4 JULY 16-22, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 15 WAKE-UP CALL A major collaboration project highlights Colorado’s urban music scene. BY CLEO MIRZA 6 HOUSE OF FRAUD Colorado home addresses are being used to register thousands of fake businesses. BY HANNAH METZGER 8 DRESS AND DECAY Couture fashion exhibitions are worn out. Union Hall is providing something different. BY KRISTEN FIORE 10 RAMEN, REFINED Inside an apartment “Ramakase” pop-up dinner. BY ANTONY BRUNO 8 Culture 10 Cafe 15 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 16 23 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 23 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 46 JULY 16-22, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Senior Editor, News Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Antony Bruno Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Sage Kelley, 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 McKin- ley, Abigail Nueve, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Toni Tresca Music Listings Matthew Jones Cover Designer Kristin Bjornsen Editor Emeritus Patricia Calhoun 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 National Editor Sam Eifl ing 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 BY MICHAEL CHAVEZ F O R M E R K S E S T A F F E R S E X P E C T E D T O J O I N E X - N U G G E T S M A S C O T ’ S L A W S U I T On July 8, Denver District Judge Chris Bau- mann ruled to certify part of former Denver Nuggets mascot Drake Solomon’s lawsuit as a class action, allowing other KSE employees to join the claim that the employer violated the Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights (POWR) Act in its severance agreements. There are expected to be 24 employees overall, including Solomon, listed in the lawsuit. “We know Kroenke is a big employer here and they use a template severance agreement, so all of the violations that were in Drake’s severance agreement, we have a pretty strong basis to believe would be in additional ones,” says Virginia Hill Butler, attorney at Rathod Mohamedbhai. After Rocky’s 1990 introduction, the high- fl ying yellow mountain lion quickly became the most popular mascot in Colorado sports. Solomon’s father, Kenn, was employed by the Nuggets as Rocky for over 30 years and was responsible for many of the antics and acrobatics that made the mascot so beloved. That legacy was passed on when Drake Solomon took up the Rocky suit after his fa- ther retired in 2021, but the younger Solomon began experiencing hip pain after a bout of COVID during the Nuggets’ 2022-2023 cham- pionship run. According to his lawsuit, Solo- mon’s hip pain eventually led to a diagnosis of avascular necrosis, a condition in which bones aren’t getting enough blood fl ow, causing bone tissue to die. In 2024, Solomon was forced to undergo a double hip replacement, he says. Solomon’s lawsuit alleges that supervi- sors told him they would hold tryouts for his replacement, regardless of the outcome of the hip replacement. According to Solomon, he worked over the summer, right after his surgery, despite never being screened by the medical staff. He alleges that his supervisors asked him to teach replacement applicants how to dunk. Attorneys representing KSE responded in a court fi ling last September, claiming that the termination was not discriminatory because Solomon “does not have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and, as a result, does not have a disability.” Solomon’s complaint claims that the or- ganization violated the POWR Act, a 2023 law that specifi es what employers can write into severance agreements. The agreement included nondisclosure, non-disparagement and confi dentiality provisions that violated state law, according to Solomon’s lawsuits. Now that POWR violation claim is a class action lawsuit. Solomon’s lawsuit seeks economic com- pensatory and punitive damages and $5,000 per violation for everyone in the lawsuit who received a severance agreement around 2024. Attorneys representing the former KSE em- ployees expect a trial around spring 2027. — Sage Kelley C U L T F A V O R I T E P I Z Z E R I A C L O S E S A F T E R 1 0 Y E A R S After a decade of serving some of the Denver area’s most acclaimed pizzas, Pizzeria Lui announced its closure on Friday, July 10. “It is with gratitude that we share, that after 10 years, Pizzeria Lui is closed. We thank you for your loyalty and appreciation over the years. It has been wonderful getting to know each and every customer,” part of a message on social media read. No reason for the closure was provided. Pizzeria Lui opened in 2017 at 5380 W. Mississippi Ave., fulfi lling owner Zach Pa- rini’s dream of operating his own neighbor- hood pizzeria. Before opening the restaurant, Parini worked at Grateful Bread Company and spent time in fi ne-dining “tweezer food,” learning to let high-quality ingredients speak for themselves. When Pizzeria Lui debuted, Parini’s original lineup featured just a handful of pizzas topped with premium products such as Bianco DiNap- oli tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, house-made sausage and imported cured meats, all cooked in a wood-burning oven imported from Italy. The restaurant developed a cult follow- ing, earning back-to-back Westword Best of Denver awards for Best Pizzeria in 2018 and 2019. But as takeout orders surged during the pandemic, Parini replaced the restaurant’s four-pizza wood-fi red oven with a higher- capacity electric model. Even with the switch, Pizzeria Lui remained on our list of Best Piz- zas in Denver as recently as last year. — Antony Bruno
