Stevies apparent weight problem in early 90's

[michelej1]

Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO), November 18, 1994

Section: ENTERTAINMENT/WEEKEND/SPOTLIGHT

FINAL EXIT AT THE BOULDER THEATER?

MICHAEL MEHLE

The fat lady is warming up at the Boulder Theater, and I'm not talking about Stevie Nicks .

Boulder voters drubbed a proposed hotel tax hike that would have allowed the city to buy, renovate and run the theater, a la the city-owned Chautauqua Auditorium.

Those fighting to save one of the area's most comfortable, best sounding theaters are meeting next week to brainstorm a last-ditch effort.

They'd best hurry. Theater owners would prefer to sell it to the city, but they have other offers waiting in the wings. Presumably, not all of those offers include keeping the landmark a theater. The site has always been targeted for another clothes store, condos or offices.

Boulder voters were given their chance, and the message was clear: 18,523 against, 12,878 for the proposal, which was battled furiously by the city's hotel owners.

"I understand the issue was big and complicated," promoter Nona Gandelman said. "But from a cultural standpoint, we need a theater like this."

The venue has been closed since summer 1993, when taxes and creditors finally caught up with then-owner Dick Macleod. Following foreclosure, the theater's original owner has been keeping some music alive by allowing the producers of E-Town to lease the building cheaply.

But it's a far cry from the early '90s, when the theater was the top mid-sized venue in the state.

Its demise helped open the door for several other venues, but none has filled the bill of the 58-year-old art-deco beauty on 14th Street just off the Pearl Street Mall.

The Fox Theatre on University Hill seats about half as many people. And "seats" isn't quite the right word for its room with remarkable sound but few actual spots to sit.

The Bluebird Theater on East Colfax Avenue comes close to matching the ambiance of the Boulder Theater, but is half the size. The Ogden Theatre, also on East Colfax, is the same size (about 1,000 capacity) as the Boulder venue, but has been a better draw for louder, younger bands.

The Paramount Theatre is just too expensive and too large (about 2,000 seats) for many acts to fill.

"We've been at this a long time," said E-Town's Nick Forster, who has been fighting for the venue while leasing it for the weekly show. "It's time for something concrete to happen. We must save this theater."

Soaked: You won't hear the singers of Soak moaning about their day jobs.

But then, it's not as if they're collating copies at a law firm. Shawn Farmer and Jim Hale are professional snowboarders, and if there's anything equitable to being paid to rock 'n' roll, it may be collecting a paycheck for shredding mountains.

It's the other members of Soak who must make amends for their singers' occupations and new locations.

Farmer now lives in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Hale in Seattle. That poses a bit of a problem for a Denver band.

"We don't play very often," explains bassist Erik Oberhausen. "It's a matter of collecting air fares to get where we need to be. If it's an event worth going to, we figure it out and go there."

Oberhausen, drummer Jason Smith and guitarist Larry Denning are mainstays of Denver's revolving rock circuit, having done their dues with bands ranging from Bum Kon to Jux County to Acid Ranch.

They keep their toes in other bands while waiting for the sporadic shows with Soak, a band that combines metal riffs and rap.

A lot of those gigs coincide with - surprise - snowboarding competitions.

Last year Soak played the King of the Hill snowboarding contest in Valdez, Alaska, sharing the bill with national punkers Offspring and Pennywise. Next year, Soak will likely play at California's Mammoth Mountain for Board Aid, a combination competition and celebration for snowboarders.

Last year's Alaska show was even more logistically difficult than usual, because drummer Jason Smith and guitarist Larry Denning were living in San Francisco while playing with Jux County.

"We were all over the country," Oberhausen said.

Now, at least three of the fivesome call Denver home. Farmer and Hale flew in earlier this week to rehearse for 10 p.m. shows at the Lion's Lair Friday and at Seven South Saturday.

If you miss them this weekend, you'll have quite a wait.

"Oh, it could be awhile," Oberhausen said. "Maybe next summer."