Don’t miss a beat! Follow @DenverWestword on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Were you out of town when the Best of Denver 2022 hit the streets? Or did you spill a beer on your copy? Find the entire issue (as well as previous editions) online at westword.com/bestof. VOLUME 45 NUMBER 33 APRIL 14-20, 2022 W AR T Art Director Jay Vollmar PR ODUC TI ON Production Manager Michael Wilson Assistant Production Manager Erin Kirk Graphic Designers Chris Arneson, Tori Bohling, Danielle East 13 SHE’S GOT MAIL Amber McReynolds is ready to stamp out all those voter-fraud rumors and get on with the next election. BY HELEN THORPE THE REST OF THE BEST It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was defi nitely the weirdest of times — and last week, we were happy to wrap up the last year into one positive package that was our gift to you: The Best of Denver 2022. We’ve been publishing our annual cel- ebration of the city since 1984, stuffi ng it full of people, places and things that have us high on the Mile High City. This edition, like the previous 38, included Readers’ Choice winners for many of the categories — but our editorial staff anointed hundreds of addi- tional winners as well, in categories ranging from obscure (Best Place to See Vampires on a Night Out, Best Place to Find Japanese Drug-Store Products) to essential (at least for some), such as Best Korean Fried Chicken and Best Place to Play Pickleball Indoors. All of these winners — whether Readers’ Choice, editorial picks or both (it happens!) — will receive certifi cates honoring their appearance in the Best of Denver 2022. Fair warning: Every year, winners report getting calls from people trying to sell them Best of Denver banners and plaques; these solicita- tions are not connected to Westword, and we do not endorse them. In fact, they make us quite cross, because just as the awards are given with no strings attached, we produce certifi cates for the winners free of charge. (For more information on Best of Denver certifi - cates, contact [email protected].) Did you miss the issue? By now, it’s almost impossible to fi nd a print copy of the Best of Denver 2022, but you can arrange to purchase one from the offi ce by calling 303-296-7744. Or simply go to westword.com/best of to see all of this year’s winners. In the meantime, we’re already hard at work collecting ideas for the Best of Denver 2023. Have something you’d like to nominate? Send your suggestion to [email protected]. A NEW NEWSLETTER While the Best of Denver is Westword’s annual orgy of niceness, we have plenty more to say every day...some good, some bad. We publish over a dozen articles every weekday on westword.com, only some of which will appear in that week’s print edi- tion, and we know it’s easy to miss a story or two. We also know that it can be tough to connect the dots between a current event and a story that might have been published months earlier. That’s why we’ve introduced our new daily newsletter, The Latest Word. At 8 a.m. every weekday morning, the latest version of The Latest Word is now emailed to inboxes around town, highlighting a handful of Westword pieces that deserve more attention, stories more invigorating than that second cup of coffee you’re about to pour. Some might be blasts from the past (all the current unfounded rumors about election fraud reminded us to share the very fi rst piece we wrote about Dominion Voting Services, the Colorado company that’s been so vilifi ed by Big Lie propo- nents, back in November 2020), and others remind you of big events ahead (The Latest Word debuted on April 4, exactly one year before Denver residents will be voting for a new mayor in the 2023 municipal election). Still others are the kind of tales that simply make Colorado more colorful: Who remembered that a successful adman named Bill Fries went on to fame as C.W. McCall, the singer/songwriter behind “Convoy” — then became mayor of Ouray? Fries passed away on April 1. Like the print copy of Westword and all of our content on westword.com, The Latest Word is absolutely free. To subscribe, go to westword.com/profi le. See you in the morning. 8 HIGHS AND LOWS Ten stories that defi ne Colorado’s relationship with cannabis. BY THOMAS MITCHELL 21 POT LUCK! Podcast host Kip Wilson shares his favorite local munchies for 4/20. BY MOLLY MARTIN 27 STEPPING UP Sub.mission celebrates fi fteen years as the oldest active dubstep promoter in the country. BY ALEX BERRYHILL 18 Culture 21 Cafe 27 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 30 38 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 38 TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 40 ASK A STONER ......................................... 42 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 44 CRE A TIVE SER VI CES Senior Graphic Designer Allie Seidel AD VER TI S ING Account Manager Claire Holt Senior Multimedia Account Executives Amy Camera, Aaron Lembke, Danelle Trujillo Multimedia Account Executives Tom Anglin, Katelyn Meeker Operations Administrative Coordinator Heyward Manning Marketing and Promotions Manager John Davis House Account Manager Anna Hortik Operations Manager Maddie Miller Marketing and Events Director Will Wytias-Sobel Digital and Advertising Sales Manager Taylor Wheeler Advertising Director Teri Driskell C I R CULA TI ON Circulation Manager Ty Koepke Circulation Coordinator Chris Speed BUS INESS Business Manager Sarah Dunahay AP/Payroll Specialist Robert Scribner AR Coordinator Stacy Phillips Receptionist Cindy Perez Associate Publisher Tracy Kontrelos Publisher Scott Tobias V O ICE MEDIA GROUP Executive Editor Christine Brennan Executive Associate Editor Andy Van De Voorde Corporate Controller Beth Cook Legal Counsel Steve Suskin Chief Financial Offi cer Jeff Mars Chief Executive Offi cer Scott Tobias VMG NA TI ONAL National Advertising: 1-888-278-9866, www.voicemediagroup.com Senior Vice President of Sales Operations Joe Larkin DI S TRIBUTI ON Westword is available free of charge. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased for $1, payable in advance at the Westword offi ce. Westword may be distributed only by authorized Westword distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of Westword, take more than one copy of each issue. COP YRI GHT The entire contents of Westword are copyright 2021 by Denver Westword LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, with- out the express written permission of the Publisher, Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Back issues may be purchased for $2 each plus postage from the Westword offi ce (issues older than six weeks subject to availability). The Best of Denver 2021 is $5 plus postage. Story reprints are available for $1 plus postage; call 303-296-7744 to place an order, or check our archives at www.westword.com. Westword (USPS478230) is published weekly by Denver Westword LLC, 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver CO 80203. Periodicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $50 yearly. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 ® EDIT ORIAL Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Cannabis Editor Thomas Mitchell Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Conor McCormick-Cavanagh, Michael Roberts Senior Contributor Alan Prendergast Contributors Hilal Bahcetepe, Nathalie Baret, John Bear, Alex Berryhill, Teague Bohlen, Jacqueline Collins, Linnea Covington, Claire Duncombe, Susan Froyd, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Kristen Kuchar, Katrina Leibee, Cleo Mirza, Michael Paglia, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Jonathan Shikes, Jon Solomon, Chris Walker, Kastle Waserman, Juliet Wittman Editorial Interns Jehu Iyema, Ana Ortega, Sophie Wells ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY EVAN SEMÓN 5 westword.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | CALHOUN | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | WESTWORD APRIL 14-20, 2022
