Recent Articles from Mike Cote
Cote’s Colorado: Insurance for the future—a kid with a great job
The U.S. economy eked out a mere 18,000 new jobs in June. Employment in the private sector stayed about the same while government cut 39,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported. In that environment, with unemployment at 9.2 percent, my youngest son snagged a great job, beginning work almost immediately after graduation (he got married and […]
Deer Tick heads to Colorado for shows this weekend
DEER TICK The Black Dirt Sessions (Partisan) Rhode Island rockers Deer Tick — a moniker the band’s lead singer and guitarist says comes from finding one of those suckers implanted on his scalp one day — are purveyors of booze-soaked Americana-laced rock ‘n’ roll. Their band’s third album, The Black Dirt Sessions, released last year, […]
The other Elvis plays host to Bruce, Bono and the Edge
ELVIS COSTELLO Spectacle: Elvis Costello with …. Season 2 (MVD Visual) Thank god for shingles. If David Letterman hadn’t gotten sick a few years back, Elvis Costello might never have tried his hand at being a talk show host. His successful stint inspired him and Elton John, now his executive producer, to create this amazing […]
Cote’s Colorado: Cricket makes its Muve to music
When Austin-based rockers White Denim came to Denver in June to perform a late-night set at the Larimer Lounge, they had a chance to warm up at a corporate event that likely paid them better than the club show. And the new service they were promoting should help them get paid for their music in […]
A musical power play from Tedeschi Trucks
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Revelator (Masterworks) Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have long collaborated on each other’s records and performed live shows together, but the release of Revelator marks a major leap in their musical partnership and one whose time clearly has come. Earlier in their careers, long before they met and became a married couple, […]
Richard X. Heyman’s “Tiers” a pop gem
RICHARD X. HEYMAN Tiers/And Other Stories (Turn-Up) I’ve never heard of Richard X. Heyman, and you haven’t either. And in many ways, that’s the theme of Heyman’s Tiers, an intricate, elaborately constructed song cycle about young love, dreams of stardom and the crushing realization that fame is as elusive as advertised. Heyman tells this tale […]
Cote’s Colorado: Sounds of summer
When R&B upstarts Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings take the stage to kick off the Denver Botanic Gardens summer concert series June 1, they’ll be helping to spread the Swallow Hill mojo. The venerable roots music nonprofit offers classes and intimate concerts at its 22,000-square-foot headquarters at Yale Avenue and Broadway, but its reach […]
Cote’s Colorado: Selling to the other 90 percent
Wal-Mart has stopped at nothing to drive down the cost of the merchandise it sells. Paul Polak would argue even that model is not enough for long-term success in the global market. While millions of people shop at Wal-Mart every day, billions will never set foot in the store. These are people for whom electricity, […]
ACE for excellence
Alex Cranberg and his wife, Susan Morrice, have two school-age daughters, so his interest in education is more than a passing notion. And through them, he appreciates that no system of teaching, no specific classroom structure, works for every child. Ten years ago, Cranberg was among several Denver businessmen who founded the Alliance for Choice […]
Treasure hunt
Framed photos taken with U.S. presidents, stacks of trade magazines, native artwork collected from international travel. The memorabilia that adorns the walls and shelves in a small conference room in Alex Cranberg's Denver headquarters for Aspect Energy is typical of a successful executive. Exce...
Marcia Ball’s “Roadside Attractions” is a wild ride
MARCIA BALL Roadside Attractions (Alligator) Marcia Ball just keeps getting better with age. On her 12th album, the singer and piano player delivers the first collection of her career devoted to entirely to songs she either wrote or co-wrote. Steeped in her Texas and Louisiana roots and the rhythms of the eternal touring musician, Roadside […]
Cote’s Colorado: Tools to a shared end
The editor-in-chief of Forbes is a creature of the 21st century. Steve Forbes likes to read books on his Kindle and hosts a popular online video interview show. And if you checked his iTunes playlist, you’d probably find a few songs by U2. The deal Forbes Media inked in 2006 with private equity fund Elevation […]