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Arvada [Change Location]

Blog Entry 24 of 24 Arvada: The way it was, the way it is, the way it could be.
I moved to Arvada in 1975, getting to spend my formative years growing up here, watching it change, breaking several municipal codes, and seeing how much trouble I could get in without my parents actually finding out. I moved back to Arvada a year ago, and while my contacts with the local authorites have drastically gone down hill, my fond memories of growing up here havent. My writings will be about the times I spent growing up here, the friends I grew up with, the trouble we got in, the stuff we got away with, and basically anything else that spews forth from my brain. I graduated from Arvada High School in 1985 (Go Redski...oops, go Reds...oops....go Bulldogs, or Wombats, or Tibetan Spitting Lamas, or whatever they are called these days). I spent 10 years on the Comedy circuit, but these days prefer to spend time with my wife, my dog, and whatever poor souls end up on a poker table with me. When I post a story, please feel free to write me back with your memories. I would like to know if I was the only one who remembers seeing Young Frankenstien at the Wadsworth drive in, or tried desperately to lose his virginity on a carpeted mushroom at US on Wheels.

I wanna rock!! (within 10 miles of my house)


Becoming an adult (alledgedly) in the late 80's and early 90's was a great time. Why? Because we had some seriously cool rock and roll. Whether it was Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest), Hair Metal (Poison, Ratt), Somewhere In Between Metal (Scorpions, Motley Crue),or various bands that I cant really pigeon hole (Skid Row, Twisted Sister), there was never a shortage of mind numbing guitar solos and power ballads. And while there was some other pretty cool stuff out at that time, (if anyone says I know all the words and dance moves from Footloose, I will deny it until I die), it was pretty much rock and roll for me.

Every now and then, its nice to go see a band or two cover some of my favorite songs from then and now. Unfortunately, for a long time, it was kind of tough to find a venue up north to check out cover bands and down a couple of ice cold adult beverages. That was before, of course, before that runaway beer truck known as the Hiccups brigade came to town. First there was Hiccups, at 80th and Sheridan. Before you knew it, there was Hiccups II at 104th and Ura, in the old Twin Towers building. And by the way, if you ever went to Twin Towers for karoake back in the day, you truly know what the seedy underbelly of entertainment was. Well, one day, Hiccups I and Hiccups II got drunk and gave birth to Hiccups III, located in the space where Brewskis stood for a bunch of years.

All 3 bars offer live music on the weekends, and some times during the week. Also, all 3 bars have a great waitstaff. (Disclaimer, if your the person who wrote the blog about the bowling alley playing "I kissed a girl" and got offended, you probably don't want to see the waitstaff outfits. Might cause an aneurysm.) The bands that play at the bars are for the most part quite good. Here is a rundown on the ones that I am familiar with:

513: What can I say, they sound great but I'm not really sure what they look like, since the stage is usually surrounded by some serious CQ's (Cleavage Queens). I'm not saying I wouldn't like to see the band, but its a little distracting when every time I turn around, it looks like a truck hit a tree and both airbags deployed.

Gods Day Off- A lot of fun. Wickedly talented band that doesn't take themselves to seriously. Some nights, half of the fun is the playful banter between Glen the singer and Chris the drummer. Don't get me wrong, you wont see either of these guys on Jeopardy anytime soon, but they are seriously funny when the mood strikes. Acutally, Chris was in my graduating class from Arvada High School, so you might see him on Jeopardy someday. AHS didn't gradumatate any dummies.

Steele- Fun party band. Not sure how they got their name though. The lead singer, Chad Steele and I have known each other for a long time, but he never told me how the band got the name. On his 2nd album, entitled Chad Steele Sings The Hits of Chad Steele, there is a song named "The Chicks Call Me Steele". I think if you play it backwards, it will give up the secret to the bands name. Or, it will tell you that Paul McCartney was having an affair with Freddy Mercury. Regardless, they are a lot of fun when they are on stage.

All of the Hiccups have stuff going on during the week, be it beer pong, poker, or karoke. There is a 5.00 cover for the bands on the weekends, but that just goes to the Eddie the Bartender Rogain fund. During the week, the bars have beer and shot specials. On the weekends, its pretty much full price. However, if you see Dale the Owner Dude, and walk up to him and say "Welcome to the Castle Anthrax, you must spank me", he might buy you a beer. Or, he might spank you.

Until next time loyal blog addicts, wear something bright and stay low.





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You have not discovered the DNote, 7519 Grandview in Olde Town Arvada yet?

You got me wanting to rock out!
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