Ski-town comedy
Originally from western New York, comedian Jeff Wozer intended on moving to Colorado for just a few months 24 years ago. But as a skier, the fresh powder was enticing, and he has stayed ever since. Now, he lives in a cabin the woods and makes jokes about it both on stage and in writing.
His foray into comedy began when he was getting in trouble for editorializing the news for a Vermont radio station and “made jokes about this and that,” he said. When he moved out West, he needed to make room for skiing during the day, and he found out he could make money doing stand-up at night.
“My act is unique. It’s perfect for Durango. It’s very ski-town based. I do a lot of jokes on skiing, biking, backpacking, bears. All that type of stuff,” Wozer said.
He’s shared stages with the best in comedy, such as Lewis Black and Dave Chappelle. He’s performed at Red Rocks. And he is a regular at Comedy Works in Denver. He has taken his act all over, including to the Great American Comedy Festival in Norfolk, Nebraska, the hometown of Johnny Carson.
With Albuquerque comedian Rusty Rutherford opening, the Henry Strater Theatre doors will open at 7:00 p.m., and tickets are $10-18. For more information, visit www.henrystratertheatre.com.
The Magic Beans
Nederland, a woodsy, rural community outside of Boulder, is an ideal setting to make music. It’s peaceful, inspirational – and most importantly, bands can be loud.
The Magic Beans, whose sound is hard to pin down, is somewhere between funk, rock, Americana and electronica.
Saturday night, you don’t want to miss their show at Animas City Theatre.
“It’s oriented toward dancing and all about the energy,” said Scott Hachey, guitar and vocals.
Hachey moved to Boulder six years ago from Minnesota and got a degree in environmental science. For the last four years, he’s been putting the education he received outside the classroom to good use. He got his start in the music business while interning for a promoter who put on shows at Boulder Theater and Fox Theatre, Hachey said.
Now, his band is the one taking the stage, and The Magic Beans are touring on behalf of last year’s double-album release, which includes dates in Telluride; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Lawrence, Kansas.
Tickets are $12, and doors will open at 9:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.animascitytheatre.com.
More than art
People can get used to being independent, and that can apply to art. So for Studio &’s latest show, “Bound: An Experiment in Coerced Collaboration,” artists were presented a challenge: Work with someone, and do something different.
Last October, 24 artists were paired with others and assigned to create art for “Bound.”
“We are all good at our wheelhouse,” said Tim Kapustka of Studio &. He, for example, paired with Shay Lopez, another Studio & artist, and he said they strayed a bit off course and made abstract sculpture. It’s not their usual undertaking, but “that’s what we try to induce,” Kapustka said.
Most of the artists in this show are from Durango, and all are from Southwest Colorado. Kapustka said they all are accomplished, and most of the artists don’t work with someone like this, so this show is kind of a “sociological experiment about getting along and stepping out of your process to make a process.”
Finding a time that works for both people could have been the biggest challenge in “Bound.”
“You gotta wade through these situations to get to the actual artmaking,” Kapustka said.
“Bound” will open at 5 p.m. Friday at Studio &.
Durango Arts Center does it up
People can spend their whole Friday evening at Durango Arts Center, if they’d like. First, DAC will be hosting the 39th annual Juried Exhibition. Contemporary art will be open for viewing until March 21. Elizabeth Stannard will be the juror of the show. She has been working as a professional artist for 21 years, and she earned her bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College.
The exhibition’s opening will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
At 7:30 p.m. at DAC, “Other Desert Cities” by Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Baitz will be performed. Attendees can look forward to seeing a well-constructed play about Brooke Wyeth, an author who returns home to Palm Springs, California. There, she sees her family for Christmas, where she tells them she’s about to publish a book that will open old family wounds, which doesn’t thrill them.
Families often have skeletons, so it might be something we can all relate to. This play was quite popular on Broadway, and starting this weekend until March 1, you’ll have six chances to see it at DAC. This is a collaboration between Merely Players and DAC Theatre. Tickets are $19-22. For more information, visit www.durangoarts.org.
The Assortment
This local Durango band has been rocking the local scene for about 12 years, and from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, you can catch them at Durango Brewing Co.
The band’s music is exactly what their name implies. They have original songs, and they cover folk, rock and R&B songs. Their musical library runs the gamut. During their performances, they even get the kids involved.
“We really have something for everyone,” said Kimberly Heikens, percussion.
The band recently spent some time in the studio, and it’s possible that they’ll play some new tunes, she said.
There’s no cover charge for this show.
