Think you have what it takes to rock? You do! Photos by Alicya Tebo.

If you haven’t seen the 2007 documentary Girls Rock!, do yourself a favor and check it out. It tells the tale of a rock ‘n’ roll camp for girls aged 8-18, where it’s OK for them to “sweat like a pig, scream like a banshee, wail on their instruments with complete and utter abandon” and otherwise act like normal human beings — something a lot of young girls aren’t always encouraged to do.

That empowering, week-long model was adopted for Girls Rock Camp Denver, which wraps up its first-ever 25-person camp tomorrow, followed by a Girls Rock Denver camper showcase on Saturday at the Mercury Cafe, where the six bands the girls have formed will display their newly-learned musical prowess. (Doors at 3 p.m., with a $5 donation at the door.)

We spoke with Girls Rock Denver founder Monique Bourdage about the success of the camp, the campers’ awesome band names (think Kosmic and Sparkling Lemonade) and why the 2010 installment is only going to be better.

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Photo from Hi-Rise.com.

If there was a no-brainer concept for the Ballpark neighborhood, it would be Hi-Rise, a new (ish) bakery and cafe at 22nd and Larimer streets.

Look around the area: It swells — more every day — with smart, ambitious, hungry young apartment dwellers. Of course there needed to be a grab-and-go sandwich and breakfast shop here on this corner.

Of course it needed to sell bread baked on site. Of course the menu needed to be simple and straightforward, but entirely contemporary, with nods to current tastes for quality ingredients, global flavor combinations and regional foods.

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Titwrench Fest collage by Daralee Fallin and Katrin Davis.

The lack of female representation in rock — and the larger music world — has always been a troubling thing. Are there fewer female musicians because they’re not getting gigs and opportunities, or simply because they’re not being encouraged by example to take the stage and develop their voices?

Regardless, Denver’s first annual Titwrench Fest is an antidote to the sea of dudes with guitars, an experimental, women-centered music fest featuring some of the most bracing new voices in music from around the world (think folk, ambient, psychedelic, punk, noise and thrash). The fest also includes dance, video art, fashion, crafts and other locally made goods, vegetarian-friendly food and visual art.

Of course, women and men (and all ages) are welcome at the festival, which takes place tomorrow through Sunday (July 24-26) at a trio of Denver’s best underground music venues — Glob, Blast-O-Mat and Rhinoceropolis.

And while Titwrench runs concurrent with the Denver Post’s own Underground Music Showcase on South Broadway, each worthy event also runs for multiple days, so you check them both out!

We chatted briefly today with founder Sarah Slater, a Denver-based photographer and veteran festival organizer, about the inspiration behind Titwrench, some of the acts to see and Denver’s women-in-music scorecard in 2009.

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Stop by North Denver’s Root Down to sample its special Yelp Eats! Restaurant Week menu. Photo from rootdowndenver.com.

If it seems like Denver’s just getting better and better these days, well, it is. Our music scene is kicking butt (witness all the locals at the Mile High Music Festival, as well as the dozens of excellent Front Range acts at the Denver Post’s Underground Music Showcase next weekend), our population remains educated and fit, and even our architecture is getting more interesting.

It makes sense, too, that our food scene is mouth-wateringly awesome. And not just the schmancy, French-informed stuff that most of us couldn’t afford without regular plasma donations, but the approachable, delicious, locally-owned joints that give our city its culinary character.

Yelp Eats! Restaurant Week aims to celebrate the vibrant diversity of our best eateries by offering $25 prix fixe menus at selected restaurants July 20-26, including the 9th Door, Tambien, Root Down, Duo, Le Central, Marlowe’s and many more.

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Old? Yes, but don’t let that fool you. This updated eatery offers both charm and top-notch food.

Steamboat Springs locals know the Old Town Pub is the place to chill and listen to some live music after a long day in the service industry. But the restaurant/bar in the century-old building takes special care with its food no matter where the diner is from.

We wandered into the pub for a pre-drive-home lunch, assuming we would simply fill up and head back over Rabbit Ears Pass. The boy wanted chicken tenders, the husband a BLT, and I ordered a burger. The menu brags that the half-pounders are the best in town. Yeah, sure, I thought, just don’t make us wait too long, as we settled into a booth with vinyl seats nearly split apart from wear.

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