Wayne Newton, The Slopper and Leftover Salmon

by Chris Aaland

So I’m sitting with three of my buddies — to protect the innocent, we’ll call them Poof-Man, the Scribe and Baldy — in a hotel bar in Pueblo last Saturday, swilling pints of Stellas and Sam Adams in celebration of another championship trophy for the Fort Lewis women’s basketball team. Our little gang had worked the two-day affair and our stories and photos had been posted to the Web and sent off to editors. Suddenly, the follically-challenged one of our group murmurs, “Hey, it’s Wayne Newton!”

Sure enough, some guy who looked like a Rat Pack wannabe sat down at the bar and ordered cocktails. It seems Mr. Las Vegas, a Wayne Newton impersonator, had played a Sons of Italy scholarship gala a few doors down. This guy was a dead ringer, from his facial features to his black outfit to his sense of humor. He was soon surrounded by graying guidos and guidettes dressed to the nines.
Little Italy in Pueblo? You bet. It’s a union town, the little steel city and a one-time bootlegging hotspot during Prohibition. The Mafia had deep roots there once upon a time.

Such cities tend to produce a blue-collar culture that’s straight out of central casting. And Gray’s Coors Tavern is the hub. Gray’s is the originator of Pueblo’s legendary local blue plate special, “The Slopper.” Imagine a bowl of goodness meant to satisfy the hungriest of steel workers. The Slopper starts with two beef patties served open-faced on a bun and smothered in green chile, cheddar cheese and onions. Fries are thrown on the top. The Travel Channel once featured a showdown between Gray’s and the Sunset Inn on “Food Wars.” Locals boo the results (the Sunset won) and champion Gray’s. After inhaling one and chasing it with three frosty schooners of Coors Original, who was I to argue?

But I digress.

One of Durango’s all-time favorites, Leftover Salmon, returns to the Community Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. LoS honed its chops locally in the early 1990s when it played legendary four-night stands at Farquahrts. Drew Emmitt, Vince Herman, the late Mark Vann and the rest of the boys piled into the old KDUR production studios during their Durango treks for impromptu, live-on-the-air jams. Since I hosted KDUR’s 3-6 p.m. Friday party slot back in the day, it meant I’d get to engineer these guys bringing the noise a few times each year on my show. Fond memories, indeed.

This time around, the lineup includes original members Herman (guitar, vocals) and Emmitt (mandolin, electric guitar, fiddle, vocals), plus longtimers Greg Garrison (bass, vocals) and Jose Martinez (drums) and newcomer Andy Thorn (banjo, vocals), who has played countless shows in our little burg thanks to stints in Broke Mountain, the Colorado Playboys, the Emmitt-Nershi Band and others. Their winter tour isn’t just a few dates done out of boredom, either. LoS plans to release “Aquatic Hitchhiker,” its first studio album in eight years, later this spring.

Celtic-folk supergroup Solas plays the Community Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Throughout its career, Solas has incorporated nontraditional Irish instruments (guitar, banjo and bouzouki) into a sound that’s firmly rooted in traditional reels, jigs, airs and songs. The band will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2013 with a new album, “Shamrock City.”

Diego’s Umbrella comes back to the Abbey Theatre at 9 p.m. tonight (Thurs., March 8) after stealing the show when they supported the MarchFourth Marching Band recently. Born in the fiery cauldron of Babylon, Diego’s Umbrella rose up on the Northern California coast in 2000. Ever since, they’ve unleashed their “Gypsy pirate polka” on welcoming ears through three albums, network television and four major motion pictures. Durango’s Carute Roma opens.

Musicians and music fans get the chance to help out a good cause from 1-5 p.m. Sunday at the Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village. Joann Hockenberry, the wife of Jelly Belly Boogie Band bassist Ted Hockenberry, is battling cancer and the medical bills are mounting. The Boogie Band and lots of friends will perform and there will be 40-50 silent auction items. Expect a minimal cover charge to support the cause.

Durango DOT Comedy performs “The Laugh of the Irish” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Durango Arts Center. The region’s premier improv troupe guarantees a good laugh or two. Plus, Ska beers are just a buck.

Moe’s lineup this week includes happy hour with Sam Swisher from 6-9 p.m. Friday, dancing with Juice Box from 10 ‘til close Friday, the DJ sounds of Juan Blanco and friends from 8 ‘til close Saturday and Musica del Mundo at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Also a-happenin’: Rusted Prairie plays some sweet bluegrass for the beerhounds at the weekly Ska Chili Night at 5 p.m. tonight and Freeplay rocks the 49 Lounge at the Sky Ute Resort Casino in Ignacio at 9 p.m. Saturday.

There are some changes brewing at Carver’s. Longtime brewmaster Erik Maxson has retired from the suds service to pursue other endeavors. His former assistant, Jeff Albarella, was the logical choice to fill his shoes, as the two men had brewed together since 2009. Albarella is a certified beer cicerone, meaning he knows his barley and hops. New assistant brewer Matt Heber, of Pagosa Springs, will join the Carver’s team next month. Good luck to all and thank you, Erik!

In honor of The Slopper, this week’s Top Shelf list recounts four more favorite greasy meals:

1. “The Cure” at the Durango Diner. Still my all-time favorite breakfast. I’ve eaten hundreds of Gary Broad’s masterpieces of hashbrowns, ham steaks, over-easy eggs, green chile and cheese.

2. The chicken fried steak sandwich at the Sportsman’s Inn in Navajo Dam, N.M. Ownership changes have tanked this dive in recent years, but back in the ‘90s this beast smothered in green chile and sausage gravy was my go-to after fighting big rainbows all day.

3. “The Lester” at the Waffle Wagon in Cañon City. Chicken fried steak, eggs and potatoes drenched in artery-clogging gravy.

4. Bean and chicharron burritos smothered in green at Tafolino’s in Wheat Ridge. The owner, Juan Tafoya, manned a burrito wagon after suffering an injury as a construction worker nearly 20 years ago. He never went back to his old job.
Mr. Florist take my order please? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.

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