We’re suckers for a good year-end list here at Boulder Weekly. And as enthusiastic (some might say obsessive) consumers of culture, there’s no shortage of opinions around the newsroom when it comes to our favorite movies, music, performances and experiences in Boulder County and beyond. So while we’re taking stock of 2023 and looking ahead to the new year, we asked staff and contributors to share their picks for the best of the year.
Shay Castle, editor-in-chief
Concert of the year
Los Cheesies at Roots Music Project
I had pre-existing beef with Los Cheesies frontman Shawn Camden from when we were both volunteering for Feet Forward, so I was impressed against my will when I saw him perform during a benefit show at Roots Music Project in Boulder. His high energy borders on insanity, but it’s the infectious kind that makes you smile and dance no matter your mood.
Book of the year
‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ by Jennette McCurdy
I’m a bit late to this one (it came out in August ’22) but I had to psyche myself up for it. As much a sendup of Hollywood as her batshit crazy family, Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died is not an easy read. But anyone with abusive or just less-than-stellar parents will find plenty to connect with.
Community event of the year
TGTHR Community Social & Youth Panel
Maybe it’s because I was just there, but Boulder nonprofit TGTHR hosted a Community Social & Youth Panel with its clients and … wow. I was blown away by their humor and heart. Nothing will motivate you to work on our dual homelessness and housing crises like spending five minutes with these folks.
Podcast of the year
‘Normal Gossip’
This show filled the void in my life when I worked alone at home (before I joined the Boulder Weekly team). From backstabbing bridesmaids to a clockmaker who faked his own death — twice! — the stories featured on Normal Gossip are always hella juicy, surprising and totally hilarious.
Jezy J. Gray, arts and culture editor
Movie of the year
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Anyone who has been around me at all this year knows about my one-line speaking role in the new movie by a scrappy young director named Martin Scorsese. I play the yes-man secretary to the bone-chilling William “King” Hale (Robert De Niro), a prominent Oklahoma cattle baron and community leader who pulls the strings behind a brutal 1920s Osage Nation killing spree in a conspiracy to bilk its oil-rich citizens of their spectacular wealth. I’m more than a little biased here, but Killers of the Flower Moon was far and away the best thing I saw this year — epic, spiritual and utterly devastating. (My scene basically kicks off the third act, so don’t go to the bathroom for the last hour or so just to be safe.)
Concert of the year
Lingua Ignota and Chat Pile at the Stanley Hotel
When I say these two winter nights at the purportedly haunted Stanley Hotel were a religious experience, I’m not being metaphorical. Complete with a private séance and nü-metal karaoke party, the pair of sold-out shows in Estes Park acted as the stateside swan song for Lingua Ignota, the apocalyptic folk-metal project of artist Kristin Hayter (who returns to the Front Range under her own name early next year). In a Boulder Weekly preview of the show, I interviewed the very good boys of celebrated noise-rock opening act Chat Pile ahead of their Colorado debut to rate local staples like weed, jam bands and healing crystals.
BW arts story of the year
‘False ending: Colorado hardcore heroes FAIM seize a second chance at a swan song’ by Lauren Hill
You generally don’t break a lot of news in a typical arts feature, but culture journalist and CU student Lauren Hill— who joins us in the newsroom next semester as our spring intern — did just that in her write-up on Denver hardcore band FAIM. The impending break-up of the beloved Front Range mainstay, which sent shockwaves through the local scene and beyond, was first announced in these pages via Lauren’s fabulous profile from February 2023. The story and the band rip in equal measure.
Outdoor adventure of the year
Ice Lakes Trail – San Juan Mountains
As a proud son of the Southern Plains, I count any elevation as both a personal accomplishment and a violation of God’s will. And this year I marked my highest notch (12,260 feet) at the upper basin of the Ice Lakes Trail in the breathtaking San Juan Mountains outside Ouray. The seven-mile round trip to the stunning alpine lakes was a grueling but gorgeous journey replete with waterfalls, jaw-dropping views and the season’s first blush of fall color. By the end of it, I felt like I really earned that dip in the hot springs when we got back to town.
Reopening of the year
Celestial Seasonings (4600 Sleepytime Drive, Boulder)
Like many people who spend too much time online, I’m mildly obsessed with the Sleepytime Bear. So imagine my heartbreak when I moved to Boulder, home of the Celestial Seasonings tea company that brought the internet’s coziest meme to life, only to discover factory tours were still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully those dark days — the closure, not the virus — ended this year when the facility was reopened to the public on Aug. 12. I finally got to experience the fabled Peppermint Room and see the original Sleepytime Bear painting in all its glory on the walls of the onsite art gallery. Stay sleepy, my friends.
Kaylee Harter, staff reporter
Book of the year
‘Sea of Tranquility’ by Emily St. John Mandell
This book was technically released in 2022, but what is time anyway? Sea of Tranquility travels through time and space, weaving together disparate characters with beautiful prose and mind-bending storytelling. I hate knowing much of anything about a book before reading it, so I’ll leave it at that and promise it’s worth your time (at a quick 272 pages, it won’t take much).
Side note: Mandell’s earlier novels Station Eleven and Glass Hotel tie into this book, but you don’t really need to read them first (I didn’t). They’re more companion pieces than precursors.
New podcast of the year
‘If Books Could Kill’
I’m a huge fan of the Michael Hobbes-iverse. He’s a former Huffington Post reporter who knows how to go down a good research rabbit hole and tackle complicated characters. You’re Wrong About (which Hobbes no longer co-hosts) and Maintenance Phase have been favorites of mine for a while now because of the deep research, scathing humor and balanced empathy Hobbes and his co-hosts bring to topics like wellness trends and pop culture. So I was excited this year when Hobbes released If Books Could Kill, a podcast about “the airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds”with Peter Shamshiri, co-host of 5-4, another great podcast about why the supreme court sucks.
Album of the year
‘Quest for Fire’ by Skrillex
I was in sixth grade and a friend of mine had just arrived at my house wearing her very 2010s suburbia plaid bermuda shorts and Sperrys. In a slightly nasally voice, she asked, “Ya ever heard of dubstep?” She played Skrillex’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites and I felt my prepubescent brain rewiring with every drop as we headbanged in my backyard. More than a decade later, Skrillex is still scratching the wrinkles in my brain with his second full-length album, Quest for Fire — one of two albums he released this year. It’s got a stacked list of features, with everyone from Missy Elliot and Flowdan to Four Tet and Fred Again. The album also features an appearance by 100 Gecs’ Dylan Brady. If you’re prone to turning up your nose at electronic music, give it a listen anyway — God forbid, you might have a good time.
Will Matuska, staff reporter
Concert of the year
Hermanos Gutiérrez
I didn’t quite know what to expect entering the doors of the Boulder Theater for Hermanos Gutiérrez. I had only just heard of them a few weeks prior. It was a packed house — my buddy and I were standing on one of the balcony’s side aisles. The stage was simple and consisted of two chairs that looked like the black plastic ones you might find in a high school choir room. Few words were spoken between songs. But every time the strumming stopped, the crowd erupted like we were on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. I am usually not one to buy merch after a concert, but I proudly walked out that night with an El Bueno Y El Malo record under my arm.
Community event of the year
Demolition Derby at BoCo Fairgrounds
Ten trucks. A closed ring. One goal: be the last car standing. What could go wrong? In a county littered with sound baths, vegan restaurants and goat yoga, it was restorative to find myself in the grandstands of the Boulder County Fairground’s Demolition Derby with a 24-ounce Coors Light in hand. Each half-bagged truck entered the arena with a roar from the crowd — a setting I imagine mirrored the entrance of gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Once the wheels started spinning, short-lived glory typically ended in flat tires or steaming hoods, with lots of dirt-slinging, engine-revving and crowd-clamoring in between. One truck even caught on fire. The crowd loved it. (The driver was OK).
Outdoor adventure of the year
10th Mountain Division Hut – Fritz Benedict
I went to my first 10th Mountain Division hut, the Fritz Benedict Hut, last spring near Aspen with a group of friends. After following the blue diamonds marking the way through lodgepole pines and alongside alpine lakes, we laid eyes on the hut at 11,300 feet. It was quite sophisticated — a whole room for chopping wood, a propane oven and enough beds to sleep 10. But what stood out most, to be honest, was the latrine. It had two floor-to-ceiling windows facing away from the hut and toward an untouched forest for the user to observe and contemplate while doing their business. Well played, 10th Mountain Division.
Carter Ferryman, special projects manager
Album of the year
‘Little Songs’ by Colter Wall
No 2023 album activated my senses quite as strongly as Colter Wall’s Little Songs. Wall has the most recognizable voice in country music today — a thick, velvety baritone — that he uses to paint moving images of the American West: a lost lover south of the border, an old prospector scanning the foothills of Saskatchewan, a cowboy’s conundrum, an old guitar, a whistling sagebrush — it’s all there for you to discover.
Athlete of the year
Travis Hunter – Colorado Buffaloes football (WR/DB)
The term “unicorn” isn’t a term used loosely in sports discourse. Never in a million years did I think my alma mater, right here in Boulder, would have one — I’m glad Travis Hunter proved me wrong. This season, Hunter played an astounding 1,032 snaps, far more than the average NCAA player, because your run-of-the-mill athlete — or any person stepping onto the field, for that matter — doesn’t play both sides of the ball at an NFL level. Hunter was named a consensus All-American, took home the Paul Hornung Award (honoring college football’s most versatile athlete) and is looking to log a historic 2024 season next fall.
Dish of the year
Grilled pork chop at Ado’s Kitchen
You know pork is cooked right when you don’t need anything else but the cut of meat — no side dishes required. But why not both? Ado’s Kitchen takes a perfectly grilled pork chop and places it atop a mouthwatering sweet corn and mushroom risotto you have to taste to believe, all tied together with a genius bourbon/ginger/soy/garlic sauce and topped with caramelized onions. Pair this with a glass of red or a Princess Yum Yum Raspberry Kolsch by Denver Beer Company, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a meal.
Bart Schaneman, literary reporter
Book of the year
‘To Die Beautiful’ by Buzzy Jackson
Boulder author Buzzy Jackson’s historical novel To Die Beautiful is not only tailor-made for the movie screen but rich with detail and depth of character. The saga of Dutch resistance fighter Hannie Schaft in 1940s Netherlands as she fights against Nazi occupation is about love, loyalty and, most importantly, standing up to fascism. Jackson reminds us that although Hitler and the Holocaust happened almost a hundred years ago, it could easily happen again.
Lit event of the year
Indie Author and Press Book Fair
On a hot, sunny day at the end of September, writers and indie presses gathered at Counterpath in Denver for the first (hopefully not last) Indie Author and Press Book Fair. Organized by Denver-based author Hillary Leftwich, the event featured small presses from Colorado and elsewhere selling books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, as well as a full day of readings and panels on publishing and other literary topics. The event united the Northern Colorado literary community around a love of literature. Friends were made, books were shared and people only known online were finally met in real life.
Film experience of the year
‘Flying High Again’ at Boulder Theater
The most fun I had watching a film all year was the screening of Flying High Again byTeton Gravity Research at the Boulder Theater in November. The movie won iF3’s 2023 Snowboard Film of the Year. While ski and snowboarding films can feel pretty repetitive — they’re always about people riding down a snow-covered mountain — this wasn’t your typical moviegoing experience. The soundsystem at the theater was blasting the soundtrack, people were drinking beer and the crowd was whooping and hollering at the more extreme antics. There’s just something about getting together with a bunch of like-minded strangers to yell at a large movie screen.
Chicken sandwich of the year
Colorado Fried Chicken Sandwich at 300 Suns
Hot take: Nashville-style chicken sandwiches are overrated. They’re usually overly seasoned with a boatload of cayenne pepper and lack depth of flavor. Some can be great — the version at 300 Suns in Longmont deserved to win the Denver Post’s best hot chicken sandwich tournament this year. But have you tried their Colorado fried chicken sandwich? It’s topped with chili honey glaze, slaw and pickles, and may just have a more interesting flavor combination than the sandwich that won the award. Don’t @ me.
Gabby Vermeire (aka Whole Foods Daddy), advice columnist
Free concert of the year
Bands on the Bricks
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone? Joni’s words hit hard in the Dark Pandy Summer of 2020 (trademark!), when our beloved regular programming of Bands on the Bricks was among many institutions to lose its in-person spectacle. Last summer was Bands’ third year back in full, un-distanced glory, and all of it — Hazel Miller, the surprisingly strong margs, the wholesome ecstasy of it all — just felt so right. Special shoutout to the regular-act Eagles cover band The Long Run, who turn the Pearl Street Mall into a BDE (Big Dad Energy) pride parade.
Podcast of the year
Normal Gossip
As many have noted — including BW editor-in-chief Shay Castle — the magic of Normal Gossip lies in the power of its exceedingly simple concept. In each episode, host Kelsey McKinney and a guest read a piece of anonymous gossip, about a real person, and … that’s it. Pretty soon you’ve binged every last episode and are discussing the ethical conundrums with Bestie. I dare you to listen to the first episode of Season 4 (“Every Peach is a Miracle“) and believe the gossip came from anywhere but crunchy lil’ Boulder — there’s a hot van-life climber taking advantage of showers, to start.
Cocktail of the year
The Pina Coladas @ Jungle
To quote a friend halfway through the heady potion known as a Jungle pina colada: “Wow, this is almost too much.” The key word therein is almost. Yes, these coladas are a lot: a lot of rum, a lot of sugar and a lot of taste (due to being served in an emptied can of Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut). Thanks to the generous use of the latter, it’s one of the only drinks I can honestly call “hearty.” It’s sweeter than a stolen, rum-soaked smooch on Pearl, and the healthy fats will hold you over until fries at the Pub.
