Twist & Shout at UMS!: Part Two

 

  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 6^th 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.

2014 UMS Wrap-ups

Whew! Another one passes. The UMS continues to grow - and suffer growing pains along the way - but it remains Denver's finest, most diverse and most interesting music festival. I've talked with a number of people who attended in the week since the festival kicked off and to a person, we've had a hard time pointing to our specific highlights of the festival - not because of a lack of talent or good music though. My suspicion is that this is because it's not about going to see "that one big band" headlining as it is at so many other festivals. You can go see those headline acts at Fillmore, Ogden, Gothic, Bluebird, 1st Bank - whatever space they're big enough to fill (and most of these headliners are Bluebird-Gothic sized acts). It's about rolling around Broadway for 4 days and being immersed in a sea of music, like-minded music fans, and perhaps a drink or two (or three, depending on whether or not you hit up Trve Brewery). It's about catching that backyard party, that sweaty one-of-a-kind moment in the club, that late-night after party, that main stage act who's not coming back for a couple years or it's their first time in the city. It's about Residual Kid's leader on his back on the floor in the middle of the crowd at 3 Kings with his guitar feeding back as they close their set; it's about Itchy-O's set (that I missed!) for the competing Mile High Parley Festival; it's about all the bands you heard about but missed and will have to catch next year; it's about People Under the Stairs being so good on the main stage that I had to opt to miss 3 other bands playing the same time; it's about being sad that I cut out of Genders' great set at the Hi-Dive but then being happy that I walked into to Somerset Catalog playing a National song in heartfelt tribute to couple dear friends moving away (good luck Mary and Robert!). And so on. There's no way to quantify it or definitively explain it - you just have to go down a few nights and experience it. When I lived near 3rd and Broadway, I used to hate the festival. This was the weekend all "my" bars got taken over, that no bike parking was available ANYWHERE nearby except in my house, that the usual Broadway drunken weekend revelry got extended an extra two days and two hours on all days. But once I went it was all different and all that was dispelled. Trust me on this - whatever the politics happening, whatever your take on the validity of "underground" in the name, this festival is something special we have here in Denver and its success is what's created the space for it to spill over into a respectable competing festival occurring simultaneously on the same stretch of Broadway and a batch of unofficial side events in local backyards. Comparing it to South By Southwest is off base - this is far less whored out to major labels pimping their already-established big acts, far more focused on local music and the incredible diversity of Colorado's music scene. With respect to my pals in Austin, this is better than SXSW, even if I'm not gonna see Springsteen jamming here any time soon. Here are some pics of what I saw and dug.
- Patrick Brown

Somerset Catalog @ Irish Rover

The Blue Rider @ 3 Kings

Residual Kid @ 3 Kings

People Under the Stairs on the Main Stage

Impromptu side event

Another side event

Total Ghost @ The Safari Room

Miss America at one of the many unofficial back yard parties

Blonde Redhead on the main stage

2013 UMS Wrap Ups, pt. 2

Patrick's take on the UMS.

Essential UMS tools

Ahhh, another UMS in the bag and only now a week later am I feeling fully recovered. As always, it’s four nights in a row of great music, great camaraderie, and a celebration of a great music scene here in a great city. And it’s four nights of staying out later than I planned, which only catches up with me once it’s all over. If you’ve been there, you know how it goes – there’s never just one highlight, it’s a series of small shows that create a sampler platter of bands both local and national that you need to check out at full length next time they’re playing. Even when you attend a full 40-45 minute set, as I did a few times, especially on the opening Thursday festivities, it feels all too short. So a list of highlights of the 27 acts I managed to catch this year – Go Star, Kitty Crimes, Mudhoney, Residual Kid, Wheelchair Sports Camp and more – is only a fraction of what the whole event held. Beyond the music, there’s the social stuff – hanging for beers at Trve Brewery a couple times was as fun as any band I caught, going to a backyard or VIP after-party and just drinking in the sights (and sounds) on the streets all added up to a total experience that no simple concert review could encapsulate. And as always, I have a longer list of bands I intended to see that I didn’t get to see than the ones I got to see. But there’s always next year! And if you haven’t been – well, why the hell not? You don’t even need to know anything about the scene or what bands are cool, just check it out and go with the flow. It’s a guarantee that if you’re a music lover in this city, you’re going to run into people you know and they’ll be on their way to the next show that could be the best thing you’ve seen all year – or maybe it won’t and you’ll all decide to skip on over to the next venue where your new favorite Denver band awaits. Trust me on this one.

DJ Alf featuring guys from Epilogues

So, some impressions – Thursday seems to be turning into the connoisseur’s night. Many of the headlining weekend bands are down there hanging out and partying and listening to everybody else, so it’s very scene-heavy. And just by chance, my two favorite shows I saw all weekend were the first two things I heard this night – Joshua Trinidad’s electric jazz band Go Star, and hip-hop MC Kitty Crimes. Friday I hung with my friend Chris and bumped around all night, with the high point being main stage headliners Mudhoney, who I last saw somewhere back in about 1994 and who are better musicians and performers now than they were then. How much improved musicianship works in favor of a music style that prides itself on being loose and sloppy is of course up for debate. Saturday was an odd mix of styles, from DJ sets to folk to indie rock to hip-hop to avant-garde drones, but that’s just how diverse Denver’s scene is and I’m happy to celebrate it. Cut out for a bit because the Film Center had actress Mink Stole appearing and I couldn’t miss an opportunity to meet her (she was charming). I rolled back afterward and ended up staying out until after 3. That’s just how it goes! Sunday wrapped things up with a great batch of music from Elin Palmer, Residual Kid (amazing!), DirtY Femmes, Joshua Novak, Born in the Flood, and a house party where Ark Life was playing in a backyard. As always, it was another remarkable event and I’m eager to see how next year plays out!

Ark Life has 'em dancing at an after-party

Beth's take on the UMS.

This year was my first time attending the Underground Music Festival and it practically took place in my backyard. I had my booklet handy so that I could follow the times that my favorite bands were playing and to also know when is my 'downtime' to check out other bands that I didn't know yet. This entire plan pretty much went out the window within the first few hours on Friday. Since it was so close to me, I live one block from the main stage at Goodwill, I told all my friends that they could stop over anytime and also that we should get a few 6 packs for my fridge to save a couple bucks when not needing to be at a performance. All in all this plan worked out pretty darn well, as you may imagine. Later on Sunday, I met up with a coworker who had a written out list of the shows he wanted to see and in the time order that they occurred. This is the way that I will be doing it next year, as flipping back and forth between the pages proved to be somehow difficult. The frequent stops at my apt. for potty, water and beer breaks really gave me a sense that it was a great community get together and that my neighborhood was being blessed with so many exciting things (like all the food trucks!) and people that were excited to be out on a great weekend festival.

Joshua Trinidad's Go Star

The top acts that I saw over the weekend were: Dirty Few, Bleached, A. Tom Collins, Dirty Femmes, Residual Kid, Ian Cooke, Cults and Mudhoney. There were many others that I caught a few songs from as I visited the different venues at a leisure pace and I can't wait to do it all again next year, but even better!

Kitty Crimes crowd surfing at Blue Ice

Residual Kid rocked the Hi-Dive

This guy was on the street all weekend, but didn't always have a band to back him

2013 UMS Wrap Ups, pt. 1

"They offered, we said OK." -Mudhoney

Natasha's take on the UMS.

I am still recovering from a great long weekend at the UMS.  This year I tried to focus more on the people that make up this festival than what bands I would see.  I thought if I just let the current pull me, I would see more random moments.  I had a plan to go alone to cover more ground; as I walked by a couple one of the nights, the woman was seething to her man "Oh, it's all about where YOU want to go and what YOU want to see".  Ugh, at that moment I felt so glad I did not make a plan with someone to go to the UMS together. For the first half, I really just spent time people watching and just soaking it all in.  

Dirty Femmes

 By late Sunday I had eyes and ears filled with joy.  Running into old friends is usually an after thought, but this year I was very aware that the UMS is a unique time to catch up with friends, musicians, promoters, photographers and all of the other amazing people that make my life in Denver so rich.  I saw spontaneous dance circles, people hanging out on their decks and watching the main stage from their back yards, old folks grooving to new music, and lots of kids running around.  It really felt like everyone in Denver was there.  One of my favorite stories from the UMS is when a neighbor of the festival hung a banner on their deck inviting Mudhoney over for a drink, and Mudhoney accepted! Twist had a pop-up record store at Fancy Tiger, and that was a total pleasure to work with them.  We sold local and national vinyl, and I loved seeing people wander around the festival with records in Twist tote bags. 

Fancy Roger at Fancy Tiger

There were so many great moments of music but Bleached was my favorite of the national acts; Munly and the Lupercalians was my favorite of the local acts, and Dirty Femmes was great mix of both with Jen Korte and Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes.  My favorite break away from the festival moment was watching the sunset on the roof top of Irish Rover on Sunday night.  I ran into a great group of friends and met some regular customers who reminded me of some old school Twist and Shout moments with the pranks from Longmont Potion Castle.  It was hot, but the venues provided shade and comfort.  I spent most of my time at the 3 Kings Tavern but I also ventured into new (to me) venues like Blue Ice and Gozo. Thanks to the bands, the venues, the UMS volunteers and mostly the music fans of Denver for being such a great community!

Ian Cooke

Natja's take on the UMS. 

The Whirlwind of UMS kept the city up late, PBR flowing like water and all of our favorite local bartenders safely in their apartments for another couple months. It is, after all, Denver's best block party (that's bigger than a block). 

Per-usual all of our local favorites and even a few not so locals were out in droves. Knowing I'd have limited time I wanted to see as many people as possible. My adventure started at noonish with a cup of coffee and Esme' Patterson...probably one of the best ways to start a Sunday I can think of, and ended with a sake dinner with some sushi on the side. All and all UMS 2013 seemed to be a great success and parachutes full of fun. 

Great music, great people, great bartenders, what else could you ask for?

Thanks to the organizers, the musicians, the sound guys, Fancy Tiger, the crazy Denver fans who have the energy to sustain a truly unique and awesome experience, Twist & Shout appreciates it and so do I.

Chimney Choir @ 3 Kings

Connie Hung of Ivory Circle & The Hornet

Esme Patterson @ The Irish Rover

Esme Patterson @ The Irish Rover

Ghost Towners @ The Skylark

Ginger Whale @ The Irish Rover

Jawmill Joe @ 3 Kings

Megan Burtt & The Cure for Love @ Gozo

Megan Burtt & The Cure for Love @ Gozo

Natalie Tate @ Gozo

Rachel and the Kings @ Goodwill

Rachel and the Kings @ Goodwill

Vega Evega @  Eslinger

Vega Evega @  Eslinger