Head to Vinyl nightclub this evening, and you’ll find the club transformed into a four-level art party. Tonight is the 10th annual Artopia arts celebration, and the downtown creative set will be crowding in for the experience.
The party kicks off at 7 p.m. with the presentation of the MasterMind Awards, five $4,000 grants given to artists who are furthering Denver’s arts community through performing arts, literary arts, visual arts, multimedia and fashion. This year’s awards go to Katie Taft (visual), Cafe Nuba (literary), Dragon Daud (performing), Johnny Morehouse (multimedia) and Deb Henriksen of Equillibrium clothing (fashion).
After the award ceremony, guests can explore the offerings on each of the club’s four levels while sucking down complimentary cocktails until 10 p.m. Live local bands will perform in the basement, with Something Underground, Born in the Flood and The Photo Atlas taking the stage.
The main level serves up tastings from eateries such as Randolph’s, Masaala and Le Central. Upstairs, the second level will become a working art gallery, with dozens of wall panels displaying an array of visual arts, and painters and sculptors will be on hand creating live works throughout the evening. The heated rooftop patio will be home to tonight’s “urban jungle” themed fashion show; look for caged snakes, jungle beats and the latest creations by Eve, Sirens, Wazee Street Wear, Disrespectacles and others.
“We wanted to offer something that will appeal to each individual,” said Cat Lloyd of event organizers Team Player Productions. “Different aspects will jump out for different people.”
Expect an eclectic crowd: The Artopia event always draws plenty of fans, but the move to Vinyl (1082 Broadway) last year allowed for better traffic flow than some of the past venues.
Tickets are likely to sell out, so snag them online until noon today at artopia2006.com or at the door starting at 6:45 tonight. $35 advance, $45 at the door.
Mardi Gras at the Church
Can’t wait for Fat Tuesday to get the party started? The Church (1160 Lincoln St.) hosts a two-day Mardis Gras bash that starts tonight, with Steve Porter in town as part of his Porterhouse World Tour. Pile on those beads, because the club is offering a $200 prize for the best-beaded lady in the house. Saturday night it’s a south-of-the-border-flavored Mardis Gras celebration, with live salsa bands and free salsa lessons starting at 9:30 p.m. Later that night, Spain’s DJ Frankie Vasquez takes over the turntables to spice up the dance floor.
Purists can wait until Tuesday, when Vinyl throws a traditional Mardis Gras party featuring a slew of local talent. Look for Bakwords K, Noah Deep, Aaron Eve, M Diddy Love, and Schematic to keep the dance floors filled all night.
Marvin Roberts’ CD release
Grab your cowboy hats and hit the Trail Dust Steakhouse tonight for Marvin Roberts’ CD-release party. A homegrown country crooner from Littleton, Roberts’ self-titled debut album reflects his love for classic country and his youth spent helping out on Colorado cattle ranches.
But Roberts has an interesting musical background that includes training in opera and piano, which adds polish to his wholesome brand of swingin’ country tunes. If his style sounds like your brand of honky-tonk, hit the show tonight; he’ll be leaving Denver for Nashville and won’t be back on local stages anytime soon. And leave the ties at home, guys. It’s a tradition at the Trail Dust to cut the tie off anyone who dares to wear one.
Marvin Roberts CD-release party, at 7 tonight, 7101 S. Clinton St., Englewood, 303-790-2420.
Kat Valentine writes about night life Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
