Last weekend, Denver’s music community celebrated the 25th and final year of the Underground Music Showcase. Or, as the festival’s organizers referred to it, the final year of the event “in its current form.”
That cryptic messaging weighed on the hearts and minds of those who cherish the annual event. Nevertheless, local music lovers joined together for one final hurrah.
So from Friday through Sunday, the sidewalks of South Broadway were overflowing. Thumping bass and body heat pumped out of bars and music venues. Hot dogs sizzled on every corner and the scent of grilled onions wafted through the air. And above all else, groups of friends reunited, exploring music and making memories.
When asked what sets UMS weekend apart from a usual weekend on South Broadway, Emma Parks said, "Lot of hotties. Everyone just turns up looking their best."
Parks works at Femme Fatale, a lingerie store in Denver’s South Broadway district. Last weekend, she got to revel in a sea of people-watching.
"We love our little strip of Broadway here," said Matt Clark, owner and operator of the Hi-Dive, a longtime music venue on the strip. "That's what I think that UMS was to me, was a lot of celebrating the neighborhood and the shops and the unique scene we got going on here. And I think that as the UMS grew, it kind of got a little bit away from maybe the locality of it and just became sort of this big party, which is great. But the early days it was a little more focused on Broadway itself."
Throughout the weekend, local bands played venues up and down Broadway, as well as on pop-up outdoor stages.
May Be Fern, a rising funk rock band, was highly visible throughout the weekend, playing a show at the Skylark Lounge, selling popsicles and merch on the sidewalk, and attending the UMS Town Hall to discuss the future of the festival and the local music industry.
Kate Fern, frontwoman of May Be Fern, said UMS is vital to the local music community because "people who grind all year get the opportunity to be introduced to a large crowd of fans that aren't familiar with them."
Guitar player Madi Spillman agreed, adding, "We've definitely picked up some fans and we got some really cool gigs this year from people that saw us at UMS last year.”
Indie 102.3 host and local music director Alisha Sweeney says UMS was beloved.
"It is a music festival that, at the heart of it, celebrates the Colorado music scene."
Sweeney said she hopes to see the festival return, in some form, next year.
“I would love for the Underground Music showcase to have more support from the city of Denver," she added. "I would love for the Underground Music showcase to have more support from the state of Colorado.”
That's what festival organizers are gunning for.
"The time has come, or maybe we're well overdue, to build a policy platform that we present to our leaders," said Jami Duffy, executive director of Youth on Record, which offers music-based programs for youth, and co-manager of the UMS. "People do this in other sectors all the time. They come up with a platform and they say, 'Here's the money we need. Here's the resources we need. Here's the employment we need. Here's the land we need. Here's the tax credits we need.' And they make it happen."
“I think we're admitting right now that we need some help to figure this out,” said Keanan Stoner, creative director of the Two Parts marketing and public relations agency that co-owns UMS.
"Anytime our good time happens in public, there is policy around it," Duffy said during the UMS Town Hall. "So our good time and our livelihood, that means we've got to get more engaged, a little bit more aware of how these policies are impacting us, and then advocate for some new policies."
Editor’s Note: Indie 102.3 is a part of Colorado Public Radio, as is Denverite, and a sponsor of the Underground Music Showcase. Ricardo Baca is co-founder of UMS and serves on CPR’s Board of Directors. Neither Baca nor any Indie employees had editorial influence on this story.
