2 westword.com WESTWORD MAY 7-13, 2026 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 8 FLIGHTS OF FANCY Denver’s fashion is hot on and off the runway. BY KRISTEN FIORE 4 TOUGH TRIP State closure orders threaten the future of Denver magic mushroom co-op. BY TONI TRESCA 13 COUNTER CULTURE This new prix fi xe chef’s menu is way more fun than formal. BY MOLLY MARTIN 17 GOING TO CHURCH Regas Christou is praying that his last big project goes smoothly. BY MICHAEL ROBERTS 8 Culture 13 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 26 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 26 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 36 MAY 7-13, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Antony Bruno Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors Brendan Joel Kelley, Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors Gil Asakawa, Teague Bohlen, Justin Criado, Audrey Ferrer, Nick Hutchinson, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Skyler McKinley, Abigail Nueve, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman Music Listings Matthew Jones Cover Designer Monika Swiderski Editorial Intern July Ramirez P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Michael Wilson Assistant Production Manager Erin Kirk Graphic Designers Caleigh Gearheart, Tori O’Connor C R E A T I V E S E R V I C E S Senior Graphic Designer Allie Seidel A D V E R T I S I N G Senior Multimedia Account Executives Amy Camera, Aaron Lembke Multimedia Account Executives Remy Diamond, Rachel Gilmore, Keith Gordon, Trey Konsella, Kirby Quick, Dalton Wilson, Allison Wissink Operations Manager Carver Hodgkiss Digital Sales Coordinator Anne-Grace Hartman Director of Digital Sales Alan Heath C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Ty Koepke B U S I N E S S Director of Business and Operations Russell Breiter Financial Accountant Robert Scribner AR Coordinator Stacy Phillips IT Systems Manager Kris Robinson Receptionist Cindy Perez Associate Publisher Tracy Kontrelos Publisher Scott Tobias V O I C E M E D I A G R O U P Executive Editor Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek Editorial Operations Director Bridget Thomason Director of Membership and Community Development Jennifer Robinson Digital Operations & Audience Strategist Allison Stephenson Audience Strategist Lauren Antonoff Hart Corporate Controller Beth Cook Legal Counsel Steve Suskin Chief Financial Offi cer Jeff Mars Chief Executive Offi cer Scott Tobias V M G N A T I O N A L National Advertising: 1-888-278-9866, www.voicemediagroup.com Senior Vice President of Sales Operations Joe Larkin D I S T R I B U T I O N Westword is available free of charge. 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PHOTO OF MATTHEW BEEM “ARE YOU WATCHING?,” HANNAH METZGER, APRIL 30 B E E M M E U P I’m glad he realized his dream, but I hope Matthew Beem has a plan for what comes next. YouTube does not come with a retire- ment plan. Sean Morris Denver Who? I don’t have time to watch adults do random tricks in a desperate bid for attention. Jennifer Simon Denver I’m practically chronically online. Who?! Daniel Luevano Aurora Good for him. He seems dedicated to his craft. Gregory Strompolos Denver That many “subscribers” and can’t even afford a stylist? What in the name of Justin Bieber died on his head? Jeffrey Witkoff Colorado The only way to have 6.5 million more fol- lowers than views is you paid for 6.5 million subscribers who never push play. Use some common sense. Doug Bohm Denver Ay, Matthew, you are one of my favorite YouTubers. I’ve subscribed to you ever since 2021, and I live in Colorado as well. I love you, man, and I would love to see you in person. Alex Rodriguez Denver Most punchable face. Daniel Hellquist West Allis, Wisconsin Time to change the YouTube channel, folks. Marc Rogers Aurora “SMOKE ALARM,” THOMAS MITCHELL, APRIL 17 A S M O K I N ’ D E A L Colorado was too quick to jump on the can- nabis bandwagon, and didn’t think ahead to what would happen when other states legalized. It was fun while it lasted, though. Mel Stein Denver I run a small hemp business in Denver, and I talk every day with people who depend on these products to get through their lives. Some are dealing with pain from old injuries. Some are trying to sleep better so they can show up for work. Some are older and just want a little comfort. These are regular people from my own community, and I see how much it matters when they fi nd something that helps. Colorado is different from a lot of states be- cause hemp and cannabis have been part of our economy for years, so any change hits a wide range of people, not just businesses like mine. Lately it has felt harder to keep serving them. Rules keep shifting, and small busi- nesses like mine are left trying to fi gure out what is still allowed. I am not against regula- tion. Most of us want clear rules so we can keep our customers safe. What worries me is the idea of a federal ban that treats every hemp product the same and wipes out the whole industry. That would not protect anyone. It would only push people toward unregulated products and shut down businesses that have been doing things the right way. Hemp has become an essential part of Colorado’s economy. I am asking Repre- sentatives Diana DeGette and Gabe Evans, and Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper to support a fair approach that keeps people safe without shutting down an industry that helps so many Coloradans live with a little more comfort and stability. Robert Mordini Denver We should take pride in the fact that Colorado was fi rst, even if the industry goes up in smoke. Mimi Kopp Denver
