It seemed like Boulder was bereft of record stores. Second Spin was long gone from the Hill, and just a few months ago Bart’s closed shop on the 11thish block of Pearl.

But the music plays on. Bart has reopened in a new location (and it’s really Bart at the helm again), and a new store had actually opened in January but so quietly you’d be excused if you didn’t know it. Both shops are a bit off the beaten path from a downtown Boulder perspective, but both are definitely worth the hike.

Head north on Broadway toward the area now known as “Uptown” and you’ll find Absolute Vinyl at 4474 N. Broadway. You can think of it as Broadway and Violet, but you have to go almost all the way to the north end of the long sunken parking lot on the northeast corner of that crossing.. Absolute Vinyl has a good collection of records, from the mundane to the highly collectible, as well as a small offering of used phonographs. At the same address is Little Horse Books, a truly eclectic collection of music-related books and magazine back-issues, local-interest books, classics, and undoubtedly more which this chronicler’s eyes missed upon the first visit.

Also, you’re not crazy. There really is no upstairs.

Phone: (303) 995-1519
Hours: 7 days a week, 11 AM to 6:30 PM

Bart Stinchcomb has returned to the music-store scene, opening Bart’s Music Shack at 236 Pearl Street. Do the math and you’ll realize this is no longer within reach of a brief lunch-break walk from downtown; so what? Take your bike instead. Or hop aboard the 206. When you see the small interior you will be amazed at how many records are on the shelves, in the boxes, on and under the tables, along with a rack of CDs and a shelf of DVDs just to round things out. And Bart tells us there will be more, lots more, in the months to come.

According to the Colorado Daily (linked at the beginning of this article), you should be on the lookout for a grand opening with live music at some unspecified date to come. Watch Bart’s Facebook page (linked in the previous paragraph) for announcements.

Phone: (303) 444-1760
Hours: 11-6 Tuesday through Sunday

If you’ve driven from Boulder to Longmont anytime over the past year, it can’t have escaped your notice that the old silo now resembles a can of Dale’s Pale Ale. Lyons-based Oskar Blues, provider of “homemade solids and liquids,” now has a home in Longmont. (Not that I could tell from looking at their website, though. The “Venues” page only seems to mention the one in Lyons.)

And their Longmont location will host a fantastic beer-pairing dinner this Thursday night:

Left Hand Beer Dinner
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM
Limited Seating; Advanced Ticket Purchase Required

(Not that you could tell from the Music & Events Calendar on their website. Which at least appears to color-code events that are on the calendar as to whether they take place at “Grill & Brew”/Lyons or “Liquids & Solids”/Longmont. I think.)

For the price of $55 per person, attendees will be served a 3-course meal, each course paired with a particular Left Hand Brewery creation. The entire menu is listed here. (It is not accessible from the calendar, but rather from the blog, which you get to by hovering over “NEWS” in the top menu. I found it by searching Google.) I’m told there will also be live music, but I don’t know who’s playing.

Oskar Blues Liquids & Solids is in Longmont at the complicated corner of South Hover Road and Diagonal Highway and Ken Pratt Boulevard and 95th Street. There’s plenty of parking. You can also get there from Boulder by riding the BOLT, which will drop you off right in front of the big silo that looks like a beer can.

As of Monday around about oyster bar time (3:00 PM), there yet remained ten or fifteen or so tickets. Move fast! Call 303-485-9400 to reserve your seat. They will take credit card over the phone but would prefer you then show up and pick up your tickets in advance of the event.

I ventured out of downtown to experience the joy that is They Might Be Giants!

I’ve never been to concert in Denver since I moved here – how can that be? With such great venues and awesome talent coming through all the time?
I have no answer for you, but I have promoted the husband to the LMC – Live Music Coordinator for the family.

The show was awesome! Really how could They Might Be Giants not rock the house right? Everyone knows the songs, it makes everyone happy and everyone bounces!
I read up on the venue on Yelp and determine we needed to get there pretty much at Doors Open if we wanted front row, that we needed to park on Acoma – free after 6!, and that we should dine at Moe’s.

The timing was excellent – we got front row in the Balcony – i’m working my way up to being an oldster – so being body to body and standing for 4 hours is waaay past my threshold! The view from anywhere in the Gothic is amazing. I could see everything!

The cocktail waitress (is that description any more??) was on her game and right as we were debating who got to climb the stairs to the bar she arrived! Sweet!

This was a 16+ show. 16, really? That’s weird. Yet we still saw at least 3 gentleman toting around 1-3 children each. Really? By children i mean under 10. Really, children, at a grownup venue, on a school night, at a show that doesn’t really get going till 8:30 or 9pm? People really are stupid.

The venue did get a bit warm near the end.
The sounds was great and the venue was awesome! I’ll be looking for more things to see here!

Parking was good except there was no quick way to cut back to our car – so after sweating to death at the top, I got quite chilled making our way back… I know, i am a princess!

As for Moe’s…  All i can say – don’t bother.

Can’t wait for the next time TMBG passes through, on their current trend that would be 2024….  Then I’ll really be an oldster!

I am excited to be going to see the Loggins & Messina concert tonight at the Paramount Theater.  I have not seen them in over thirty years – although they have been a staple of our musical interest off an on for years.  Loggins & Messina was my first ever concert when I was sixteen.  It was at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and I still remember it to this day.  Driving home after curfew with a car full of partying kids could have cost me my drivers license, but with a little luck I managed to avoid that little scrape with the law.

Since then, I have particularly enjoyed Loggins & Messina when visiting Hawaii.  “Everything goes in Lahaina….”

My friend, Denver dentist Scott Greenhalgh who is taking us to the concert, told me that I should wear the clothes I wore to the concert that night.  Even if I still had them, there is no way I could fit this old body into those skinny clothes.  Something to aspire too…  Before the show, we plan to have dinner at The Keg in Lodo.  Very much looking for ward to it.  It will be good food, good company and good music!

Hi!

I wanted to introduce you to DENVER 2 for 1 TIX, www.DENVER2for1TIX.com.
Great savings for you on last-minute tickets from all around Denver, Colorado, including Arts, Theatre, Culture, Attractions and more.  Sign up for DENVER 2 for 1 TIX emails at www.DENVER2for1TIX.com.

Thanks!

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I saw a snippet on twitter about 2 for 1 tickets in Denver and since we are all counting pennies these days, I immediately gave it a click!

Love the idea, last minute tickets, cheap prices! With this and groupon (i know you know about groupon) I should be far from bored and have more money in my pocket to buy drinks!  The above email I could send to all my friends, but i decided to send it out to all the Denver Metblog followers instead!

Today was a busy day.  Early this afternoon, my wife and I joined two of my colleagues – Maarit Kaaihue and Bill Fukui from Page 1 Solutions on a 5K walk in support of the Second Wind Foundation of Metro Denver – an organization dedicated to preventing teen suicide.  At Page 1, we have been supporting Second Wind for two or three years and were very pleased to see so many people turn out at the Jeffco Fairgrounds for the Walk/Run/Bike event.  Organizers said that there were 4,000 people this year – up from last year’s record of 3,000.  This year the walk seemed easier and shorter – probably because I have been doing so much hiking all summer.  It was a lot of fun.

This evening my wife and son went to the Journey of Hope Benefit Concert at Red Rocks.  The event featured several bands and the Colorado Childrens Chorale – along with Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea.  The event was inspiring.  In addition to Greg Mortenson, the stars of the show were his daughter and five other children who had started foundations help impoverished children in the US, Africa and South America.  The foundations included the Little Red Wagon Foundation, Peruvian Hearts, and Africaid, among others.   Pennies for Peace sponsored the event.

There were a number of messages throughout the evening, but the central theme seemed to be that each of us can make a difference.  Even if we only help one child learn to read, that is one more literate child who will grow up to make a difference.  Bottom line, if each of us acts, we can change the world.

There are so many things to do this weekend, i don’t even know where to start!

First Friday –

it’s every first friday – but why not go since you have an extra day off this weekend?

Santa Fe, RINO and Golden Triangle – I love first friday! A bunch of people get together and look at some really cool art!

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The Taste of Colorado

So many restaurants, such good food, a wonderful time to spend an evening or a day!

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Sniagrab –

going on

Ski REx –

Starts Saturday but has a VIP day today (Friday) – just sign up for their mailing list and you get a ticket to get in!

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Cirque de Soleil

– many deals –

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Flobots bowling

They are bowling for Charity this Friday!!! You could bowl with them!

Where will you be this weekend?

Want a good way to give back to give back, do something good for you and have fun all at the same time?

Again – another fun filled weekend!

So much to do, so little time!

Tonight at Barnum Park

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Tomorrow Night
at Skyline Park

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Saturday All Day:

Free Day of Museum of Art

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Saturday Morning:

2009 Neighborhood Conference

Mayor John Hickenlooper and City leaders will host neighborhood and community organizations in a day of community-wide networking and neighborhood leadership training on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Coors Field. For more details, read the press release here.
Or get another take on what will be going down here

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Saturday Afternoon:

Verso Cellars

Sunday Afternoon:

Avery Brewing Company – Anniversary Party!

SIXTEEN years in business and its time to celebrate! Join us and the rest of Boulder at the brewery for this annual summer event.  As always, we'll have dozens of styles of your favorite Avery Brews, a BIG pig roast (with vegetarian options too), vertical tasting and bands all day long!  Make your plans now.  

Featuring the sounds of 6 great bands: 

Felonius Smith Trio
Acoustic Hotfoot
Lost Alamos
Cari Minor & Ray Smith
Chris and Bardusco of Meniskus
The Alltunators

If you haven’t already done so, check out the Evergreen Jazz Festival.  Today is the last day to experience some great jazz in the town of Evergreen, Colorado.  The annual Evergreen Jazz Festival started on Friday and goes through today.  You can see and hear Jazz at five locations – although the Little Bear only participated on Friday and Saturday.  The other locations include the Evergreen Lakehouse, the Elks Ballroom, the Elks Patio, and the Evergreen Christian Church.

The 2009 lineup features the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Festival Feetwarmers with Anita Thomas, After Midnight Jazz Band, Gypsy Swing Revue, Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra, Marty Eggers’ Ragtime Quartet, John Royen Trio, International Sextet, Joni Janak and Centerpiece Jazz with special guest Rich Chiaraluce, Celebration Jazz Band, Gremoli, and Colorado favorite Queen City Jazz Band with vocal great Wende Harston.

If you live in the foothills and are looking for something fun and different to do, check it out.  It is a good time and great music.