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 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 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.

The Colorado music scene is one of the most magical places for collaborations, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was amazing to see all of the artists who adapted and found creative ways to keep music alive during a time when live music was nearly nonexistant. The individuals who make up Oomah (Jake Hall) and Forrest Pump (Jeff Barlow, Rich Allison) exemplify that creativity, continuing to fuel the creative process by thinking outside of the box with their various projects, and increasing their digital footprint, leveraging technology to make new music possible. Today, these two projects released a new single, HAHAHA, available on all streaming platforms now. Of this new single, Jake Hall says, it’s “A grand orchestra of bass wobbles and arps conjured in a way that will blast you right out of your mask into outer space, it’s a weapon on the dance floor."

Once you’ve given HAHAHA a listen, I guarantee you’ll want to keep dancing. Luckily, Forrest Pump has two live shows tonight at Moe’s BBQ Englewood with Melody Lines so that you can do just that. Grab your tickets now - they’re going fast. Then, make sure to follow both Oohmah on Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud, and Forrest Pump on Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify, and wherever else you stream music.

I am so excited that I got to take a peek behind the curtain of the creative process and talk with Jake, Jeff, and Rich about their newest release, what they’ve learned from the pandemic, and what’s to come in 2021. Please enjoy these interviews with Oomah and Forrest Pump.

It is indisputable that Denver is one of the most rapidly growing cities in The United States. The rapid growth Denver has experienced has created a melting pot of cultures that have enhanced and expanded Denver in the areas of music, food, and entertainment. Being born in Colorado, I have been able to grow up and watch Denver’s music scene form into what it is today. This has given me the ability to form an appreciation for of a lot of different music styles.

On any given night in Denver (During the Pre-COVID era) you could walk down Colfax and see a Hip-Hop/Rap show going on at The Fillmore, an EDM show at The Ogden, and a rock show at The Bluebird. The variety of choices in the music that Denver provides can be overwhelming and intimidating to newcomers and visitors. Living in Colorado since I was born, I have been able to experience many parts of the vast variety the Denver music scene has to offer. I’ve come up with a list of 5 ways newcomers and visitors can explore and experience the music scene in Colorado to the fullest.

“It’s funny how some people don’t come into the foreground of your life until the exact right moment - that moment when you need them to the most, and may not even realize it. That’s how I met Katie Mikesell, the newest contributor to the Sonder Blog. Katie and I went to high school together at Holy Family High School (which seems to be becoming a theme here), but were separated by a year. We didn’t really talk then; We knew of each other, but ran in different circles with different interests. As time pased, I couldn’t help feeling a growing connection with this semi-stranger, one built on parallel lives separated by hundreds of miles. One day a few years ago, and thank goodness for this, Katie reached out to see if we could grab a drink. We met up at Union Station and the rest is history. Katie is a sister of my soul - who values self-love, the beauty and passion of music, and finding the human connection in everyone. I love going to shows with her and experiencing music with her - and I am so beyond thrilled to bring her on as a contributor to the Sonder Blog. Without further ado, please enjoy Katie’s first piece.” - Sarah Shuel, Owner, Sonder Music Management

Christmas may be over, but there’s still plenty of excitement to be had. Today, starting at 12:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. MT), Georgia Comes Alive will launch a one-day virtual music festival promoting active votership”in the upcoming runoff elections by supporting local grassroots organizations Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda and CivicGeorgia. Coordinated by HeadCount, the event will be produced by the team behind Democracy Comes Alive, Quarantine Comes Alive, and Justice Comes Alive, which collectively raised close to $300,000 and garnered nearly 2 million views. GCA is also proud to partner with Participant, the producers of the new film John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The festival’s stellar lineup includes several Colorado artists - Andy Frasco, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Big Gigantic, and Nathaniel Rateliff. To support these local artists and the overall cause, Sonder Music Management and Rocky Mountain Virtual have partnered to donate and will give away 5 tickets to the event to the first people to claim them in the comments of the Facebook posts, Instagram posts, or on this blog post. One of these five tickets will be given away in Dog House Music Studios’ name, as they continue to be an incredible support for our local Colorado music community, offering a place for artists and musicians to be seen and heard while venues’ doors remain closed.

This holiday season, let’s remember that it’s not about the material things. Some of the best gifts are experiences, and our local Colorado music scene offers a wide variety for you to choose from. They need your help now more than ever - so if you’re feeling generous - support some of our local Colorado music venues this Christmas. Many of these gifts can be ordered today to go under the tree tonight, and by making purchases from our venues, you’re supporting the entire musical ecosystem. This income will help these stages survivie, which gives us all the gift of music for years to come. Here’s our giant list of how you can monetarily and non-monetarily support every single music venue in Colorado.

We are so lucky to have a massive number of music venues and I’m sure we missed some here. If you own or know of a venue that’s not on this list, let us know in the comments, along with ways people can support them during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has impacted the Music Industry a massive amount over the last 9 months. Touring staff, crew members, artists, venue owners and their staff have been greatly affected by the pandemic across the country. While artists and their immediate staff have been able to barely stay afloat through virtual concerts, merchandise sales, and streaming royalties, smaller venues are not able to benefit from these sources of income. Smaller venues’ lack of opportunity to make money has led them to become the most negatively affected Music Industry sector due to the pandemic. As COVID-19 has worsened over the course of its existence in the United States, it has affected venues across the Front Range. It has most recently contributed to the closing of the historic eighty-seven year old venue known for its jazz roots, El Chapultepec.

Every single industry has suffered in different ways since COVID-19 began to worsen in March. The one that has faced the most economic hardship has been the music industry, specifically live entertainment. After a long plea by senators, venue owners, and other music industry professionals beginning in July, the next $900 Billion stimulus package hangs in the balance, as Congress finally came to an agreement on it before formal votes this week . By coming to an agreement on this stimulus package deal, congress took the next step toward passing the “Save Our Stages Act.” The bill would grant $15 Billion to a variety of independent venues, movie theaters, and cultural institutions. This would be the first major relief deal involving independent venues since the pandemic began nearly 10 months ago.

“Though 2020 has been a horrific year in so many ways, it has had its silver linings. For me, one of those silver linings is that the absolute lack of live music and oppressive headlines of the day-to-day news cycle kicked my drive to make a difference into high gear. I am doing this. I am managing incredible artists. I am expanding Sonder Music Management. And I’m doing it with a little help from my friends. I’m so excited to announce a few additions to the Sonder team, and I’m starting with Alyssa Montaño, my Co-Founder on Rocky Mountain Virtual. Alyssa is coming on as a contributor to the Sonder Blog, and seeks to focus her attention on topics that involve education and representing those populations that are sorely under-represented in the public eye of the Colorado Music Scene. I’m so excited to have her on board, and I can’t wait to see what she writes in the future. Please meet Alyssa Montaño, the newest contributor on the Sonder Music Management Blog.” - Sarah Shuel, Owner of Sonder Music Management

Yes, the holidays are very different this year. We can’t get together to drink spiked egg nog in our ugly sweaters. There won’t be any White Elephant games with family and friends. Holidays cheers will be made over Zoom instead of in-person. December live musc is next to non-existant. However, no matter how dull the approaching season may seem, there are still ways to get in the holiday spirit. The thing that does it for me is Christmas music, and I’m super happy to present the Local Colorado Christmas Spotify Playlist by Sonder Music Management.

It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, and many people (myself included) are tired from all the cooking, turkey consumptioin, and Black Friday/Small Business Saturday shopping. Well.. what better to energize you right up again than a new CITRA set?!

Here we are… it’s the biggest shopping day of the year! Black Friday is that day we all wait for - waiting in line for hours (in past years) to snag a deal on a big screen TV, Apple Watch, new kitchen appliances, or clothes galore. Black Friday is also traditionally the day to get your Christmas shopping knocked out. Consider this: Though many aren’t having sales, you can spend less money to support your local Colorado music scene on Black Friday and still knock out your gift shopping and a little shopping for yourself. Here are seven ways how: