Top Shelf


Snowdown, Booze Bombs & ode to unsung hair heroes

 

by Chris Aaland

Ah, the ‘80s. Those were great days, indeed. Centipede and Defender at the old arcade on 44th and Kipling. Taking the short tour at Coors. Cruising down West Colfax cranking “1984” and “Pyromania.” Although I went to high school with Ska’s Dave Thibodeau and Bill Graham, I wasn’t as cool as them yet, what with their leanings toward Flock of Seagulls and the Thompson Twins. I was a rocker. Name a long-forgotten one-hit MTV wonder and I probably saw them back in the day. White Lion, Winger, Helix, Kingdom Come … the real hair metal legends. I saw ‘em all.

It didn’t matter if it was the old Rainbow Music Hall, McNichols Sports Arena, Mile High Stadium or my venue of choice, Red Rocks. Put in a good week at the golf course or mowing lawns in the neighborhood, and I could afford a couple of shows on the weekend. Mix 3.2 beer and wine coolers (I think my first blackout was at Red Rocks prior to a Night Ranger/Rail twin bill after too much Bartles & James) and trouble awaits. I learned early that I could swipe a bottle of rum from the old man’s liquor cabinet, hide it inside a two-liter bottle of 7-Up, party all afternoon, then squeeze my friends into prime seats in the seventh row if they brought along a stack of Little Caesar’s pizzas. They were always two-fer-one back then. Pizza, pizza.

Fast forward 30 years and the irreverent mob of burnouts who organize Snowdown take us Back to the Eighties. By the time you read this column, the Wednesday activities (and likely Thursday’s) will have past us by. Friday marks the big blowout anyways.

If I was younger and without a toddler at home, these are the events I’d highlight: Waiter/Waitress Race, 2 p.m. Friday at Steamworks; the Snowdown Firework! and Light Parade, 6 p.m. Friday, Main Ave.; Ralph Dinosaur concert, 8 p.m. Friday, American Legion; Outlaw Josie Pete’s Golf Tournament, high noon Saturday, Main Mall commons; and Outhouse Stuffing, 1 p.m. Saturday, Gazpacho’s. In my three decades in Durango, I’ve seen Snowdown morph from a bacchanalian orgy into a tamer, more family-friendly affair. But you can still get your freak on. Start with a bomber or two of Ska’s Frogger Lager, the official Snowdown beer. It’s totally rad. Then move on to the six breweries, one distillery and one of the pot shops, for Christ sakes. It might be amateur hour, but this ain’t your first rodeo.

Don’t pity this old man. I’ll be teaming up with Liggett, Holteen and our new ringer, Big Bad Bill, in the Magical Musical Mystery Tour (Wednesday and Thursday at the Irish Embassy). Our old ace in the hole jumped ship to Southwest Sound’s team. May this traitor taste the wrath of Bobby Knight Ranger as we look to four-peat.

If I were to pick one concert to attend this week, it would be Merle Haggard at the Farmington Civic Center Sunday night. Hag’s the man … the finest country songwriter this side of Hank Williams. But I’m in the same boat you’re likely in. It’s already sold out, even at $50-$70 per ticket.

Crash Music in the historic Aztec Theatre hosts German rockabilly in the form of The Booze Bombs at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Booze Bombs are comprised of members of different popular bands from the southern region of Germany. Their love for early ’50s rock and tunes by Wanda Jackson, Patsy Cline and Johnny Burnette brought them together a few years ago.

You think Moe’s has Snowdown festivities? In addition to wackiness like Human Pac Man and Beer Pong there’s also some music. The ’80s cover band Sticky Situation plays from 7-10 Friday, followed by music videos and dancing to the sweet sounds of ’80s video jock VJ Pet at 10. Saturday finds the Snowdown Throwdown DJ and MC Battle at 8 p.m.

Reminisce about the good old days at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Animas Museum as former museum director and longtime Purgatory ski patroller Robert McDaniel reprises his talk, “Long Boards & Rope Tows: Skiing in La Plata County.” This presentation on the history of skiing in the Durango area will coincide with the opening of a new exhibit at the museum called “Ski Story,” which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Purg.

In honor of Back to the Eighties Snowdown, this week’s Top Shelf list concedes some of my guilty ‘80s pleasures. I’m not including the obvious choices, ones that remain classics to this day (Metallica, Van Halen, U2, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Michael Jackson, et al). I’m talking cheese … stinky cheese, the best kind:

1. Night Ranger. I saw these guys five times during the ’80s, from the old Rainbow Music Hall to Red Rocks to Big Mac. Early on, their twin guitar sound flirted with the best of pop metal.

2. Huey Lewis & the News. At the heart of Huey was an R&B and oldies sound that harkened back to simpler times. Early hits like “Workin’ for a Livin’” and “The Heart of Rock & Roll” sadly led to the proverbial shark jump with “Hip to Be Square” just a few years later.

3. Sp?n?al Tap. If for no other reason than “Big Bottom,” an epic ode to a stout backside. The film remains one of the finest moments in comedic history.

4. Cinderella. “Night Songs” announced their arrival as a poor man’s AC/DC. “Long Cold Winter” contained the hits and ballads. And by the time they pulled into “Heartbreak Station,” hair metal was tossed aside for a damn-good blues-rock formula.

5. Y&T. Give me a “Lipstick and Leather” and “Summertime Girls” all day long.

6. Tesla. “The Great Radio Controversy” was a great rock record. Period.

7. Quiet Riot. The band that gave Slade some street cred back in the early ’80s should instead be remembered for “Slick Black Cadillac.”

8. Krokus. No metal collection is complete without “Headhunter” and “The Blitz.” Swiss rock rules!

9. .38 Special. Vintage southern rock meets MTV flash in “Hold on Loosely.”

10. John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band. I just pulled out my “Eddie & the Cruisers” cassette last week. Still worth a listen.

The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.

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