Wander Words

Texas Roadhouse
http://www.texasroadhouse.com/ * 595 S. 8th Street * Colorado Springs, CO 80905 * Phone: 719-473-9711 * Fax: 719-473-9715
Well it’s definitely an American chain restaurant with over 310 locations in over 44 states. This cookie-cutter establishment was founded by Kent Taylor who wanted to bring good steaks, ribs, and beer to the American population for an affordable price. They wanted to merge the bar-room experience with the family restaurant kind. Peanut shells all over the floor, its a ruggid mess. They hand-cut their steaks and claim award-winning ribs, and blab about home-cookin’ and everything being made from scratch. Its a little hard to believe with chains. They offer the expected steaks and ribs, but also chicken, fish, salads, and veggies. The service was good during our visit, however the food was mediocre in my opinion. My dinner mate raves about the restaurant saying its one of her favorite places. To me though the food was the quality you get from chains, perhaps however, I’m biased on the chain experience. The food was decent and affordably priced. Not being a very big fan of country music, can’t say I could rate the music high either. Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
http://www.cmzoo.org/ * 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road * Colorado Springs, CO 80906 * (719) 633-9925
One of Colorado Spring’s hotspots of activity. Nestled on the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain, just below the infamous “Gold Camp Road” and Buddhist temple, snug in the middle of elegant housing communities just above the richy-rich Broadmoor, is a pretty elaborate zoo that allows close spaces in getting to know the animals. 146 mountainous acres with close to 800 animals of every variety. Also has a skyride and a restaurant. Originally founded in 1926 by philanthropist Spencer Penrose to house his growing collection of exotic animals that originally started out south of town where Fort Carson’s Turkey Creek Ranch now exists. In 1938 the zoo was established as a non-profit public trust for the people of Colorado Springs to “provide recreation, education, conservation and scientific facilities in the field of zoology and related subjects, and to preserve the Zoo in perpetuity for the people of the Pikes Peak region.” The zoo goes out of their way to make each attendee an active participant. Many of the animal areas for the animals that aren’t threatening to humans, are open-aired with little to no fences like the kangaroos, the giraffe’s, peacocks, and other critters. A little pricey but a wonderful experience. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Montague’s
* 1019 S Tejon St * Colorado Springs, CO 80903-4238 * (719) 520-0672 *
What a charming little America meets Europe coffee n’ tea house. This little joint is off-center from downtown Springs but a certain treasured find for those seeking a hole-in-the-wall place to hang and do brew, games, conversations, and light meals. Comfy couches and elegant decor, just like sitting in your plush living room. You can get the pot of tea of your choosing for your lengthy visit. Intriguing collections of old photos too to give you some old-fashion entertainment. Great cookies, cakes, teas, and coffees. Sandwiches are quite nice too. Was a perfect place for me and my date to catch afternoon tea and good conversation before viewing the new Star Trek! Thanks Wendy …. Rating: 5 stars out of 5. (visited 5/16/09)

DJ Gypsy

80’s Night on the Patio @ the Underground
* 110 N. Nevada, Colorado Springs, Colorado * 719.578.7771

http://www.undergroundbars.com/
Running for a couple of months now, and growing in popularity, is a night full of dance and frolick upstairs at the Underground on fridays. Downstairs DJ’s TJR, LL Bishop, Tony G, Mike Devious, and Hauss spinning in the main room while DJ Gypsy brings back the old favorites of the 80’s upstairs. Seems the main populace of the club on fridays go up to the patio for the fun and dance as this night of visiting and dancing on 5/15/2009, the downstairs was empty and the patio was saturated. DJ Gypsy knows how to bring back the 80’s. The night is still growing and young, but definitely a hit for the 80’s crowd. I can’t really comment on the downstairs or the DJ’s down below as the dance floor in the lower level on this evening was empty and everyone was upstairs so I didn’t spend much time listening to the djs there. But the top level was top-quality. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 for the music & the DJ. 2.5 stars for the location: The patio gets a bit smoky for those with allergies, and the dance space is small. Tip for the Underground - if you move DJ Gypsy downstairs, I think you’d be filling your club night with alot of patrons and a pretty decent bar intake as the dj experience was fabulous and high quality. I’ll be back. Overall rating for the night experience: 3 stars out of 5.

Oscar’s
Photo by Jeff Kallaus (c) 2009: permission received to repost

Oscar’s on Tejon
333 S Tejon St * Colorado Springs, CO 80903-2001 * (719) 471-8070
http://www.oscarstejonstreet.com/
Oscar’s in downtown Colorado Springs - is a fun little bar and grille right off the main drag where great meetings occur for happy hour and fun/frolick. It’s also one of Colorado Springs’ infamous locations for Oysters and being one of the few Oyster Bars in this desert/mountainous/ land-locked oasis. In fact, they bill themselves as an Oyster Bar. Oscar’s Oyster Bar and Baithouse is owned by a husband/wife team - Phil and Ashley Duhon. Bringing speciality from livlihood in Louisiana, one can find a unique cooking style for the Rockies. Proud of their menu offerings of steak and seafood, you won’t go hungry with the fresh food they have to offer. A festive bar location with live music over the weeekends, a friendly staff, and good potent drinks …. you’ll be pleased. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.

2nd Annual Colorado Beltania Festival: Day 2 and 3
www.beltanefestival.com * Parrish Ranch * Outside of Fort Collins, Colorado * Living Earth aka Highlands Ranch Pagan Meetup *
Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, 2009
“Living Earth” which is formerly known as “Highlands Ranch Pagan Meetup” has begun to host an annual celebration of the Pagan Sabbat of “Beltane” or “May Day”. On their 2nd annual run of the three day festival, this nonprofit event on a private ranch brings festivity to the season with open rituals, classes, workshops, children’s activities, and service projects. Beltania offered its attendees a large outdoor stage with some incredible acts, an indoor 3000 square foot lodge, hundreds of acres of outdoor space, restrooms with cold water showers, workshops, activities, rituals, a traditional Maypole dance, sweat lodge ceremonies, all-night drum circles, catered breakfasts/dinners, merchant area, RV/camper’s hookups, wild camping area, quiet camping area, skyclad areas, a swimming river, and much more. Over the course of the three days, the festival saw over 700 guests in attendance.

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2nd Annual Colorado Beltania Festival: Tree Leaves’ Bodypainting
www.beltanefestival.com * Parrish Ranch * Outside of Fort Collins, Colorado * Living Earth aka Highlands Ranch Pagan Meetup *
Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, 2009
It was a last minute decision for The Tree Leaves’ Oracle to decide to show up to Beltania 2009, and while pretty sure that entering as a last minute merchant/venue wouldn’t fly, they figured they would try it anyhow. Of course, merchant row was too full, so it was just camping and festival fun. I decided to setup the camp anyhow, a place where people could come for free to paint themselves or get painted, just like we do at Apogaea and Burning Man. We were having too much fun running around dancing, frolicking, swimming, and merrymaking, but did get a few dynamic designs in … here they are ….

Leaf as the “Green Man”
hand-painted with acryllic

Allison as the River Spirit
handpainted acryllic by Leaf

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2nd Annual Colorado Beltania Festival: Day 1
www.beltanefestival.com * Parrish Ranch * Outside of Fort Collins, Colorado * Living Earth aka Highlands Ranch Pagan Meetup *
Friday, May 8, 2009: 9 am - 2 am
“Living Earth” which is formerly known as “Highlands Ranch Pagan Meetup” has begun to host an annual celebration of the Pagan Sabbat of “Beltane” or “May Day”. On their 2nd annual run of the three day festival, this nonprofit event on a private ranch brings festivity to the season with open rituals, classes, workshops, children’s activities, and service projects. Beltania offered its attendees a large outdoor stage with some incredible acts, an indoor 3000 square foot lodge, hundreds of acres of outdoor space, restrooms with cold water showers, workshops, activities, rituals, a traditional Maypole dance, sweat lodge ceremonies, all-night drum circles, catered breakfasts/dinners, merchant area, RV/camper’s hookups, wild camping area, quiet camping area, skyclad areas, a swimming river, and much more. Over the course of the three days, the festival saw over 700 guests in attendance.

Day 1:
While a good portion of the attendees spent most of the first day setting up their camps, dressing up, shopping around in the merchant area, and exploring … quite a few workshops were offered such as “Meditation Beads”, “The Healing Arts of the Goddess”, “Cuddle Celebration”, “Kids Face Painting”, “Drumming 101″, “Hair Wreaths”, “Sensitives, Psychics, and Empaths, oh my”, “Sacred Body Painting”, “Hoop Dancing Playshop”, “Bubbles in the Buff on the Bluff”, “Myth for Ritual and Inspiration”. Activities involved Sweat Lodge ceremonies, Face/Body Painting, Cuddling, Parent/Child River Splash, Drum Circles, Rites of passage, Opening Rituals, Open Mic Hours, Swimming, a Hay ride, Girls’ Moonrite and Amazon Sisterhood Rites, and concerts. The Stage saw Ariana Saraha and Friends, the Mountain Trance Medicine Band, and the Muses of Turiya. The Full Moon ritual was performed under the full moon in Scorpio with emphasis on the Egyptian God Osiris and the Goddess Hathor. Elaborate costumes and drama, Hathor granted eternity and protection to the ritual participants later raising Osiris from the dead. Pretty intricate ritual. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

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press release photo from their myspace page

My Bloody Valentine
Fillmore Auditorium * 1510 Clarkson, Denver, Colorado * 4/24/09 * 8 PM
http://www.mybloodyvalentine.co.uk/
I couldn’t agree more with my friend Alyx’s review of this show with the opening of “My Bloody Ears” which certainly wraps up the concert in a nutshell. I think I’ll continue admiring this band from afar and their CD’s, never again for a live concert. Don’t get me wrong, I love this band like there is no tomorrow, but the stacks upon stacks of speakers and woofers broadcasting blaring solid noise that decays your innards for over 30 minutes my friends is not music, it’s pollution, and detrimental to life. Not my thing. I wound up leaving early in the middle of their 30 minute noise-blast as I couldn’t take it any longer. Even with the ear plugs (Thank you Noah for insisting I wear them).

So after 16 years of absence, My Bloody Valentine reunited in 2008 that led them on a world tour with shows in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.A. They hit Coachella this year in Indio California, the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in New York, and this show at the Filmore in Denver. Tickets went for $40 each, but were being scalped for $5 in front of the theater the night of the show. Hundreds of free tickets were given out free last minute thereby cheating those who paid for them. My Bloody Valentine is originally from Dublin, Ireland and phenomenally known as one of the world’s best shoegazer bands serving the shoegazing, post-punk, noise pop, dream pop, and experimental musical realms. Formed by Kevin Shields and drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig, combined with Bilinda Butcher and bassist Debbie Googe; in Dublin in 1984 they predominantly played in London. They were active from 1984 until 1997, seeing a hiatus, and coming back together in 2007 until the present. As their popularity grew through the years, they experimented with distortion, pitch bending, and digital reverb creating the sound known as “shoegazing”. Their 1991 album “Loveless” found funding difficulties in its creation for two years, but once it was released they became critically acclaimed. They’ve been signed with the labels of Tycoon, Lazy, Creation Records, Sony, and Sire. Shortly after Loveless they disappeared until 2007 when they announced their reunion and new music.

For this performance, the Filmore was decently packed, but plenty of room to wander about. The noise level whas phenomenally a nightmare however. I give the band itself on its CD’s a 4 rating, but this performance simply a 1 star out of 5 equating to horrible. Turn down the damn noise!

Big John Bates

Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls
www.bigjohnbates.com
From Vancouver, British Columbia

~ BANGTOWN 2009 WORLD TOUR ~
Performance in Denver, Colorado at the Three Kings Tavern * 60 S Broadway * Denver, CO 80209 *

Night two and the finale of Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls in Colorado on tour this year with their 4th CD - 2009 release of “Bangtown”. Whizzing through their six weeks & 34 shows across the USA, as I write this review they are flying to Europe for five weeks through Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria & Hungary. Last night’s gig in Pueblo, Colorado was spectacular, and the Denver performance Stunning. Next for them off to Salt Lake City tomorrow. Its a great loss with the closure of this tour as the amazing sCare-oline will be parting from the band and becoming replaced by Brandy Battery. One of my most favorite bands of their genre, Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls are NOT to be missed for any reason - those who do miss out on a truly enchanting and risque life experience. Following the Voodoo Organist in Denver at the incredible Three Kings Tavern, the band and burlesque team enchanted their audience and threw them into a frenzy. Big John Bates is a merge of Rock-a-billy, Psycho-billy, dark rock n’ roll, with a twist of sounds like “The Stray Cats” and “White Stripes” with a sense of rhythm you can really dance to. Accompanied by the beautiful troupe of Voodoo dolls, with Whiskey Rose and Tristan who mesmerized the stage after every other song with a tantalizing burlesque performance - naughty nurses pouring “their medicine” to unsuspecting captives from the audience, tribal tiki dancing, and costuming. Unfortunately Three Kings did not permit the fire spinning and quenched their flames. Regardless, the tour definitely lives to its Name of “Bangtown”. Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls are world-famous with great popularity in the entertainment industry. In 2002 they performed at the Winter Olympics and was picked up by El Toro Records in Spain, also headlined the Mandalay Bay House of Blues in Las Vegas for its infamous 2002 Hellbilly Halloween; in 2005 they started by receiving first Canadian Jagermeister band endorsement and around the same tour year signed with Germany’s Wolverine Records, and in 2006 they saw their music and performance headlined in Vancouver’s International Burlesque Festival & the Voodoo Ball; and their music played on season 3, episode 1 of Battlestar Galactica; andfeatured at the 2008 Ink & Iron Festival in California with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mad Sin & Jr. Brown. Big John as the singer, guitarist, and lead; sCaroline spanking the bass with outrageous twists, turns, and moves in her playing; in addition, adding in spectacular bellydancing performances; and the new addition JT “Massacre” Brander on the drums banging up the beats. Little Miss Risk and Whiskey Rose charmed all … with dance, tease, and trance. If BJB and the Voodoo Dolls come to your town, it would be a big mistake to miss them … so step right up and “Take your Medicine” at a bar near you celebrating the “Bangtown” that they incite. Tour dates can be found at their web site. They have 4 CD’s and 1 DVD available now as well as some incredibly cool T-shirts and gifts. Highly recommended! Rating: 5+ stars out of 5. [ Read 2006's Colorado tour review ] [ Read the Pueblo Review from 4/21/09 ]

and the Voodoo Dolls …