Jackson Emmer, who released an album titled Jukebox last April, honed his folksy chops in the bar rooms of Aspen before capturing his sly brand of musical grit in the studio.

"We're hosting a festival-style thing with us and a bunch of our musical buddies."

The following ten Colorado-based bands take their music beyond the expected boundaries of jamming and stretch the minds of their listeners.

Tenth Mountain Division, which fields a sound somewhere between the Band and Zac Brown, began with bluegrass-flavored tones of acoustic instruments, then eventually sidled over to the louder expression of electric music.

With mainstays like Hot Rize and Leftover Salmon and newer artists like the Cody Sisters, Colorado is a hotbed of excellent bluegrass.

Since The Motet started in Boulder in 1998, the band has earned a devoted fan base through steady touring, energetic performances and occasional theme-based shows.