We're a Mess: The Final Underground Music Showcase Went Out With a Bang

When Jaiel took the hi-dive stage for her Underground Music Showcase performance on Friday, July 25, the Aurora-born artist told the audience how she used to hang around Broadway with friends, going to Boss Vintage or Bardo coffee, where they would confess their hopes of playing the surrounding venues' stages. "So this really is a dream come true," she said, as the crowd gave a supportive applause before she launched into an uplifting set of moving, R&B-infused tunes.

She was hardly the only artist to share such a sentiment during the final UMS. The festival has been a hallmark of the local scene since it was created as a DIY effort in 2001, and there truly isn't another weekend like it in Denver. This is one of the few times that Broadway actually looks and feels like a major street in a real city — masses of people spilling from one venue to the next, or stopping on the street to see busking acts like the metal group Insipidus (which was a complete standout of the weekend, creating a pop-up mosh pit caddy-corner to Skylark).
It wasn't until Saturday, when the streets were completely packed, lines curling out of venues and folks dancing from one stage to the next, that it really sunk in for me that this would be the last time Denver would have this experience. It took UMS decades to reach the expansive breadth of the 2025 event  — three stages and multiple indie venues running a mile down Broadway — and unless some angel investors swoop down and create something similar, it will be just as long before we experience the same magic this fest has delivered for 25 years. If ever.

Because yes, UMS is officially over. While announcements kept noting this would be the end of the showcase in its "current form," Youth on Record executive director Jami Duffy, whose nonprofit co-owns the festival with Two Parts, made it clear at a UMS Town Hall during the Get Loud Summit on Saturday morning that the chances a festival would happen next year were "slim to none."
Not to be cliche, but all good things do come to an end... although with such an institution as UMS, this finale was tough to accept. But it went out with all the grit the Denver scene is known for — and lots of laughs, even more hugs and, of course, enough live music to leave your ears ringing for days.
It wasn't just the music, either, but the unique memories made. Like, where else would I hop on a scooter with Denver icon Dana Meyers? I was outside Bar 404 on Saturday with members of May Be Fern — who were ingeniously providing popsicles with their merch during the scorching weekend — when it dawned on me that I needed to be at HQ in five minutes to catch Malcolm Whz3's set. "Dana, could you give Emily a ride?" Madi Spillman asked, and the Indie 102.3 host encouraged me to hop on the scooter. A few minutes into the ride, we realized who the other was — we'd both been wanting to meet for ages — which led to lots of laughs as I desperately clutched her back while we zipped along Broadway. (Did I mention I'm absolutely terrified of scooters?) And yes, Dana Meyers is as cool as I knew she'd be.

Then, immediately after such moments, you get to discover incredible new artists. UMS is the type of place where you can forgive your plans going astray; I thought one band on my calendar was at a totally different venue than they were slated for, but my mistaken stop at the hi-dive led to me seeing DéCollage, a longtime Denver avant-pop band that's been called "the grandchildren of Elephant 6," the enigmatic music collective that included Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, Von Hemmling, the Minders and more. As with Meyers, you never know which scene heroes you're going to run into at UMS.
That included Dressy Bessy, another Elephant 6-affiliated group that closed out the hi-dive on Sunday, after a stellar set from SPELLS. The punk band, which formed in the late '90s, was a prolific purveyor of the genre in Denver at long-gone DIY spaces. And after the act's hiatus from 2008 to 2016, it was a pivotal moment to see the group take on the hi-dive for the fest's last hurrah. Tammy Ealon completely possessed the crowd, rocking a babydoll dress reminiscent of the best rockers of the riot grrrl movement and delivering raw, empowered vocals over the band's driven, brazen sound that whipped up a pit.
Mild mosh pits are also tradition at UMS, depending on which show you're at. The Velveteers, a breakout band from Boulder that's opened for the likes of Greta Van Fleet and was discovered by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, delivered a set of its signature heavy rock at the Showcase Stage on Sunday, after another emblematic Colorado band, Cheap Perfume, opened the day by riling us up with punk rock. Both shows opened up a whirlpool of people completely one with music, crashing into each other and slam dancing until the heat forced everyone to catch a breath. And it was pretty freaking cool to see Cheap Perfume bassist Geoff "Goffo" Brent repping another incredible local band with a sick Horse Bitch T.
You have to make bold choices at fests like this, whose lineups have equally amazing artists booked at the same times. And with DeVotchKa listed at the same moment as Bluebook? A real Sophie's Choice. But Bluebook at the hi-dive is a move no one would ever regret. During the set, a friend leaned over to me, completely wide-eyed and overcome by the sublime music, and said, "How the hell do they make it so heavy, and also so light?" It's that Bluebook magic — a labyrinthine sound that is completely unique to this group.
These were just a few of many standout sets throughout the weekend that included the always-stellar Rootbeer Richie and the Reveille. A line wrapped around the block for the Backyard Stage for that show, and the area was quickly engulfed in a dance party powered by bluesy rock. Then there was DOGTAGS, which opened the festival on Friday at the Get Loud Stage in a performance that had people talking throughout the weekend ("Oh my god did you see that band DOGTAGS?" was overheard several times). Performing songs from its latest album, ROSEWORLD, the band, which was featured on last week's Westword cover, proved itself a force in the scene, whether it was teaching the audience a signature dance to move along with the band during "SUMMERSICK!" or Michael Merola delivering a searing guitar solo to Regi Worles's soaring vocals. That band was also at the Secret Garden stage, an in-the-know party thrown behind Wax Trax on Friday and Saturday by local agency Future Garden. I stopped by for a set from the Mañanas on Saturday that had me glued, as the band sent a set of breezy, psychedelic surf rock that had a big audience pulsing under light-up, glowing palm trees placed around the makeshift venue. Later in the evening, DOGTAGS closed it down with an awesome superjam under psychedelic lights, accompanied by such artists as N3ptune and Kenny Cornbread. Future Garden co-founder Kyle Hartman told us ahead of the festival that he wanted to ignite renegade shows similar to those he caught while booking for UMS years ago, and Secret Garden hit all the right notes.
Aside from punk, rock and indie, the hip-hop scene was also represented by several incredible artists, and this year they got the larger venues and stages they deserve. The biggest standouts included Old Man Saxon, who proved himself a must-see from the Showcase Stage, where he got the crowd laughing — "remember, I only like scattered applause, people," he joked — and grooving to his irresistible bars and beats. Later, Malcolm Whyz3 filled up HQ for a bombastic set of collaboration, before DNA Picasso did the same, keeping audiences hooked throughout. But on Saturday, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver put on what was the biggest show of the weekend. The crowd showed up and out at Banded Oak to catch the rock group, whose stage presence is unmatched. Frontman Ian Ehrhart captivates, whipping his mic around until its chord was wrapped around his body like a lasso, crashing backwards into the bushes where he sang lying down in the leaves until springing up, taking a dance with an audience member, then running into the crowd before stuffing the mic down his throat. While I've listened to the group's latest album, Lick My Soul, constantly since it dropped in 2023, it was, unbelievably, my first time seeing Jesus Christ Taxi Driver live. And one of the best parts about UMS is that you can catch local groups that you're able to see not long after the fest is over (the band will be at Cervantes' Other Side on July 30). Lots of sweat, dancing and seven showers later, I can attest UMS burned out with the brightest flame possible. And now, instead of grumbling over why or how the event could no longer sustain itself, it is time to look toward the future and create new legacy events. There are still excellent music festivals that highlight local artists, such as FoCoMX in Fort Collins and Steel City Music Showcase in Pueblo. But those are a long drive from Denver, and part of what made UMS special was how it enlivened the Baker neighborhood for three whole days. And the final UMS most primarily underscored that our local artists deserve to be celebrated in such a big way.

The talent here, from R&B and hip-hop to rock, funk, punk, dream-pop, synthwave and so much more, is awe-inspiring. And while it can be frustrating for artists that Denver may not have the national recognition of, say, Nashville or New York, there is something to be said for making art in the spirit of community and creation itself. The gratitude of local fans is large, yet such events are needed to truly show it.
Yes, UMS may be done, but that doesn't mean our music scene isn't thriving; you can support local artists and venues by going to as many shows as you can. There is also hope in the community's resiliency, and DIY venues such as Seventh Circle and D3 will be maintaining their own locally focused fests in the meantime. As difficult as the UMS loss is, such times make room to build something new, and as the artists, bookers, promoters and concert goers of Denver demonstrate, the future is bright.

See more photos from the festival below: Find more concerts on our Denver concert calendar.