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by Ted Holteen
So this is what they mean by the "dog days" of
summer. The baseball races are only slightly more exciting than the disaster
going on in Athens, the bikers are still wandering the plains between
Sturgis and Durango, and the damn kids are still  not back in school yet.
But what are you going to do - bitch about it like I do, or do something
about it? While I'm sitting on the couch, getting drunk and cursing those
losers Michael Phelps and the Philadelphia Phillies, you need to go out
and get your midsummer night's groove on. Denver was recently named by Men's
Health magazine as the drunkest city in the USA. Now, I know many
of you are from Denver, and a state capital is no more than a composite
of its satellite cities 85 get the idea? You've now got a reputation
to uphold. Make us proud.
Boulder favorite The Motet returns
to the Abbey Theatre on Friday, in advance of its first
CD in three years, "Music for Life." At this point,
I should provide a short review of the album, but surprise,
surprise, I haven't heard a lick. What I do know, however,
is that The Motet is working with The New Voter Project,
Head Count and  Rock the Vote to register voters at
every show it performs in 2004, which would by default
include Friday's show. Take advantage of this opportunity.
It's not like registering for the draft, but you might
get tagged for jury duty. Don't let that scare you - just
tell them you're a racist pornography aficionado who
hates cops. You'll be kicked out before you can even
sample the free coffee and donuts. Or, try my favorite
method - stay a step ahead and change your address
every eight weeks.
If you prefer your entertainment without the pressures
of social responsibility, or if you're already a participating
citizen, Scoot 'n Blues offers up another weekend of
straight-on hard-drinkin' blues music. In from Arizona
for two nights, it's Danny Rhodes & the Messengers
. Then, on Sunday, stop by Scoot 'n Blues to enjoy
the great Sand Sheff . I hear that most churches in
the area endorse Sand as a viable alternative to a
Sunday sermon, and the show is almost exclusively God-free.
But  don't fall for it when he starts passing the collection
plate around. Less than a nickel of every dollar collected
actually goes toward the purchase of new hymnals, and
even those are dotted with original Sheff compositions.
Sand will also be one of the final acts to perform
at one of my favorite watering holes over the past
few years, Storyville. That's tonight (Thursday), so
don't dawdle. Yes, the rumors are true, and Storyville
will close its doors for good at the end of this month.
At least that's the rumor I've heard. Also at Storyville
this week: Spoonfed Tribe on Friday, and local rock
with Jeff Strahan on Saturday. More on the Storyville
finale next week.
Believe it or not, writing this tripe for the Telegraph every
week is not my only job. When I'm not missing a deadline
for the paper, I'm missing deadlines and spreading
misinformation for my day job at KSUT. Myself notwithstanding,
KSUT is the best place to dispose of your disposable
income, and from Aug. 23 - 27, you should do just that.
KSUT is holding its semiannual on-air fund-raiser next
week. The equation is very simple: Without the support
of the community, media outlets like KSUT, KDUR and
Durango Community Access Television can't exist. I
can personally testify that the people who work and
volunteer for these organizations are among the most
dedicated and competent folks around, and to say we're
lucky to have them is a gross understatement. Tune
into KSUT all next week, make your donation when the
moment moves you, and revel in your self-satisfaction.
By the way, in Durango that's 90.1 on your FM dial.
And don't worry, not a dime of your donation will find
its way into my pocket. Really.
I like to think that regular readers of The Society
Page are pretty savvy when it comes to differentiating
between news, opinion and satire. If the facts are
straight, there are no circumstances under which I
would ever print a retraction or an apology in regard
to a news item or personal opinion about any public
figure. It's an opinion column, first of all, and secondly,
that's just bad journalism. However, it is never my
intention to be personally offensive to any individuals
or local establishments. Last week, I apparently stepped
over that line by making a joke in poor taste that
some of the fine people at Scoot 'n Blues took in a
way that I never intended. I won't reprint the item
here, but I want to go on record by sincerely apologizing
for any offense taken by the management and staff at
Scoot 'n Blues. We're all just trying to make it in
this crazy town, and the last thing I or anyone else
needs to do is disparage anyone who consistently supports
the community and brings in live music on a weekly
basis. Sorry, all. My bad.
Punish me. ted@ksut.org . Can we blame Bush for the
Olympics, too? |
