A guide to Blucifer’s First Rodeo

Blucifer’s First Rodeo gallops onto Broadway July 23-26, making its debut in the old stomping grounds of the Underground Music Showcase, which is now happening in RiNo on the same weekend for its 26th year.

But there are several key differences between the festivals aside from neighborhood. Blucifer is hosting nearly 80 more bands — 259 total — and, unlike at UMS, they’re all local. Tickets were also cheaper to Blucifer. (Although weekend passes are sold out, you can still cop passes for Thursday’s DIY-venue night and Sunday’s neighborhood house shows.) Blucifer is also completely artist- and volunteer-run, and is paying bands equitably.

However, don’t expect the outdoor stages or amenities you find at UMS. This DIY festival is meant for you to discover new music and learn about the artists who make up our local scene. And considering the festival is sold out, don’t be under the impression you’ll be able to see every single act you want: Venues involved with the festival are not high-capacity, and they can fill up quickly, so keep your mind open.

Keep reading for some tips to make the most of the most-anticipated festival of the summer.

Blucifer’s First Rodeo schedule and venues

The entire schedule is listed on the Blucifer’s First Rodeo website, but here’s how the general layout will work:

Thursday, July 23, highlights DIY venues, with shows beginning at 7 p.m. at Seventh Circle Music Collective, Ante Up, D3 Arts and Squirm Gallery. Note that several of these venues are sober spaces and aren’t necessarily near each other. We recommend posting up at one venue, or using ride shares (or your own car if you’re not on anything) to go to shows.

Shows on Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, will take place at venues along Broadway, with music starting in the late afternoon/early evening. Venues include Adrift Tiki Bar, Bar 404, Chaos Bloom, Dougherty’s Pub, FM, Goldmine Vintage, hi-dive, HQ, Illegal Pete’s, Import Mechanics, Irish Rover, Li’l Devils, Skylark Lounge, The L, The Saint Mary, Voodoo Donut, and Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar.

Shows on Sunday, July 26, will happen at private homes around the Baker neighborhood, although TrashHawk Tavern will be hosting three shows starting at 9:30 p.m. with Gion Davis & the Designated Strangers, Caspar Milquetoast and Clementine Was Right. Those with passes for Sunday will receive house-show addresses via email and a portal on Blucifer’s website (you must have all-access passes or a single Sunday pass to access this).

Check out a map of participating venues below:

Festival co-founder Mike Young encourages attendees to explore.

“Personally, I would say that wandering is very honorable,” he says. “You should try to see as many different venues as possible. It’s true that some venues will end up being one in, one out, especially at the crowded times of night, so if you leave HQ or hi-dive you might not get back in, but I am so excited about the smaller themed venue bills: goth at The L, metal at Import Mechanics, country at Irish Rover. And be sure to soak in the excellent stage design work of The Terrible Wise!”

Recommended bands to check out

With more than 250 bands to choose from, don’t be married to any specific choice. However, you can discover what bands you may want to see by taking a quiz on the website’s attendee portal.

“To find new bands, try our What Bluce Are You? quiz and our new tool that lets you search for a band you like (like ‘The Wallflowers’ or ‘Ariana Grande’) and then it suggests three bands for you,” Young explains. “These are fun discovery-enabling technologies!”

Here are a handful of bands per night that we wholeheartedly recommend:

Bands for Thursday, July 23

Sun Swept, 7 p.m. at Squirm Gallery
Want to hear some experimental, ambient flute music? Head to Sun Swept. You’ll love it.

Gartener, 8 p.m. at Seventh Circle
Gartener is a five-piece Denver group that describes itself as “bridging Dreamy alt-pop and sparkly emo-punk,” creating a sound it dubs “garage pop.”

Horse Girl, 9 p.m. at Squirm Gallery
We love how musicians are describing themselves on the Blucifer website. Horse Girl “is atmospheric dream pop in a gothic forest full of sparkly mist and scientific lore!” Go off!

Bitstream Bleed, 9:15 p.m. at D3 Arts
Bitstream Bleed won a Best of Denver award this year for Best Dreamy Shoegaze, Grunge-Rock Band. Need we say more?

The Photo Atlas, 10 p.m. at Ante Up
The Photo Atlas is a longtime indie dance-punk group that formed more than 20 years ago. The group has performed at festivals like Warped Tour, so seeing it at Ante Up is pretty special.

Surprise Soup, 11 p.m. at D3 Arts
Surprise Soup calls itself a Midwest emo jam band with nonsensical lyrics. “We are emo, we are Midwest, we jam,” as the group puts it.

Bands for Friday, July 24

We’re just going to state right now that the entire setlist for the hi-dive, kicking off at 6 p.m., is incredible: Chella & The Charm (modern country), Honey Blazer (psychedelic country-infused indie), Bluebook (legendary Denver band that won Best Band in this year’s Best of Denver), Wheelchair Sports Camp (longtime hip-hop duo that recently went punk), Dressy Bessy (one of the city’s most iconic punk acts), SPELLS (insanely good five-piece punk rock), and Bud Bronson & The Good Timers (true-grit, punk-infused rock and roll).

But here are some more choices:

The Whimsies, 4 p.m. at Goldmine Vintage
We can’t recommend The Whimsies enough, especially after seeing the band perform with a background comprising scenes from “Labyrinth.” This band is as whimsical and dreamy as the name implies.

The Milk Blossoms, 6 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
Poetic and enigmatic, The Milk Blossoms are one of our favorite local acts that draws you in with its atmospheric sound.

Corsicana, 7 p.m. at Bar 404
We loooove Corsicana, a project from local musician and producer Ben Pisano, who makes dreamy tunes that sweep you into phantasmagoria.

Pleasure Prince, 7 p.m. at Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar
Pleasure Prince won a Best of Denver award this year for Best Synth-Pop & Electronica Duo, and you won’t want to miss the couple’s set at Wax Trax.

Lady Los, 8 p.m. at Illegal Pete’s
Looking for some neo-soul and R&B? Then don’t miss Lady Los, who also happens to be an award-winning basketball coach for East High.

DVNEHPPY, 9 p.m. at Illegal Pete’s
If you’re at Illegal Pete’s for Lady Los, stick around for DVNEHPPY, a Denver rapper who has been making waves for his unique sound and unparalleled bars.

Barbara, 9 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
Barbara is another one of our favorite indie bands in the city, pulling from a variety of influences to make a singular sound steeped in dreamy sonics.

Summer Bedhead, 9 p.m. at Adrift Tiki Bar
Looking for some alt-rock? Blending indie, punk, folk and rock, Summer Bedhead releases a sound you’ll want to hear year-round.

Circling Over, 9 p.m. at Import Mechanics
Post-metal meets shoegaze in Circling Over, which released its debut album, “Amends,” last August.

2MX2, 10 p.m. at HQ
2MX2 is a longtime Denver crew that blends hip-hop, Latin rhythms, pop and activism. What are you waiting for?

Suicide Cages, 10 p.m. at Import Mechanics
As you may have guessed by its name, Suicide Cages makes metal. The metal core group will have you headbanging and moshing; just bring some earplugs so you don’t have tinnitus the rest of the weekend.

Boot Gun, 10 p.m. at Li’l Devils
If you’re a fan of bluesy rock and good times, then Boot Gun is for you. It’ll be one of the last times you’ll be able to catch the Denver group, too.

Pink Lady Monster, 11 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
The post-punk of Pink Lady Monster is absolutely addictive, so much so that we awarded its latest album, “PONK,” as the city’s Best No-Wave Album.

Los Mocochetes, 11 p.m. at HQ
Chicano funk with an activist twist is what you’ll find in longtime Denver group Los Mocochetes, which will have you dancing the night away at HQ.

Ritmo Cascabel, 12 a.m. at HQ
Ritmo Cascabel is the cumbiadelica band you need in your life, blending cumbia with Western sounds and a healthy dose of rock.

Cheap Perfume, 12 a.m. at Skylark Lounge
Are you a feminist? Do you like punk rock? Um, look no further than Cheap Perfume, which is the perfect band to close out the evening.

Bands for Saturday, July 25

Wave Decay, 6 p.m. at Adrift Tiki Bar
Kick off the festivities at Adrift, where Wave Decay will bring its psychedelic indie sound that the band says “evvs, flows into peaks of ethereal walls of sound.”

In Plain Air, 7 p.m. at hi-dive
In Plain Air describes its music as “post-rock for people who grew up on playlists instead of record stores, where ambient guitars crash into digital noise and soft vocals hit harder than a breakdown ever could.” Word.

Shady Oaks, 7 p.m. at HQ
Shady Oaks puts on a show of constant movement and headbanging, driven by rock, blues and country intonations.

Derek Dames Ohl, 8 p.m. at Chaos Bloom
If you’re into John Prine or country-infused tunes that rip your heartstrings with relatable lyrics, then head over to Chaos Bloom for Derek Dames Ohl.

Cobranoid, 8 p.m. at Import Mechanics
Cobranoid blends high-tempo thrash with stoner metal and sludge for a speed-doom sound that’s unforgettable.

Insipidus, 8 p.m. outside Ritual Tattoo Gallery
You may have seen Insipidus busking its heavy metal around town, and the band will be posted up outside Ritual Tattoo. Once you stop by, you’ll be glued to the spot.

iies., 8 p.m. at Illegal Pete’s
Jazz and hip-hop converge in iies., which catches your attention with addictive beats and keeps you there with conscious lyricism.

Cherry Spit, 9 p.m. at hi-dive
The noise-rockers of Cherry Spit are ones to behold, with an artful cacophony of sound that captivates and destroys your ego.

Sunstoney, 9 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
Sunstoney, the indie project of local artist (and Westword contributor) Eman El Saied, recently got a stamp of approval from SZA, so we recommend hitting the Skylark to see that the hype is well worth it.

Fruta Brutal, 10 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
Indie psych-pop and alt-rock converge with Latin sounds in Fruta Brutal, a Denver four-piece that’s the scene is enamored with for good reason.

Mr. Knobs, 10 p.m. at Li’l Devils
Mr. Knobs is indefinable, but an absolute must-see. “Painting planets with ethereal violin, primal percussion, neon synths and the whirring electronic melodies of the digisphere, the band augments electrifying vocals and dramaturgic lyrics with their unique alchemy of analog and digital sound,” Mr. Knobs describes itself.

The Crooked Rugs, 11 p.m. at Skylark Lounge
Fort Collins rock group The Crooked Rugs makes “a captivating blend of rock and roll that’s both nostalgic and refreshingly modern,” as the band puts it. It’s psych-rock that will have you hooked, trust us.

Tiny Tomboy, 11 p.m. at HQ
Tiny Tomboy makes pristine indie rock with lyrics that resonate. No doubt this will become one of your favorite shows of the weekend.

RUGBURN, 11 p.m. at Bar 404
Prepare to find yourself in “a jittering, psychedelic fit of ecstasy” at RUGBURN — at least, that’s how the garage-rock band puts it. (Don’t worry: We’ve fact-checked, and it’s true.)

Shadow Work, 12 a.m. at Skylark Lounge
Shadow Work put on one of our favorite sets at FoCoMX this year, and the three-piece always goes all out with its indie psych-rock.

MF Ruckus, 12 a.m. at Bar 404
Longtime punk crew MF Ruckus has been around for nearly three decades, and it still throws some of the best shows you’ll catch in the Mile High City.

Horse Bitch, 12 a.m. at HQ
Horse Bitch is one of our favorite bands for a reason, delivering some of the rowdiest and most fun shows in Denver that include on-stage and off-stage moshing, crowd surfing and pure, unbridled punk energy.

Neoma, 1 a.m. at HQ
Close out your Saturday by dancing away to the bilingual pop of Neoma, a true Denver superstar.

To find out who’s playing Sunday and where, buy a pass at bluciferfest.com.