Family fun
It’s rodeo time
Through Thursday. Riding and roping. The National Western Stock Show is in full swing, and rodeo is the big show this week. The rough riders of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association mount up every day for the next week, plus there’s mutton bustin’, catch-a-calf and equestrian performances by the Westernaires. Also: On Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr. African-American Heritage Rodeo of Champions presents black cowboys and cowgirls competing in a variety of rodeo events. Other highlights in the coming week include National Western’s “New Wild West Show” (Saturday and Sunday), “Super Dogs” (Monday and Tuesday) and “An Evening of Dancing Horses” (Wednesday and Thursday). or 303-295-1660. Kathleen St. John
A march plus a parade? It’s the MLK Day Marade
Monday. Gathering. Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. at Denver’s 26th annual Martin Luther King Day Marade. The huge march- plus-parade steps off from the MLK statue in City Park and wends its way to Civic Center. There marchers can join in a rally, featuring speeches and music. Volunteers will be pre-clean the parade route Saturday. Visit gccs for information on this and other MLK Day volunteer opportunities. Gather for the marade at 9 a.m. at City Park, East 17th Avenue and York Street; marade begins at 10 a.m. Festivities conclude around 1 p.m. Free. Kathleen St. John
A hot time in the cold
Saturday. Big chill-out. Make tracks to Estes Park for Winter Festival, plus Winter Trails Day at Rocky Mountain National Park. Start the snowy fun with free snowshoeing demos at Winter Trails Day. Kids and adults can give snowshoeing a try and test out different brands of gear. Learn more at clinics or just help build an igloo. Afterward, head down to Estes Park: Kids can play in the Ice Castle interactive playground while grown-ups warm up with wine and beer tastings and live music in a heated tent. Winter Trails Day: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bear Lake Road Park and Ride, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park. Park admission and Winter Trails Day activities are free as is admission to Winter Festival. . Kathleen St. John
A world of information, organized from A to Z
Through May 28. Learn by letter. The alphabet leads the way to learning in “Alphabet Zoup,” the latest exhibit at the Buell Children’s Museum in Pueblo. Each letter of the alphabet stands for a different object, place or idea, with corresponding information and activities. In “A is for Africa,” for example, learn about Tambani, an initiative that helps African women make and sell embroidered versions of their folk tales, and see some of their works. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Buell Children’s Museum at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, 210 N. Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo; 719-295-7200. $4 for adults, $3 for children and military. Learn more at . Kathleen St. John
Classical music
Violinist Jennifer Koh to play “Four Seasons”
Through Sunday. Baroque music. Jennifer Koh, who has to be counted among today’s most adventurous and versatile violinists, joins the Colorado Symphony for one of the most famous works ever composed: Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” Two works by J.S. Bach will also be on the all-baroque program, to be led by British conductor Matthew Halls, who has made two appearances with Central City Opera. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Boettcher Concert Hall. $29-$95. 303-623-7876 or . Kyle MacMillan
Theater
Remembering Gilda Radner
Saturday. Reading. Maggie Roswell, the voice of Maude Flanders on “The Simpsons,” and former Denver Center Theatre Company actor Aaron Serotsky will read from the play “Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner — A Sort of Love Story.” It’s an intimate look at the late comic Gilda Radner, her battle with cancer and the curious intimacy she shared with “Saturday Night Live” writer Alan Zweibel, both self-described overgrown kids living “bumper-car lives.” Erik Sandvold will perform various support roles. Performances at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive. $15-$25 at 303-494-0523 or storiesonstage.orgJohn Moore
An Amerasian boy’s road to belonging
Through Sunday. Adjustment tale. “Mekong Joe” tells the true story of a boy born in 1968 to a Vietnamese mother, fathered by an American GI. Hours before the fall of Saigon, this boy and his brother were airlifted out, and adopted by a Midwestern military couple. “Joe” was an Amerasian who grew up never feeling like he truly belonged until given a chance to reconnect with his biological family. $15-$20. 7:30 today and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday at The Avenue Theater, 417 E. 17th Ave., 303-321-5925, . John Moore
Visual art
Where the conscious meets the subconscious
Thursday. Mixed media. The latest exhibition at CORE New Art Space, 900 Santa Fe Drive — one of the anchors of Denver’s lively co-op scene — opens Thursday and runs through Feb. 6. A public reception is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 21. On view will be expressionistic, loosely rendered paintings by Sara Sanderson and semi-abstract monoprints by David Wyzenbeek that explore the boundaries of the conscious and subconscious. Free. Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. 303-297-8428 or . Kyle MacMillan
“Abstract Vision” a beguiling show
Few offerings in the nearly six-year history of Flash Gallery in Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district have created more of a buzz than its current photography exhibition, “Abstract Vision.”
Much of it can be attributed to the high overall quality of the 25 selections and the seeming unusualness and appeal of the theme.
The gallery received more than 500 entries — the most ever — for this show, which was juried by veteran Denver art dealer Robin Rule.
Although most of these abstract images derive in some way from reality, the subject matter has been so refracted and manipulated that a viewer cannot help but ask: What am I seeing? How was it done?
“Cyclotron,” by Mark Derrevere of Centennial, a swirl of spiraling streaks of bright, saturated colors, is actually a photo of a grain silo created using multiple exposures and filters.
Other standouts include three eye- grabbing color treatments by Kathleen Taylor of Beverly Hills, Calif., and a pair of graceful photograms by Chandra Marie Guthro of Somerville, Mass.
“Abstract Vision” remains on view through Sunday at Flash, 445 S. Saulsbury St. Noon to 8 p.m. today and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. 303-837-1341 or .
Kyle MacMillan
Liz Phair’s on the lookout for magic in the moment
Embraced by critics and hipsters in the ’90s, then cast out again in the past decade, Liz Phair has felt the fickle hands of those who anoint — and tear down — many musicians.
She’s also seen all sides of the recording industry, having risen from indie label Matador to Capitol Records and Dave Matthews’ own ATO Records before unexpectedly self-releasing her sixth album, “Funstyle,” last year.
So where does that leave the 43-year-old Phair?
Looking ahead, of course.
“I’m always champing at the bit to try everything new,” she said over the phone earlier this week. “It’s a terrible quality that I have.”
We caught up with the Grammy-nominated songwriter, known as much for her sexually explicit, game-changing 1993 classic “Exile in Guyville” as mainstream pop hits such as “Extraordinary,” in advance of her show at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday.
Q: When I saw you at Matador’s 21st anniversary weekend in Vegas last year, you played, appropriately, nothing but songs from your Matador period, and people ate them up. What was that like, given that many of those people were calling you a sellout a few years ago?
A: It was massive for me, as it probably was for all the (other artists) there. It was a homecoming, because even though it’s not the ’90s indie scene anymore, we all vividly remember that time and were a big part of it ourselves. It meant so much to be welcomed back and to feel so powerfully affected and inspired at the same time.
Q: What’s your current set like in terms of new songs versus old?
A: It’s totally a mix. I mean, there are only two or three new songs in the set, so a lot of it is the best-of, career-spanning stuff. What people really know is what we’re really playing. I always give the encore over to chaos, so people can yell out requests and I can hack my way through a song that I don’t really know anymore.
Q: Does that ever throw you off?
A: It’s fun in that it keeps me interested. That’s an aspect of my character that I think gets lost in the media portrayal of me, which is that I’ve got a very fun-loving spirit, and it’s fun to try stuff I don’t know how to do. I have that thrill-seeking mentality, so when people want to know why my incarnations keep changing, or why I’ll do something different than I did before, it’s that same impulse.
Q: Most people don’t know that you’ve also composed quite a bit for television shows (“90201,” “Swingtown,” “In Plain Sight”). Did that inform the theatricality of your new album?
A: No question (that) “Funstyle” is born of that experience. Really, it’s split down the middle because it’s also born of jamming with Dave Matthews, so it’s two very disparate creative avenues, including long, painful hours in the studio spent scoring.
Q: How has music changed since “Exile” first hit? Obviously the industry has completely changed, but in terms of the culture?
A: I hate to make generalizations, but I do notice that it’s been broken up to such an extent that the mystique has been pulled off of it. What I miss is the sense that there was some magic. Like, “Why do people behave that way? Because they’re magic people.” That was sexy and fun, and I miss that. Even though it meant (jerks) and drugs and things that fell down. Now it’s so practical-minded. Although, I guess I was one of the people that helped break it down.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
“LIZ PHAIR.”
Pop-rock. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., with Le Divorce. Tuesday. 8 p.m. $20-$25. 800-745-3000 or
