Grills are busting out on back patios all over the country. Cold beer and grilled meats are the jams at this time of year — people have been waiting all winter to lounge in the sun and eat.
Barbecuing at home is great, of course, but it’s even better when Denver’s bars gas up the grill and cook burgers and dogs for their patrons. It’s a great way to lose a lazy afternoon — with a nearly unlimited amount of booze, and plenty of food to eat, why go anywhere else? At home, people have to make beer runs. Out at the bars, it’s all at your fingertips.
It’s even better when there’s music involved. Take Rockabilly and Ribs at Tambien (250 Steele St.). Just about every Sunday, the Cherry Creek Mexican cantina transforms from an upscale hangout to a crazy rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza.
This week’s installment features The Rhythm Dragons, a rockabilly outfit from Phoenix, plus DJs spinning when the band isn’t onstage.
The menu, naturally, features Mexican-inflected barbecue classics: a “Yucatan style” turkey leg, chipotle-spiced barbecue spare ribs and grilled corn with cotija cheese.
The fun runs from 2 to 7 p.m. Sundays — what a way to start the week. Check facebook for the full schedule.
The Larimer Lounge (2721 Larimer St.) is known to host its own barbecues on occasion. Normally a dark, beery rock club populated with fashionable music types, when the Larimer barbecues, it becomes positively summery.
Blessed with a decently sized, fenced-in back patio, the club takes advantage of its outdoor area for barbecues. It’s always fun to see the Larimer’s black-clad regulars blinking in the sunlight and hoisting beers.
On Sunday, the Larimer hosts The Knew BBQ, featuring bluesy punk rockers The Knew. Other bands on the bill include Night of Joy, Le Divorce and FaceMan, an art-and-music project. DJ Patrick Lee will spin out back.
The Knew BBQ starts at 2 p.m. Sunday. Visit to see the full lineup and find out about future barbecues.
Always a haven for cutting-edge electronic artists, Beta (1909 Blake St.) brings in two painfully hip acts in the next week.
On Saturday, DJ Falcon stops in to man the decks. The French spinner and producer got his start in the A&R department at Virgin Records but eventually caught the attention of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter.
The connection is obvious: Falcon’s favors the same dizzy, fist-pumping positivity of Daft Punk, so it’s no wonder Bangalter brought Falcon on as a producer for his record label.
Then on Thursday, Beta welcomes Bingo Players. The Dutch duo has been making waves lately, a big departure from the early days playing bingo halls in the Netherlands.
Their song “Devotion” was a Beatport hit in 2009, preceded by other charting tunes such as “Touch Me,” with Chocolate Puma, and “Chop.”
They’re playful remixers, too — check their house reworkings of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” and Freak Nasty’s “Da Dip.”
Doors open for both shows at 9 p.m. Buy $10 advance tickets at tickets.
