10 sliders didn't sound like THAT much. I kind of figured it would be a sprint, with the drunks stumbling to glory mere bites ahead of the stoners. Yet, the course proved deceptively steep and Andrew Renfrow, the lone competitive eater in the six-man field, took home the title at the first-ever Decemburger at the Hi Dive in Denver, Colorado.
For those who blew it, the inaugural edition of Dust Presents rock ’n’ roll concert/eating contest hybrid went off last Saturday, with the south Broadway party bringing in The Shrine, The Well, Zig Zags, Duel and Malahierba to join locals Love Gang, Cloud Catcher, The Munsens and In the Company of Serpents for a Philadelphia Collins’-approved, greasy good time at Denver’s finest venue. For the "burger" portion of the event, a handful of Denver’s most ravenous dirty burger fans took the stage just before The Well’s set to try their luck at finishing 10 sliders from 5280 Sliders before any of their counterparts to take home a massive prize pack courtesy of the bands, 303 Boards, LivWell, 720 Board Shop, Trve Brewing, From Beyond and this publication. While many of the contestants seemed to saddle up with a leisurely approach - more “take the edge off my buzz” than “fire through ten sliders” - Mr. Renfrow sure meant business, and his pro-eater “pour water on the buns approach” (paired with that little wiggle all competitive eaters seem to do), had him sending his last morsel of beef down the pipe before the rest of the gang had reached for their third burger. Cheers to ya, Andrew!
As for the music - the place was ripping the whole lineup through - as can be expected with such a bill and venue. With the late-afternoon nightfall of the season, attendees showed up early for opening performances from a selection of Denver’s heaviest talent and stayed late, spilling their night-capper during a blistering closer of a set few but The Shrine could deliver. The Decemburger marked the first Denver appearance for Zig Zags (Los Angeles) and Duel (Austin), both of which left an unmistakeable buzz in the crowd, and also served as the first Denver unveiling from The Well of tracks off their brand new album, Pagan Science. Juarez-based, Malahierba, a band that has spent a fair amount of time in the Mile High City over the last two years, reiterated why they are quickly becoming everyone’s favorite band. Stay tuned for more from The Decemburger in upcoming Issues III and IV. And all the other good shit you expect from rock n roll parties, that was all there, too.
The next Dust Presents festival is the second edition of Denver Electric Funeral, now a two-day event, coming up on June 16-17. Save the date, details and lineup to follow.
- The Mooseman
photos: M. Goodwin and Kate Streber
