Working-class rock—and that’s the bell the Yawpers ring again and again on American Man (Bloodshot)—has gone through a lot of permutations through the decades. This music is all over the map, stylistically; “Doing It Right” skews to amped-up speedway boogie, while the title cut and “Beale Street” bring more country trappings, though it’s a revved up country that would be totally alien to CMT. And there are left-field moments like “Kiss It” that go full-on dirty blooze hard rock. For all that variety, the music works well on its own merits. The Yawpers—singer/guitarist Nate Cook, guitarist Jesse Parmet and drummer Noah Shomberg—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Shomberg: When asked by my girlfriend if I’d like to join her for her cousin’s birthday lunch at Casa Bonita, I had mixed feelings. Should I feel the overwhelming excitement that Cartman (South Park) felt, or pay mind to the Yelp reviews slamming the place? I did a little bit of both. I felt like I’ve been almost everywhere in Denver until last Sunday. As we rolled up to Casa Bonita, we passed hourly motels and used-car lots on every block. On the horizon, I see in the distance a huge tower beaming out of a boarded up strip mall. It was Casa Bonita.
Upon entering Casa Bonita, I was ready for anything except the food. As the doors opened, I was assaulted with humid air. The air reeked of chlorine, the walls seemed to have a light film forming, and the lighting was dim. I felt like I was in Mexican Disneyland. I’m not sure if I mean that in a good way or a bad way. We moved toward the line to order food. I had heard that the food is inedible but the price of entrance to CB is the purchase of a meal. So here I go. The menu is limited and pricey considering the condition of the place. You order food at a kiosk, funnel down the line, grab a dirty tray, dirty silverware and wait for your food to come out of a conveyor belt. The owners of CB have operations management down pat. As we walked into the dining room, I could feel my adrenal glands tense in anticipation for our experience. The smells, the people, the puppet shows, the cliff divers. I couldn’t even count how many dining room tables there were but the dining room seemed to resemble a Mexican drug lord’s mansion … on acid. Almost immediately after being seated, the show started, which focused on a conflict and a standoff between the sheriff and his nemesis black Bart. Naturally, it ended in a cliff dive. Intermittently, there would be divers soaring through the air from various positions on man-made cliffs. The overstimulation, thick air and scent of low-quality food was almost sickening. Despite all that there is beauty and wonder at Casa Bonita.
It’s amazing to see that they built a small Mexican town in detail in a little strip mall off of West Colfax in 1974. They built several cliffs for divers to do flips off of, a pool several feet deep for them to land in and an indoor cave. At every turn, there is potential revenue to be made, whether it be from selling popcorn, caricatures or T-shirts. This place is fucking banking. You have to buy food that is grossly overpriced to get in, and they sell glow-in-the-dark sticks and other useless knick-knacks for $10 to parents who just want to get their kids to shut up.
I never would recommend going to Casa Bonita for a dining experience. Even the sopapillas were subpar. However, to visit Denver and not try and go would be shorting yourself of an experience you’ll never forget. As weird, and unsanitary the conditions may be, there’s just nothing like it. So next time you’re in Denver, throw back a shot of Pepto and enjoy the ride.
Video after the jump.
