<\/p>\n
Jordan Altergott (@jordanaltergott)<\/p>\n
<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the pulse on the Underground Music Showcase<\/a> (UMS) had stopped \u2014 but a quick breath from local partners kept it alive, ensuring the festival\u2019s heart never skipped a beat.<\/p>\n Despite a scary few months regarding the festival\u2019s future after its 25-year run on South Broadway, the three-day event will continue in the RiNo Art District<\/a> from July 24-26<\/a>, with organizers attempting to maintain the down-to-Denver style the showcase had (kinda) kept throughout its run.<\/p>\n UMS LLC announced right before the 25th-annual showcase<\/a> last year that there was not enough funding to continue supporting the festival\u2019s $1.4 million budget. That LLC was created by the nonprofit organization Youth on Record and the for-profit marketing agency Two Parts in 2021, after Two Parts purchased the festival from the Denver Post Community Foundation in 2018.<\/p>\n Youth on Record dropped out as a partner, and Two Parts sat on the concept, waiting for something to shake loose. The RiNo BID<\/a> Board eventually stepped in and approved a memorandum of understanding in February. The deal is simple: the BID owns a 50% stake in UMS and will serve as the presenting sponsor for at least three years. This all plays to the tune of the BID investing $250,000 annually.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI think a lot of people assume that we kind of did the sellout thing or the corporate route, but it really is almost anti that,\u201d says Keanan Stoner, CEO of Two Parts and director of the new UMS. \u201cWe needed some help. We needed a bit of a lifeline, and, luckily, the BID was a perfect match.\u201d<\/p>\n UMS\u2019s longstanding Broadway iterations often involved more than 200 bands (both local and national) across four outdoor stages and multiple indoor venues\u00a0throughout a nearly one-mile stretch in the Baker neighborhood. The new RiNo version will maintain the same archetype, with around 180 bands playing across nine indoor venues and two outdoor stages on Larimer Street between 24th and 32nd streets.<\/p>\n Organizers promise that the new iteration will maintain the same local aesthetic once formulated by then-Denver Post reporters John Moore and Ricardo Baca in 2001, when UMS rose out of a yearly poll for the best Denver bands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe knew we wanted it to be fairly recognizable to what it has been in the past,\u201d Stoner says. <\/p>\n The difference is in the BID itself, with the district\u2019s group of restaurants, bars and shops now direct shareholders of the festival.<\/p>\n \u201cThe property and business owners, the residents, the apartments that we\u2019ve spoken to, people are thrilled. People here know about UMS\u2019s history,\u201d says Terry Madeksza, executive director of the RiNo BID. \u201cThey\u2019re excited to see people on our sidewalks walking in and out of our businesses, seeing energy, seeing vibrancy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This collective response includes shows at such Denver staples as Ratio Beerworks, Improper City and Larimer Lounge. Other local businesses will also be putting together shopping and eating promos during the event, all of which can be found on the festival\u2019s official app<\/a>. Hotels are holding special rates, and non-venues are holding after parties.<\/p>\n Oh, and shows will be held at Two Moons<\/a> Music Hall<\/a>,\u00a0despite it officially closing last month.<\/p>\n RiNo \u201chas this bloodline of live music and creativity and artist expression,\u201d Stoner says. \u201cIt\u2019s known as a creative district. It\u2019s known as the home for a lot of artists. It\u2019s home to a lot of some of the oldest original independent venues, some crazy lore of warehouse parties and raves and things that happened in the district way back in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, business owners are excited about an increase in foot traffic, but what about the artists themselves?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt feels good to be part of this \u2018first year back in a new way\u2019 kind of thing,\u201d says local singer-songwriter Areym\u00e1. \u201cIt is this new iteration of it, but it is also something that has this long-lasting legacy in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes sense to shake up things in a new location,\u201d Celest\u00e9 Martinez<\/a>, singer of Denver Latin feminist punk tour-de-force Soy Celest\u00e9,<\/a> says of their fifth year playing the festival. \u201cHaving a different partner might give Two Parts more agility. It\u2019s been a hard time for music festivals.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinez adds that she has spoken to older artists who said part of the greatness of the old UMS was helping out local businesses. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just curious of what else I will learn about RiNo Arts District,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery neighborhood has changed so drastically since I moved here 15 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Areym\u00e1 will be making her UMS debut in 2026, bringing her eclectic mix of bedroom pop and heart-wrenching R&B to Finn\u2019s Manor on July 26. But that\u2019s not her only gig: Areym\u00e1 will also be playing at The Saint Mary on July 25 as part of Blucifer\u2019s First Rodeo<\/a>, the scrappy music festival that just happened to choose the last weekend of July in UMS\u2019s old stomping grounds.<\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to discuss UMS\u2019s evolution into RiNo without pointing out the local-bands-only event attempting to take its place on South Broadway the very same weekend, though the organizers said in a social media post that they are \u201ctoo busy to worry about being \u2018anti\u2019 any other festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n UMS, too, started as a collection of local bands handpicked by 25 local-music experts in the aforementioned Denver Post poll. Now, it features artists from around the nation, such as headliners 54 Ultra from New Jersey and Slenderbodies from California, though Stoner says the festival still includes a collection of bands that highlight the state.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got to carry the torch,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is still really important that most of our lineup is local bands that we intend to create discovery around and we intend to pay fairly.\u201d<\/p>\nNew digs<\/h2>\n
The bronco in the room<\/h2>\n