Football withdrawals, blues pilgrims and Paula Poundstone

by Chris Aaland

Ah, the post-Super Bowl blues. They’ve set in already. Sure, the two dozen barleypops that you slurped down last Sunday on top of your Snowdown diet of malted barley, hops and assorted mixed drinks, rendered you next to useless on Monday. Maybe even Tuesday, too.

But the real postpartum depression set in when you realized that meaningful pro sports won’t return for nearly seven months. Colorado sports nuts will have to wait ‘til September to don their orange and gold and climb back on board the Tebow bandwagon. Fans of the Steelers, Cowboys, Packers and every other team that failed to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy sing similar blues.

Eric Bibb and Guy Davias bring Delta blues to the Concert Hall Feb. 9

Baseball? Basketball? Hockey? Soccer? All diversions, yes. But we’re a football nation. I’m fond of college sports and my Rockies, Nugs and Avs, but pro football is a religious experience for most of us. So we begrudgingly turn to music, humor and other forms of entertainment.

Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi are true Colorado newgrass pioneers through their primary vehicles, Leftover Salmon and the String Cheese Incident.

Individually, they’re the most prolific songwriters in those two groups. Together, they formed the Emmitt-Nershi Band a few years ago while Salmon and the Cheese were on sabbatical. The quartet’s additional players — Andy Thorn (banjo) and Tyler Grant (bass, acoustic guitar) — have made a big name for themselves, too, in the bluegrass world through their work in such bands as Broke Mountain, Colorado Playboys, Big Fat Gap and others. The Emmitt-Nershi Band plays the Abbey Friday with an opening set by Waiting on Trial. Doors are at 9 p.m.

Two guys who keep Delta blues alive are Eric Bibb and Guy Davis. Both of these blues pilgrims will take the stage of the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Feb. 9). Bibb is a Grammy nominee with deep roots in the American blues and folk traditions and has more than a dozen releases under his belt. Davis is a W.C. Handy Award winner (the Grammys of the blues) who has released several of my favorite blues albums of the past two decades. Both have been here before, although not on the same bill. In addition to their own original work, expect covers to range from blues legends like Booker White and Robert Johnson to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

KSUT presents stand-up comedienne Paula Poundstone at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Community Concert Hall. Considered one of the foremost comics working today, Poundstone is famous for her razor-sharp wit and spontaneity — characteristics that have made her a perfect fit for NPR’s popular weekly news quiz program, “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” which she joined as a regular panelist seven years ago. A limited number of $75 VIP tickets are available, featuring premium seating for the show and a private, pre-show “meet and greet” reception with Poundstone at the Rochester Hotel, including beer, wine and appetizers.

Roy Firestone was a big deal when I was growing up. From 1980-90, he was host of ESPN’s “Up Close,” which gave fans an inside look at the lives of athletes, coaches, actors, singers and other celebrities. His peers were Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel … sports journalists whose work went beyond highlights and simple commentary. Firestone continues to work in the sports journalism field, but has branched out into other entertainment mediums, including acting, singing and motivational speaking. The Durango Chamber of Commerce presents Firestone at 7 p.m. Friday at the Community Concert Hall. Proceeds benefit the athletic departments at Fort Lewis College and Durango and Bayfield high schools.

Catch an eyeful while shopping for your sweetie from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Ska Brewing World Headquarters for a Valentine’s Day lingerie fashion show. Local merchants include April’s Garden, The Spaaah Shop, Nectar, Blu and Animas Chocolate Co.. Get primed for the event at tonight’s Ska-B-Q, featuring the local rock of Thom Rader.

This week’s lineup at Moe’s includes DJ Ralphsta on Friday; the Splatterday urban art show with Juan Blanco, breakdancers, beat boxing with Obi One, and a live graffiti art show Saturday; and Musica del Mundo on Sunday.

I’m eating crow this week. Tom Brady couldn’t get the job done in crunch time, and Eli Manning was damned near perfect in the fourth quarter to lead the Giants to victory. But crow wasn’t all I ate last Sunday at my scaled-down Wild Game Super Bowl party. This week’s Top Shelf list recounts some of the culinary highlights:

1. Dirk Lang’s Alligator and Crawfish Sauce Piquante. Swamp critters cooked in chilies, peppers, onions, celery, garlic and tomatoes has never tasted better.

2. My own Smoked Pheasant and Quail Gumbo. Throw in no fewer than four kinds of pork (chops, smoked bacon, ham and Andouille sausage), okra, carrots and the usual Cajun suspects for added depth.

3. The Muffin Man’s Pork Tenderloin Beurre Blanc. Dee-lish.

4. Elwin Johnston’s elk steaks marinated in Woody’s Cook-in Sauce and crusted with lots of black pepper.

5. The remaining smoked pheasants and quail. I brined these for a few days, and then fired up my Little Chief Smoker for 15 hours. I stuffed three quail inside of four pheasants and then wrapped each gamebird package in bacon before fumigating them with mesquite chips. They were tasty when served on toasted bagels with cream cheese, capers and thinly-sliced purple onions. Strips of the gamebirds paired with grilled elk and fresh Fresno peppers were even better.

6. Bryant Liggett’s chili and cheese dip. Nothin’ fancy, just a solid first course that the crew polished off in no time.

7. Homemade gingersnap cookies. I’m not even sure who ate them, but I want two dozen for my birthday! All other eating and drinking ended when they were busted out.

8. Suds: Assorted flavors of Ska, Durango Brewing, Steamworks, Odell, New Belgium, Bridgeport, Boulevard, Red Stripe, Tecate, Old Style and even Mike’s Hard Raspberry reared their ugly heads.

9. Erik Nordstrom’s bag of Cheetos. Clever. And they magically disappeared by game’s end.

10. And the grand champion … Elwin’s jalepeño poppers. No wild game here: fresh peppers stuffed with cream cheese, Woody’s Cook-in Sauce, Lit’l Smokies, then wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven. These were as close to orgasmic as food can get.

And the flesh you so fancifully fry? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.