John P:
After catching the second half of
Red Baraat’s energetic, propulsive (non-UMS) free show at the Clyfford Still
museum and grabbing a bite to eat Friday evening, I picked up my wristband and
made my way to The UMS mainstage. Unfortunately, I missed Frankie Cosmos, but I
was able to enjoy almost all of Digable Planets’ expansive, good-natured set.
All three M.C.s appeared to be in great spirits and it was cool to see that
they all still share the singular chemistry that set them apart in the 90s. I wasn’t
expecting Digable Planets to tour with such an incredible backing band and I
was impressed throughout the night with how these musicians fleshed out the
group’s signature sound. In short, it was a great show for the first night’s
headlining act and it set an excellent tone for the festival’s first outing
under new management.
After taking a break on Saturday, I
biked over to South Broadway on Sunday afternoon and had a great time running
into group after group of friends as I made my way to the Sesh Stage for White
Denim. I arrived there just as the band was entering their final stretch of the
show and I was glad I got a chance to see these guys again as they bashed out
their upbeat, quirky take on indie rock. I joined Pat Brown as he walked over
to the Imagination Stage to see Night Beats and I’m happy I went with him to
check out the venue. I wasn’t able to stay for the band, but I really liked
exploring the interactive, immersive installations populating a high end
mechanic’s garage and parking lot. The space compared very favorably to the
kinds of designs and layouts I’ve gotten to know attending the Treefort Music
Fest in Boise, Idaho for the last two years.
Following a pause to snack and cool
down for a bit, I headed straight for the mainstage and prepared myself to see
Superchunk for the tenth time. All day, I watched weather reports that vaguely
threatened severe thunderstorms exactly at the time of Superchunk’s set, so I
was ready to deal with delays or disappointments, but luckily the weather held.
The band took to the stage and launched right into “Hyper Enough” from their
1995 album, Here’s Where the Strings Come
In, and established the mood for a lively, blistering set that included
material from almost all of their eleven studio albums. Understandably, they
focused on songs from their most recent and notably political album, What a Time to Be Alive. It was awesome
to hear these new songs performed live as well as hear lead singer Mac
McCaughan encourage the audience to pay attention and vote this fall. Peter
Hughes from Merge label-mates The Mountain Goats subbed as bass player for
Laura Balance, who’s still in the band but no longer tours. Other than that
personnel change and a brief technical issue when the sound went out on the
left side of the stage for a song and a half, it was every bit a Superchunk
show on par with all the times I’ve seen them in the last twenty-three years.
It was wonderful to hear mainstays like “Driveway to Driveway” and “Detroit Has
a Skyline Too” again, but I was delighted that they played “Cursed Mirror,” a
deep cut from their underrated 1999 album, Come
Pick Me Up. By the time Superchunk played their last song, I couldn’t have
been happier to be surrounded by my friends as they played their iconic
indie-rock anthem, “Slack Motherfucker,” and we all shouted along with the
chorus!
Following such an exciting,
satisfying show, I lingered in the mainstage area talking with friends about
the performance, but ended up staying for Alvvays’ entire headlining set. I
knew next to nothing before the show and I was pleasantly surprised by their
brand of infectious jangle pop. The lead singer has a great voice and I enjoyed
her natural, self-effacing stage presence. The band played with a slow-building
energy and democratic spirit that left a very favorable impression on me. As I
walked out of the mainstage area and onto South Broadway at the end of the
show, I felt very fortunate to have been able to attend such a successful and
positive music festival right in the heart of the streets of Denver. I’m very
happy that The UMS is alive and kicking once again.
Linden:
Now that the UMS is under new
management after being run by the Denver Post for so many years, I was very
curious to see how the event would go and I’m happy to say that this was one of
the best years that I have ever been a part of it! Everything was well-organized
and promoted, and as an artist I felt very well taken care of. Among the
hundreds of bands that played, some of my favorites included Slow Caves, Overslept,
Its Just Bugs, Ivory Circle, The Savage Blush, and way too many more to list.
Also, thanks so much to everyone who came out to watch One Flew West's set! It
was a great show to come back to after being off for a month!
Anna:
This UMS
was my first time and it was pretty fuckin’ rad! The stages were so cool, each
had their own theme. I got my face rocked off by Its Just Bugs, Hot 8 Brass
Band, Green Druid, Holy Wave, Night Beats, The Savage Blush, Superchunk,
Alvvays, and Serpentfoot! I loved getting to see the cool people I work with
play awesome music. I also was not disappointed seeing John Parsell see
Superchunk! He let out a few very loud and excited “Whoo”s; those made my soul
happy! My favorite band I didn’t know I was going to see/didn’t know about was
Serpentfoot – damn that was awesome! As long as I live here I will go to the
UMS!
Jonathan:
This year was my very first UMS
experience. I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t go to UMS last year. I’d like to
be able to say I was doing something far more important, but the truth is that
I was probably at home watching The O.C.
on Hulu and being lame. Regardless, I’m really glad that I went this year. Even
though I was only able to make it for one full day, I saw some truly awesome
shows and hung out with some truly awesome folks. A highlight was Superchunk,
of course. I’ve been a fan of that band since I was a pre-teen and they still
rock hard. Another was Casey James Prestwood & the Burning Angels, who I
discovered by accident a few weeks ago and are now one of my absolute favorite
locals. But I was also excited to finally see my fellow Twist-er Brian do his
thing in The Savage Blush. Also saw great sets by Pale Sun, the Night Beats and
a partial set by Alvvays. All in all, a great day of music, local and
otherwise. I’m excited to be a part of this weekend in the years to come.
Diamond:
This was my
first year attending UMS and it was probably the best showcase experience I
have had. I was most excited to see Digable Planets. I have been an active
listener for a very long time and had a general idea of what most of their
shows consisted of. Seeing them in person was a very VERY unifying experience
and just as great as everyone had said it was BUT! I was FAR more impressed and
inspired by Frankie Cosmos who had played right before Digable Planets. Frankie
Cosmos’ set was really f***ing beautiful and I am so grateful to have had the
opportunity to see them and experience the simplicity of their sound and
appearance/performance. Until UMS, I have not exclusively listened to Frankie
Cosmos, but for the past week I have been listening to their 2016 album Next Thing on repeat. Overall, UMS was
10/10 and I really hope I get this opportunity next year!
Patrick B:
I skipped
UMS last year because life works that way, stuff came up, and it just didn’t
work out. And I hear people say they had issues with the setup last year and I
was like “Whew!” and not so worried that I’d missed out on the usual fun of the
festival, but I was also concerned when I heard that new folks were taking over
the festival – would they understand what had made it special in the past?
Would they continue down what seemed to be the wrong road taken last year? Turns
out I needn’t have worried, because Two Parts, the organization that took it
over, has done a superb job not only keeping the flavor of Denver’s best music
festival, but also stepped up the game a bit in a few key areas.
Music was
great as always – kept the vibe of the biggest bands on the festival still
being groups that some of my friends say “Who?” about when I mention them; plus
the plethora of local music of all varieties – my only wish about the music is
that I could be in more than one place at the same time and that I could still
keep myself staying up and going three days in a row until after midnight on
days that I work so I could’ve seen The Savage Blush and Specific Ocean, one of
whom played up against one of those big bands at the festival and one of whom
played at midnight on Sunday when I was long asleep.
Setup was
great across the board. Alameda and 6th Ave. are good borders that
shouldn’t be gone past for this festival so it’s nice to see it back within
them. The addition of the Sesh Stage and (especially) the Imagination Stage,
with cool spaces, shade, seating, and water coolers were very welcome - and
whoever thought up the idea of running a path through the auto dealership to an
enclosed space in the alley deserves a special prize. Only two down points for
me were that there was no central set of bike parking – though the place that
has been used in the past is now fenced in an presumably won’t be there in the
future – and that one of my favorite places to eat – Socorro’s Street Tacos –
had their last day open during the festival (insert frowny face here).
But the entire experience reminded
me again just what a great thing we have here in the UMS, how a diverse music
scene of rock, hip-hop, electronic music, jazz, country, folk, and more can all
converge on South Broadway for a weekend and still feel like it’s a unified
festival with one idea driving it. And did I mention all the friends? Within
five minutes of arrival I ran into about a dozen folks I knew, and that, too,
is a huge part of what makes the weekend special. If you missed it this year,
look forward to next year’s and be ready to pounce when tickets go on sale!
Patrick “Wavvy” R:
Wow,
another UMS has come and gone; I wouldn’t believe it even happened if I wasn’t
still hung over from the three day party. It flew by. I survived, I didn’t get
dehydrated or cramp up, and here are my takeaways from the festivities:
Digable
Planets: Very good.
Alvvays:
Very good
Inflatable
beach balls: Very bad (ed: Both Patricks agree wholeheartedly on this point)
And my
favorite act of the entire UMS? Easy – Its Just Bugs. My band. Wowee we were so
good. I’m sorry if you missed it. See ya next year. I’ll be the guy slicing
beach ball in half with a katana.
Love, Wavvy
Matt Cobos:
The 2018 UMS was an absolutely
killer one. One of my personal favorites that I've been to, they proved once
again that they are the best music festival in Denver. So many killer
performances happened that when you talked to people around the fest, you would
often hear "if you didn't see __________, you're an idiot.", and I
felt the same way. Pretty much everything I saw was at least "really
good."
The High Plains Comedy Stage was
amazing and packed all weekend. My favorite comedy performances were from
Drennon Davis, Ramon Rivas II, Tom Thakkar, Janae Burris, Kate Willett, Brandy
Posey, and the awesome drop-in set from Comedy Works headliner and Aurora boy,
Dan Soder. I'm very excited to see what UMS does with their new found
commitment to comedy, and their partnership High Plains Comedy Festival in the
future. Be sure to check out the High Plains Comedy Festival this month as not
one, but TWO of your favorite record store jerks are performing on it this
year! Myself and Patrick R. will be telling jokes on the August 23-25 fest.
Tickets available at www.highplainscomedyfestival.com/
As for the music, holy crap was there a lot of great
performances. My absolute standout favorite was It's Just Bugs at 3 Kings. This
full band hip hop group absolutely blew the roof off of the place. Their energy
was unmatched by anything else I saw at the festival. When they finished their
performance all you heard around the audience was "HOLY %$#&!" as
everyone reeled from what just happened. If you are a fan of Death Grips, or
aggressive hip hop in general, do not miss this band. Holy crap.
Other bands that I thought had great performances: Green
Druid, and Savage Blush killed it, and Jeff The Brotherhood, Night Beats, and
Holy Wave were all great. There was a lot of stuff I knew and didn't know about
that I missed, but that's how you know it's a good music festival. Don't miss
it next year.
Now it's time to catch a breath, take a nap, re-hydrate and
get ready for the other best party of the year every year, High Plains Comedy
Festival. August in Denver rules. Hell yeah.
Harry:
Grungy,
chaotic, and incredibly fun, the UMS was an event I didn’t realize could exist
in Denver. Between the well-staffed main stages and the crowded bar venues
shows went off seemingly without a hitch. I was rarely thirsty (and never
bored) as I bounced between acts both local and national. I enjoyed discovering
new music, dancing to Digable Planets, and meeting new people. In the future,
I’d love to see more musical diversity at the UMS; if this year is an indicator
for future UMS's though, it seems like a great (re)starting point.
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