The Denver music scene is a mosh pit, so to speak, of different styles and vibes. With venues ranging from large such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Pepsi Center and Fiddler’s Green to big clubs such as The Fillmore Auditorium, Ogden Theatre, the Bluebird Theater and the Gothic Theatre to more intimate neighborhood dives such as Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, El Chapultepec and Herman’s Hideaway, it’s easy to see how the Mile High City continues to attract great bands to perform throughout the year.
In my short tenure here, I’ve gotten to see Willie Nelson, WEEN and Ben Harper to name a few performances, but a few weeks ago a question dawned on me. What about Denver’s local music scene? Thankfully I got a taste of that scene all in one day with the Spread the Word Music Festival. Jam bands, folk bands, funk bands, reggae, rock and bluegrass bands and even a few deejays performed at the Fox Street Compound in the middle of May this year. With four stages and spanning three days, the music festival included The ALCAPONES, Collierad, 300 Days, Gaia’s Groove, P-Nuckle, Roka Hueka, The Dendrites, Sweet Lillies, Project 432, Policulture, MLIMA, Mikey Thunder, and two of my personal favorites from the all day affair, Tatanka and Magic Beans.
It was a intensive 12 hour course into what Colorado, and Denver in particular, has to offer in terms of musical genius.
