Jan. 21, 2026: Arctic blast after record warmth; a polio survivor's story; Broncos' outlook without Bo Nix

From CPR News, this is Colorado Matters. For a lot of Coloradans, it's been winter in name only, balmy days, spittles of snow. Any changes on the horizon? Then polio may feel like ancient history to younger folks, but a Denver survivor has thought about it virtually every day since she was a kid in the 1950s before the vaccine. The whole black was sick and some of us got crippled. As the federal government abandons its long-standing vaccine guidelines, Carol Boygan feels a responsibility to speak up. Plus, attention turns from Bo Nix's ankle to Jarrett Stidham's abilities, the uncertain road ahead for the Broncos. And you've got junk mail. It's junk mail. Well, who's said it? Has she read it? This is Colorado Matters from CPR News and KRCC. I'm Ryan Warner. Colorado seems to be flirting with winter, but not committing. Sounds like my dating life. In Metro Denver this week, flakes seemed to melt as soon as they fell. For our monthly weather and climate chat, I'm at 5,280 here in Denver, but Lina Hidalgo is at 7,000 feet in Steamboat Springs. She's chief meteorologist at Denver 7. Howdy, Lisa? Hi there. I want to talk more about your dating life. Hold on. Let's go back to that. I'm sure you do. You're in Steamboat for an annual weather summit. Are things any more wintry up there? No, I mean, I wish I could say yes. Obviously, the mountains have had more snow that we've seen down in Denver. But man, the drive up here, we came up early yesterday morning. And it's odd. When I come up here every year in January, I was seeing things that I've never seen before because there is so little snow. I mean, a little more to come here by the end of the week. But just to give you an idea here at Steamboat, they've had to adjust. Last year, they stopped making snow on December 22nd. This year, they just stopped making it a few days ago. about a three-week difference. That is, they're only just beginning to rely purely on Mother Nature for snow at this point. It's been production of snow heretofore. And the entire state's in what's called a snow drought. Colorado snowpack's the lowest on record for this time of year. Major river basins running 50 to 75% of normal. Do we have any hope of catching up in March and April, which are traditionally our snowiest months? I mean, I'm going to say I hope so because we need it. And yeah, to give you an idea, in Denver, typically between those two months, March and April, we see about 20 inches of snow, which is really more than a third of what we would get through the entire season within just, you know, a few weeks. So we do have some time to make up for it. But, I mean, you look at the next seven to 10 days and actually some pretty dry weather. We do have a good storm we're tracking a little later in the week. That could help out, especially down and through the southern mountains. So yeah, crossing our fingers.

want to say just a bit more about that coming storm Yeah, next one's going to bring, again, a good dose of snow down. You know, as you get in through the San Juan's parts of southwestern Colorado, their snowpack numbers, I mean, have been flirting with below 50% of normal. So they really need it. This next one's going to bring our temperatures down quite a bit later in the week. We were talking highs only in the teens. We will see a chance for some light snow in Denver. But again, snowpack-wise, we need it in the mountains. So we will get more come Friday into Saturday. Yeah, temperatures are going to be plummeting. It's not going to be at all warm for the Broncos game Sunday. No, definitely colder. Sunday will be a little warmer than what we're going to see on Saturday, but we're talking highs only in the teens. Early Saturday morning, we're probably going to be down to about zero in town. Oh, scientist Brad Udall, who's at the Colorado Water Center, says it looks like we're going to be in for a hell of a year if this winter continues to be dry. Expound on that for us. The... for lack of a better term, the downstream effects of all this dryness? Yeah. In past, we've talked about wildfires. Obviously, that's a huge concern for us, especially when it's been this dry on the plains. But I think one of the bigger impacts we're going to obviously see is we get to spring. Spring runoff is so important. I mean, you think about how many people that the Colorado River Basin. really supplies water too. It is one of our biggest suppliers here across the metro area and across most of the western U.S. And so that's huge. And if you don't have the snowpack, I mean, that snowpack is what's feeding that. You don't have a lot of spring runoff. And so that could be a huge concern. Not only that, but again, yeah, the fires. I note you're there on the Yampa River, which is part of the Colorado River system. Okay, I'm going to put you on the spot here. Do you know why Steamboat Springs is called Steamboat? I do. I actually found this out a few years ago during a, it was a trivia night at a local bar. Okay. Do you know? I'm going to put you back on the spot. Yes. Who's going to say it? Okay, I'll do it. Okay. So Steam, yeah, it was one of the hot springs up here, I believe, that was making a sound that sounded like a steam engine. Yep. So it got the word. Am I right? Yeah, you passed. You get to join us next month. Go ahead. December was the warmest December ever in Colorado, breaking a 1980 record as back when Call Me by Blondie was the number one song. But it wasn't just... Who? You know Blondie. It wasn't just December. October and November also record setters in terms of heat. Are these outliers we're seeing, Lisa, or trends at this point?

Oh, it's definitely a trend. I mean, when you look back at, let's say, the top 20 warmest years ever on record, seven of them were in just the last 13 years. So that is definitely a trend. And I mean, last year, 2025 was tied for ninth warmest. And so, yeah, when you look at those numbers, it's unfortunately a trend. Unfortunately a trend. You've seen enough of the data related to climate change. How does that fit into what is happening globally? I mean, similar trends if you look more widely, no? Yeah, yeah. And, you know, I think it's also important to remember. I was live this morning here in Steamboat on Denver 7, and we've been talking a lot about, you know, La Nina and El Nino, and we're stuck in this La Nina pattern right now. Yeah. Well, you have to remember is I was looking at some of the snow water equivalents across the region. So upper, you know, Colorado River Basin's going to include portions of Wyoming, Utah, and then down in, you know, through our mountains. North of us, they've seen some incredible numbers. I mean, there's snow water equivalents up and through portions of Wyoming and Idaho are at about 110 to more than 150% of normal versus obviously what we're seeing down here. So what can be bad for us can be good for other areas, but you do see impacts of it when we get stuck in patterns like this. Okay, you've got to explain what snow water equivalent is. I just need more. Basically, you know, when you were melting that off, what would that equal, really, what would that equal runoff wise to go into our rivers? Okay. That is, when it melts, what is the water it produces? And so, should we take some comfort that it's better elsewhere? Yes and no. I mean, you've got to remember that most of Colorado is going to feed the majority of the lower basin states. So we're in the upper basin. It's going to feed most of these, you know, states to the south of us. So portions of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico. When you look at some of those reservoirs down there, you know, spots like Lake Mead, Lake Jerome Powell. they really rely on the upper basin, which is not getting the snow that we need. So when it comes to, you know, for Colorado in general and for these Colorado River basin states, right now, no, the pattern is not great. It is not great. Lisa, thanks so much. I appreciate it. Yeah, so nice to talk to you. Chief meteorologist at Denver 7, Lina Hidalgo. For our monthly weather and climate chat, she joined us this time from a weather summit in Steamboat Springs. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News.

Major medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has been making vaccine recommendations for decades before even the federal government, says that's definitely not a better thing. They say research shows fewer people getting vaccines will mean more people get sick, some with serious illness. O'Leary says the coalition aims to join forces with others who believe in vaccines. I think what we're doing here with this coalition is really creating a broader tent. He says that means reaching beyond other advocates, local public health officials, and professional societies to... the folks who don't really think about immunizations all that often. One member is Denver mom, Sam Nathan Hochman, with a group Colorado families for vaccines. I mean, it's scary and it's like uncertain. And I think Colorado did a really good job last year of kind of trying to prevent some of the fallout. Colorado diverged from the federal approach on several fronts. That includes changing its vaccine guidance to take into account not just federal recommendations, but the views of key medical groups that review vaccines. Elizabeth Garcia, a public relations specialist, says she'd like to see more messages reach the Hispanic population whose vaccination rates for things like flu and COVID lag well behind other groups. A lot of time, it's the fear that they're going to have to pay out of pocket, that their insurance doesn't cover it, that they might not even have insurance in general. Polio survivor Carol Boygan says she's glad to be joining the fight and speaking out. It's like we're going backwards. It's like we have decided we don't want a modern life. We want to be back in the 1950s where children are sick and dying. She worries the consequences of national backsliding on vaccines could be profound. I'm John Daly. CPR News. And Carol is in the studio with me to chat a little further. Hi, good morning. Good morning, Ryan. How are you? I'm doing well, pleased to have you with us. Hearing your story there, I think I'd feel, I don't know, angry or frustrated that a vaccine came out the very next year after you contracted polio. Have you dealt with those feelings? You know, when you're five, life just happens to you. You don't have a kind of big picture image of what's fair and what's not fair. And why wasn't the SALC vaccine finished 12 months earlier? Yeah. People were getting sick from before I was born. So my recollection was in those post-war years, all the people took off their uniforms, came home and started having families. And so it wasn't that polio started in 1948 or 1947. It had been a problem. But for me, my world was a bunch of little houses on Stopol Avenue in Detroit, near 7 in Levernaut. And we all got sick with polio. Everybody got sick. So two, three, five children in a house all playing together, sharing refrigerators and bathrooms and bossy moms.

You know, we were just together and whatever was there went through all of us. And I gather you knew kids. Who had it much worse? Yes. On my block, we didn't have a death on my block. Okay. But that doesn't mean there weren't deaths around the corner. But my block sister, she was 10 days younger than me. Her brother got sick at the same time I did. We were all sick, but Ross and I went to the hospital, Detroit Children's Hospital together. But he was in an iron lung. And... You know, I'm across the hall with the girls and looking at Ross and thinking, well, maybe this isn't so bad. It could be so much worse. My goodness. Speaking of iron lungs, near as I can tell, there's just one person in the U.S. still living in one, Martha Lillard. Really? Yeah. And a gentleman died recently who had spent his life in an iron lung. So, you know, your awareness was strong of this virus. And how did what you saw change when the vaccine came out a year later? Gone. Nobody else got sick. That was the end of it. It was like a switch. It's flipped. I even had the vaccine at school. So I went to not. Not ironically, Pastor Elementary School after Louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur, sure. And we would all take one of the empty, nurses would set up in an empty classroom, and we all just walked through, they rolled up our sleeves. Kids cried, but, you know, you put out your arm, you took your stick. And it was just gone. Oh. Gone. I want to go back to the time that you spent in the hospital six weeks. What kind of memories do you have beyond what you've described thus far? Terrible and wonderful. So going in sick, leaving my parents on a gurney, I can still see the doors they push through with the porthole windows. And my mother calling and crying, you'll be fine, you'll be fine. I'm sobbing and my dad's there. And, you know, that was really, really painful. And the first three or four weeks, you're in the... the active time of the illness, and it's painful. So it's a bad fever and everything hurts, and the virus is traveling up and down your spine. And so where it lands, that's where you get crippled. So kids in the iron lung had a higher...

area of illness and it went into their lungs, the children who died right away went into their brainstem. You know, when the paralysis and the fever hit intensely, it just landed where it landed and your spine, and that made the determination of whether you'd be a quadriplegic or a paraplegic or like me, be lucky enough to just have a weak right arm. Then you seem to indicate that there were moments of light in that time. Yes. So as you're healing, physical therapy takes over your life. They had a pool in the basement. You went down there every day. Once you were better, you started in physical therapy. They'd dunk you in a little tub of hot wax. And ladies who go to get their nails done know the hot wax treatment. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. It's very warm, and they peel the wax off, which feels great. And they've warmed up your muscles and your tendons to start manipulating them and to explore which parts of your body are going to wake back up. Oh. And then go down to the pool. And the pool. Okay. So it was like... I mean, I don't want to compare it to a spa, but the point is compared to what you had been enduring. Right. To be locked in a bed where people positioned you so you're... tendons on the back of your legs didn't tighten up. You had to lay on your back and the nurses would pull you down to the end of the bed and you had to sleep immobilized with your feet upright. And it was very, you know, from a kid, you have no understanding. You just feel like you're being tortured. And then suddenly all this wonderful stuff starts happening. Your mother can be there every day. My grandmother and her ladies would come and play cards next to me. to make sure I wasn't alone. They'd deal me in. They deal you in. And my grandmother would play my cards. So there was a period where you weren't entirely sure what your level of movement would be. that would be revealed slowly by your own body. Right. And so we got to the end of that six-week period and I got fitted for a steel and leather corset, which you cannot even imagine it. It's like ribs of steel and a waist and under my arms and then... padded with leather. Sounds like a torture device. Well, it was. And you put your arm, it held my arm up like this. Again, they were like this on the radio. On the radio. At 90 degrees from the shoulder kind of bent. And it to this day is still bent. And, you know, there's spine twisting because of that. But so I wore that for quite a few years. For years. And so you get a new one.

Not like shoe shopping. You get a new one every six months because you're a growing kid. It wasn't fun shopping. You were outgrowing this course that you called it. Right, right. When the COVID pandemic hit, was it re-triggering for you at all? No, but I had my family immunized as soon as there was an opportunity. And I am up to date on every possible immunization that we can take in the United States. I am a big fan. People, people, I'm 77 years old, and there aren't many of us polio survivors left. to tell the tale of what that was like. And my father had whooping cough and, you know, measles, mumps, rebella, everything. The families today have no idea why children feel so healthy in the United States. After John Daly's story ran initially during Morning Edition, he got an email from a listener. He said, this listener, may I suggest that to really understand how immunization can change your life, you also might want to consider interviewing people for whom the impact has been less glorious, people who say a vaccine has been bad for their health or that of a family member. Now, the U.S. does have an adverse event reporting system. But Carol, what do you say to that sentiment? What I say to them is you're talking about 95% of the children sick versus... a really low number, I believe, depending on which vaccine, it's below 2% adverse events, and many of them are transitory. For polio, I think it's less than 1% with the refined vaccines of today. And we don't have the kind of manufacturing. errors when refrigeration was uncertain. And I'm not a medical person. So I'm not the person to answer that question technically. But if you're a mother... thinking about this baby in your arms that you just carried for nine months or just waited for to adopt. And she has a 99% chance of avoiding an illness versus a 1% chance of getting it. What is your choice? I think it's clear. Do you change minds with your story of polio? I don't ever talk about it before.

Oh, really? This is a recent coming forward. The situation in the United States was galvanizing for me. I spent my whole life trying to not look disabled. I had wardrobe strategies and how to make your way in the world and live the life that you want to live without people thinking that you're going to fail them because you're disabled. And so it was about masking this part of you. Yeah, I think that's a fit, not at home, but a fair way to talk about it. And the changing guidelines, the changing perceptions led you to a different decision. Right. Has it been scary? Has it been fulfilling? Emotional. Emotional. Emotional. You know, John's story. had pictures from my early childhood. So I had to call everybody that I grew up with on Stopol, 19335 Stopol in Detroit, and tell them that I've used their name or their picture and that we're discussing it. And Ross just died last year. He was three years older than me. This was the kid who was far sicker than you. Yes. He had a great life. A wonderful marriage, great children, built a good business. Glad to hear it. Everything good. But he died. I think he must have been 81 or 82. And so, you know, we all kind of reconnected around that again. And just to tell people that, you know, I said something in public. I've shared a photo. I'm thinking of you all. I hope you don't mind. I did not ask permission before I did that. And then I had this kind of reflection that maybe I shouldn't have. So I wanted to be sure I talked to everyone. And I heard back from them and they said, maybe I'll do this. Oh, interesting. But a bit of a bond. under dark circumstances from childhood. Carol, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. My pleasure. Polio survivor, Carol Boygan of Denver. She's a member of Colorado chooses vaccines. And Colorado Matters continues in this next half hour as the Broncos and her uncharted territory. I'm Ryan Warner. You're with CPR News and KRC. It was a supernova of a feeling, burning hot, fading fast. And this time, moving left, and going to try to keep it, and he's dropped back to the 38 by Bishop, Tony. Denver's 3330 overtime victory against Buffalo gave way to news that quarterback Bo Nix had broken a bone in his ankle during the clip you just heard. Nix was scheduled for surgery Tuesday in Alabama and will be unavailable when the Broncos meet New England this weekend.

with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line. Former Bronco now sportscaster Ryan Harris is back. I think probably sooner than we'd anticipated. Hi, Rye. What's up, Ryan? Thank you for sharing your gift with Colorado and beyond. You're very kind. We haven't heard results so far as I know from the surgery in Alabama, but it has been reported that Norman Waldrop, formerly of the Stedman Clinic in Vale, would perform the operation. Let's go back to that play, which happened two snaps before Will Lutz's game-winning field goal. I guess it was a designed run. Nix had a number of those during the game. But the whole look of it seemed odd. What did you think about running that play? Well, it's all about the details. And on that play, Bo Nix is trying to get a yard closer or two yards closer to help his field goal kicker. punch in the AFC championship ticket. And typically you have a quarterback that just moves two steps and takes a knee. You want to get it to the hash mark. These kickers are like golfers, Ryan. They know where they want their setup and they know where their favorite kick is. So they were trying to set up the kick and had Bo Nix just taking a knee, he'd be playing in the AFC championship. However, he. tried to do, tried to get more what he's done all year. And so he learned a very valuable lesson that I'm sure is devastating as he's recovering from surgery. And I wouldn't rule him out, though, if the Broncos win this weekend for a Super Bowl appearance. You wouldn't. There's amazing medical science these days, Ryan, they've got all kinds of things. I mean, just over a decade ago, Terrell Owens had what they thought was a catastrophic ankle break, and he ended up playing in the Super Bowl and playing well. So there are a variety of things that happen. And here in Colorado, we know, too, from the avalanche guys played and injured all the time in hockey. They do it in the NFL. And when you get that chance, if you get that chance, due to Jared Stidham playing this week, I... I think Bo Nix is going to do everything he can to try and play. I thought maybe you knew something about the surgery that we didn't know. Well, all surgeries hurt, that we do know that. But there are, there's a certain level as a player, right or wrong, but when you have an opportunity to do everything you wanted to achieve, your body has an amazing way of responding, especially with the professionals that the Walton Penner group have put all around the Broncos. And at the same time, this week's all about the Jarrett Stidham. Yes. Okay. So the Broncos will face New England led by Jarrett Stidham, who...

ironically, was drafted by the Patriots and tutored by their offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels coached him up, but is now trying to undo all that. Does he have a book on exploiting Stidham's potential weaknesses? Well, and Stidham has a book on exploiting Josh McDaniels' weaknesses. I mean, come on now. This is a mercenary environment. And not only did Josh McDaniels, former Broncos coach, by the way, draft Jared Stidham, but he also then traded for Jared Stidham to bring him to Las Vegas. So Josh McDaniels loves Jared Stidham, and so does this coaching staff. I've been able to call the games for the preseason, for the last three seasons. And every single year of which Jared Stiddam's been here, the coaches can't talk enough about him. They call him Stiddy because he's a leader in the locker room. He helps guys. He grows guys. And oh, by the way, Ryan, he was undefeated in this preseason. He does all the little things that you want. And this is a nod to George Peyton and Sean Peyton, George Peyton, the GM of the Broncos. They have a roster where they can stay competitive even when the quarterback goes out. Not a lot of NFL teams can do that. Not a lot of NFL teams plan like that. But here are the Broncos down their starting quarterback still with a great opportunity to win at the AFC championship game. I think I had a Freudian slip earlier, but maybe I intended it when I said offensive coordinator as opposed to offensive. Is my bias showing against the Patriots? I lived in Boston, so. Well, you know, well, hopefully you won't be happy this weekend. And you don't live in Boston anymore, Ryan. There's a reason why you left and there's a reason why the Broncos are back here in the playoffs again. And remember, 10 years ago in this very same matchup, the Broncos won the AFC championship in the last play of the game and then went to Santa Clara where the Super Bowl is again this year. You can't write a story this perfect. I want to ask about the interception this past Saturday by Jayquan McMillian, which set up the game winner. And it could have been ruled a reception for Buffalo, putting them in the position to win. The repercussions also led to the bills firing their coach, Sean McDermott, Monday. Between that play and the one that led to Nix's injury, we're talking. Less than 30 seconds of action resulting in these seismic shifts. Is that the drama of the game as you know it, Ryan?

It absolutely is. That's what happens in the NFL. I mean, take Jaquam McMillan, for example. How about not giving up? How many of us when things don't look good? I mean, he's literally in the air, sees the receiver, catch the ball, try to come to the ground. I'm taking that from you. I mean, we all have that ability in our lives. And so when you see a play like that, you're happy for the player and the fans. I was there, Ryan, the stands erupted. Nobody knew what happened at first. He was like, What? He has the ball. McNeill has the ball. Oh, my goodness. So to be able to wait his time, you know, Jaquah Macmillan has not had a starting role all season. He started a couple games, but to be in against one of the best quarterbacks and perform your best, that's what this game is all about. And this playoffs, it's about harder hits, more attention, and who's willing to finish? Who's willing to be imperfect to succeed? And the Broncos were the team last weekend. What do you think the other players, the team as a whole, is feeling right now under what has to be some quick new leadership, Stidham? Well, first and foremost, they know Stidham's voice because he's been in the huddle with them. He's been around them all year. It's his third year in the offense. So he's been directing a lot of the young players who are seeing time. He's been helping them on the sidelines when no one's been looking. And the other piece of this is... What choice do you have if you're a Broncos player, right? Are you going to, oh, that's it. We lost our quarterback guys. We better not get right. No way. You're believing in the impossible. That's what got you here. So you're saying, Stiddy, you're going to take us to the Super Bowl. Let's go. I mean, everything is positive. Everything's moving fast. And most importantly, Sean Payton has confidence in Jared Stidham to run the entire offense. So he's not changing the way that he prepares. The other players aren't going to change the way they prepare. And I can tell you from playing in this. game, Ryan. It is amazing because all of a sudden you have a week off, then you have a huge game, you've got the biggest bruises of the season, and then you're one game away from the Super Bowl, which is something you can't really even think about until those clock, that clock strikes triple zero. So it's an exciting time for everyone and everyone on the Broncos team and everyone in Broncos country should have the utmost irrational belief. Irrational belief. Former Bronco Ryan Harris. Denver faces the New England Patriots Sunday at 1 at Em, Adam Powerfield at Mile High. The winner will meet either the Seattle Seahawks or the Los Angeles Rams at the Super Bowl, February 8th.

Now to an Adams County shelter that took in hundreds of animals in 2025. The staff is getting recognition for their hard work. CPR's Tony Gorman reports. On a quick tour of the Riverdale Animal Shelter, Community Engagement Manager Tabitha Gormley and I visit some of the animals. Some were shy, but others, not so much. The shelter just celebrated its fifth anniversary, and it certainly was a busy year. My concerns regarding the smells that have been coming out of the house, the number of animals. the condition of the homes, the children of homes, things of that nature. In August, Commerce City Police Officers found 35 animals and three young children at a private residence. They described the conditions as deplorable. It was just one in a string of animal hoarding cases throughout Adams County this summer and fall. Around 80 animals were rescued from a Brighton home last night in what authorities are calling a potential animal cruelty case. As part of the operation, nearly 80 snakes, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, mice. rats were rescued from this home. One case saw more than 100 animals rescued from unsanitary conditions. Gormley says the staff went above and beyond to provide the proper care when the rescues showed up at their door. And we're kind of making like schedules to make sure we're supporting those basic functions as well as the mental health of the animals that are in these conditions. The staff was able to find new homes for some of the animals, but others remain at Riverdale due to ongoing investigations. Additionally, the shelter still has 500 animals due to a recent national trend of animals. renders. Gormley says Riverdale has some breathing room thanks to support from the community. Definitely recruiting fosters and families that can help temporarily care for pets and get them out of the shelter. Adams County recognized the staff as team of the season for their efforts through the hoarding cases. And the Riverdale Animal Shelter will now have more room. They just opened a new barn for small livestock that could be used in emergency situations. I'm Tony Gorman. CPR News. And we'll be right back with an artist who brings humor, heart, and chaos. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. How are your New Year's resolutions holding up? Assuming you made them, of course. Now, one of mine is going swimmingly, I have to admit, and that's listening to lots of new music. I see your picture peeking through those crusty pages these are familiar places servants in your face and ages hasn't anyone simply

Indy 103's Alicia Sweeney's back for her first DJ spin of the new year, bringing once again Colorado music picks for January with a local 303. Hi, Alicia. Hi, Ryan. Tell us who we're hearing. Well, after three decades fronting Denver's beloved indie pop band, Dressy Bessie, Tammy Elam is stepping into a new chapter as a solo artist, recording as The Tammy Shine. The Tammy Shine. Hearing this song makes me think she should do a remake of the Scooby-Doo theme. Oh my gosh. She would be perfect for that. And I do want to mention Dressy Bessie, they will still be a band. But this is something Tammy really wanted to do. It's her first solo record. She did all the writing, performing, producing, and engineering of it entirely on her own. Wow. And the album art. Very impressive. And if you're familiar with Dressie Bessie, you'll know that their music was featured in, like, Grey's Anatomy, but I'm a cheerleader. They've performed all across the world. And when I was a youngster getting my start in college radio 26 years ago, it was Tammy Elam of Dressie Bessie that really made me chase wanting to be an ambassador of the Colorado music scene. Oh. In a way, you've come of age together. Yeah. Hasn't anyone truly loved you? Bet they do, bet they do like they do. You're the only one saying no. It's strong mail. Well, who's said it? Has she read it?

Tammy Elam becomes the Tammy Shine in this new solo project with junk mail. Who's next, Delicious Sweeney? Andy Frasco and the U.N. And they have long been a blues rock staple on stages across the country. He has this popular podcast. And this month, Andy Frasco and his band, they're releasing a deluxe edition of his record growing pains from last year. And it has that signature blend of humor, chaos, and heart. It's a great blend. Humor. Chaos and Heart. Okay. Yeah. Oh, just wait until we listen to it. And I got to say, this month, he has a string of shows in Colorado, January 22nd through the 24th, Buna Vista, Telluride, and Durango. And let's listen to a little bit of this humor, chaos, and heart. This song is Crazy Things. If you ask me, this is an ode to Love's Absurdity. And he has some wild observations in this one. I was a wanted man. I woke up in the desert with an open heart reading a star chart in a beautiful haze surrounded by glass.

You bought a desert horse From an old vicaro He said it had no name So we call it a miracle Now we're riding north In search of rain To find a coffee You know what stands out to me Is the simplicity of the chorus Crazy Things But then The Poetry before and after. Yeah. This guy's a poet. He really is, and he's been doing it for a long time. And now, just over the last handful of years, being able to be a full-time musician. And it's just something that I am really admire about him, his songwriting, his poetry, and, yeah, those observations, which, again, he has this great podcast where he talks a lot about love and world views. World views. Does UN stand for United Nations in his band name? It stands for United Nations. Okay. Denver's Andy Fresco in the UN. Alicia, I have to say, I love when you share new music from your hometown of Fort Susan Collins. And I suppose before you tell us about this next band, parents have your kids cover their ears while we talk about this group because of its name. Fort Susan Collins band, Bitch Flower. Or if you want me to, Ryan, I can say bleep flower. Or Bee Flower. Uh-huh. Yeah. They mix this punk urgency and psychedelic edge. And as you're going to hear, they are upbeat and so fun. And they have this reputation for unforgettable live shows since forming just a couple of years ago. And that's how they originally got on my radar. Someone told me, you got to go see this band in concert. Whoa. Okay, this is cardio lasso.

You tune in, you tune out, you tune out, you tune out, you tune out, you're working, you walk in, you walk out, you walk in, you walk in, you walk in, you walk in, you walk in, you walk in, you're walking, you walk in, you're walking, you're going to, you tune in, you tune out, you tune in, you tune out, you tune out, you tune out, you tune out, are you're doing, you're doing, you describe punk urgency. I, I would crave punk sloth, but they don't have any, I guess. And, you know, they are part of punk music really coming back in Colorado. We have bands like Dead Pioneers and Cheap Perfume that really are getting this national attention. And I think it's only time before Bitch Flower gets more outside of Colorado. You watch your mouth, delicious. Let's head south now to Colorado Springs, another music hotbed. With an artist who isn't even old enough to vote. Yes, this is a teenage Colorado Springs singer-songwriter Lulu Benning. And before we talk about her, let's hear her latest single, Different Kind of World. One black song, I'll sing a song and make it a song for peace. Though we all may we do so decently. are shaking palms are sweating thinking about the state of the world when we're riding all together I'm a different kind of girl one last song or read a song and know that it's for you touchstones about Lulu that got her on my radar. She's had the opportunity to be mentored by Isaac Slade from the fray. And also the music venue Lulu's downtown in the Springs. It's named after Lulu Benning. What? I know. I'm 48. I don't have a building named after me. Well, you're not Lulu Benning. I'm not. And she's 17 from Colorado Springs.

Alicia, you like to wrap our listening sessions up with a preview of the month's local 303 meetup. So tell listeners who they can see for January when they come hang with you indie folks. Animal electricity. And they're a Denver indie ensemble that formed in 2015. They've got this new album out called Ghost Write Your Alibi that we're highlighting this month. And the band is led by C.P. Carrington. And we are looking forward to having them perform at the meetup this month. And they've performed in front of some pretty cool audiences over the last 10-plus years, including performing for members of Beat Generation author Neil Bill Cassidy's family at the poet's favorite bar here in Denver. You know what it is. Mother's Bar. Yes. They got to perform for his family. And this month, y'all can catch him performing with my family, the Indy 1023 family at Skylark Lounge at our local 303 meetup on Monday, January 26. And again, that's the band Animal Electricity. We will hear a track as we say goodbye to you. Always bittersweet. Thanks, Alicia. Thank you. Oh, parent trooper, come and rescue me. Because I'm lost and I'm stupid And I'm struggling And I can hear the obligator Slap his tip upon the water In the dark below Oh Christ you're so slow Oh now Judas I know how you feel After 16 years of seven

Animal Electricity, courtesy of the local music director at Indy 1023, Alicia Sweeney. Each month, she introduces us to Colorado artists in the Local 303. We'll put a link in today's podcast at Colorado Matters.org. And that's our show for now with thanks to these artists. Sandy Bertuga. Tyler Bender. Carl Beulik. Anthony Cotton. Pete Kramer. Andrea Dukakis. Zan Huckpichoni. Matt Hers. Tom Hess. Michael Hughes. Pedro Lumbrae. Shane Rumsie. Haley, Sanchez. Shandra Thomas Woodfield. And I'm Ryan Warner at CPR News and KRC. Please explain your side. Should a man who is starving? Should it be crucified? If he hides without permission.