The Gurkhas to play FREE SHOW at the Streets of London Pub on New Year's Eve!

Changing Colfax: Before The Sunflower Market there was this...

A few years ago, this corner sat in disrepair. Today this corner hosts a Sunflower Market.

Times they are a changin' on The Fax

There's a five story building on this corner now...here's some photos I shot right before demolition began on Colfax and Madison St. (photos by Jonny B.)

 

Push Button for Peace

Love the new signs at Colfax and York Street! (Photo by Jonny B.)

Retro Colfax: Hiatt Service Station

Megan Burtt headlines the Bluebird at long last!

From Megan's Facebook page, "Couldn't be more excited about this show! I've been dreaming about a headliner here since I started making music in Denver. A perfect way to celebrate the US and Europe Bargain CD Release Tour, Africa adventures and the PA prison tour I'm currently on. See you on 1/21? xoxo Tix: http://www.bluebirdtheater.net/events/detail/302719"

Merry Colfax!

Photo by Jonny Barber

The Bluebird by Two Little Fruits

Suburban Toppers celebrates 30 years in business!

No better way to celebrate 30 years in business and your 60th birthday! The fearless leader of Suburban Toppers (founded in 1985) braving the elements to keep the lot clear and the sidewalks safe for Colfax Mayfair Business Improvement District!! #‎plowingcolfax‬

Peyton Manning. Raider Hater.

What's not to like?!

Motel Viagra

Photo by Sharlyn Vee

Dwarves at the Bluebird Theater Tonight!

Scene on Colfax: Jim Dalton of The Railbenders and Slim Cessna at the Lion's Lair!

Proposed Capitol of Colorado

"Proposed Capitol of Colorado" lithograph illustration by Hughson Hawley for Harper's Weekly, 1886
(Pike's Peak Library District, Digital Collections image # 257-6254, courtesy The Denver Eye)

Afrikmall Open House - Dec. 18th

East High Alumni: Eduardo Arcenio Chavez

Artist and New Deal Muralist Eduardo Arcenio Chavez graduated from East High School (on Colfax Ave.) in 1935. Here is a cool interview I found, where he sings some traditional Spanish and Mexican Folk Songs.

Vintage Ad for Fitzsimons Army Hospital

(courtesy The Denver Eye)

Vintage Ad for Taylor's Supper Club

(courtesy The Denver Eye)

Upcoming Phil Goodstein Talks and Tours

December 2015-February 2016

Thursday, December 3: From LoDo to SoDo, 7:00 pm

Promoters of Santa Fe Drive have heralded the area as SoDo, south of downtown.  How it parallels the rise of LoDo is a subject in Phil Goodstein’s new book, How the West Side Won.  This is a free talk on the subject at City Stacks, 1743 Wazee Street.  A copy of this schedule is at LeonardLeonard.com/neighborhoods/walkingtours.  Information about Goodstein’s books is at capitolhillbooks.com

Friday, December 4: Where is West Denver? 7:00 pm

Many are apt to confuse the North Side with the West Side.  A discussion of Phil Goodstein’s new book, How the West Side Won, will deal with Denver geography, comparing his new study with his North Side Story at a North Denver bookstore that doubles as a wine bar, the Book Bar, 4280 Tennyson Street (at the southeast corner of West 43rd Avenue.)  720/443-2227

Saturday, December 5: East Side/West Side, 1:30 pm

Early on, Denver was split by Cherry Creek into the East Side and West Side.  Goodstein will talk about both his How the West Side Won and his book on the East Side, Curtis Park, Five Points, and Beyond at Rosenberg’s Bagels, 725 26th Avenue.  (This is at the corner where 26th Avenue intersects with 27th Street, Washington Street, and Welton Street.)  720/420-9102.

Friday, December 11: The Scum of the Earth, 7:00 pm

The Scum of the Earth is a church in the heart of West Denver at the northeast corner of West 11th Avenue and Kalamath Street.  It will host a talk about West Denver churches during a Luminarias Festival on Santa Fe Drive.  This is a free event.  (Kalamath Street is one block west of Santa Fe Drive.)  303/832-2586.

Monday, December 14: Denver’s Oldest Bar, 7:00 pm

The Buckhorn Exchange at West 10th Avenue and Osage Street has been around since 1893.  It is a veritable museum of western hunting art.  Phil Goodstein will talk about it as part of his new How the West Side Won.  (Osage Street is five blocks west of Santa Fe Drive.  The bar is adjacent to light rail station at West 10th and Osage.)  303/534-9505.

Wednesday, January  13: Everything about Denver 6:30–9:00 pm

This is the first week of a four-part seminar on the history of Denver.  The class will deal with the logic of the Denver street system and the Pikes Peak gold rush.  The cost is $15.00 per person.  It gathers in a private home at 1330 Monroe Street.  (Monroe Street is four blocks west of Colorado Boulevard.)

Wednesday, January  20: The Growth of the Mile High City, 6:30–9:00 pm
This is the second week of a four-part seminar on the history of Denver.  The focus will be on the growth of the 19th-century city, the impact of tuberculosis, and sensational sex scandals.  The cost is $15.00 at 1330 Monroe Street.

Thursday, January  21: From the North Side to the West Side, 6:00–7:00 pm

The Gardens at St. Elizabeth’s is a historic retirement community near West 32nd Avenue and Eliot Street.  It hosts a free talk about the inter-relationship of North Denver with West Denver as part of the promotions of How the West Side Won.  (Eliot Street is one block east of Federal Boulevard.  This is the highrise.  Enter about a half block to the east of Eliot Street.)  303/964–2000.

Wednesday, January  27: Denver: The City Beautiful, 6:30–9:00 pm

This is the third week of a four-part seminar on the history of Denver.  Denver was in upheaval during the first third of the 20th century.  A veneer of parks and distinguished architecture cloaked intense struggles and the way the Ku Klux Klan ran the city in the 1920s.  The cost is $15.00 at 1330 Monroe Street at 1330 Monroe Street.

Wednesday, February 3: The Rise of Modern Denver. 6:30–9:00 pm

This is the fourth week of a four-part seminar on the history of Denver.  It examines how Denver has grown since World War II, a place desperately seeking an identity while growth and sprawl have been seemingly endless.  The cost is $15.00 at 1330 Monroe Street at 1330 Monroe Street.

Phil Goodstein                                                                                                                            (303)333-1095

Ignite Theatre presents "Green Day's American Idiot"

Ignite Theatre presents

The Regional Premier of

"Green Day's American Idiot"

Book and Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Michael Mayer
Music and Lyrics by Green Day
Directed by Keith Rabin Jr.
Music Director: Jason Tyler Vaughn
Choreography: Jeffrey Parizotto

January 2 - January 24, 2016

The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical "American Idiot", based on Green Day's Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album, boldly takes the American musical where it's never gone before. This high-octane show includes every song from Green Day's album American Idiot, as well as several songs from follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown.

Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths are quickly estranged when Tunny enters the armed forces, Michael is called back home to attend familial responsibilities, and Johnny's attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship.

An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot, features little dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day's groundbreaking album to execute the story line.

Ignite Theatre presents the Regional Premiere of "American Idiot" January 2 - 24 at the Aurora Fox Theatre, 9900 East Colfax Avenue.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays,Saturdays and Monday, January 11 at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.  Tickets are $28 Adult, $26 Senior, $20 Student and $25 Group (6+) and are available online at www.ignitetheatre.com or by calling 866-811-4111.

The cast includes Brian Robertson (Johnny), Brandon Lopez (Tunny), Caleb Reed (Will), Valerie Igoe (St. Jimmy),  McKenna Seckman (Heather), Lindsey Falduto (Whatsername) and Katherine Paynter (Extraordinary Girl).  Jacob Durso-Sabina, Malia Jenkins, Adeline Mann, Michael Martinkus, Zach Nick, Tyler Nielson, Jessica Sotwick, Scott Taylor, Xtabay Trampler and Thairone Vigil-Medina round out the ensemble.

"American Idiot" is based on the concept album of the same name by Green Day. They created a concept album; their basis stemmed from many different sources like previous concept records from The Who, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the original concept-album-musical Jesus Christ Superstar. When director Michael Mayer heard the album, he expressed an interest in collaborating with the band to adapt it for the stage.

"American Idiot" premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on September 15, 2009, and extended twice up to November 15. The musical moved east to the St. James Theatre on Broadway. With a creative team that included much of the same team from the Broadway production of Spring Awakening, it ran until April 24, 2011.

Ignite Theatre presents

"American Idiot"

Jan. 2 - 24

Thurs/Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m., Sun at 2:30 p.m. & Monday, January 11 at 7:30 p.m.

$28 Adult | $25 Group (6+) | $26 Senior | $20 Student

Online at www.ignitetheatre.com or 866-811-4111

Aurora Fox Theatre, 9900 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora, Co 80013

Umphrey's McGee New Year's Run at the Fillmore Auditorium

New Year’s Run

UMPHREY’S MCGEE

Fillmore Auditorium

Wednesday, December 30

Thursday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve

Saturday, January 2

Doors 7:00 pm / Showtime 8:00 pm

Here’s what the band had to say:

“It’s time for our favorite announcement of the year! Umphrey’s McGee will return to Colorado to ring in the New Year at the Fillmore Auditorium on December 30, December 31 and January 2.  On the heels of sold out shows at the Boulder Theater and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, we look forward to rocking the Rockies thrice more, and celebrating this special holiday tradition with you.

In addition to the three shows at the Fillmore, team UM is cooking up a special one-of-a-kind Umphrey’s event to be held on January 1st. Details on this special New Year’s Day to be announced in the coming weeks.

KBCO and Live Nation will each host a pre-sale on Thursday, July 16 from 10:00 am thru

10:00 pm MT.

There is no other place to be on NYE than celebrating with Umphrey’s McGee. Come enjoy one of our favorite cities as we bid 2015 farewell, and rock our way into 2016.”

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!

at the Fillmore Auditorium Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or call 800 – 745 – 3000.   

Tickets for Dec 30 & Jan 2 are $37.50 GA ADV and $40.00 GA DOS plus applicable service charges.

Tickets for Dec 31 are $75.00 GA ADV and $80.00 GA DOS plus applicable service charges.   

VIP Tickets and 3 Day Tickets will be available via UM fan club.

For Private Box seating and other VIP ticket option information, please call (303) 837-1024. 

THIS SHOW IS AGES 16+

CONNECT WITH US ON THE WEB                                                                                  

www.livenation.com  / www.facebook.com/LiveNationCO  /   www.twitter.com/livenationco /  http://instagram.com/livenationco

Retro Colfax: Compass Motor Lodge

Compass Motor Lodge, formerly at 8675 East Colfax (photo courtesy of Gene Cassidy)

The Red Barn: Then and Now

Trail's End Motel by Jax Quackenbush

Radiant Motel: Then and Now

(Courtesy Colfax Jack)

Retro Colfax: Mountain View Inn

The Mountain View Inn, at Colfax and Indiana St., in 1950.