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.
Fort Collins artist, Zembu’s latest release, Mixed, explores the complexities of being mixed race and her journey of understanding what that means more …
The story of eTown. An interview with Nick Forester, CEO of eTown.
Stephen Brackett continually gives back to the music community that nurtured him his entire life through his inherent gifts of arts, education, and …
By Emily Kemme It’s said that feeding a loved one can earn you their heart. In that work relationships rise to the top …
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 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.
Vindeket Foods partners with local grocery stores, and volunteers source food destined for the landfill. The non-profit rescued 1 million pounds of food since opening in June 2017.
“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?”
If you ask Sam Graf, he’ll tell you dumplings are the perfect food. In fact, he’ll tell you he doesn’t think he’s met anybody who doesn’t like dumplings. This isn’t an idle statement. Graf will also tell you how the dumplings he cooks in his driveway never stick around for long.
Graf has spent ten years exploring dumpling houses. Growing up, he ate potstickers, typically the frozen ones. His first taste of an authentic Asian dumpling was in New York City, in a counter shop lined by steam tables filled with dumplings. You pick out a bunch and they go into a box. From Chicago dim sum to SoHo, Graf has sampled dumplings in big cities and dumplings cooked in shacks to experience the art form. Learning along the way, it reaffirmed he was on the right track but still had to taste more.
Do you miss live music? Do you miss the thrill of being packed inside your favorite music club vibing to your favorite song? …
After the pandemic’s arrival and abrupt shutdowns, Lawyer used the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program to float payroll for his core employee base. But when the non-profit Homeward Alliance reached out with a plan to provide two meals daily to homeless people at the Northside Aztland Center in downtown FOCO, he found an opportunity to coordinate with the rescue mission and Catholic Charities to minimize the downtown FOCO homeless population footprint. For 68 day days straight — the beginning of April and into June —, he woke at 4:30 each morning to prepare individually boxed, ready to serve meals. A tight budget required menu creativity, and with little to no employees, he pulled it all together. Lawyer said he was lucky to have the equipment and the commissary — the hub of his company’s food truck and catering operations.
As rallies and protests and demonstrations continue throughout the country, Julius Philpot, a Northern Colorado resident, Colorado State University alumnus, and activist, is …
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.
Siachitema Mission and orphanage, a photo essay of Siachitema Mission from July 5, 2017.
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.”
Multimedia-instrumentalist Katherine Paul, aka ‘KP, performing under the moniker Black Belt Eagle Scout, released At the Party With My Brown Friends (CD, LP, TAPE) …
ZEMBU is a female musician and producer with Japanese-Jewish-American roots. Born and raised in Seattle, now based in Colorado, where she made her …
Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons’ present a final tour before taking a hiatus of an unspecified amount of time. Jerry has released over 30 albums …
Traveling for a holiday, engaging with a new culture and diving into the relics of the town is such an adventure. Travel fills …
Beth Bombara sits outside the Magic Rat in Fort Collins, CO continuing her national tour for the release, Map & No Direction. Her …
The moment has arrived when the collaborative efforts of an incredibly strong and talented group of people formed a movement in the Fort Collins community. On Sept.10, 2017 the first Womxn Up event happened at the Music District. This brunch and mild meld opened the dialogue for the future of female-centered events in the community.
The headquarters of World Bicycle Relief (WBR) is small and humble. The staff is united like a family. We toured the facility to …
On First Friday, 9/1/2017, Create Places of Fort Collins is launching a call for donations. Any musician or artist that donates portions of their sales to the relief efforts of Harvey Hurricane in Houston will be matched dollar for dollar for up to $1000. The donations can be in the form of ticket sales, merch sales, fundraiser shows or any profitable contribution. This initiative encourages local grassroots philanthropy from artist and creatives in Fort Collins.
Two members of Blind Pilot, Israel Nebeker vocals and guitar and Ryan Dobrowski drummer and percussion, utilized the Music District practice rooms for writing. They did a session of singing bowls and took some of the classes offered on the campus. They lived in the Airbnb apartment and rented bikes from the bike share in Fort Collins.
Fort Collins, Colorado is a collaborative, non-competitive, startup music city without a big ego. Fort Collins is a city built for musicians by musicians. For over ten years, musicians laid the groundwork for the next golden era of “musicprenuers“ by constructing an ecosystem built on encouragement, support, and empowerment. This shifts the paradigm and disrupts the music industry systems of the past.
Bike Zambia: A Program of Chooda, takes bikers 350 miles in Zambia to raise money for women empowerment and education of HIV.
Grassroot Soccer-Zambia: This is a NGO (Non Governmental Organization) in Lusaka, Zambia that educates youth about positive choices while using the power of sport. The messages learned in soccer can translate over to other areas of the children’s lives. Using the power of soccer to make a change they can reduce HIV dramatically in the community. HIV is 100% preventable, and Grassroot Soccer plans to teach the youth how.
Biking 350 Miles Across Africa to Change the World building an ecosystem of giving and receiving in Zambia. The participants raise $4000 for 3 nonprofit beneficiaries: World Bicycle Relief (WBR), Grassroot Soccer-Zambia & Zambia Health Education and Communication Trust (ZHECT).
Every day that Rae plays music is a miracle. Music has always been a part of Rae McCalister. She was born and raised in a musical family. Her musical makeup consists of jazz, folk, and classical training. The thing about Rae is, she has a diagnosis of Myotonia Congenita, Thompson’s disease several years ago after her body was immobile leaving her in a wheelchair.
Chase the Music has original music composed and performed for kids battling critical conditions. Hodge spent the majority of his life working in High Tech. Now Clark spends his day’s enriching lives through music with his non-profit.
DJ Anna and Echo live in Fort Collins but felt very connected to the Ghost Ship devastation that happened in Oakland. They …
featured Laura Burhenn is a new revolutionist. She examines the question: “What does a revolution look like today, and what are we fighting …
“Music as a business” is a unique concept. Our culture often romanticizes the view of the struggling artist. A creative may struggle their …
Colorado Governor Hickenlooper passed the HB11-1031 bill in 2011. This bill focuses on the conception of more Creative Districts in Colorado. A Creative District is an enterprise that adds economic value to a community through creative entrepreneurship. The Office of Economic Development’s initiative states,
Community Funded Campaign Shari Due and Mona Masser are the founders of Be Reel Parthena, a Film and Video Production company in Fort …
Music Creates Community is the topic of discussion, and three organizations have come together to build the case: The City of Fort Collins, …
