I’m not too proud to stoop to a bit of shameless self-promotion.
Case in point: Your presence is requested – make that desperately wanted – at a series of neighborhood bar crawls and book signings in the coming weeks. Yours truly has finally taken the accumulated knowledge gathered on my endless night-crawling expeditions, and compiled it all into a handy guide book full of sassy tales and detailed descriptions of the Denver nightlife scene. “After Dark: Nightlife in Denver” is fresh off the presses, and you’re invited to come out and join the celebrations.
On Monday night, the party crew heads to the South Broadway neighborhood. We’ll start at Who Else Books (32 Broadway) at 6 p.m. and then trek a few blocks to spend approximately one hour at each stop: Blue Ice (22 S. Broadway), followed by Sputnik (7 S. Broadway), and 3 Kings Tavern (60 S. Broadway).
Wednesday night, we’ll move over to Cherry Creek, where the tour will start at Bar Luxe (231 Milwaukee St.) and will hit Brix (3000 E. Third Ave.), Roo Bar (158 Fillmore St.), and Sketch Food & Wine (250 Steele St.) along the way. Future crawls include the Old South Pearl and Highlands neighborhoods; for more details give me a shout through the contact info listed below.
Earthy roots music
With a name like Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, you’d expect the members of this New York-based folk-rock band to look like a pack of wizard wannabes at a gypsy leprechaun convention. Actually, that’s not too far off base, at least in terms of appearances.
But the sounds that Gandalf Murphy makes are less related to shamrocks and Middle Earth than to the earthy roots of American folk music. The four members – Joziah Longo, Tink Lloyd, Sharkey McEwen and Tony Zuzulo – take the rock basics of vocals, guitars, bass and drums, and add an assortment of countrified sounds courtesy of an accordion, mandolin, cello, harmonica, piccolo, and assorted percussion instruments.
Add in Longo’s deep, mellow vocals and the result is a satisfying example of the Americana melting pot. Catch them Sunday night at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, 1601 Arapahoe St., 303-293-0075; 6:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show; $12.
Party with the Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets hit the court Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and that means many of the players will be downtown after the game to either celebrate or drown their sorrows.
At the “Back in Season” party at Crave nightclub (1523 Market St., formerly Level nightclub), you can join hosts Kenyon Martin, Dermar Johnson, J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby and Joe Smith for the post-game party.
You’ll have to pony up for the good seats, naturally. The players tend to congregate on the third level of the club, where VIP treatment includes bottle service in any of six plush platform beds, one of which is large enough for 20 or more guests. The “A-List” level also includes a separate entrance, bar, and restrooms, plus complimentary caviar served by cocktail waitresses dressed in sultry evening attire.
Budget-minded partyers can opt to skip the bottle service and hang in the main-level lounge and the second-level dance floor, where DJ Quote and DJ KTone will do their best to draw the celebs out of hiding and onto the dance floor. There is no cover at the door, but call 720-299-8888 to snag bottle service reservations.
Roasted Fey
Rockbar (3015 E. Colfax) is a place where all things rock and roll are to be dutifully respected and admired, so it’s no surprise that this hot new watering hole will be launching its very own Rockbar Hall of Fame.
The very first inductee? No less than legendary local promoter Barry Fey. The private festivities take place Wednesday when Fey will be roasted by cohorts old and new, and he’ll lay the very first commemorative brick into the walkway outside the bar.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-954-1568.
