Reviews and Blog Posts: music

At Fresh City Life, we know this is a busy time of year for folks. And sometimes we'd all just like to slow down and enjoy the season. 

We've put together a couple concerts so you can do just that. Please join us for these special events:

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: A Holiday Concert with Reveille 3
Saturday, December 1, 2-3 p.m.
Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center

The pieces to be performed will include Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Four Last Songs and Der Rosenkavelier from Strauss and Tristan und Isolde, Wagner's piece that inspired Herrmann Bernard's haunting theme for the movie Vertigo.

First up, this Saturday, September 22:

Cora Vette's Pie Social: Come for the Pie, Stay for the Music!
Showtime 2 p.m.

I would describe him in the most literal sense as an "Hip Hop Artist." Justin Bua brings us an excellent critique of some of Hip Hop's greatest. His discourse on Hip Hop's Legends instantly took me back to that place we called the Student Union at Metropolitan State College talking Hip Hop over slices of pizza and soda.

Justin incorporates a Hip Hop narrative while reflecting on the affects of Hip Hop on his life. His colorful portraits of Hip Hop's great artists appeal to that "inner Hip Hop" in all of us who grew up during that era.

Referred to as the "Chinese violin" or the "Chinese two-stringed fiddle," Western musicians have co-opted the erhu for their music because of its unique, often melancholy sound. Two of our favorite musicians Brian Mullins and Mike Fitzmaurice play the Chinese erhu along with a variety of other Chinese instruments. This lively duo call themselves Erhoopla Variety Show and are back, by popular demand, for an encore performance at the Denver Public Library.

Tonight is our ongoing celebration for the Denver Public Library's Film Series 10th Anniversary. In the second installment of our Westward the Women collection, we'll be showing Destry Rides Again, a film that marked Marlene Dietrich's Triumpahnt return to the screen after several near career-ending films. The series continues for two more weeks: next films up are The Harvey Girls and Johnny Guitar (with Joan Crawford as the head cowgirl!) Showtime 6p in the B2 Conference Center.

On Wednesday, July 25 at 6 p.m. at the Smiley Branch, join Sundari Kraft, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Homesteading, and learn what urban homesteading is, how it looks in Denver, and how you can get started!