Boosting Colorado’s Outdoor Industry Impact Fund

Today, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office (OREC) of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced 24 recipients of the Outdoor Recreation Industry Impact Fund (ORIIF). These grants aim to assist outdoor recreation businesses and nonprofits in hiring and keeping over 100 full-time and part-time employees.

Marc Broussard’s Chart Topping S.O.S. 4: Blues for Your Soul Keeps the Blues Alive

Marc Broussard’s fourth volume in S.O.S. philanthropic album series is out now. S.O.S. 4: Blues for Your Soul has blues and soul classics, plus one Broussard original. Upon debut, it premiered at the top of the Billboard Blues Albums Chart in its first week. The new record also reigned at #1 on the iTunes Blues Chart and splashed across genres debuting at #8 on the Americana/Folk Album Chart and a slew of other charts: #31 Independent Albums, #37 Current Rock Albums and #38 Current digital albums Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith bring their expertise and passion for music to the table as the producers, and other guests, Roddie Romero, Bobby Junior, JJ Grey, Eric Krasno, and Calvin Turner contribute to the efforts. 

Dawes’ Album: Good Luck with Whatever – A Timeless and Authentic Musical Journey

Taylor Goldsmith, the lead singer of the folk-rock band Dawes, is passionate about creating authentic and timeless music that resonates with his fans. However, in a world where success is often measured by chart-topping hits and commercial popularity, Taylor and his bandmates have taken a different approach, focusing on building a legacy of albums and shows that will stand the test of time. The band’s “Good Luck with Whatever” album is a testament to this philosophy.

Programs for youth..everywhere

Youth on Record (YOR) recognizes that education alone can not solve systemic injustice, nor can it alone liberate youth. Art is a powerful tool, but it also cannot bear the sole responsibility of creating more equitable communities. Still, education and art, when integrated under the right framework, are powerful tools for liberation and equity.

The Lilac Hour in Fort Collins

Zoe Berman grew up in Simsbury, Conn., but calls Denver home. Zoe is a singer-songwriter who plays a mix of soul, jazz, and Americana music. Zoe wrote her new release, “Lilac Hour,” on a bike ride through the foothills (over by Reservoir Ridge) when she lived in Fort Collins.

This song will ultimately be part of a seven-song EP released in 2021 entitled “Freezing Heat,” a project Zoe is working on at Third & James Studios in Denver.

Start Where You Stand, Support The Cultural Enrichment Center

Jamal Skinner, founder and Executive Director of FoCo Cultural Enrichment Center asks, “Initially, I challenge the community. 170,000 people are living in this community. Probably point zero-zero-2% of that are Black teenagers. So my idea is, can we find 1% of 170,000 people who are willing to contribute $5 a month?”

The Mishawaka not immune, just resilient

The Mishawaka Amphitheatre (The Mish) was the first venue in Colorado to host a ticketed performance mid-June. The Mish obstacles were more significant than just the public health catastrophe and all the industry changes. The Mish also faced a natural disaster, Colorado’s largest wildfire on record, The Cameron Peak Fire.

Little Zurich: An Open-Air Holiday Market in Fort Collins

The Little Zurich is an ethereal open air holiday market with warm fires roaring, and hundreds of twinkling lights adorning the four Swiss wooden vendor huts built by the owner, Todd Simmons and local legend Phil Benstein, with support from volunteers/regulars of the Wolverine Farm Letterpress & Publick House. Little Zurich is every Thursday-Saturday 4 pm-8 pm and Sundays from 12 pm-4 pm from now through the end of the year.

Stand like an Oak with Compassion and Strength

“Music can be a great equalizer…. bringing folks together across the boundaries of country, language, ideals, religions, rage, gender, politics, and everything else that can separate us. I believe, and have felt in the music that I love, a deepening of my own spirit when in musical spaces. A certain levity as well. Some could call it spiritual. Others may call it celebratory. Either way, art calls us into a very sacred space… outside of our heads and our to do lists. From that space, so many things can be built and reimagined. We need artists at the table of policy and design and education. Artists bring the charisma and magnetism that the world is drawn to. Without that, where is the intrigue?”

8 Acts Announced for 2020 Sonic Spotlight

Eight acts under age 22 from Larimer and Weld counties will participate in the Sonic Spotlight, a new northern Colorado music showcase, and competition supported by Fort Collins Museum of Discovery,105.5 The Colorado Sound and Bohemian Foundation. The Sonic Spotlight received 50 submissions between September 1 – September 30.

Snakes & Saints: What We Decide to Carry and Hold Onto

“We live in a world of snakes and saints. It’s hard to tell the difference these days” sings Treva Blomquist on a brand new song called “Strong”. The singer-songwriter hails from Nashville TN and just released an album called Snakes & Saints. “Navigating life in this world is not easy,” says Treva. “At the end of the day, the only thing I have control over is my own actions. Who will I choose to be? What are the ideas I will let carry and guide me? Will my voice and actions match my heart? I hope so.”

Make Believe at the Drive-in

“​Make Believe ​ is whatever your wildest imagination can dream up. It’s an unwavering commitment to that dream in order to make it reality,” said TGR co-founder Steve Jones. “Ultimately, it has been in the works for 25 years. Realizing all-time conditions in almost every location this past season, ​Make Believe ​showcases some of the most progressive athletes and riding on the planet. We are pumped to kick off winter with innovative worldwide screenings at locations such as Drive Ins, Outdoor Pop-up Theaters, private screenings, and more.”

A Little Relief for the Colorado Music Community

Banding Together: A Concert for the Colorado Music Relief Fund, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM MT. This three-hour event supports the people behind Colorado’s vibrant music industry. This is a fund supporting music industry workers based in Colorado. Presented by Breckenridge Brewery.

The Juice, The Sauce, and The Love.

Love’s title track, The Juice (feat. Marcus King), is the quintessential part of the entire album. This is the most critical part of the work G. Love and Special Sauce is doing right now. “That song is a protest song about where we’re at right now, about the Trump administration, and his Presidency and kind of how I feel it needs to go.” The Juice is a rallying cry, offering some support to activists, and a call to politicians for change. “Juice is supporting people trying to get [Trump] him out of there and encouraging more people to vote, encouraging people with progressive agendas and liberal values. You know. Giving them some energy.”