Get Real Denver » 2008

Posted on October.30.2008

That dapper man in the beard is none other than Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk.

Girl Talk’s mashups are gleeful, schizophrenic trips through the pop culture tunnel, channeling hip-hop, electro-pop, classic rock and old-school indie through the same narrow, twisting pipes. They’re also ready-made for sweat-soaked hipster dance parties, and the live shows of Gregg Gillis (i.e. the man behind the talking girls) of the last few years have attracted a particularly zealous crowd.

Girl Talk was just here at the Fox Theatre in July, but returns Friday, Oct. 31 to Denver’s Ogden Theatre for a sold out show with the Death Set and CX Kidtronik. We chatted with Gillis via e-mail about the road, his favorite new music and the best hangover cures.

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John Wenzel @ 3:30 pm

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Clubs: Enter the Wicked Garden

Posted on October.23.2008

The bar at Jet Hotel, the seat of a burgeoning nightlife empire.

When Wicked Garden (1403 Larimer St.) opens next week, it’ll be another salvo in Jet Entertainment Group’s battle to win over Denver, bit by bit. Occupying the space that once housed Open Bar and Hush, Wicked Garden is the latest hot spot from the burgeoning Jet empire. This time, the new place promises to bring a blast of rock to upscale Larimer Square.

“It’s going to be a lavishly decadent rock ’n’ roll club,” says Jet’s vice president of marketing, Jordan Bullock. “Lavish” is right — with bottle service, leather and animal prints everywhere, Wicked Garden is more “Pour Some Sugar on Me” than “Gimme Shelter.” “It’s really high-end, but with a rock ’n’ roll chic feel to it,” says Bullock. “It’s just going to be so over the top.”

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Kathleen St. John @ 1:46 pm

Filed under: Kathleen St. John and Hot Spots / Sightings and Get Real

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Eat Local: Rock Bottom Brewery

Posted on October.21.2008

It’s been a long day of shopping. Your lower back hurts. The kids are cranky. Everyone’s hungry. You don’t want fast food, but you don’t want to go home and cook, either. With six Colorado locations, mostly in newer shopping areas, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery offers a nicely varied menu of dependable dishes and generous servings.

Even the teenager who eschews beef will find something satisfying among the burgers, steaks and ribs. Mine chose the grilled mahi-mahi tacos, which come with a tangy pineapple slaw that’s good with the black beans and red ale rice. The salads are mixing-bowl huge, with lots of crunchy, satisfying bits (like the candied walnuts and Granny Smith apples in the Tuscan chicken salad).

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Get Real @ 1:07 pm

Filed under: Eat Local and Get Real

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Go & Do: René Heredia’s Flamenco Show

Posted on October.16.2008

René Heredia should be no stranger to anyone with an eye on the metro-area cultural calendar. The award-winning dancer and guitar player has made a name for himself internationally with his passionate performances, including this weekend’s “The Gypsy Chicks & Flamenco Fantasy Theatre.”

Self-described as the “true flamenco,” the show features palmas (hand clapping), pitos (finger snaps) and dancers with authentic traditional costumes from the different provinces of Andalucia, Spain. Heredia, who has performed before presidents and royalty, knows how to put on a show, tending to the guitar while the ten dancers whirl around in their Spanish gypsy dances.