Best Of Denver® 2025 Winners
Music & Venues
Booze-free punk showcases, recovery-group skateboarding sessions, gallery shows, art workshops: D3 Arts checks all the boxes, then creates entirely new ones. Since its current incarnation opened in 2020, the nonprofit venue has expanded its reach, ambition and commitment to serve Denver’s community by offering a variety of programming and empowerment that can’t be found elsewhere. Underpinning it all is a strong, proud Mexican American identity that invites everyone, regardless of their background, to celebrate life and creativity on their own terms.
Dzirae Gold has been a staple in the local jazz and soul scene, and in May 2024 she dropped her debut full-length, Right on Time. It’s one of those classic albums you’ll listen to over and over again. Gold’s vocals are as decadent as a gilded chocolate cake, so pristine and powerful that you’re likely to book a ticket to see her live as soon as you finish listening to the first song. We’re just grateful that we now can listen to this preeminent songstress any time, with the album showcasing a cohesive balance of sultry, slow songs and jazzy, energetic ones — and all of them dripping with soul.
Nelo joined forces with beatmaker/producer Siah Rain’n to debut a collaborative album, Born Yesterday, which was released in October 2024. It’s a masterpiece comprising nine songs that each highlight facets and vulnerabilities of the human experience and our society, intricately crafted both lyrically and sonically. Featured artists include some of the best from the scene: HOME, Rebecca Hartt, Triiip, Wayne Watts and Jordan Burgett. For starters, check out the music video for “EXAMPLE,” one of our favorite tracks on the album. Nelo and Rain’n are in perfect harmony here, with the rapper’s bars well bolstered by jazzy, unique beats.
Denver rapper RO$$AY’s 2024 album, Mo’ Green Less Blues?, mixes appealing jazz beats courtesy of producer Burroughs with lyrics that don’t lull listeners into thinking the songs are just for fun (even though they’re fun to listen to). Instead, every track on the album builds on a theme questioning the role of money, drugs and race in the world. RO$$AY executes the vision perfectly, helping people consider their own answers to those questions. After his spectacular Underground Music Showcase set in 2024, we highly recommend experiencing RO$$AY’s existential jazzy rap in a live setting.
Best Love Story Album
LAWLESS: A Love Story
Dominique Christina and DNA Picasso
Acclaimed poet Dominique Christina makes her musical debut in LAWLESS: A Love Story, a collaboration with her partner, local hip-hop artist and promoter DNA Picasso, who also created the new Colorado Music Industry Alliance. The album, which dropped in October 2024, is a potent declaration of authentic love. On the closing song, “First Poem She Wrote,” we hear Christina recite a poem she wrote for DNA, her silky voice moving mellifluously over a hypnotic beat. The album stands out for its storytelling across each track: The two share their own weighty reflections on “Motherless Child,” while joyous moments are translated on such songs as “Luv U Always.” The album underscores this duo’s bond as aspirational and inspirational for all who listen.
When Rebecca Hartt takes the stage, she has a commanding presence, with all eyes locked on the R&B artist as she begins to sing. And now you can hear her off the stage, since Hartt dropped her debut EP, simply titled 5, in September 2024. The recording unveils the power behind Hartt’s velvety vocals, which wrap around compelling beats that you can’t help but nod along to. Lyrics cover topics of love and all the emotions connected to it, with Hartt’s cadence immersing listeners into her narratives and relatable feelings. It’s hard to pick a favorite track, but if we had to, it would be “Problem,” which empowers listeners as much as it makes them dance.
Best Multi-Faceted R&B Album
FUTURE/MEMORIES
Kid Astronaut
+Ultra
Kid Astronaut calls himself a “futuristic R&B artist,” but on his and +Ultra's latest EP, FUTURE/MEMORIES, released in July 2024, he folds even more genres into different songs — though it’s still primarily based in R&B. Each song stands on its own, whether it’s the electronic-and-indie-infused “Forget Me Not,” which showcases Kid Astronaut’s soulful vocal range, or “Superhero,” which includes more hip-hop and rap in an almost stream-of-consciousness flow about identity and ego. The EP makes an impact that’s both reflective and motivational, with Kid Astronaut proving that he’s a truly multi-faceted artist to keep your eyes and ears on.
DOGTAGS fuses cultures in its unmistakable sound, seamlessly blending Latin jazz, neo-soul, bossa nova, R&B and more. The group began with the duo of Regi Worles, whose vocal range and smooth falsetto mystify, and guitarist Michael Merola, who tantalizes with melodies that simultaneously soothe and energize. More musicians joined, adding trumpet, sax, drums, bass and keys. On stage, the members share a potent camaraderie, uplifting audiences with a sound that’s as refreshing as a cool glass of water on a hot summer evening. Having played such venues as the Bluebird Theater as well as festivals like the Underground Music Showcase, DOGTAGS is moving on up, with a gig opening for Lake Street Dive at Mission Ballroom this summer.
Best Divine-Feminine Neo-Soul Album to Feed Your Inner Goddess
Queendom
LatinSoul
We’re so grateful to LatinSoul for releasing Queendom last June, because we’ve had it on repeat ever since. Born and raised in Denver, Felisa Hernandez has long been a presence in the city’s music scene (she recorded her first EP at Swallow Hill at age eighteen). As LatinSoul, she collaborates with other area musicians to fuse Latin, R&B and neo-soul rhythms with her ethereal vocals and mystical lyrics. Queendom is an excellent bilingual showcase of the healing properties of Hernandez’s work, with interludes that guide the listener to relax into the following track. The songs instill a divine-feminine quality that offers powerful reflections on our place in this world.
Among other Denver clubs, you can often find Venus Cruz at Herb’s, the Larimer Street dive that’s filled with jazz throughout the week. And you don’t want to miss Cruz, who takes the genre to the next level with her dulcet neo-soul vocals over a band whose enigmatic structures and beats entrance listeners. She’s an artist you won’t forget once you’ve seen her live, thanks to years of hard work establishing herself in the community, whether as a KUVO host or collaborating with other area musicians, including Wheelchair Sports Camp. Every time you hear her, you know you’re witnessing something unique.
Namebackwards, or Enmanuel Alexander, is here to uplift fellow musicians of color through his Meadowlark residency, Off the Cuff, which started in 2023 and packs the venue every Wednesday with the best local talent he’s discovered in the scene. Alexander himself is a force to see live, emitting an unequivocally cool presence while grooving on guitar. That’s been captured on his debut album, Off the Cuff (Live at Meadowlark), which showcases his innovative improvisation alongside Khalill Brown (drums), Solomon Chapman (piano), Will Gaines (bass) and Parris Fleming (trumpet). It doesn’t take a jazz enthusiast to recognize the immense talent on this album, and we predict you’ll be running to the Meadowlark to hear more.
When Denver trumpet legend Ron Miles died in 2022 at age 58, there was no doubt that he still had decades of great music left in him — and that it would tragically never be heard. But one posthumous album has come to light: Old Main Chapel, released last year by the legendary jazz label Blue Note. The live album takes its name from the Boulder venue where it was recorded in 2011. Accompanied by his longtime trio of Bill Frisell on guitar and Brian Blade on drums, Miles imbues the set, primarily made up of his own compositions, with both melody and adventure. It’s a fitting tribute to one of Denver’s all-time greatest musicians.
When you listen to Wild Love Tigress’s latest album, On the Prowl, you are instantly injected with a potent funk fever. The nine-piece group brings the heat to Denver clubs, where it blows the roof off with wild, earnest funk that sounds as if it was plucked straight from the ’70s. The musicians are all talented as hell, and their tiger-striped outfits are just the cherry on top. On the Prowl is an album to pump you up, whether you’re getting ready for a night on the town or heading out on a long mountain drive, with such standout tracks as “I Plead the Fifth,” “If I Can’t Run” and “Milk & Honey.” Even better, the songs sound just as amazing live. Gotta have that funk!
To really claim you’re involved in the local scene, you need to have seen Rootbeer Richie & the Reveille. The seven-piece group of longtime rockers has built a strong fan base here thanks to rowdy sets that swirl audiences in a wild, steamy brew of rock and roll. You can hear the band’s extensive sound on Never Needed Me, its latest album, released in October 2024. From bouncy tracks such as “Six More Blocks,” which easily transfers its lyrics’ excitement to listeners, to the rollicking classic-rock tune “Bad Boy Cry,” the album is brimming with hits — each one a standout you’ll want to hear live as soon as possible.
You’d be shocked to know that the members of the Dirty Turkeys only started learning their instruments a few years before making things official in 2022. The acid-rock band has put out a series of singles as a waterfall release for its upcoming album, Cowboy Caravan, due on April 11. With brothers Russ and Brad “Gonzo” Hansen, Sam Baker and Ty Tullar, the Turkeys have established a unique sound that blends classic rock, Western twang and high-energy cowpunk in the vein of the Cramps. They played the college house-party circuit in Boulder before moving to bars and even the Fox Theatre. Their shows are as lively as their sound, with the musicians often stage-diving or moving into the crowd.
Genuine rock and roll can be hard to come by in some cities, but not Denver. Shady Oaks stands as a leader in the next generation of Mile High rock bands, with whiskey-soaked blues riffs and raucous live shows that include searing solos that send the bandmates to their knees. Made up of frontman Ty Gallaway (guitar/vocals), Jonah Samp (drums), Hunter Bates (bass), Isaac Vance (dual lead guitar/slide guitar), Ian Arras (keys) and Sarah Hubbard (fiddle), the band is making blues-rock waves in the Denver scene while showing off its more laid-back country side on the 2024 EP Best Thing.
The five-piece rock band Boot Gun released its first full-length album, One for the Willing, early last year and has been a fan favorite at shows throughout the city and beyond for years. Boot Gun's songs, as well as the bandmembers’ personalities, draw in the crowd at every show, with people dancing, singing and laughing along. You wouldn't think a band named after a concealed-carry weapon would be so chill, but the musicians jokingly refer to themselves as the “booty boys” and recently performed while wearing tracksuits (they also all got matching tattoos — that’s commitment). Definitely put shaking your booty at a Boot Gun concert on your 2025 bucket list.
Whether they’re stage-diving or moshing until they all fall in a pile, the members of Horse Bitch have the best stage presence in the scene. This group defies genres, landing somewhere between train-hopper punk, psychedelic folk and rock. It’s as if Neutral Milk Hotel was kidnapped by pirates and began to sing earnest and strange shanties. But who cares what genre these guys are, anyway? Horse Bitch is mesmerizing in sound, lyrics and stage chemistry, which is evident at every show. The band’s latest album, UVA, makes you just want to hang out with this crew, so head to a concert and experience the madcap music live.
Jam bands are known for their on-the-spot improvisation, and Polysanto is establishing itself with that specialty. The four-piece, which includes Mitch Melodia (guitar/vocals), Hartland Brown (bass), Skylar McDonald (guitar) and Luke Reinhold (drums), often plays around town at such venues as Cervantes’, Lost Lake and the Larimer Lounge as well as at festivals, where the group has established a fan base ravenous for its juicy, rambling jams that still showcase classical, tight sensibilities. Taking inspiration from such acts as Phish, the Grateful Dead, Umphrey’s McGee and more, Polysanto blends heavy prog moments with uplifting melodies that keep us coming back for more.
You never know who’s listening. Bryce Menchaca and Kellen Wall formed the folk-Americana project Marfa a couple years ago while studying music at CU Denver, and their popular TikTok song covers caught the attention of their teacher and local scene vet Bart Dahl, who had once managed Dinosaur Jr. and a pre-fame Nathaniel Rateliff. Dahl came out of retirement and joined forces with Ryan Ramos and Joel Klaiman of Ascend4M to manage the duo, and soon enough, Wall and Menchaca were invited by producers from Nick Waterhouse to Josh Block and Jonathan Wilson to record four different singles that were released last year.
Best Dark-Folk Mythology Album
Kinnery of Lupercalia: Buell Legion
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
In 2015, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club started re-releasing its work through its own imprint, SCAC Unincorporated Records, which included connected groups like Denver Broncos UK (DBUK), Munly & the Lupercalians and Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots. In 2022, the label released Kinnery of Lupercalia: Undelivered Legion, by Munly & the Lupercalians, which served as the first in a mythical trilogy that would include SCAC and DBUK. SCAC dropped its contribution, Kinnery of Lupercalia: Buell Legion, in May 2024, and it’s another storytelling masterpiece about an existential journey through Lupercalia, a magical world invented by lyricist Munly J. Munly.
It’s only been five years since Clay Street Unit formed, after lead vocalist/guitarist Sam Walker met banjo player Jack Cline at Zuni Street Brewing, but the bluegrass band has big things in store. The six-piece worked its way from playing breweries to venues, and this summer, it will open for Leftover Salmon and Kitchen Dwellers at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. But that’s not the only dream to come true for the group, which includes Scottie Bolin (mandolin, vocals), Brad Larrison (pedal steel, dobro), Brendan Lamb (drums) and Jack Kotarba (bass). In January, Clay Street Unit signed with the Sony Music label Monument Records, joining an impressive and growing roster of country and roots acts.
High Lonesome combines guitar, bass, fiddle, dobro and mandolin to create a polished, modern bluegrass sound. The five-piece band brings boot-stomping energy to its live performances, and audiences can’t help but get swept up by the captivating tunes. Hailing from Longmont, High Lonesome is always playing somewhere around Colorado, from Swallow Hill Music to the Chautauqua Community House in Boulder. You can get a taste on the group’s self-titled debut — a collection of eleven modern bluegrass tracks where the bandmembers each have their moment to shine. High Lonesome is quickly picking up a following as it tours, and we see it going far.
Best Outlaw Country Album
Blame It on the Road
Ryan Chrys & the Rough Cuts
Outlaw country is alive and well in Ryan Chrys & the Rough Cuts, which formed in January 2013 after frontman Ryan Chrys, who moved to Denver in the early 2000s, had spent a decade performing guitar in a variety of acts. The five-piece puts on the best country shows in town, bringing Western twang and rock to the classic genre. The band’s latest album, Blame It on the Road, contains bangers and solemn musings, with rhythms on such songs as “Tonight, A Party!” and “All the Way” encouraging a rollicking good time, while “Doin’ What We Do” pledges that the band will stick to its roots.
If someone came to us and said, “I’ve never listened to music from any local artist before,” we’d point them toward the next Milk Blossoms show. Having played music around town since the 2010s, the indie band is a central part of the scene. It’s been through phases of growth — members have come and gone, and its sound has shifted from album to album — but the heart of the Milk Blossoms remains: a ukulele and dreamy vocals from lead singer Harmony Rose. A Milk Blossoms show will not only have you wanting more from the band, but it’s sure to inspire you to check out what other Denver artists are doing.
Sure, we all love to support our favorite local bands by loading up on their merch at shows — but that usually consists of standard, unimaginative fare such as T-shirts, records and maybe a koozie with the band’s logo, if someone’s feeling creative. Very few groups put as much subversive thought into their merch as Denver experimental electronic outfit Church Fire. Case in point: One of the band’s current merch offerings features its name printed on a book of matches. Now, that’s how you strike up attention.
Listening to Everything Happens by Gestalt almost feels wrong if you’re not hearing it live at venues like Globe Hall or the hi-dive, drink in hand or banging your head in a mosh pit. Yes, the album is full of addicting melodies and hooks that you can play in the car or in your headphones at work, but that just makes you want to hear them live all the more. You can feel the camaraderie of the band radiating through the album as all of the elements come together to create what feels like a house show on vinyl; you can’t listen without wanting to sing along, dance around, jump on stage and crowd-surf. It’s like the joy and community of Denver’s music scene all wrapped up in one album.
Very few bands can make two people sound like five, but Blankslate does it effortlessly. While the indie-rock act had been a three-piece after forming six years ago, it has recently scaled back to founding members Rylee Dunn and Tess Condron. With Condron on drums and keys and Dunn playing dual electric bass and guitar as well as handling vocals, the sound remains all-encompassing and powerful at live shows, where Blankslate captivates crowds with its lyricism and grunge-y indie sonics. And those shows are the best way to experience the music — especially the nearly six-minute “Aptos,” from 2022’s Summer on a Salt Flat.
The indie-rock trio Tiny Tomboy, a group that some may have initially discovered through the college house-show circuit, put out a brooding sophomore album, Psychic Scar, that’s sure to leave an impression on anyone who hears it, thanks to guitarist and vocalist Eliza Neiman-Golden’s open-a-vein-and-bleed approach to writing. Songs such as “Dead Dog,” “Disposable Vape” and “Vegas” all hit like distressing diary reflections, but not in a weepy way; it’s more like “Fuck you. I’m better off without you.” So it’s safe to say you can pull a lot of motivation from this band, which also includes drummer Sam Seymour and bassist Ethan Gould. Despite the name, Tiny Tomboy packs a big punch.
It’s a bit of a paradox that an album with fifteen collaborators is titled are u alone?. The Denver musician who goes by ego is anything but alone on the nineteen-track record, which was released in June 2024. With such familiar music-scene names as Lady Los, DNA Picasso, ReSrface and Keenan TreVon all making appearances, each song takes you on a different journey influenced by its unique collaborator. The album is also extremely polished, the result of ego n friends’ masterful production skills, which few local artists can match.
Sunstoney only moved to Denver in 2023, but the indie-pop singer is already a name to know in the music scene. With strong vocals and relatable lyrics, she’s a standout with her stage presence (she’ll get the audience laughing with stories between songs) and a talented backing band that includes bassist Kathryn Fernandez and drummer Susan Lucia. Her latest album, The Mirror Is Calling, released in April 2024, rests listeners on a cloud of dreamy indie pop, with luxurious beats floating under lyrics about uncovering self-love that motivate listeners to do the same. There’s something about Sunstoney that inspires, and you’ll always leave her shows with a wide smile, completely uplifted by her magic.
Kayla Marque calls her music “sparkly dark ritual pop,” and yes, that’s as magical as it sounds. The longtime Denver musician has cast yet another spell with her first album in several years, Midheaven, which dropped in August 2024, and we are fully entranced. While the record maintains Marque’s intoxicating, shimmering sound, lyrically it’s a departure from her more brooding past work, which she attributes to finding her stride in her personal growth. That extends to listeners, too, who will find comfort and strength throughout Midheaven, which resonates with the positivity and bliss the singer intended.
Mr. Knobs is impossible to categorize: It’s a swirling amalgamation of indie prog-pop and electronica sounds that break the boundaries of genre. On stage, the group is completely captivating, taking audiences on a sonic adventure that is both ethereal and heavy. Bursts of energy emerge from Sarah Hubbard’s violin, which soars alongside Mr. Knobs founder Vidushi Goyal’s enigmatic vocals. Even when you’re dancing your ass off, you can’t pull your eyes from the stage, where the five-piece, which includes Isaac Vance (bass), Steve Lamos (drums/trumpet) and John Baldwin (drums), casts a spell of musical wizardry that still has our minds spinning…and coming back for more.
With dreamy, emotional lyrics, Neoma blends English and Spanish seamlessly in her distinct style of electro-pop, perfect for people who enjoy America’s mainstream pop but miss the romance and cariño of Latin styles, especially modern reggaetón. Now well established in Denver’s music scene since moving from Ecuador in 2018 at the age of eighteen, Neoma marked off several accomplishments last year, performing at the Underground Music Showcase, touring with Kiltro and playing at Electric Forest. Her music has an electric feel and a strong dance club vibe, but she stays true to tender-hearted, loving and seductive themes in her lyrics, the way Bad Bunny and Karol G have during their own rise. And Neoma? Her star is rising.
Best Album for Blasting Off Into Outer Space
Loki Moon
Loki Moon
Loki Moon is an ethereal duo comprising multi-instrumentalist Davis Jones and vocalist Ashley Edwards, who describes their sound as “if James Blake had a baby with André 3000's flute album, and that baby flew off to another galaxy with Sufjan Stevens and Frank Ocean in the CD player.” Loki Moon fulfills that description on its self-titled debut EP. The songs have a hypnotic vibe, and it feels as though the duo is sonically seeping into your soul, pulling you into a glimmering deep-space black hole, particularly on opening track “Alone.” You’re basically seeing stars throughout this hypnotic EP, which explores themes of time and space and translates them through a unique sound.
Best Album to Make You Feel Like You’re in a David Lynch Movie
No Depression in Heaven
Midwife
We lost the great neo-noir filmmaker David Lynch this year, but we have no doubt the Mulholland Drive director would be enamored with No Depression in Heaven, the latest album from Midwife, a solo project of Madeline Johnston, who calls her music “heaven metal.” We could definitely see the opening track, “Rock N Roll Never Forgets,” playing in the background of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, or Johnston herself performing “Vanessa” at the Roadhouse while Laura Palmer looks on, cigarette in hand. There is a Julee Cruise vibe to Johnston’s vocals, after all, and her sound maintains an overall weightiness as well as luminosity, like sunlight filtering through a deep forest.
Making a concept album is ambitious enough these days, especially when the attention span of many music listeners doesn’t care to tolerate anything longer than three minutes. But the members of Magic Beans make it worth it — and they do it with science fiction. The Denver band constructed its latest album, Impendo Destructo, as a vehicle for an oddball, out-of-this-world saga about our dystopian world and those who seek to escape it…into outer space. It’s wacky, funky, futuristic fun.
Denver punk-infused rock band the Fluid existed in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and during that time it racked up quite a few accomplishments — including the honor of being the first non-Seattle band signed to Sub Pop Records and sharing a split single with Nirvana just months before the latter became the biggest band on Earth. The Fluid’s legacy has remained in limbo since then, though, which is why Sub Pop’s remastered, reissued five-LP Fluid catalogue is such a welcome development.
Goth will never die, and Plague Garden is here to prove it. The eerie band’s fourth album, Under the Sanguine Moon, builds on the decay of its predecessors: shadowy post-punk that draws decadently on the bleak melodicism of vintage influences: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Christian Death, Sisters of Mercy, the Cure. This is classic goth, all monochrome glamour and graveyard ritualism. The members of Plague Garden apparently never got the message that Denver is one of the sunniest cities in America, and we hope they never do.
Best Shoegaze Collab
New Year Split 2025
Creek, Overhang, Summer of Peril
You can hear all the local flavors of shoegaze on New Year Split 2025, the excellent collaboration of Front Range bands Creek, Overhang and Summer of Peril released on January 3. Each band contributed one song to the three-track split, with Denver band Creek’s “Retrace” setting the tone with its brand of angsty emo-gaze. Fort Collins group Overhang picks the beat up a bit with “Wings,” which nods to classic new wave and indie rock. Also from FoCo, Summer of Peril closes the split with “Poison,” a grungier take on shoegaze that evokes a little nu-metal, to boot. For the future of shoegaze in Colorado, New Year Split provides a good peek.
Cherry Spit carries audiences away with its unique time signatures and brutal breakdowns, coming at listeners from every direction until they’re fully immersed in crashing waves of catharsis. Seeing this band live is like nothing else, with its complex organization of distinct, grating sounds and fuzzed-out vocals meticulously placed to keep the crowd completely possessed. Sometimes, in order to reach an existential mental breakthrough, you need to move through chaos to be able to make sense of your place in the world…or you realize that nothing makes sense at all. Cherry Spit pulls that out of you as you headbang, thrash and fully let yourself go to the band’s raw spirit, a welcome presence on the scene.
Blood Incantation made such a genre-expanding album with the October 2024 release of Absolute Elsewhere that even Time magazine recognized it as one of the best albums of the year. Of course, the two-track tome was emphatically embraced by metalheads — Blood Incantation has been an underground juggernaut since 2011 — but for such a straitlaced publication to give ink to extreme music is not the norm. Split into twenty-plus-minute halves, dubbed “The Stargate” and “The Message,” Absolute Elsewhere contains an otherworldly DNA of death metal, prog rock and krautrock, making it a truly alien, and heavy, listening experience. Kudos to drummer Isaac Faulk, guitarist and vocalist Paul Reidl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky and bassist Jeff Barrett.
Ghosts of Glaciers put together one of the most comprehensive post-metal albums you’ll ever hear in the ethereal Eternal. The longtime local trio of guitarist Steven Jackson, bassist Michael Rouse and drummer Ben Brandhorst make music that hits on such a visceral level, listening to these six tracks is an auditory out-of-body experience. While all instrumentals, there are moments of doom, black, death, prog-metal and classical (just listen to the piano part on closer “Regeneratio Aeterna”) throughout the album. “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” both over twelve minutes in length, are prime examples of what Ghosts of Glaciers excels at, but Eternal is best enjoyed in its entirety.
Powerviolence is a fairly niche hardcore subsect, but we’re pretty sure there’s only one band out there doing it with two bassists. Meet Polish (as in nail polish). The trio of bassist/vocalist Issac Roybal, bassist Dante DeLaurier and drummer Eddie Eaton is all drums, bass and bravado, and that’s all you need, apparently. Polish has made its name locally through unhinged live sets — Roybal is pretty jacked up and menacing when he gets to shouting, while DeLaurier turns into a Tasmanian devil, wild hair and all, on stage. The bass-heavy band recently funneled that fury into its debut full-length, Decay, which comprises ten songs at just under nine minutes. Polish powerviolence is a mad dash, not a marathon.
It’s all well and good to put snarky, clever references to idiotic politicians in your songs and call it a day, having done your due diligence as a socially conscious band. And then there’s A.M.O.D. The Denver hardcore group doesn’t mince words any more than it pulls punches. The messages embedded in the band’s latest album, Out of Your House, Into the Streets, blare forth like a megaphone-wielding protester facing down a line of cops — a situation that the members of A.M.O.D. have surely faced a time or two in their lives. That is, when they’re not on stage, inciting riots in the pit with their savage calls-to-arms.
There’s no shortage of punk bands in this city, but we were particularly impressed by Tuff Bluff’s self-titled full-length debut, which dropped in May 2024. The twelve-track album is authentic, raw punk rock, maintaining a sound rooted in the late-’90s East Bay scene, which was known for melding ska and pop elements with the genre. Ryan Heller, Sara Fischer and Tom Dodd formed Tuff Bluff in 2021, and while they’ve released an EP and singles since then, this LP is the prime exemplification of their live sound, which always keeps audiences moving. Each song is at once visceral and catchy, and makes you want to get to a Tuff Bluff concert ASAP.
Best Bilingual Badass Feminist Punk Album
Feminista Manifestó
Soy Celesté
Soy Celesté released its first full-length album, Feminista Manifestó, in September 2024. It’s a searing, fifteen-track magnum opus about feminism, politics and identity, translated through an amalgamation of Latin folk, cumbia and punk rock. Band founder, vocalist and guitarist Celesté Martinez spent years compiling research for the album, particularly on the intersection of Chicanx history and feminism, and the result is awe-inspiring. Tracks include both English and Spanish, as well as covers of traditional Mexican folk songs “La Llorona” and “La Bruja,” and the rhythms of some songs connect with others to draw another narrative. It’s ingenious, and we can’t wait to see what comes next from this group.
The snotty, sneering phenomenon that is pop punk has become perennially popular. As long as puberty exists, the genre will endure. But what happens when such a quintessentially youthful genre starts to hit middle age? Denver’s Bad Year, that’s what. The band’s self-titled debut is still snotty and sneering, but every catchy-as-fuck sing-along anthem is full of introspection, longing and hard-bitten wisdom. Of course, you can ignore all that and just jump around to it. Either way, it’s an instant classic.
Sometimes the need to see live music hits you randomly, and in that case we recommend heading to the Bobcat Club, the Art Deco venue upstairs at the Skylark Lounge. On any given night, you’re bound to see quality live music from either local or touring artists, or you can partake in karaoke on Wednesdays. Tickets for shows at the Bobcat Club are rarely more than $25, but if you’re feeling strapped on a weekend, stay downstairs for the free Vinyl All Night party, which happens on Saturdays and Sundays. The vibes are always stellar throughout the venue, which has become a South Broadway staple.
Two Moons Music Hall combines great food, elevated drinks and a cozy atmosphere with top-notch live music. The venue was opened in April 2024 by Jake Soffes, who also owns Hudson Hill and Lady Jane, and the connection is reflected in Two Moons’ style. The atmosphere is far from the dark, grungy, divey feel of many music venues and bars around town. Instead, Two Moons is light and airy, with comfy sofas to lounge on as well as a dance floor. Ditch your usual vodka soda and indulge in a craft cocktail or mocktail. When it’s warm, the venue also opens its doors to a large patio, making for the ideal environment to enjoy live music.
The Roxy on Broadway is the perfect place to wander into on a walk along South Broadway and discover a local artist. And with free shows six days a week, there’s no better place to enjoy live music without breaking the bank. The music calendar is consistently booked with a variety of musical acts, from singer-songwriters to DJs to bands. The Roxy’s intimate vibe is welcoming for musicians just getting their start and looking for a place where they don’t have to sell a set amount of tickets, and it’s a low-key venue for seasoned musicians to pack the house. Last but not least, the excellent food and drink menus are as satisfying as the surroundings.
Before Mission Ballroom opened in 2019, the venue installed a permanent D&B audiotechnik KSL system designed to ensure that sound pours directly toward the audience rather than out the sides or backs of speakers. In layman’s terms, no matter what seat you’re in or which show you’re seeing, the music sounds great at Mission Ballroom. Although the Mission isn’t brand-new anymore, the sound system has stood the test of time — concerts sound just as great now as they did the month the venue opened. Artists come across crisply and clearly, providing the best possible listening experience at a Denver music venue. Mission: accomplished.
Best Venue for an Immersive Concert Experience
The Perplexiplex at Meow Wolf
The music venue inside Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station reflects the overall experience of visiting the funky art museum: You’ll feel completely absorbed into the world of the concert. The wall-projection technology in the Perplexiplex allows outlines of the performers to be projected across the venue, giving even those not up front a sense of being right near the action. Plus, the artistic stage design evokes fantasy from the moment you step into the room. As the lights wash over concert-goers and the music gets loud, it’s easy to feel like you’re somewhere other than this world entirely.
Swallow Hill Music isn’t just a great place to learn music; it also hosts a variety of concerts as well as open-mic nights and a vinyl listening club that provides an easy way to meet like-minded creatives (and people who support creatives). The venue also hosts summits for music professionals to meet each other, such as the Colorado Roots Music Summit, which will happen this May, and the Auditorium, a music-industry networking summit that it hosted last year. With a long history in the city and several outreach programs, Swallow Hill is a loyal champion for Denver’s music ecosystem.
While the acts on stage at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood provide plenty to pay attention to, anyone who finds themselves wanting to enhance their visual experience need only look up. The ceiling at the Gothic includes a cut-out portion painted with the image of a sky filled with wispy clouds, often lit up in hues of pink and red. The curvy cutout alone would be enticing, especially compared to the typical all-black industrial ceilings at most music venues, but the painting adds to the intrigue. We never get tired of this intimate venue, in part because of that stunning ceiling. Who woulda thought?
While bigger venues like Ball Arena cater to mainstream Latin stars such as Pitbull and Bad Bunny, Stampede seems to understand what kind of music is enjoyed the most across Latin America. Its headliners have included living legends like Mexican cumbia sonidera artist Alberto Pedraza, Dominican bachata great Héctor Acosta and the classic Puerto Rican reggaetón duo Jowell & Randy. For Latinos who grew up listening to the top hits from the most beloved Latin genres — including regional favorites like norteño and Colombian salsa — Stampede brings back long-forgotten rhythms, and it’s filled with memorable artists that Latinos living in Denver probably thought they’d never see live.
The four main genres of Latin dance — salsa, bachata, merengue and cumbia — involve gliding, sliding, scooting and spinning. You need a smooth and spacious floor to do it well, and the club with the best dance floor for these styles is La Rumba, a cornerstone of Denver’s small but strong Latin dance scene. While the floors at other clubs are often too crowded or too narrow, La Rumba stands out for its wide, polished hardwood that glistens under changing red, blue and green club lights. You know you can twirl and turn a partner there without worrying about twisting an ankle or knee, and even when the club is packed, it’s never too hard to carve your own space on the floor.
The Bluebird Theater is a favorite neighborhood venue; you’ll always leave buzzing from a memorable night. It’s often where you can see artists of all genres who are on the cusp of mainstream fame; notable past examples include the Lumineers and Billie Eilish. Jack White must have loved playing there with the White Stripes, because he returned to perform a surprise show at the venue last year. The Bluebird’s capacity of 550 makes for an intimate affair, which makes us appreciate the theater’s multiple levels, where you can still see the stage without feeling too squeezed in. And you can’t help but get excited when you see that lit-up marquee, a reminder of all the great times you’ve had inside.
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