By David Flomberg

Content is value.

Sadly, it’s evident that the people responsible for distributing content have long forgotten that fact. From the streaming model — e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, etc. — that cratered the financial value of recording artists’ music to the SAG/AFTRA strike now stretching into its second month, it’s apparent that the list of entities who want a piece of the value of art created by other people has grown exponentially greater than what the movie houses and record labels of yesteryear chiseled out.

And while SAG/AFTRA has some measure of leverage in this battle, for musicians it’s a David and Goliath story where Goliath wins, whether it’s in the local scene or when it’s on a national stage. In this case, it’s the “Pay-to-Play” model, where musicians literally pay a promoter or the venue to perform on the stage. And while it’s not a new concept by any measure, it is creeping into new areas of Colorado’s music and arts scene.

On The Big Stages

When The Weeknd performed for the Super Bowl halftime performance in 2021, he didn’t make a dime. 

In fact, he spent more than $7 million on the production, according to Billboard magazine (“Super Bowl Halftime Shows Cost Millions. Who’s Paying?” Billboard.com, Feb. 5, 2021) — the most expensive “pay-to-play” event a musician will ever encounter.

While the NFL covers most of the production costs of the annual event, the value to the artist is access to the largest captive audience in the world — Super Bowl LVII was viewed by 115.1 million people. After their Super Bowl performances in previous years, “Shakira‘s Spotify tracks increased by 230% compared to the previous week, and Jennifer Lopez’s music went up by 335%,” Billboard reported. Rihanna’s digital album sales skyrocketed 301% after her halftime performance in this year’s Super Bowl, according to Forbes.

In Los Angeles, iconic venue Whiskey a Go Go has long been a “pay-to-play” venue. Audiences often include record label executives and talent scouts. For bands looking to get signed, the cost to play there is viewed as a necessary marketing spend. Given the history of musical acts that launched careers there — ranging from Otis Redding to Guns N’ Roses — it’s a reasonable investment. 

But in Colorado, that practice has never taken hold — certainly not at the myriad small-to-midsized venues dotting the Front Range. Occasionally, major touring acts allow local acts to “sign on” to their tour as an opener at a large venue for a fee — but again, that’s for access to a major act’s sizable audience and it can be worth the cost for that kind of quantifiable exposure. However, that’s the exception. Not the rule. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly pay for a professional musician is $36.01. That’s for the performance — not rehearsal/practice time, composition, arranging, or any of the other effort that goes into the job. It’s important to note: this information is based on trackable data. The vast majority of musicians’ income is still untrackable. When John Smith plays a gig at Frank’s Tavern and gets paid with a check written to “John Smith” — there’s nothing telling the BLS that payment was for a music performance — even if it’s still reported as “income” to the IRS. Since the BLS data comes from musicians successful enough to have a recognizable, steady income as such, it’s reasonable to assume the actual average pay for a musician is far lower. In Colorado, anecdotally at least, it appears most professional musicians average between $50-$100 per gig.

Trumpter Steve Illich and David Flomberg playing with Reptiles and Samurai at the Oriental Theater. Credit: Deb Flomberg-Rollins

Pay to Play on the Local Stages

Bridging The Music Promotions LLC, founded locally by Jonah Lipsky, now headquartered in New York, doesn’t operate according to the Centennial State’s established norms. The consensus among both proponents and detractors of BTM call it the same thing: “Pay-to-play.”

BTM books an artist for a specific event where BTM has secured a venue. That artist is responsible for selling an agreed-upon number of tickets for that event. BTM gets 100% of that revenue. For the next cohort of tickets sold above that number, the artist keeps 100%. For every ticket after that, there’s a split between the artist and BTM. If the artist doesn’t meet the number of ticket sales agreed upon in the first cohort, they are still responsible to cover the difference to BTM.

On June 21, BTM emailed me unsolicited (I founded and manage an Oingo Boingo tribute band called Reptiles and Samurai) to see about performing their “miniFEST”:

“Hi Reptiles and Samurai… I just wanted to see if you’re possibly available to perform on September 23rd at Denver miniFEST at Herman’s Hideaway? I have a really good lineup for this show already, but I am looking to fill a few more slots. If you are available please let me know and we can discuss. Also please note, we offer all performers a free HD video of the event, you will play in front of a new audience and we also pay very fairly based on your attendance. In general it’s such a good event for networking, expanding and growing your fanbase. Feel free to email me here or we can jump on a call.”

The timing was serendipitous. I had literally just spoken with local musician and Colorado Musicians Union co-founder Sarah Mount (profiled in YS: “Spotlight on Sarah Mount,” June 12, 2021) a week before about BTM’s business model because of a Facebook post she published decrying this model. Her post on the topic — where multiple local musicians weighed in referring to BTM as a “scam” —  was responded to with a cease-and-desist letter from BTM’s attorney, Mateo Perez, esq. We’ll revisit that in a moment.

Sarah Mount

I scheduled a call via that email and ended up on the phone with Lipsky.

(Disclosure: On that first call, I did not reveal that I was a journalist — I wanted to hear his full pitch from the perspective of an actual client.)

“We use a ‘business partnership’ kind of situation,” Lipsky said. “Everyone we book must sell at least 35 tickets and the next set of tickets is profit. So if you sell 70 tickets at the base price of $22, you make $770 at that point so there is a lot of money on the back end of things where you can do really well on ticket sales. We also live stream the event… We pay you $5 to $7 on each live stream order, separate from the ticket requirement, so you start making money for those right away. We give you a clear HD video of the entire event. We give you a free group video on stage on our Instagram page, and if you want an edit, it’s only $100. Based on that do you have any questions?”

“How do you handle your marketing on your end?” I asked. 

“We have digital posters with all the artists on them, online calendars, we also make collages with all the people involved. Most importantly we keep everyone motivated, organizing as leaders so as to get a really good night, and with everyone selling tickets it makes it beneficial — when you don’t have that you are playing to a small audience.” Additionally, Lipsky said he sets aside some money for paid social media promotion. “Typically a couple of hundred dollars.” Lipsky said he had 12 acts lined up, each with a 30-minute slot to perform. But whether or not it actually happens at Herman’s Hideaway may be in question. 

“That date in specific is a little up in the air right now,” said Joe Hoffman, talent buyer at Herman’s Hideaway, where BTM is producing the show Lipsky wanted to book my band to play. I spoke with Hoffman over the phone after I chatted with Lipsky. “That (event) was apparently booked before we took over.”

Herman’s Hideaway changed ownership in March, 2023, and the deal with BTM pre-dates Hoffman’s employment with the venue. “Bridging The Music — the way they approach things doesn’t necessarily align with the way we want to approach things. I haven’t seen a contract yet. I don’t really wanna discuss this too much, honestly, but there’s an existing contract that is probably gonna have to be honored.” 

Herman’s model has been consistent for decades: Bands got paid based on attendance for their shows. It’s not pay-to-play, but acts often would be lucky to make enough to cover the cost of gas getting to the venue. Under new ownership, Herman’s is changing that model by providing a guarantee to bands, which has been lauded by performers who’ve played there since.

“The place is looking great,” said Troy Thill, a saxophonist who performed there recently with Denver-based reggae band Iron Roots. “We played on a week night and still got paid a guarantee, the sound system’s way better, they cleaned up the green room — it was a better experience all around than it was in the past.”

So, why would someone pay to perform on Herman’s Hideaway’s stage? According to Hoffman, Herman’s capacity is 500. Based on the contract I received, if 12 acts are on the bill for this BTM event, and each act actually sells 35 tickets, that adds up to 420 sales just for all of the bands to break even. This leaves a total of 80 potential “profit-making” tickets to be sold. At $22 per ticket, that’s a pot of $1,760 to be split among 12 bands, or $146 total, per band. 

The most important takeaway from the contract Lipsky offered: The band would be on the hook for $770 to perform at this event. Additionally, “streaming tickets,” as well as any tickets sold at the door, do not qualify against the 35 tickets the band is contractually responsible for. And about that contract: Lipsky made me pay a $20 “registration fee” through his online system just to get a copy of the contract. As a professional musician with 30 years of experience, I’ve never been charged a fee just to get a contract.

All of this is to say: This is the very definition of a pay-to-play model.

ABOVE: This is the contract provided by Jonah Lipsky to Reptiles and Samurai.

I paid the $20 and got the contract, which I later shared with attorney Max Hass, a partner at Holon Law Partners who specializes in entertainment law, among other areas. 

“This is music vulturism at its worst,” Hass said.

“If a client handed me this contract,” he continued, “I’d tell them either don’t sign it, or we’d have to basically re-write the whole thing…There isn’t a single obligation on the side of the promoter other than this line, ‘promoter will provide the Artist a performance slot at the event.’ There’s a basic concept in contract law that there is an equitable exchange of obligations on a contract. Everything here is about the artists’ obligations, nothing here about what the promoter is obligated for. Nothing even about promotions or marketing. It’s dangerously close to being unenforceable in Colorado.”

Not all that surprising, considering Lipsky’s attorney’s legal tactics (assuming he drafted the contract), starting with the questionable cease-and-desist notice he sent to Sarah Mount:

As I tried to contact Perez for comment on this article, I discovered an attorney named Mateo Perez received an official admonishment by the New Jersey State Supreme Court in 2013 for practicing law in the State of New York without a license for a case he tried there in 2011.

(Full pdf available for download HERE.)

A search of Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel returned no results, suggesting Perez does not appear to be licensed to practice in the State of Colorado.

A search of the New York Unified Court System revealed no records as well, suggesting that Perez is not currently licensed to practice law there either.

Even more curious is the language in the cease-and-desist letter Mount received. Perez wrote: “If you do not comply with this cease-and-desist then a lawsuit may be filed in the proper jurisdiction seeking monetary damages and legal fees, as well as pursuing all available legal and criminal remedies for your harassment.” 

According to attorney Michael Gates, a partner at Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP law firm in Denver, that tactic is not allowed: “Threatening criminal prosecution or administrative action to gain an advantage in a civil lawsuit negotiation is a violation of Rule 4.5 of ABA model rules adopted in most states, including Colorado,” he said.

Multiple attempts to contact Perez via email and phone have gone unanswered.

Later, I found that Lipsky had also dissolved the LLC in Colorado back in 2019. No LLC operating under that name is registered with the State of New York where Lipsky now resides, or the State of New Jersey where his attorney is located, (according to his letterhead). Between the contract, the dissolution of Lipsky’s LLC in Colorado, and the legal tactics employed by his attorney (and the fact I couldn’t reach him at all), it was time for another chat with Lipsky. 

The View From Backstage

First up: the contract itself and concerns Hass raised such as the lack of obligations like promotions or marketing on BTM’s part. 

“That has nothing to do with the contract at all,” Lipsky said. “This is a ticket agreement… We do supply a lot of other things, but that has nothing to do with the deal.”

“Your cancellation clause mentions plenty of obligations around the artist’s side for cancellation, but zero obligations on your side for cancellation,” I said.

“It says if anything got canceled, we’d move to a different date and time,” Lipsky said. “It also says all dates and venues are subject to change.”

“Yes. It does,” I replied. “But it also doesn’t specify any framework of time whatsoever to get rebooked. That could be what, three months, 10 years? How many bands implode after a year or two?” 

I inquired about his dissolution of the LLC in Colorado in 2021. Lipsky didn’t like the line of questioning. “Why does that have anything to do with our contract?” he asked. I replied that it called into question the credibility of the business he was asking me to enter into a “partnership” with, as per our first call. Lipsky said BTM is registered as an LLC, but would not share which state it was registered in.

I revealed my identity as a reporter at this point, along with the information I uncovered about his attorney. I asked if his attorney drafted the contract. Lipsky refused to answer. I asked what other bands were on the bill, and he also refused to answer. That’s another sticking point — according to the contract he sent me, the band was on the hook to sell tickets and pay him money long before the event itself was scheduled. Trying to sell a $22 ticket to someone and telling them, “Well, my band is playing for 30 minutes and there are also 11 other bands on the bill, but I can’t tell you who those bands are,” seems like a pretty tough uphill battle. 

Lipsky did clarify that the deal he offered me was not the same deal for everyone. “Let’s say like you’re a solo act and you’re like, ‘Hey, I can only sell like, like 15, 20 tickets.’ …We’re not gonna contract somebody on a 35-ticket deal that can only sell like, you know, a handful of tickets. That’s not our style at all. We have a lot of artists that have, like 10-ticket deals, 15, 20.”

Throughout our call one thing became clear – Lipsky believes in what he does and finally acknowledged that the value BTM brings to the artists it books has less to do with money and more to do about “exposure” and “networking” despite the focus of the contract. And there are other artists who agree.

The View From The Stage

KeithM McClinton is an R&B/Pop artist in Chicago who also works as an extra on TV shows that have included Empire and Shameless. McClinton first performed at a BTM event in Chicago last October and has since played BTM events in Minneapolis and Atlanta (find out more about him at linktr.ee/4keithm).

“I knew it was pay-to-play,” McClinton said via a phone call. “To me, it was like I was booking the actual venue. You gotta pay the deposit, get a certain amount of tickets. And then you’ll get a back end of the ticket sales.” For McClinton, it wasn’t about the money.

“Even after the 25-ticket sales … There’s still not a profit, he said, laughing. “You’re not gonna get that back unless you are at least bringing in 100 people…It’s like gambling to me. But I met people; that was a success for me. I got friends in Minneapolis now because of what I did with Bridging the Music. The value is about expanding your reach, networking, and having the opportunity to grow your fan base,” McClinton said. 

Ian Svagdis, drummer for the band Mojocat based in Boston, echoed the sentiment. “It was about exposure and networking,” he said. “It was great to meet a lot of the other bands — people in the scene I hadn’t met yet. We had a great experience playing, but also just backstage meeting new people.” (Find out more about Mojocat at facebook.com/mojocatband).

Between McClinton and Svagdis’ experiences, a picture started to form that clarified things: The BTM model isn’t for professional, established musicians. It’s aimed at those just getting started. But even for novices, the Colorado Musicians Union is vehemently against the pay-to-play model.

“The Pay-to-play model…is a predatory model which ultimately serves the employers of said musicians by extracting value generated by the performers into their own pockets, while also ensuring that any losses or underselling of tickets would be at the loss of the musicians and not the employer,” said Frederick Pagnani, one of the founders of the Colorado Musicians Union. “Can we think of another job where this is the case? Are grocery baggers, clothing store cashiers, etc. expected to provide customers for the business or to pay the business when sales are short one day?”

Pay-to-play aside, even the “networking” aspect of the BTM model leaves much to be desired by Mount’s estimation. “It’s a situation where all these newcomers are getting together with each other, and what appears to be missing is leadership from the music scene,” Mount said. “There are open jams every night of the week all over the city, and they’re attended and hosted by players at every level — like the guys from Lettuce, for example. There’s so much more value for newcomers in a situation like that, as opposed to one where you’re paying to play on a stage with a bunch of other artists who are also just starting out and learning the scene.”

Ultimately, regardless of where the value lies for novice musicians, the million-dollar question remains: How does the pay-to-play business model impact the profession in general? 

Ask most professional musicians in Colorado, and they’ll tell you the answer: Poorly. 

Learn more about the Colorado Musicians Union at www.comusiciansunion.com.

The post Spotlight on Pay to Play appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Eric Galatas, Public News Service (AP Storyshare)

As Colorado River Basin states grapple with ways to keep a river more than 40 million people, agriculture and industry depend on flowing, Wall Street is tapping water scarcity to deliver steep profits.

Gary Wockner, director of the group Save the Colorado, said hedge funds and other investors have acquired key parcels of land with water rights. In the early 2000s, Wockner pointed out, you could buy Colorado River water for about $8,000 dollars per acre foot. Last year, an acre foot was selling for $80,000 dollars.

“Over a 20-year period, it went up 1,000% in price,” Wockner noted. “That’s 50% per year, and that’s a pretty good profit, no matter what you’re investing in. And this is going on throughout the southwest United States.”

A recent CBS News report revealed New York-based hedge fund Water Asset Management, whose president once called U.S. water “a trillion-dollar market opportunity,” has invested $20 million in western lands over the last five years. The company, for its part, said its investments work to ensure supplies of quality water.

Wockner cautioned efforts to parlay water rights to command higher prices from southwestern cities whose populations continue to swell will likely continue, unless federal or state governments intervene. He emphasized the incentive to remove water, combined with a 23-year-old drought and climate change, has put the long-term health of the river at great risk.

“There’s been less and less water in the river, so we’re seeing dramatic negative impacts to the ecological health of the river itself,” Wockner stressed. “Fish species are being impacted. Riparian habitat, wildlife habitat, wetlands, et cetera, they’re all being impacted.”

Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — recently submitted a proposal for ways to keep reservoirs from bottoming out. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release new rules this summer for dealing with shortages.

Wockner believes the role of government should not only be to ensure specific batches of water are delivered through the Colorado River to customers.

“But also to protect the public health and the environment,” Wockner asserted. “The government’s role isn’t to find a way for investors and wildly rich people to make more and more money off of Colorado River water.”

References: Water rights CBS News 01/31/2023 | Proposal Ariz./Colo./Nev./N.M./Utah/Wyo. 01/31/2023

The post Wall Street Sees Profits in Dropping Colorado River Levels appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s Note: Press Releases are provided to Yellow Scene. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

PLUMP, PUCKER, SQUISH: CLAIRE ASHLEY
August 11 – 28

Claire Ashley’s vibrant inflatables embrace and amplify the slippery, blurred lines between painting, sculpture, installation, and performance.

TRAVELING EXHIBITION
through September 17, 2022

The works on view speak to our human desire to travel and our ability to reflect experiences through art making that at one time inspire us and at another moment intrigue us enough to ask more questions.

BANANA CRAZE
August 26 – October 22

Banana Craze looks at the 120-year history of the banana monoculture through the contemporary work of 9 international artists. Cultivate looks at food access and justice through a local lens with 7 Colorado-based artists.

SUBTERRALIEN
through August 28, 2022

Artist, film maker and puppeteer Andy Linderkamp uses techniques from building sets for film and television to complete the journey to examine the moment perhaps art and music were born. The music of Greg Gisbert and Michael Lenssen transport you into the ancient past, deep underground.

END OF SILENCE: A PUNK SURVEY OF GREGG DEAL
August 12 – October 9

This exhibition, similar to a Punk rock anthem, amplifies Indigenous erasure and captures an honest and authentically articulated experience and thus ends the silence.

PROCESS: MAKING THINGS ON THE WAY TO MAKING OTHER THINGS
August 12 – September 25

Artists from ASLD’s past and present join in this 35th Anniversary Exhibit all about the creative process and what we make on the way to making finished works of art.

GLOBAL ART NEWS

Women Artists of the Middle East and South Asia Are Reinventing Miniature Painting

New York–based artist, Shahzia Sikander, is a leading figure in a wave of Middle Eastern and South Asian women artists reclaiming miniature painting to tell their stories of transcendence and corporeality. She and fellow artists like Hayv Kahraman, Arghavan Khosravi, Hamra Abbas, and Hiba Schahbaz defy the tradition’s visual and conceptual style through their own technical and narrative complexities.

The post Art Safari with Bobbi Walker: Highlights from the Denver Art Scene appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Cravings. It’s hard to say what triggers them. Sometimes a bad day at work sends us to the nearest fast food joint. Other times our taste buds simply get wanderlust; they remember a meal from childhood, a trip or just plain want something new they’ve never had before.

Whether you grew up in Colorado or came as part of the latest boom, chances are you’ll have a craving soon. When it does hit, consider this list of 25 regional dishes your tongue’s next travel itinerary.

MIDWEST

If you hail from anywhere in the Midwest, then you may think you can’t find a taste of home in Colorado. Anyone who has searched for a truly tasty cheese curd will tell you how hard it is to find the flavors of home here. However, there are actually lots of great spots serving up everything from classic Chicago-style pizza to pierogis and, yes, cheese curds. Take a look at a few fun spots to visit when that Midwest craving hits you, and hits you hard.

C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery

When the cheese squeaks just right, you know it’s perfect. At least, that’s what Midwesterners say about cheese curds — the solid part of the milk curdled during the cheese-making process. While you may think it’s tough to find a good squeaky cheese, you need look no further than the appetizer menu at C.B. & Potts. These Wisconsin-style white cheddar curds are carefully breaded and served with both marinara and a raspberry dipping sauce. Locals love the authentic taste of these delectable little morsels, which keep them coming back for a basket of the little guys for less than $10. You can’t beat that.

Nicolo’s Pizza

There are so many different types of pizza, and depending on the region you call home, you’ll have a preference for thin crust, thick crust, cheese styles and more. Chicago-style pizza is most synonymous with deep-dish pizza, but according to Nicolo’s in Longmont most pizza consumed in Chicago is thin crust. So when you need your true Chicago-style — Margherita, pesto, chicken or more — Nicolo’s has you covered. You can sit down to a small seven-inch just for yourself or belly up with the family for a large 16-inch pie. Then have a rousing debate on the important issues — like which type of crust is superior.

Cracovia

Pierogis are big in the Midwest. Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland all have large Polish populations, who brought the filled dumplings to the United States. If you’ve got a hankering for some truly authentic Polish food, you can find a plethora of pierogis at Cracovia Polish-American Restaurant and Bar in Westminster. The handmade dumplings come filled with your choice of cheese and potato, ground pork or sauerkraut and mushroom, plus you can get them fried or steamed. The pierogi party doesn’t end there. Complete your meal with some sweet pierogis, filled with blueberry, strawberry or cherry, and served with sweet cream sauce.

Your Butcher, Frank doesn’t skimp. (photo by Zach Thomas)

Your Butcher, Frank

There’s no Dagwood sandwich on the menu, but you can certainly build your own by asking for a few different meats. Their default portion size is hefty, so no worries there. The butchers behind the counter (Ron and Lee) have years of experience, offer great standard cuts but will also cut to order. Come in for a lunch sub and leave with fresh cuts for dinner.

NORTHEAST

Say you’ve moved to Colorado from New York City, Boston, or any of the other well-populated northeastern cities, and miss a taste of home. Chances are you have a refined option on what’s the original, best or most authentic version of your favorite dishes. But let’s take a breath, and chow on these northeastern delights. You may find they taste good enough to not only remind you of those meals you so fondly remember from home, but rival them.

Reelfish Fish & Chips

What could be more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder? Ok, maybe a bowl of lobster bisque, but either way, you don’t have to live on the East Coast to get your fix. Reelfish offers fresh seafood options, including lobster bisque and clam chowder. The Lafayette-based restaurant proudly serves up these creamy bowls of comfort to sate the cravings of locals. The chowder’s rich broth is filled with clams and chunks of potatoes and the salty bisque has plenty of fresh lobster.

Did we mention the bagels are made in NYC? (photo by Zach Thomas)

Brooklyn Deli

Ask any New Yorker and they’ll tell you that it’s impossible to find an authentic New York bagel locally. Some say it’s the water, others say it’s the attitude. Whatever it is, Longmont residents love Brooklyn Deli and claim it’s the closest thing you’ll find to the real East Coast treat. The bagels here are flown in from either H&H Bagels or A&S Bagels — both of which are New York bagel joints with stellar reputations. The fish comes from Brooklyn’s ACME Smoked Fish. So the next time a bagel craving has you looking up flights to New York; try Longmont.

This spicy take on a classic Reuben is what fusion is all about. (photo courtesy of 24 Carrot)

24 Carrot

Nebraska makes a claim for inventing the reuben, but until they get more facts, it’s a northeastern dish. Chances are you don’t care about its origin, you just like aged corn beef between slices of rye, but we expect more, which is why we suggest you try the Korean Reuben here, which mixes 10-day corned beef with house made kimchi topped with Sambal Thousand Island dressing. This is another example of Chef Kevin Kidd taking the known in new directions.  

Rosalee’s Pizzeria

If you’ve never eaten in New York City, here’s a little secret: There is plenty of awful, flimsy, undercooked pizza there to buy by the slice. Save your Brooklyn comparisons, Sal’s closed down decades ago. We’ll call this a Northeast Slice because it’s really its own style of pizza drawing inspiration from favorite pies tasted in New Jersey, Boston and yes, New York. The dough is thin and often comes with a nice char on both sides. While even the website says old-world, it’s really more old-school, which is to say they take a no-nonsense approach using fresh, traditional Italian ingredient including housemade pork sausage and freshly-sliced pepperoni.

The whoopie pie is a tasty departure from The Post’s southern-fried fare. (photo by Erika Liberato)

Post Brewing Company

Known for its fried chicken and southern fare – and rightly so – it was the whoopie pie in the display case that first caught our eye, and we’ve been in love ever since. Also known as a gob in the northeast, or a Big Fat Oreo, the ‘cookies’ here are essentially slices of German chocolate cakes with a bounty of whipped, fluffy mascarpone crammed between. These hamburger-sized treats go great with milk, or a nice stout.

Foolish Craig’s

Ask anyone from Philly what food is most comforting and chances are you’ll hear one word: cheesesteak. It’s an obvious answer, and they don’t care. To get a taste of that thinly sliced sirloin with grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms, try Foolish Craig’s in Boulder. This popular Pearl Street eatery is known for its crepes, but you can order a Philly Steak Sandwich, complete with smoked provolone on a house-made baguette. In fact, everything is made in-house, which helped attract the attention of Guy Fieri and his “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” – words that are hard to find in Boulder these days – and thus is on the radar of plenty other food enthusiasts.

SOUTHEAST

The flavors of the south are something totally different, and truly regional. Everything from fried chicken to grits to the many varieties of barbecue are comfort foods for those that grew up in the area. If you’ve recently relocated here, or if you’re just on a visit to Colorado but you want to have a taste of home, there are still several popular local restaurants serving up these classic southern dishes, just the way you might get them at home.

Bru Handbuilt Ales & Eats

When the craving hits for some amazing southern-style fried chicken, what’s a local to do? Boulderites in the know are raving about the fried chicken at Bru Handbuilt Ales & Eats. Words like “unbelievable,” “amazing” and “delectable” fill most reviews. The Crispy Fried Chicken comes with red-chile honey to blend the sweet with tangy, and served with the only things fried chicken should be served with – pickled collard greens and buttermilk biscuits.

The Sink’s Chicken and Waffles “sandwich.” (photo by Zach Thomas)

The Sink

There is a lot this institution does right. As the oldest bar and restaurant in Boulder, the staff at this local spot has had plenty of time to perfect every recipe. Case in point – the Chicken and Waffles. The sweet taste of maple and the salty, savory fried chicken blend together in this open-faced waffle sandwich, served with bacon-maple jam and Cholula butter. And the chicken? It’s cornflake-fried, so you get plenty of that crispy texture that makes this dish work so well. If you are from Boulder, then you already know The Sink, but if you haven’t been there before, a dish of this classic southern dish is the perfect reason to visit.

The Huckleberry

Why should you have to wait for Thanksgiving for a slice of pecan pie? When life feels stressful, a perfectly sweet dessert may be the perfect answer to that stress and this Louisville eatery does pie right. This popular restaurant has been voted a local favorite time and time again. This is no ordinary pecan pie; it’s Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. The additions of the chocolate and bourbon are the perfect southern-style treat to amp up this classic favorite dish. Swing by to try for yourself, and you just may find The Huckleberry’s pies on your Thanksgiving table too.

Georgia Boys BBQ

Traditional southern barbecue can be tough to find in Colorado. Longmont’s solution for southern-style cravings is Georgia Boys BBQ Company, and it’s about as southern as you can get. The restaurant serves up everything from pulled pork to hot links, pulled chicken, turkey and the always-popular smoked brisket. Before you check the internet to look, yes, there are visible smoke rings. Whether you prefer the classic chopped brisket for a sandwich or the flavor-packed burnt ends, these Georgia boys have the recipe for you. Enjoy a pound or some fraction thereof, and pile on some fixin’s (or sides) for a southern smorgasbord.

Gque Championship BBQ

Barbecue comes in different variations, and from different animals, and fans of Carolina-style barbecue can be downright picky when they hunger for what they, by default, simply refer to as barbecue. Westminster locals swear by the hickory-smoked goodness coming out of Gque, which has won national accolades for all its styles. The owners intend to put Denver on the barbecue map, and by rightly serving their Carolina ‘cue on a bun with slaw and a sweet tangy sauce, they’re well on their way.

Lucile’s Creole Café

For more than 36 years, Coloradans have loved the Creole flavors here. You can find all the classic Creole staples, from fresh collard greens to red beans, Zydeco salad, Chicken Robicheaux and more. Of course, one of the most classic comfort foods of the Creole cuisine is the favorite — Shrimp and Grits, and Boulderites love a steaming bowl of Lucile’s famous shrimp with Andouille sausage and red peppers served with a huge helping of creamy, flavor-packed grits. Word is that these grits have far more flavor than your average bowl, and it’s the perfect dish to bring some comfort as the weather turns cold and you want something to really stick to your ribs.

SOUTHWEST

On the other “southern” side of the country, the ingredients and flavors differ. Instead of grits and barbecue, you find staples like green chili, chilaquiles and chicharrones with Mexican and native origins. These traditional flavors have are now standard, comforting foods in the region and have a reputation far beyond it. If you’re on the search for a taste of not-so-distant southwestern flavors, here are some fabulous places to visit.

Centro Mexican Kitchen

Commuting to and from Boulder can be a hassle, especially in the snow. Yet this Pearl Street hotspot is worth a stop. Start the day off right with a big breakfast burrito packed with hash browns, chorizo, eggs, asadero cheese and rajas — and yes, topped off with green chili. Anyone who’s been to this favorite eatery knows that this is a great place to get that classic morning dish. Of course, you can also enjoy lots of other Mexican delicacies here, including carne asada, carnitas, relleno and more. But when a huge breakfast burrito is on the menu, why order anything else?

Santiago’s

Though it’s classically associated with the Southwest, just about every Colorado native loves Green Chili. There’s something so heartening about a warm bowl of the spicy, flavor-packed dish that instantly comforts and delights. And when it comes to green chili in Colorado, this is one spot everyone recommends. In fact, you can buy Santiago’s in grocery stores. Of course, it’s always best fresh from the kitchen, and the Boulder location is ready to serve you as many bowls as you like. You can also get it served atop a burrito or any other classic Mexican dishes they serve.

Kachina Grill’s crispy pig skin and braised pork belly served with pickled onions and chipotle aioli. (photo by Jennifer Ho)

Kachina Grill

If you’ve never had chicharrones, you’re really missing out. It’s as popular of a snack in the Southwest as it is in Mexico, Chile or Colombia. Traditionally made from fried pork rinds or fried pork belly, these are not your average grocery-store rind. The real deal is full of flavor that explodes in your mouth with each bite, and available right here in Westminster. Kachina has the delectable morsels on the appetizer menu, served with pickled onion and pineapple, a chipotle aioli and morita salsa. Note: these are pork belly chicharrones, a more flavorful way to serve them.

Comida

For more than a century, American cookbooks have included chilaquiles, so your breakfast cravings are nothing new to the southwest. Likely a morning dish because it was a tasty solution to using up the previous day’s leftover tortillas and salsas, Comida uses house made sliced tortillas and fresh salsas. Scrambled eggs for protein, tortillas for carbs, and a spice and heat of tomatillo chile verde and ranchero sauce to give your day some fire. What makes them more Boulder-y? The GF designation on the menu.

WEST COAST

If there’s one thing that’s plentiful in Colorado, it’s Californians, and many of the west-coast dwellers have moved here for a plethora of different reasons. However, just because you may have left the coast, that doesn’t mean you’re not still searching for some really great seafood. Colorado may be landlocked, but thanks to lightning-quick delivery, you can still get some fresh, delectable seafood dishes without leaving the state. If you’re on the search for fish tacos, cedar plank salmon or other tasty west coast dishes, here are a few places to look.

Riff’s Urban Fare

Cooking salmon with cedar planks is the traditional method among Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest and it remains a favorite method among chefs who love the simplicity of allowing the wood to impart flavor in the fish. Riff’s is the place to go for cedar plank organic salmon, which comes served with bay laurel butter and hazel dell mushrooms. The wet wood smoke adds layers of flavor to the fish without masking it. It’s truly amazing how that one little addition changes the flavor of the fish. Try it for yourself and you’ll see why so many west-coasters crave it.

The popular Z #9 roll from Sushi Zanmai. (photo by Paul Wedlake)

Sushi Zanmai

Japan and California share different sides of the vast Pacific and a few residents, too. While sushi was prepared along the west coast for decades, the majority of Americans were reluctant to eat fish served with rice in a seaweed wrapper. Then came the California roll, which used an ‘inside-out’ style of sushi that put the seaweed inside, and swapped toro for avocado alongside cucumber and crab (often imitation crab). And while we encourage you to savor that little nori of food history, if you go to Sushi Zanmai, you must eat the fish. As much as you can!

Snarf’s

The Denver-based chain has expanded to others states, but hasn’t outgrown the rave reviews from locals. One of their most-touted sandwiches is the French dip with Au Jus, a sandwich that originated in L.A.  It’s a simple sandwich made with thin slices of roast beef inside French bread and, most importantly, served with au jus — the yummy beef juice that concentrates its flavor while cooking. Snarf’s lightly toasts the bread to so it holds up under repeated dunks into the dip, and if they’ll let you break from the traditional and pile on plenty of toppings.

T/ACO mills their own corn each morning to create their own masa for their tortillas. (photo by Jennifer Ho)

T/ACO an Urban Taqueria

You’ll find several takes on authentic Mexican food on the menu, but we’re focused on their fish tacos. Already established in coastal Mexico, fish tacos have become a trademark offering for California where diners look for a healthier way to mix their love of spice and seafood. Boulderites were early adopters of the fresh and healthy eating that California’s influence brought to American menus, and they’ve recently shown their love of fish too. The fish tacos at T/ACO are made with grilled red snapper and served with chipotle mayo, cabbage, scallion, red onion, radish and avocado, all of which is a bit more decadent than the menu’s “street-style” implies.

Empire

We’re at the end of a long list, so perhaps it reads as jest that someone would crave a salad. But in keeping with the theme of California’s influence on New American cuisine, Empire’s Kale Caesar Salad represents a fresh and healthy meal, a new hot ingredient (kale) and oh yeah, the Caesar salad was born in San Diego. Empire also imbues a relaxed vibe while serving its elevated takes on casual food, and this salad wouldn’t be on the menu if there wasn’t something special about it.

The post Eat Around America With 25 Regional Foods appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Portland indie pop band Pure Bathing Culture will play at the Bluebird Theatre on November 7, so we were delighted to speak to singer/keyboardist Sarah Versprille about what we can expect…P

To view the Official Video of Dream The Dare by Pure Bathing Culture you need only CLICK HERE.

Pure Bathing Culture plays with Tennis at 9 p.m. on Friday, November 7 at the Bluebird Theatre; 3317 E Colfax Ave., Denver; 303-377-1666; $15-$18.

The post A brief chat with Pure Bathing Culture appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

What better way to celebrate Halloween than curled up on the sofa watching a scary movie? The experience is a little bit better (and scarier) when the film has a local connection, so we have compiled ten horror movies with a Colorado link. Some of them were filmed here, some of them were set here, and some of them star a local, but they all have Rocky Mountain links. Enjoy!

Strangeland

This weird and deeply disturbing 1998 cult movie was filmed in Colorado Springs and, oddly enough, was written by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. Snider also starred as main villain Captain Howdy, the ultimate internet chatroom troll who preys on teens and kind of forces body modification upon them. Not cool, Howdy. When it comes to sewing the lips shut, no means no.

Phantoms

Ben Affleck starred in this creepy drama, set in Snowfield, Colorado. A flop at the box office, Phantoms was admittedly a confusing piece of work, based on a Dean Koontz novel. Something evil has wiped out the population of the small town, leaving Affleck, Peter O’Toole, and a few others to figure it out. There’s a moth that eats people’s faces – so it’s worth seeing for that.

The Shining (mini-series)

Stephen King apparently didn’t like Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie version of his novel (because, he said, Jack Nicholson didn’t appear sane enough when he initially entered the Overlook Hotel), so he went away and made this mini-series in 1997. And it stinks.

The Shining

Regardless of what King thinks, Kubrick’s take on The Shining is excellent. We know that it was a visit to Colorado’s Stanley Hotel by King that inspired the Overlook Hotel in the novel. Sadly, none of the movie was shot here, but it is still an impressive and much-loved piece of work.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Not the monumental Tobe Hooper original, but the 2003 remake starring Jessica Biel (raised in Boulder), directed by Marcus Nispel. The director took the more-is-more approach to the chainsaw-based violence (unlike the original) and, while it is gruesomely effective, it lacks the classy mood of the first movie.

Cannibal! The Musical

South Park man Trey Parker wrote this black comedy musical while studying at the University of Colorado, and it truly is a subversive sign of things to come. Based on the life of prospector Alfred Packer, who was accused of cannibalism in the mountains during the winter of 1973-74 before working as a guard for the Denver Post, Parker succeeds in making the ingestion of human flesh hilarious.

Day of the Dead (remake)

Again, this is a remake of a beloved horror movie, in this case the third in George Romero’s original zombie trilogy, and it fails to match the quality of the source material. Here, Ving Rhames and others are holed up in a small Colorado town, fighting off the undead. Oh, and the zombies are acrobatic. Just watch the original instead.

The Hitchhiker

If we learned anything from Rutger Hauer’s The Hitcher, it’s never pick up hitchhikers. That movie was remade (badly) in 2007, the same year that this movie about four women from Colorado Springs who made the silly decision to pick up a killer was unleashed. Not terrible, but there’s better out there.

Misery

One of those rare things – a truly brilliant Stephen King adaption. James Caan plays novelist Paul Sheldon, who has just finished his latest piece of work in Silver Creek, Colorado and he is driving back to New York when he gets into a car accident. He’s pulled out of the wreckage by “nurse” Annie Wilkes (an awesome Kathy Bates), his biggest fan, and then the horror really begins. The movie deservedly saw Bates win an Oscar for Best Actress. Tremendous.

I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer

The direct-to-video final installment in the franchise, IAKWYDLS (based in our mountains but filmed in Utah) is a mess of a movie, with none of the original cast returning. By now, the fisherman villain is old-hat and not at all scary, and we really don’t care about any of the sliced-and-diced teens. The only horrific thing here is the acting.

The post Halloween – Horror in Colorado appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

French Davis: Can you tell us how the idea of TalentDiscovery.com first sprang to life?
Steve Stith: I was seeing amazing talent everywhere: On Venice Beach, the subway in New York and on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Also, the talented people who post videos online that go unnoticed. Plus, those who didn’t make the cut onto the talent shows on television. A few of them, in my opinion, were better than some of the ones that did make the cut. That’s when I thought “We will give talent a new way to be seen. We will give them a new way to be discovered. They deserve it.”

FD: I get Los Angeles, but why is Denver your other main office?
SS: L.A. makes the most sense, I agree. However, I have worked in Los Angeles, in Chicago, in Dallas and in Denver. We have partnered with some very talented graphic designers, website designers, developers, idea generators and more in Denver that are willing to do whatever it takes to make this site great. (Plus, in addition to the beach, I love going to the mountains).

FD: Is this self-financed, or are there investors? If the latter, how tough a sell was it to raise the capital to launch, especially given the economic climate today?
SS: This project is partially self-financed and partially financed with investors. The pitch to investors for any venture is tough right now. The good thing about TalentDiscovery.com is it will be a phased project creatively and financially for the next two years.

FD: Is your revenue purely advertising? What’s the pitch like to your advertisers?
SS: Revenue will come from two sources: A nominal fee to enter your video, which is only $3.99. This will help pay for the encoding of the videos, the judging, administration, etc. And the second is advertisers. The pitch to advertisers (in addition to the analytics) is first and foremost that if they become an advertiser now, they will be able to be the category-specific sponsor/advertiser when this gets big. Plus, we demonstrate to them that the length of time that they are featured on the site at our low rate is a great way to augment their other media buys.

FD: What’s your 30-second pitch to contestants?
SS: I’ll give you the 10-second one: Would you rather post your talent video on other video sites with hundreds of millions of other videos…right alongside the ones of “Dogs chasing their tails” and “Babies Laughing”? Or would you rather have your talent seen by the professionals who can make a difference in your career?

FD: How long is a “season?”
SS: Each season will be six months. The first one is a little longer because it took a while for people to hear about TalentDiscovery.com. Plus, we were getting emails asking us if we would extend the deadline a little in order for the talented individuals to get their videos shot, edited and uploaded.

FD: How did you settle on this current crop of categories? For instance, I noticed the only specific instrumental category was lead guitar… why not Trombone or Keyboard?
SS: We chose the current categories based on the types of videos on other sites and the genres of talent shows on television. To answer your second question, guitar is the most popular instrument – that’s why we added it. But, if you play the trombone, maybe next season…

FD: Do you have plans on adding or changing categories?
SS: We do plan on changing categories for next season. We will keep the most popular ones and delete some of the least popular ones. Look for more categories, prizes and new judges too.

FD: Can you tell us about your growth since launch? Web traffic, submissions, etc….
SS: Our growth since our launch has been slow and steady. We’ve spent a lot of time making sure the site worked perfectly and testing the functionality. But I can say that we do have viewers from all 50 states and other countries as well. And, after the first season ends and we announce winners and successes, we will begin promoting the site more.

FD: Do you have any success stories from your content contributors so far?
SS: We have already had some talented individuals get gigs from people who went to the site and saw their videos. The bigger successes won’t happen until the end of the first season and winners are announced (much like any other show). But, a couple of our judges have already mentioned a few individuals who they believe have real potential.

FD: How do you handle copyrights on materials submitted? Do you own them now? Or just retain some sort of license?
SS: We do not have a copyright on anyone’s original songs, original material, etc. We do have the right to use the videos to promote Talent Discovery in many ways (which also helps get exposure for the people who submit). The contestants can still put their videos on any other site or on any other contest that they want.

FD: What’s the long term vision of Talent Discovery?
SS: Our long term vision includes some very big things for our site, for the talent and for our judges. We can’t reveal what the vision is too soon . . . because we don’t want any copycats. But I can tell you – if you want us to add the trombone as a category…maybe we could work something out in the future.

The post Q&A with Steve Stith of TalentDiscovery.com appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Can you imagine if everyone had a video camera in their house that piped images directly to broadcast television and people could do whatever they wanted and put it out there for anyone to see at any given moment?

Welcome to the Internet.

OK, that’s not news. I get that. The complete, utterly wide-open democracy of posting content on the Web is nothing we haven’t already debated ad-naseum. And then some more. The problem today is finding new ways to capture the attention of the surfer and present him or her with engaging content that makes the viewer want to stick around for a while or maybe come back later. That, in a nutshell, is the basic business model of any site on the Web, today.

Now there’s TalentDiscovery.com, a new, Colorado-based (and L.A., ’cause, well, that’s just the way entertainment works) enterprise carving out a place for itself on this basic model—with the understanding that pretty much everyone thinks they’re talented and just needs a place to showcase their abilities. Sure, there’s YouTube, but TalentDiscovery offers something a little different: access to real industry judges and a chance at a $100,000 prize…every six (or so) months. The current crop of Judges include Barry Katz (producer, Employee of the Month, Good Luck Chuck), video post-production company Therapy (Gnarls Barkley, Jennifer Lopez) and Helyn Taylor Casting (Anthony LaPaglia, Chris Noth, Debra Messing), to name a few.

It’s an interesting curve ball and the brain child of CEO Steve Stith, who has led massive organizations in companies like American Airlines and Coors.

“I was seeing amazing talent everywhere,” he says. “On Venice Beach, the subway in New York, on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. …Those who didn’t make the cut onto the talent shows on television. A few of them, in my opinion, were better than some of the ones that did make the cut. That’s when I thought, ‘We will give talent a new way to be seen. We will give them a new way to be discovered. They deserve it.’”

Perusing the current videos on the site across a slew of categories ranging from stand-up to lead guitar, it’s evident that there’s still some talent to be discovered out there…and a lot of other stuff. Is this really a viable business model, though?
“Revenue will come from two sources,” Stith says. “A nominal fee to enter your video, which is only $3.99. This will help pay for the encoding of the videos, the judging, administration, etc. And the second is advertisers.” At $4 a pop, there’s still a lot of inventory left to be filled though. Why should the aspiring performer (or film maker or video editor) bother?

“Would you rather post your talent video on other video sites with hundreds of millions of other videos…right alongside the ones of ‘Dogs chasing their tails’ and ‘Babies laughing’? Or would you rather have your talent seen by the professionals who can make a difference in your career?

Check out the complete Q&A with Steve Stith.

The post So You Think You Can Entertain Us appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.