2 westword.com WESTWORD MAY 30-JUNE 5, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 5 GOT A MATCH? Why dating in Denver is a dumpster fi re. BY HANNAH METZGER 12 DISAPPEARING ACTS Black artists discuss the changing cultural landscape of Five Points and Denver. BY RICHARD CARTWRIGHT 15 BREAKING BREAD Little Arthur’s is ready for some big moves. BY MOLLY MARTIN 19 HAPPY BEATS Todd Park Mohr discusses Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ new album and tour. BY EMILY FERGUSON 12 Culture 15 Cafe 19 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 20 30 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 30 ASK A STONER ......................................... 32 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 40 MAY 30-JUNE 5, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Thomas Mitchell Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Senior Staff Writer Chris Perez Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. Kelty, Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors Teague Bohlen, Hyde Chrastina, Jacqueline Collins, Justin Criado, John Flathman, Susan Froyd, Nick Hutchinson, Danielle Krolewicz, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Kristen Kuchar, Skyler McKinley, Abigail Nueve, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman, Helen Xu Music Listings Chris Speed Editorial Interns Jack Spiegel, Lesley Valencia P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Michael Wilson Assistant Production Manager Erin Kirk Graphic Designers Kami Miller, 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 Account Manager Jack Baker Senior Multimedia Account Executives Amy Camera, Aaron Lembke, Danelle Trujillo Multimedia Account Executives Trayl Chaffee, Remy Diamond, William Savoie, Allison Wissink Marketing and Promotions Manager Heyward Manning Event Marketing Manager Jenae Bone Operations Coordinator Carver Hodgkiss Operations Director Anna Schoening Digital and Advertising Sales Manager Taylor Wheeler Advertising Director Teri Driskell C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Ty Koepke B U S I N E S S Business Manager Sarah Dunahay 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 Editorial Director Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek Editorial Operations Director Bridget Thomason Audience Development Director Dallon Adams 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. 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. C O P Y R I G H T The entire contents of Westword are copyright 2022 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 2023 is $6 plus postage. Story reprints are available for $1 plus post- age; 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. Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. 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 For Editorial, email: [email protected] ON THE COVER ILLUSTRATION BY KIM SALAS (KIMIKYU), A DENVER- BASED ARTIST INSPIRED BY THE CUTE AND UNUSUAL. LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. For a cheat sheet on all that content, subscribe to our daily newsletter at westword.com/profi le. You can also follow @denverwestword on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. And it’s all free! PHOTOGRAPH BY EVAN SEMÓN “TOMB WITH A VIEW,” SKYLER MCKINLEY, MAY 23 T H E P L O T S I C K E N S I felt despair upon seeing the neglect and disrepair at Riverside Cemetery when I went to fi nd my gravesite there. I acquired the plot last year in a silent auction to support the Denver Press Club. During the late 1800s, the club bought and never used three plots at Riverside to bury indigent journalists. Today it seems the cemetery itself is indigent. I hope people share this Westword story widely. It would be a blessing to be buried in a more appealing place, sure, and the families of all those buried there would be grateful for a revival of public concern. Judah Freed Denver A quick thanks for your article about Riv- erside. It is my favorite location, and, being a photographer mostly shooting American Gothic images, it is my muse. As much as I like its lonely and desolate nature, I really have been pushing to keep it known before it just gets plowed under. Aaron Hoffmeyer Arvada Your story on Riverside, as well as the recent Brown Palace piece, again prove that Westword is both the memory and con- science of Denver. Keep reminding us of what is going right...and wrong. Danny Miller Denver “NO TELL HOTEL,” PATRICIA CALHOUN, MAY 16 W I T H O U T R E S E R V A T I O N S I appreciated Patricia Calhoun’s piece on the Brown Palace, and all the letters last week from other people who realize how important it is to keep some of the places that make Denver so special. I can only hope that the owners of the hotel recognize what they have before it’s too late. Jay Marshall Denver Glad to see someone is paying attention to what is going on! I worked there, and it was a mess! Scott Peters Denver I can’t blame them for trying to stay in business. Yeah, it sucks, but why does it matter if we can’t afford it anyway? Grant Weimer Denver Greed seems to be all that matters here now. Ray Dean Parker Denver There is nothing more permanent than a “temporary” closing. Mark Cutright Denver It was very sad to see that the Palace Arms might be closing. We last ate there six or seven years ago. We started avoiding Denver years ago because of the homeless, fi lth and crime. We went down recently and saw what it looks like when a state and city do battle against small business and win. Every other shop is boarded up, and the owners of remaining ones told us how bad business has gotten and how they are on their last legs. We saw opportunity in Sunnyside years ago and opened a restaurant there. We closed eleven months later and lost about $1 mil- lion on that venture. The high minimum wages, other government burdens costing money and time, and tiny number of guests who came in (despite our 5-star reviews) all drove us out. Denver needs to realize business is its key to revitalization and not its enemy or its golden goose to fund all the initiatives targeting homeless and illegal immigrants. It’s too bad that Denver and its residents have to learn that the hard way. Todd Weisrock Golden Change is inevitable. Embrace it. Kevin Doyle Denver
