Best Concert Video Series 2024 | Sounds on 29th | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Concert Video Series

Sounds on 29th

Sounds on 29th, hosted by Flobots co-founder and Colorado Music Ambassador Stephen Brackett, is back for its eleventh season with PBS12, releasing stellar concert videos showcasing the best of local acts. But our favorite aspect of this season is that the show has moved out of its Five Points studio to stage bands at the city's most beloved music halls and dives. Our favorite concerts in the series took bands back to the storied venue El Chapultepec, with both the Crooked Rugs and the Mañanas rocking the house.

pbs.org/show/sounds-29th

Best New Music Radio Hosts

Saxton & Dirt, Locals Only

Meet the newest duo to take over this weekly series dedicated to Denver music, a pair of industry veterans with ears trained to the local sound. One peek at their résumés confirms an innate ability to tune into the rising tide of Mile High musicians. Chad Saxton has a long history as a sound engineer and DIY supporter in Denver, while David "Dirt" Rosenblat has held numerous roles in the industry as well (whether he was running the venue or playing in the band). The pair's fingers are permanently fixed on the pulse of local music, keeping them informed about what Colorado listeners want to hear next. Catch them on Sundays at 9 p.m. on KTCL Channel 93.

ktcl.iheart.com

Best Music Festival for Local Bands

Underground Music Showcase

The UMS has been a beacon for bands in the metro area since its inception in 2001. Taking over a strip of Broadway, the multi-day festival brings together the best in both local music and up-and-coming national acts, at favorite venues such as the hi-dive, HQ, the Roxy and the Skylark Lounge, as well as the festival's own outdoor stages, all at an affordable price. This is where you can say you saw a band before it got big, and who doesn't love having a little bit of that indie clout?

undergroundmusicshowcase.com

Best Secret Concerts

SoFar Sounds

You won't know who you're seeing, and you won't know where, but the mystery is part of the allure of buying a ticket to a SoFar Sounds show. The international concert company launched in London in 2009 and landed in Denver five years later. Community-oriented, SoFar often partners with local organizations such as the Dream Create Inspire Tour, Music Minds Matter and Colorado Public Radio. After performing with SoFar here, local artists such as Covenhoven and Dzirae Gold have performed in some of the company's other cities. SoFar artists are paid 70 percent of the concert's net profit, and we love it when an international organization really puts its money where its mouth is. Whether the show is in a yoga studio or a backyard, SoFar is so good.

sofarsounds.com

Best Grateful Dead Tribute Band and Event

Drums and Space

The tribute band Drums and Space doesn't just play the Grateful Dead's music; it brings the whole Shakedown Street experience to wherever it performs. Band founder Eric West (guitar/vocals) says it's like the "jam band circus," complete with vendors, face painters, drum circles, flow artists and more. It's about bringing the culture together, and the band itself is a gem, too, with West being joined by Jay Rowe (keys), Chris Rose (drums), Scott Headley (percussion) and Travis Daudert (lead guitar/vocals), along with special lights from engineer Travis Lamb. The band aims to play a couple of shows per month through the summer and early fall, with outdoor performances that will really bring the lot experience together. Follow the band on social media to learn about upcoming shows.

facebook.com/drumsandspace

Best New Hip-Hop Event

Hip-Hop Summit

The inaugural Hip-Hop Summit just took place at the end of March, and we already can't wait for next year's show. Presented by Colorado Street Art and Moods R&B, the event was created by Jarred De Palo, BJ Quarles and Adam Clark and held at ABC Imaging on Kalamath Street. The place was abuzz with energy, with graffiti artists live-painting on the outside and beats and breakdancing on the inside while people perused an exhibit of graffiti photography from New York and Colorado and a pop-up shop of streetwear by Culture Street. A mini-skatepark for fingerboards hosted by Th!s Project and an open-mic cypher rounded out the festivities. It was like a renegade block party the founders remembered from hip-hop's '90s heyday — but as this event proved, it's all still happening in the present.

Best Hip-Hop Album

The Wolf & The Social Club
Ason Yugen

Last June was the fiftieth anniversary of hip-hop, and we can't think of an album that better reflects the culture's roots than Denver-based Ason Yugen's The Wolf & The Social Club. Each of the eighteen tracks encourages repeat listens, with pristine beats and Yugen's buttery, emotive flow. Inspired by the way social media has impacted society, it's a concept album that looks at social media as an alternate universe; from opening track "Login" to "The Portal," listeners are placed in the real world, until the track "Algorithm" launches them into an otherworldly journey. A philosophical reflection on tech coupled with classic, sometimes jazzy beats? More, please.

apple.com
open.spotify.com

Best Flow

She Who Won't Be Named

She Who Won't Be Named is the MC of the Beats Bodega hip-hop event at River Bar. And it's impossible to forget her after you hear her quick and witty flow. While it's always a wild time at Beats Bodega, the artist gets reflective on her 2023 EP, Time to Change (released on Bandcamp). We hear her look back on her Southern roots in "Flower Child From Memphis" and witness her charismatic drive in "Light Shines ft J.Seuss"; she's intimate and encouraging on "Sweetly," sharing how creativity and a positive, open attitude can take you far. A lot of rappers have a tight flow, but when it's paired with lyrical talent, that takes it to the next level. She Who Won't Be Named has that and more.

shewhowontbenamed,bandcamp.com

Best Hip-Hop Collab Music Video

"PLZ"
DNA Picasso and Malcolm Whyz3

As if the song "PLZ," a collaboration between rappers DNA Picasso and Malcolm Whyz3, didn't already pop off enough, the accompanying music video, with its high quality and visual variety, takes this creative collaboration even further. Malcolm Whyz3 entered the Denver hip-hop scene in 2019 with an emotional song about his grandmother's passing, making Westword's list of ten rappers to watch in 2023. DNA Picasso is also a mainstay in the city's rap scene, and we're hoping for more collaborations in the future between these two innovative musicians.

Best R&B Singles

Danae Simone

There's nothing like kicking back and putting on some R&B — and next time you do, be sure to add Danae Simone to your playlist. The singer-songwriter puts on a captivating live performance that includes both originals and covers, with vocals that will have you feeling like you're floating in the clouds. The romantic lyrics on her 2023 singles "Is This Love" and "Got Me" are completely relatable, and the songs wrap around listeners like a warm embrace. They're also both total earworms that will be playing in your head for days, begging you to press "play" once again.

danaesimonemusic.com

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