During the pandemic, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame canceled shows and postponed artist inductions.
“Everything just kind of came to an end, like it did for everybody,” says Twist & Shout owner Paul Epstein, who also co-chairs the Hall of Fame's board of directors. With a tenth anniversary coming, he says, “We were thinking: What could we do to keep the name out there, to highlight how many interesting and unique and accomplished people are on the board and what they represent?"
So the group decided to throw an online auction, which runs from June 21 to June 27 and includes ten exclusive experiences honoring Colorado’s music scene and heritage. Proceeds raised will fund the Hall of Fame’s tenth-anniversary goals, including the design and installation of new exhibits at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame Museum at the Red Rocks Trading Post.
Epstein and his wife, Jill, will offer Record Store Confidential, a behind-the-scenes look at Twist & Shout with cocktails and chocolates.
"I’ll pull back the curtain on what my life as a collector has been like,” Epstein says, “and how it has intersected with my life as a music retailer. It might be interesting to talk about collecting — how it affected me, my personal feelings about it, my personal interest in collecting.”
Chuck Morris, former AEG Presents CEO and CMHOF founder, will host two experiences, including VIP tickets to a sold-out Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats show at Red Rocks with a backstage dinner and a tour of Red Rocks and its tunnel.
The auction also includes Jazz Night with KUVO general manager Carlos Lando; a private tour of the new Buell Public Media Center followed by a dinner and a show at Dazzle; and the Westword VIP Summer of Music, which comprises VIP access to signature Westword events this year and next: Music Showcase (both years), Feast and Tacolandia.
Other experiences include a private dinner with Caribou Ranch recording studio owner James William Guercio and a conversation with Tale of the Dog filmmakers Dan Obarski and Scott Montgomery and Paul Conley of Lothar & the Hand People.
“All of these experiences are super cool,” Epstein says. “I think they all have a kind of unique, specifically Colorado feel to them and a kind of music-industry feel to them. I think it's a really neat way to keep our name out there and offer something a little deeper when concerts weren't exactly possible.”
For more information, visit cmhof.org.