Welcome to a brand new music news series from Sonder: The Sonder Spotlight Series! We’ve been keeping this one under wraps for quite a while - and we’re so excited to reveal it to you! In the Sonder Spotlight Series, we’ll be going in depth of our coverage of Colorado shows, previewing and reviewing a single show every month (for now). In this series, I’ll be interviewing musicians, managers, and other show-related individuals before the show to give us an idea of what to expect. Then, Alyssa Montaño of Rocky Montaño Photography (and Sonder’s Director of Logistics) and I will be attending, photographing, and reviewing the show to bring you full coverage of some of the most exciting events happening in the Colorado Music Scene. If you’d like your show to be considered for the Sonder Spotlight Series, please email sonder.music.management@gmail.com.

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.

New Years Eve is going to look much different from normal this year - but there are forces at work on the quest to ring in 2021 with as much joy, excitement, and yes, music, as ever. One of those forces is ARISE Music Festival, who is throwing an online bash, complete with performances from Desert Dwellers, Magic Beans, Spectacle, and Melody Lines, live painting with Laura McGowan, poetry, interviews, and more. Meant as a global celebration of the things that bring us together as a community, the night will also serve as a means to raise money for the performers and for all artists affected by the Covid-19 pandemic through donations to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. It has been such a gift to work with ARISE Music Festival as partners to Rocky Mountain Virtual during these past 9 months, and I can’t imagine a better way to end 2020 and look toward a brighter future. I had the extreme honor of interviewing ARISE’s Executive Producer, Luke Comer, and its Marketing Director, Shannon Bock - the two people responsible for creating the magic that is ARISE Music Festival.