“South of Here,” the latest release by Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, has been nominated for Album of the Year by the American Music Association’s Americana Awards.

And Rateliff’s “Heartless,” is up for Song of the Year, continuing the band’s ever-widening roll as Colorado’s most popular and successful band. The album is produced by Brad Cook.

The winners will be announced as part of an epic concert event Sept. 10 in Nashville, Tenn.

Also up for Album of the Year is “Lonesome Drifter” by Charley Crockett; “Foxes in the Snow” by Jason Isbell; “Manning Fireworks” by MJ Lenderman; and “Woodland” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

One of the nominees for Artist of the Year is the band Waxahatchee, which just scorched the Outside Festival in Civic Center Park.

Something tells me this one will mean more to Rateliff than the Grammy Awards.

He’s been representing all over Denver of late. He attended SeriesFest in support of his now fiancée, Taylor McFadden; he was honored by Denver School of the Arts at a gala at the Museum of Nature and Science; and he attended the Denver premiere of Julia Stiles’ film “Wish You Were Here,” which includes two Night Sweats songs on the soundtrack. He even put in an appearance at a recent celebration of life for former Denver Post columnist Dick Kreck at the Wynkoop Brewery.

His band’s first headlining stadium world tour comes through Mile High Stadium (with The Lumineers) on Aug. 2.

Outside Festival packs ‘em in

Speaking of the Outside Festival, officials are reporting that attendance for the second annual weekend summit for the outdoor industry drew 35,000 to Civic Center Park over four days, nearly doubling the turnout from last year.

The bulk of those attendees – an estimated 33,000 – came on Saturday or Sunday, presumably drawn by a solid musical lineup that included Lord Huron, Khruangbin, Sylvan Esso, Trampled by Turtles and the aforementioned Waxahatchee. (Sylvan Esso lead singer Amelia Meath performed a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” with Rateliff at the Denver Film Festival back on Nov. 3, 2024).

Organizers say 26% of the crowd traveled here from out of state. A total of 31 smarties spoke at “Ideas Sessions” held at the Denver Art Museum. There was also an outdoors-centered film festival at the Denver Public Library and “Outside Ignite,” a national startup pitch competition where a panel of five judges awarded a grand prize valued at $100,000 to Carbondale-based Raide Research from among 200 pitchers.

There was talk that this Outside Fest puts Denver on a path toward having its own South By Southwest music festival, which in recent years, ironically, has been all but swallowed up by its own window-dressing side programming. But Denver pretty much has its own South By Southwest in the making in the form of the Underground Music Showcase (The UMS), which has organically grown into a very SXSW-like entity over its 25 years – a milestone that will be celebrated July 25-27 at venues large and small throughout the Baker neighborhood.

Mayor Johnston to the rescue?

Curious Theatre has been in a fight for its financial life for more than a year now, with a fate that largely depends on its ability to sell or somehow save the Acoma Center, its longtime home on the Golden Triangle that remains on the market.

Cue the dramatic music.

Last Friday, Curious staged its second all-nighter fundraising party called “The 24-Hour Plays,” an inventive, exhaustive creative exercise that gathers local playwrights, directors, actors and crew to conjure, write, memorize and stage six short world-premiere plays in 24 hours, with all funds going toward the ongoing Curious rescue effort.

And look who made a surprise visit – and not just as a member of the audience, but as an actor in a play? Why, it was Denver mayor Mike Johnston, who has long and often spoken wistfully of his young roots in the theater and his brush with a possible life as a playwright.

Johnston popped onstage for a quick cameo in the first play of the night. The mayor played an administratively inclined St. Peter in a heavenly, short comedy tastily titled “A Bitchfest of Biblical Proportions” written by Edith Weiss.

One could not help but wonder if Johnston might now feel inclined to intervene on a rescue effort to save the building or the company. There’s plenty of precedence from John Hickenlooper’s mayoral tenure, when he made several deals that ensured the survival of Denver’s now 51-year old Chicano theater, Su Teatro. 

You can call me Rhingo

The votes are in, and Denver’s newest monster (osity?) has a name. It’s Rhingo. (Which I have to admit, is a pretty good name.) A few weeks ago, we told you about the new art installation at Denargo Market, and the contest to give the 30-foot, 22,000-pound climbable structure a name. The promotion drew about 1,500 public votes, and the winner was announced Thursday with great fanfare. What’s weird is that while the winning name was announced, there was no word on who submitted the winning name. Why so secret?

There were actually multiple submissions of “Rhingo,” said Sean Billisitz, senior associate at SideCar Public Relations.

“Our intent from the start was to create an opportunity for the community to help shape something that will ultimately belong to the community and something we hope becomes a beloved local landmark for years to come,” Billisitz said. 

Now that’s my bag

Last weekend was one of those quintessential summer weekends in Denver with something going on at all times around every corner – you know, like every summer weekend in Denver. This one included the Denver Chalk Festival and the sixth annual Denver Fringe, a theatrical celebration of all things wonderful and weird.

With so much going on, I was only able to make it to three Fringe shows, but the one must-see for me was the one I heard all kinds of people poo-poohing (literally) based on the title alone. Yes, the one event I was not going to miss was a puppet show called “Colostomy Bag Buddies.” Having once lived with a colostomy bag myself for five months, how could I not want to see this raw confessional that uses colostomy bags for puppets – one of them functionally attached to the stomach of the puppeteer (and, if you know anyone who has one, ready to do its job at any moment? PS: That didn’t happen. Kinda wish it had.)

That puppeteer remains intentionally unnamed, which is understandable given how transparently he reveals his life with Crohn’s disease and his oddly chipper descent through divorce and the criminal justice system as a kind of future letter to his estranged pre-teen son. It was rough and awkward and kind of creepy and (sort of) funny, and I loved every short second of it. Where else are you going to get this kind of an intimate window into life with an invisible disability, and the shame, depression and stigma that can come with it – all presented with a dark sense of humor and a sliver of hope?

That’s what fringe theatre is all about. More of that, please.

And finally…

Give 5 Productions’ “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” one of the big-buzz musicals of 2024 and one that earned a True West Award for star Clark Destin Jones, will be remounted Nov. 6-23 at Ballyhoo, the new event space and cafe about to be opened by “Hedwig” producer Julia Tobey at 3300 Tejon St. Tickets go on sale June 26.