MUSIC
Jackopierce, 7 p.m., Aug. 31, Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 E. 1st Ave., Lowry. Tickets start at $25. Information: 303-830-9214 or tavernhg.com/soiled_dove. Details: Jackopierce takes its name from its two lead guitarists, acoustic musicians Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce who have shared the stage with artists like the Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox 20, Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, Vertical Horizon, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Lyle Lovett, No Doubt, Collective Soul, Train, Semisonic and many others. The pair’s musical approach neatly aligns with many of those acts – the duo’s acoustic balladry echoes elements of the most popular contemporary folk/rock.
Dressy Bessy, 8 p.m., Aug. 31, Bluebird Theatre, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. Tickets start at $10. Information: bluebirdtheater.net. Details: Since Dressy Bessy formed in 1997, the rock outfit has become a champion of the evolving local indie rock scene. Dressy Bessy members Tammy Ealom, Rob Greene, Darren Albert and John Hill have been a constant in Denver’s volatile rock scene, a band that produces consistently compelling and straight-ahead rock and roll. In support of the digital “Summer Singles” series that’s been released steadily through the past summer, the band will headline at the Bluebird with opening act the Omens. Before 9 p.m. on the day of the show, concertgoers 21 years old and up will get in free.
Reckless Red, 9 p.m., Aug. 31, Zephyr Lounge, 11940 East Colfax Ave. Admission is free. Information: 303-364-8981 or zephyrloungecolorado.com. Details: Fronted by the impressive pipes of lead singer CJ Nicolai, Reckless Red offers a straightforward brand of modern blues. Drummer John Ware, guitarist Rooster Olson and bassist Bob Higgins round out the quartet’s raucous and rolicking sound, a dynamic that’s ideal for the intimate setting of the Zephyr, Aurora’s top blues venue.
ON STAGE
“The Cider House Rules,” Parts One and Two. Performances run Sept. 7 to Sept. 30 at the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. Tickets start at $25. Information: 303-856-7830 or online at vintagetheatre.com. Details: Director Sherry Davis will lead the Vintage’s production of “The Cider House Rules,” a two-part stage adaptation of the John Irving novel. Spanning eight decades of American life, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch, founder of the St. Cloud’s, Maine orphanage and hospital, and of the complex father-son relationship he develops with the young orphan Homer Wells. The show will mark a milestone for the company, which moved to Aurora earlier this year. The play will run in the theater’s new studio theater, a smaller venue built in former studio space.
“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays; 6 p.m., Sundays; Sept. 7 through Oct. 28, Aurora Fox theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets start at $25. Information: 303-739-1970 or aurorafoxartscenter.org. Details: Benjamin Dicke worked hard to bring the musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” to the Aurora Fox Studio theater. The show by Michael Friedman and Alex Timbers is guerilla theater at its best, and it explores Jackson’s muddled and violent legacy in a decidedly rock-and-roll framework. Jackson’s background as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, his failed presidential bid in 1824 and the death of his wife are plot points in the show’s first half. The show also explores the deeper imprints of his time in office – the impact of populism, the human toll of the Indian Removal Act and the consolidation of executive power. The show is bound to be one of the hottest tickets of the fall season, so it’s best to get reservations early.
“Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Sundays; Sept. 14 through Oct. 14. Tickets start at $26. Information: 303-739-1970 or aurorafoxartscenter.org. Details: The Aurora Fox will kick off its 28th season with a guest production of Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” by Ashton Entertainment. Director John Ashton will head the show about an imagined meeting between Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein and other cultural giants of the twentieth century in an intimate French pub.
“Murder on the Nile,” 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Sundays, through Sept. 22, John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. 1st Place, Denver. Tickets start at $20. Information: 720-880-8727 or thisisspotlight.org. Details: The Spotlight Theatre Company kicks off its fall season with a stage adaptation of one of Agatha Christie’s best-loved murder mysteries. “Murder on the Nile” follows some of Christie’s most familiar narrative lines: Following a mysterious murder on a train following the course of the Nile river, all aboard are suspects.
ON DISPLAY
“Interplay,” until Sept. 28 at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery, 1405 Florence St. Admission is free. Information: 303-367-5886 or davarts.org. Details: After testing their taste for artistic experimentation earlier this summer, the students at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery will shift their focus to creative interplay. The “Interplay” exhibition slated to open on July 27 will be all about the interaction between artwork and viewer, with pieces that run the gamut from video games to moveable sculptures. Along with original pieces by DAVA students from K-12 schools across Aurora, the show will include works by guest artists Nikki Pike and Jaime Carrejo. What’s more, the public will have the chance to take part in the the bARTer collective during the exhibition’s opening reception from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 27. Information: 303-367-5886 or davarts.org.
Send information about upcoming events, performances, classes, films and family activities for The Insider at least two weeks before the event to: agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com.