MUSIC
Deja Blu, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 2, Meadowood Park, 3054 S. Laredo St. Admission is free. Information: Aurora Chamber of Commerce at 303-344-1500. In case of inclement weather, call after 3 p.m. on the day of the concert for information on cancellations. Details: Deja Blu makes the most of its status as one of the metro area’s most popular cover bands. The quintet draws from a wealth of musical styles and puts its own spin on a wide range of artists, from big-band swing to contemporary R&B. As one of the last bands featured in this year’s Banks In Harmony series, Deja Blu is hoping to end the run with plenty of familiar hits and a good dose of soul.
Willis Alan Ramsey with Solomon Cook, 7 p.m., Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 E. 1st Ave., Lowry. Tickets start at $20. Information: 303-830-9214 or tavernhg.com/soiled_dove. Details: Willis Alan Ramsey’s debut in 1972 on Leon Russell’s Shelter label offered inspiration and material to artists like Jimmy Buffett (“Ballad of Spider John”), Jimmie Dale Gilmore (“Goodbye Old Missoula”), Shawn Colvin (“Satin Sheets”), Captain & Tennille (“Muskrat Love”), Jerry Jeff Walker (“Northeast Texas Women”), Lyle Lovett (“Sleepwalkin’,” “North Dakota”) and Eric Clapton. Ramsey insists his work represents the best kind of creative collaboration. Former Subdudes and 3Twins bass player, singer, songwriter Tim Cook and local singer/songwriter Rob Solomon have both left their stamp on his work. The result is a sound steeped in Americana and tradition, one that carries its own brand of acoustic innovation.
Forever Fab, 6 p.m., Aug. 3, Town Square, Southlands, 6155 South Main St. Admission is free. Information: 303-627-5000 or shopsouthlands.com. Details: The market for Beatles cover bands is surprisingly crowded. Locally, plenty of bands emulating the Fab Four find regular gigs at clubs and amphitheaters across Colorado. The Fab Four work to set themselves apart with their comprehensive approach. From the gritty, R&B-informed rock tunes the Beatles first introduced at the Cavern club in Germany to the layered, complex compositions that would characterize albums like “Abbey Road,” the Forever Fab outfit set out to perform the music “note for note.” The band will kick off a month marked mostly by cover bands at the free music festival at Southlands, paving the way for acts like Message in a Bottle and Under a Blood Red Sky.
Dez Rubano Band, 8 p.m., Aug. 11, Lone Tree Arts Center’s Terrace Theater, 10075 Commons St. in Lone Tree. Tickets start at $15. Information: 720-509-1000 or lonetreeartscenter.org. Details: The Dez Rubano Band combines traditional swing and improvisational elements for a brand of jazz they affectionately call “SWAZZ.” Led by percussionist extraordinaire Dez Rubano, the outfit includes some of the most renowned jazz musicians from Colorado. The emphasis here is on improvisation, and no show is the same, according to Rubano.
ON STAGE
“Spring Awakening,” 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays from Aug. 3 to 26 at the Aurora Fox studio theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Information: ignitetheatre.com. Details: The Ignite Theatre Company may be a relatively young troupe, but the organization has already scored a major creative coup in securing the rights for the smash Broadway musical “Spring Awakening.” Ignite Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Keith Rabin Jr. announced the show earlier this year, the full cast list was finalized in May and the premiere is slated for this weekend at the Aurora Fox studio theater. The production will be a regional premiere of the Tony Award-winning show by a local company, and the cast includes a mix of veterans and plenty of new faces.
“Fiddler on the Roof,” 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1 through 4, PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker. Tickets start at $16. Information: 303-805-6800 or parkeronline.org. Details: Based on the short stories of Sholem Aleichem, “Fiddler on the Roof” has become one of the stage’s most indelible and well-known musical dramas. Based in a Russian Jewish community in the 19th century, the drama tracks the everyday struggles of a father, his family and the pressure of the outside world. The community production includes renditions of “Sunrise Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Tradition.”
“The Government Inspector,” 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m., Sundays, July 27 through Aug. 26 at the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $25. Information: 303-856-7830 or vintagetheatre.com. Details: The Vintage will mark its third featured show in Aurora with Jeffrey Hatcher’s “The Government Inspector,” a comedy set in a small Russian hamlet and focuses on the chaos that ensues after a surprise visit from a government official. The show is an adaption of the play by Nikolai Gogol, a comedy that was part of last year’s season at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
ON DISPLAY
8th Annual Mile High International Pastel Exhibition, through Aug. 30 at the MADDEN Museum of Contemporary Art, 6363 South Fiddler’s Green Circle, Greenwood Village. Information: pastelsocietyofcolorado.com. Details: This exhibition will include works from artists across the state, all of whom specialize in the medium of pastels. The show is set to include a range of styles and mediums, and will feature the winning entries in the Pastel Society of Colorado’s latest competition.
“The Faux Show,” Aug. 11 to Feb. 23, the Museum of Outdoor Arts, indoor gallery, 1000 Englewood Parkway Englewood. Details: 303-806-0444 or moaonline.org. Details: The Museum of Outdoor Arts latest show pays tribute to and satirizes contemporary artists and their often controversial work. “The Faux Show” features art pieces created by MOA Design and Build interns under the guidance of master artist and puppeteer, Cory Gilstrap, who provided the puppets for PHAMALY Theatre Company’s current production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The show’s opening reception will be free to the public and is set for 5 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 11.