October Picks

Monday.6
[ART] Who doesn’t like circles and ellipses? Perhaps Sarah Palin. She seems square, dont’cha think? We think circles are cool; so does CSU art professor Dave Yust. Check out his current exhibit. Through Nov. 16, Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720.898.7200

Tuesday.7
[music] Nikka Costa rocks in her own right, but perhaps the coolest thing about her was that her dad Don Costa was an arranger for Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. So once you see her concert, you’re two degrees away from the Chairman of the Board. Which makes you exactly 12 percent cooler than you were before you saw the show. 8pm, Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, 303.322.2308

Wednesday.8
[comedy] Bobby Tessel has killed on Letterman, Leno, and Evening at the Improv. And now, he kills in Westminster. And you can be there. Try not to heckle him about his Saved By the Bell appearance. 8pm, Wits End, 8861 Harlan St., Westminster, 303.430.4242

Thursday.9
[film] Although there’s been much disagreement about the actual temperature paper auto-ignites (whether the title really should have been Celsius 451) the book Fahrenheit 451, and later, the film, still provide plenty of important lessons, even today, more than 40 years after being released. Take your teens to this discussion and remind them about how important the freedom of speech is. 5:30pm, Erie Community Library, 400 Powers St., Erie, 720.685.5200

Friday.10
[beer] Three days. More than 1,900 different beers from more than 400 different breweries, all there for your tasting with the price of admission. Heaven, thy name is Great American Beer Festival. 6pm, Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver, 303.228.8000, www.beertown.org

Saturday.11
No, it’s not a dry lecture about Freudian psychological theory. What Ego vs. Id is, however, is a kick-ass indie quartet that proves Boulder bands don’t all have to play hippie jam music or have a banjo and two mandolins in the lineup. 9:30pm, Waterloo Icehouse, 809 S. Main St., Louisville, 303.993.2094

Sunday.12
[culture] Sure it might be near freezing in Colorado on this day, but that doesn’t mean your heart can’t be in Hawaii. And a great way to help the illusion is the Colorado Aloha Festival. Traditional Hawaiian food, art and artifacts, a live hula performance and more. Mahalo. 10am, Vance Brand Civic Auditorium, 600 E. Mountain View Ave., Longmont, 303.651.0401

Monday.13
[music] If you are a fan of the Showtime original series The L Word, then chances are you know Tegan and Sara, who have supplanted the Indigo Girls as the coolest lesbians in rock—so much so that even straight people like them! 7pm, Paramount Theatre, 1631 Glenarm Place, Denver, $33.50+, 303.534.8336

Tuesday.14

[art] Photography as art is a uniquely debated topic, especially when it’s snapshots of the real world. Is it journalism or art? The people and places of Old Mexico lend themselves to the lens of shutterbug Wilfrido Godinez. Decide for yourself if his work is art or journalism or both. Old Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Ave., Longmont, 303.651.2787

Wednesday.15
[festival] Dead people rock. As long as they’re not trying to eat your brains, anyway. And the Latino cultures know this, thus the awesome celebrations for the dead that occur on Dia de los Muertos. Learn all about how the holiday is celebrated in the coastal and southern jungle areas in Mexico with guest lecturers Julie Marino and Rita Wallace. 7pm, Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd., Longmont, 303.651.8969

Thursday.16
[film] Independent film is often where the true gems are mined, and when you add a little Halloween spirit to the mix you can unearth some real classics. Head to the Broomfield Independent Film Series: Halloween Spookfest and see what the best and brightest have to offer. 7pm, Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, Broomfield, 303.460.6800

Friday.17
[music] This will either be truly awesome or suck royally. The Rock Band Live Tour with Panic at the Disco will allow people who play the Rock Band video game to bring their bands and compete to play Rock Band live on stage between sets. It’s kind of like having a Madden tournament on the 50-yard line of the Superbowl during halftime. 7pm, Broomfield Event Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane, Broomfield, 303.410.8497

Saturday.18
[music] There’s no shortage of bad harmonica players out there trying to front a blues band while no one has the guts to tell them they suck. The Delta Sonics are a harmonica-led blues quartet that actually doesn’t suck. In fact, they’re pretty damn good. 9pm, Oskar Blues, 303 Main St., Lyons, 303.823.6685

Sunday.19
[music] Let’s face it, the Blues often devolves into a one-trick pony; 12-bar structures, a blues scale and some overly sentimental lyrics. Taj Mahal has spent a long career making the blues live with the times, blending influences from a host of other cultures and sounds into his approach to this ancient American art form. 7pm, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, $32.50+, 303.786.7030

Monday.20
[music] Forget about “dinner and a flick.” Get dressed up and bring her to watch the Colorado Chamber Players performing works by Shostakovich, Glass and Hindemith and prove you’re actually a man of substance and culture. Then, show her your awesome General Lee belt buckle/can opener and watch her swoon. 7:30pm, Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, Broomfield, 303.460.6800

Tuesday.21
[music] Remember that awesomely fun swing fad that swept popular culture in the late ’90s? So does Joe Jackson, only he tried to do it almost two decades earlier. Sadly, no one was listening then (no Gap ads to really drive it home), but on his next album, things got to rocking. 8pm, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, 303.786.7030

Wednesday.22
[sports] It’s a safe bet that Colorado has the most number of professional sports teams whose names didn’t end in “S.” There’s the Crush, Avalanche, Mammoth…Anyone remember the Denver Dynamite or the Denver Gold? Well, add the Rocky Mountain Rage to the list and watch ’em square off against the Colorado Eagles. 7pm, Broomfield Event Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane, 303.410.8497

Thursday.23
[film] Focused on highlighting books that made it onto the silver screen the Erie Community Library’s Teen Book to Movie Night provides the flick and the popcorn, you provide the teen. This installment features the movie Blood and Chocolate based on the novel by Annette Klause. 4pm, Erie Community Library, 400 Powers St., Erie, 720.685.5200

Friday.24
[music] Louisville isn’t exactly crawling with bands; so when one surfaces that’s worth listening to, why not support it? Latch is a homegrown indie quartet that cites Sonic Youth as an influence but sounds more like REM. 9:30pm, Waterloo Icehouse, 809 S. Main St., Louisville, 303.993.2094

Saturday.25
[halloween] Grab the kids and head to the Orchard Town Center for its soon-to-be annual Spook-Tacular Bash, which starts with Mayor McNally reading a spooky story (too…many…political…jokes….), followed by a DJ spinning Halloween tunes, a Scooby-doo bounce house and goodie bags for the ghouls and goblins. 1pm, Orchard Town Center, 14750 Huron St., Westminster, 303.450.8600

Sunday.26
[festival] With the Dia de Los Muertos events planned on Nov. 1 in Longmont, organizers are gonna need a lot of Sugar Skulls, and they need your help to make them. Grab your apron and swing on down for Volunteer Sugar Skull Making Day. 1pm, Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd., Longmont, 303.651.8969

Monday.27
[music] Jason Mraz remains underexposed, and there lies the key to his success. He’s a happier version of Nick Drake; an American troubadour with the ability to play an acoustic guitar and sing without a trace of irony. He’s toured with everyone from Alanis Morissette to the Stones. 7:30pm, Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St., Denver, $30+, 303.837.1024

Tuesday.28
[literary] If you’re not familiar with Story Corps, you should be. It’s the brainchild of Dave Isay, an award-winning author who set out to document the stories of everyday people all over the country, bringing a mobile sound studio and inviting random strangers in to document their lives. 7:30pm, Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder, 303.447.2074

Wednesday.29
[Literary] Lucinda Franks is the first female to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize for The Weathermen, a piece she wrote on Vietnam protest group. She discovered, years later, that her father had been a spy during WWII, and then wrote a memoir about it. Meet her and learn more about this fascinating woman and the stories she tells. 7:30pm, Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder, 303.447.2074

Thursday.30
[music] Do you remember that awesome scene (really, one of the best animated sequences in a movie ever) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where Daffy and Donald Duck play an amazing rendition of the Hungarian Rhapsody over dueling pianos? Well, we hope this Dueling Piano Players performance one ends with exploding cannons, too. 7:30pm, Nissi’s, 2675 North Park Drive, Lafayette, 303.665.8101

Friday.31
[haloween] Who doesn’t love zombies? Their cute vacant stares, sallow, decomposed skin, unquenchable appetite for human brains… They’re totally the life of the party! Now, you can see them up close and in the (rotting) flesh, thanks to this courageous adaption of the famous George Romero, Night of the Living Dead, treatise on American Consumerism for the stage. 8pm, The Bug Theater 3654 Navajo St., $15 General Admission, $13 students/seniors, 303.477.9984