Review: Don't Miss Camp Counselor Allyce's Next NoCo Open Jam - Music, Collaboration, and a Great Cause

Photo by Rocky Montaño Photography - Aqueous

Meet Allyce Carlson, Creator of The NoCo Open Jam

Sometimes, a person comes into your life unexpectedly, and you can just see their passion worn on their sleeve. I feel like meeting one of these people - a person that you can connect with immediately over shared interests and devotions - is such a gift from the universe, or whatever higher power it is that you may believe in. For me, meeting another human that’s incredibly passionate about the music industry makes me feel so lucky - to have someone who “gets it,” to buld our community just a little, and to be able to lift Colorado music up together. I felt all of this when I first met Allyce Carlson (virtually of course) in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Through a series of social media events, Allyce asked me to be a guest on her podcast, Women, Wine, and Song, where she encourages her guests to be 100% their authentic selves. We had an awesome conversation about all things music industry, the impact of the pandemic, and life in general in this crazy time we live in. I was so happy to get to know her better. Fast forward to Summer of 2021. An event that we were both looking forward to for 2 years was coming up fast - Summer Camp Music Festival. Allyce, because she’s the bees knees, became a Summer Camp Counselor. She truly embraces the spirit of what it means to be a Camp Counselor in so many ways. Make sure you check out her SCamp journey and all of the beautiful moments she captured at the festival this year. One of the most important parts of Summer Camp is building community - and Allyce took that mission to heart, even once she’d come back home. Her first independent event as a Summer Camp Counselor came to fruition last Thursday: The NoCo Open Jam benfitting Groovesafe at 830 North. The event was presented by Allyce and by Mishawaka.

Allyce said, “I was so excited to be chosen as a Camp Counselor. Summer Camp has impacted my life in ways I can't even really describe. When I knew Aqueous was coming I figured I might be able to tie Summer Camp into all of this- Aqueous has been playing SCamp for YEARS. Besides that, I knew Float Like a Buffalo was down to join in the fun and they played Summer Camp for their first time this year so I thought a little extra spotlight wouldn't hurt. I had finally finished my blog post for Summer Camp (5,000 pages and a month of work) and I wanted to get started making my presence known as a Camp Counselor. 830 North is a cool spot too so my thinking was that it would be beneficial for everyone involved to have a monster like Summer Camp backing us up. I want to use my Camp Counselor title to put on all sorts of events. It helps with promotion of both the festival and whatever event I'm putting together.”

I got to cover this event with Sonder’s Director of Logistics and in-house photographer, Alyssa Montaño of Rocky Montaño Photography. Make sure you check out her photos here and follow her on social media!

The NoCo Open Jam

The very first NoCo Open Jam took place on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 at 830 North in Fort Collins. It accomplished a mission that is sacred to me, and I believe, to our community as a whole, which is to build the Colorado music scene up, to encourage musicians to do great things together outside the bounds of their own bands, and to bring together music lovers and musicians alike to a night of fun and good vibes. It was definitely a hit, with a large crowd on a Thursday night, all supporting local musicians and a larger cause - Groovesafe, a non-profit with the mission of creating a safe, respectful, and tolerant space for all at concerts and on dance floors. Altogether, the event raised $154 for Groovesafe and started the momentum rolling to raise more funds in the future.

The event featured a roster of bands from all over Colorado:

There were also tons of music hobbyists or members new to the community who came down to play and create a night of improvised music for attendees. It was an absolutly beautiful night and something that’s very needed in our Colorado Music Scene.

When I asked her what prompted her to create this event specifically, Allyce said, “A few weeks ago I was driving home from my merch shift at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre. I hadn't been listening to music in my car because I was still trying to sort out my thoughts after a very rough summer losing one of my best friends in the world unexpectedly. That night I decided to listen to Color Wheel by Aqueous only because it was the CD on top. As I was listening I realized that the Aqueous guys had to go through so much loss to be able to write the songs they wrote. I sang every word while I sobbed down the hill toward town. That cruise was so cathartic, scream/cry/singing the words to the album. By the time I got to my house I decided I wanted to try and put together an Aqueous Karaoke night because singing their songs felt so good. I pitched that idea that night at 3am. After sleeping on it I realized karaoke would be really difficult so I asked if an Open Jam would be better. They liked the Open Jam idea so I got to work!”

Memorable Moments

There were so many memorable moments throughout the night, including the conclusion of the event, when Aqueous played a 30 minute impromptu jam. It was so cool to see these rising musicians play in a true community setting, on a stage between 830 North’s bowling lanes. There’s magic that happens when you get to see a larger band like Aqueous performan in such an intimate setting.

But that wasn’t the only outstanding moment of the night - not by a longshot. At one point, there were 5 horns on stage at the same time from members of Float Like a Buffalo, Graham Good & The Painters (both of whom have played Red Rocks), and more. It was inspiring to see them harmonize and jam together instead of any single one of them trying to shine out the rest. Samantha Nimerov (Mountain Rose Music) floored the room with her soulful rendition of Whipping Post by The Allman Brothers Band. Members of The Buzz and Pipin’ Hot showcased their guitar skills on stage. The list goes on - you’ll just have to see for yourself next time.

Photo by Rocky Montaño Photography - Samantha Nimerov of Mountain Rose

When I asked Allyce about her favorite part of the night, she said, “Oh gosh. I loved all of it so much. To see all of my local Fort Collins homies mingling with all of the other friends I've made along the way was really awesome. I manage Amorphic and I'm booking for Mountain Rose and just seeing everyone grooving together and making new friendships is really what it's all about. Looking at the stage and seeing members of 4 or 5 different Colorado bands was just one of the coolest things ever. I think my purpose in life is probably just brining people together. It's basically the only thing I'm actually good at. That's what it feels like anyway and Thursday gave me the warm and fuzzies seeing new friendships forged all over that bowling alley. My goal is to create more of a community vibe in the Colorado music scene. We need to look out for each other.”

The Importance of Community in the Colorado Music Scene

I know I sound like a broken record, but I truly do believe that one of the biggest things that sets the Colorado music scene apart from others is the aspect of the incredibly supportive community. Colorado bands and musicians, or the majority of them, just have good attitudes and love to create and collaborate with other artists. Our scene is truly about raising up everyone around us, and that’s just what happened in the creation of The NoCo Open Jam.

“To be honest it was a bit chaotic [putting the event together]! All at the same time, I was trying to plan a Disco Biscuits after party for Squeaky Feet at the Lyric AND this Open Jam which were taking place less than a week apart from one another, “ said Allyce, “I'm not a musician. I really know nothing about how an Open Jam works - that was the scariest part. Thankfully, my friends Amorphic and Pipin Hot really helped me get the thing rolling and helped with backlining and all of that. If I didn't have friends who are willing to volunteer their time to help out then this would have never gotten off of the ground. Big thanks to Mat Keller too for running sound- that's something I'd love to learn but haven't gotten to yet. This community we have here in Colorado really is what makes events like this possible. I truly feel blessed to have so many talented friends here. If you build it they will come!”

So When is the Next NoCo Open Jam?

Keep your eyes peeled on social media for the next event! Allyce said, “I've talked to 830 North about booking another NOCO Open Jam for November but the holidays may make it too difficult so if not November, I'm looking at December the night before Lespecial comes to town! It would be Wednesday December 1st! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I definitely want to keep the Camp Counselor Open Jams going for sure. It was too much fun to pull a one and done!”

Want to see these bands in action before then? Here’s where to catch their next shows: