City Cast Denver

Host Bree Davies and the City Cast Denver team did a live podcast taping at this year's Underground Music Showcase. And now you can hear it!This candid conversation explores the idea of "diversity in music" and what that really means for performers of color. How does "diversity, equity and inclusion" truly extend to show booking, venue operations, and other positions of power within a music scene? Does representation go beyond the stage? As white folks scramble to "diversify," does it feel like anything meaningful is happening or changing for the actual artists?We're honored to be joined for this panel discussion by several guests from around the Denver music scene:Alicia "Bruce" Trujillo - Alicia "Bruce" Trujillo is a Chicana feminist from occupied Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe land, in what's now called Colorado - raised on the Western Slope, and currently in Denver. Bruce has been working in the community and public media since 2012, with a mission to spotlight, book, and amplify the voices of those who are currently under-heard and underrepresented, with a focus on independent and locally made music and art. Bruce is Concert Director at Denver's Swallow Hill Music Association; a the weekend host on Colorado Public Radio's new music service, Indie 102.3, and is the creator of Especial, a weekly, hour long dive into new and independent Latin-made music from around the 'Americas' and en Colorado. She's also Executive Director and host of Colorful Colorado Collaborations, bringing together BIPOC businesses and musicians, and founder and host of Whiskey, Women and Song, which pairs local female-identifying musicians with locally crafted whiskies for performances, interviews, and whiskey tastings. She sometimes writes for Denver Westword, with a focus on local art.Wes Watkins - We Watkins is a multi-instrumentalist, band leader, show organizer, and long-running member of the Denver music community known for his work in The Other Black, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Cosmic Slim, and more.Miguel Aviña - Miguel Aviña is a Mexican singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the band iZCALLi. He has enjoyed consistent success and is widely credited as one of the key artists of the Rock En Tu Idioma (RETI) movement in Colorado. Miguel founded RETI Rock En Tu Idioma LLC in 2011, an artist management, promoter and marketing company responsible for community events such as Rock De Mayo, RETIFest and La Posada which seek to bring awareness and accessibility to the hispanic music and arts culture in Colorado. With iZCALLi Miguel has traveled throughout the US for over 15 years, showcasing their diverse brand of Rock En Tu Idioma. As a solo artist, Miguel takes the opportunity to journey into a deeper exploration of music. His lyrics and melodies resonate from the heart and exude raw emotions. These are best exposed through a more simple approach… his voice and his guitar. There is something familiar yet refreshing about Miguel’s approach to song-writing that showcases Miguel’s passion for The Love Song; these songs exhibit his wide range of influences: traditional folk ballads, pop, indie sounds, that are always tinged with a Latin flare, a flare that takes you into your heart, and warms the soul.

City Cast Denver is hosting a LIVE show tonight at the Underground Music Showcase! Catch us at 6pm at Mutiny Information Cafe with a panel of awesome musicians and leaders in the local music scene: Wes Watkins, Miguel Aviña, and past guest Alicia “Bruce” Trujillo! It’s free and all ages are welcome. See you tonight!RSVP → https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154But until then, please enjoy this re-run of one of our favorite episodes:In-N-Out has been getting all the buzz — and insanely long lines — since it opened its first Denver area location last year. Five Guys is an East Coast favorite. Shake Shack strutted into town from NYC with a hip new look and a lot of big talk. But really, who do these transplant burger chains think they are, coming into our city thinking they can make burgers?! City Cast Denver’s crack team of eaters are here to settle it once it for all. And can any of them stand up against our homegrown fast food burger darling Good Times? Follow along with Bree, Paul, Xandra, and Peyton, then let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenver. Hit us with your favorite out-of-state burger chain and the hashtag #CityCastBurgerCrawl. Don’t miss the City Cast Denver newsletter for breaking burger updates and more news from around the city: denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/The excerpt of the oral history with Bill Clements Jr. in this episode comes courtesy of the oral history collection at History Colorado. You can listen to the whole conversation, including a wild story about Bill’s dad and Colonel Sanders, right here. 

Since 2006, Keith Garcia has been curating films for Cinema Q, Denver’s annual celebration of queer cinema. Garcia is the Artistic Director for the Sie FilmCenter and created the festival as a celebration of LGBTQ filmmakers, directors, actors, and the storylines they bring to life. Garcia joins City Cast Denver Host Bree Davies to talk about what makes a film queer and what movies shaped his own experience as a young, gay kid obsessed with the big screen. For more on Keith and Cinema Q, check out this profile of the festival from the Denver Post. Plus: City Cast Denver Producer Xandra McMahon joins Bree to offer recommendations for artists to see and things to do at this weekend’s Underground Music Showcase! Bree will also share information about Sunday’s 3rd Annual La Raza Park Day and Cruise, a celebration of Denver’s unique Chicano culture.  Here are links to all the cool UMS acts we talked about:Kayla Marque/The Grand AllianceNeomaYaSiCity Cast Denver LIVE at UMS (duh.)Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter for even more Denver news and events: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Which acts are you looking forward to seeing at UMS this weekend? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver. 

Way back in 2005, then Mayor John Hickenlooper put forth an ambitious, 10-year plan to address Denver’s crisis of houselessness. Ten years and one recession later, our housing issues were worse than ever. That failure, in part, led our current mayor, Michael Hancock, to create a brand new Department of Housing Stability (HOST) in 2019. And guess what? HOST just published their first long-term plan to address the housing crisis. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Britta Fisher, the head of HOST, to talk about what’s in this plan and why this time is going to be different. HOST is soliciting public comment on their new plan until September 3. After that, the plan will head to City Council in November. Here’s the link to read the full report and fill in HOST’s community survey. Get to it soon, though! You only have another week!For more on our housing crisis and other Denver news you need to know, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What’s your favorite Denver hashtag? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver

For 31 years, Florida “Flo” Archuletta has taken care of a plot of land on the Southwest corner of 14th and Lipan. After the 1993 killing of her son, Archuletta turned the once-abandoned Westside lot into a tribute to him, dubbing it the “Jerry Martinez Family Memorial Park.” But there’s a problem: Archuletta never formally owned the land, and now that real estate in the neighborhood is a hot commodity, the legal owners have come calling. So who really owns this community park? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies met up with Flo in the park over the weekend to hear the whole story. Plus, we hear from the legal owners about their plans. This Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the live taping of City Cast Denver. Podcastin’ podcastin’, yeah. RSVP here: City Cast Denver LIVE at UMS!Looking for even more Denver news, cool things to do, and ways to get involved in your community? Look no further than the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Let us know what you think should be done with the Jerry Martinez Family Memorial Park on Twitter @citycastdenver

For more than three decades, the Mercury Cafe has been a destination for artists, activists, and outsiders. It’s more than just a restaurant and venue space; it’s a hub for out-there ideas, unexpected collaboration, and lasting community. And the heart of the Merc has always been its owner and operator, Marilyn Megenity. That is, until June 22, when Danny Newman and his business partners purchased the iconic, vine-covered building in Five Points. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Newman to find out how they plan to carry on her vision and what the future might hold for this counterculture institution. Come see us LIVE! This Friday at the Underground Music Showcase, Bree will be on stage with a panel of musicians and leaders in the music community exploring the idea of "diversity in music" and what that really means for performers of color. We’ve got an incredible panel, lots of cool CCD merch, and it’s FREE. FOR. EVERYONE. RSVP and details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154Subscribe to our newsletter!Follow, retweet, and like @citycastdenver 

With the delta variant spreading like wildfire, it feels like we’re headed for another long, lonely winter. So we’re looking past the doom and gloom for a game of Guess That COVID Restriction! City Cast Denver’s Bree Davies, Paul Karolyi, and Peyton Garcia are hanging out and chatting all things COVID and Colorado, along with another round of New Denver/Old Denver.Looking for more Denver news and event recs? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/We tweet @citycastdenver

After 20 years and $83 billion, the U.S. war in Afghanistan is finally ending. On Sunday, Taliban forces swept Kabul, taking back control of Afghan capital from the U.S.-backed government and putting the thousands of Afghan civilians who worked with the U.S. and allied forces in an extremely vulnerable position. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Aurangzaib Sharifi, an Afghan journalist who worked as an interpreter before eventually finding his way to Denver in 2015.Aurangzaib’s Facebook group for the Denver Afghan community can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/DenverAfghans. Some members of the Denver Afghan community are holding a demonstration tonight — August 19 at 6 p.m. — outside the Capitol Building downtown to call for an end to the humanitarian crisis. For more details, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/575630286805756 Every single edition of the City Cast Denver newsletter comes with more ways for you to get involved and help shape our city’s future. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Our tweets are often frivolous, ephemeral, and ill-suited to help you do much of anything but lol: @citycastdenver

It’s no secret — Denver has been in an affordable housing crisis for a long time. But what if there was a solution all along that would allow Denverites themselves to build some of that needed housing stock? Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval (District 1) has been leading the charge, pushing for the adoption of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, as part of Denver’s zoning code. So what exactly is an ADU? And how would ADUs help address our housing crisis? Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Sandoval about everything ADUs and why Denver needs to adopt them as an equitable housing solution right now. For more on Sandoval’s work on ADUs, including a guide for how to build one for yourself, here’s a website she and her team set up to break it all down.Unlike New York, they say that Denver is a city that sometimes sleeps. When you wake up, wouldn’t it be nice to get a quick digest of news and cool event recs? Subscribe to our newsletter and get exactly that in your inbox every weekday!Got a question for us? Or just want to chat about ADUs or something else you heard on the show? Find us on Twitter @citycastdenver

When Meow Wolf opens its newest and biggest immersive art museum, Convergence Station, in Denver next month, it will feature the work of more than 100 local artists, each one putting their own Denver-y spin on Meow Wolf’s particular brand of interdimensional weirdness. One of those artists, Colin Ward, was a leading figure in Denver’s DIY community before he died by suicide in 2018, shortly after submitting a proposal for an installation with fellow artist and friend Peniel “Pepe” Apantenco. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies tours the as-yet-unfinished Convergence Station, including Colin and Pepe’s room, with Pepe and Kim Shively, who was also Colin’s girlfriend. They discuss Colin’s art, his legacy, and their complicated feelings surrounding his posthumous acceptance into the mainstream. Come hang with us at UMS! Friday, August 27, 6:30 pm at Mutiny Information Cafe. We’ll be giving away some brand new CCD swag too, so you don’t want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154For more on Colin and his legacy, here’s a piece Bree wrote for Westword after his death: https://www.westword.com/music/denver-artist-colin-ward-dies-at-27-9969201And here’s a link to a Mayoreo video, as discussed in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9YA1735l0gOur newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/CityCastDenver