FoCoMX 2025: Standout Performances, Discoveries and Memorable Musical Moments

Every April, the streets of Old Town Fort Collins are filled with the sounds of live music. FoCoMX took center stage once again April 18-19, amidst cold, snowy weather that earned the event the nickname SnoCoMX. Its official nickname is "America's biggest little music festival," and this year's edition featured 400 acts representing every imaginable genre performing at thirty-plus venues across town.

My wife and I joined the annual celebration for the second year in a row, starting on the crowded, slightly snowy patio of Equinox Brewing, where singer-songwriter Michael Kirkpatrick kicked off the festivities with a solo set. The musician whose voice was once described as "an anthropomorphic brontosaurus that has popped out of a children's book to teach kids about the danger of playing with matches" set a warm, welcoming tone with folksy narratives about life, love, community and spirit.
At FoCoMX, it helps to map your musical adventure. With a healthy dose of roots music nearby, we focused on Americana — but soon sprinkled in jazz ensembles, Latin music, indie rock and alternative pop. At Magic Rat in the lobby of the Elizabeth Hotel, pianist Spencer Zweifel and his ensemble, the Life or Death Situation, offered an avalanche of keys, horns and the intricate rhythms of jazz fusion. Making our way to festival sponsor Odell Brewing Company and the OBC Wine Project, we sought out acoustic singer-songwriter Robin Lewis, who played to a packed house as people sipped wine and warmed their fingers and their hearts. After we thawed, we headed outside Odell, where Giant Walking Robots "took us to the islands" on a patio filled with people grooving to reggae-inspired, EDM-accented indie rock.
At FoCoMX, it's easy to follow your ears, and that's how we ran across the Blue Canyon Boys stirring up some finger-pickin' joy of bluegrass at Old Town Center. Lead singer David Halchak recalled that when he played the fest last year, he drove past the venue and thought, "I'm glad I'm not playing outside." Then he laughed and added: "What I should have said is, 'Hell, that looks like fun.'"

We spiced up our dinner that evening with a scorching hot set from Latin band Fruita Brutal, which was cooking on the rooftop of Illegal Pete's. It might have been frigid outside, but the heat was palpable from the stage to a packed dance floor; I wouldn't have been surprised to see a conga line heading down the stairs.

An impressive lineup of local hip-hop was on the schedule, including DNA Picasso, who hosted an artists' meet-and-greet on April 19, and we caught our first taste of rhyme and flow in the back room of The Whiskey with Boulder-based hip-hop group Indigenous Peoples. The dance floor was packed and the vibe evoked a hip underground bar in the mid '90s with K-OSS, Siklone and 7ven, the trio of rappers spitting incredibly fast melodic rhymes over the smooth, low-fi beats of Deejay Kosmo.

Catching the end of one band's set is an added perk at FoCoMX; at the Aggie, we heard Fresh Fruit close with a raucous cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter." It made me wish I'd caught the whole show — a common regret through a weekend filled with more music packed into 48 hours than you could listen to in a year of live shows. But Elektric Animals, which we'd come to see, did not disappoint with its solid set of indie rock, evoking the best parts of the post-punk era. It made me think of what the '80s band Psychedelic Furs would sound like if they'd come from the '90s Seattle scene.
The high energy, rock-and- roll vibe of FoCoMX hit overdrive when we checked in at new venue The Neighbor for an insane set by local favorite Alysia Kraft, who informed the crowd that she'd just changed the band's name to Leashy. Joined by drummer Shane Zweygardt of Dead Pioneers and Oliver Mueller from Slow Caves, the punkish Kraft pulled out all the stops, at one point calling for Jakob Mueller of Slow Caves to "take over on guitar" for one song as Kraft became a one-woman mosh pit onstage.

That sort of band comingling is a hallmark of the FoCo scene, where musicians often play or sit in with numerous groups. Songs like "Perfect Timing," which Kraft says is about standing up for yourself, brought raw yet melodic punk energy, and the powerful performance was summed up by one patron who sarcastically quipped, "If only she had some stage presence. She's slightly better than Jaggar, but there's room for improvement." Then grinning and shaking his head, he added, "Freakin' ridiculous." Kraft also performed later with her band, the Patti Fiasco.

If we thought Kraft's energy couldn't be matched, we had the good fortune to wrap up Friday with the frenzied fun of Indigenous pop duo Cherokee Social at the Aggie. The act put out a set of wild guitar runs, mesmerizing keyboard riffs and driving tribal beats that ripped through the crowd, sounding like a five-piece band. It's tough to know if there was more dancing on the stage or in front of it, as singer-percussionist Julian Navarro and guitarist Alex Creighton jumped around and even crashed into each other.

Because FoCoMX is a nearly all-volunteer community effort that depends on more than 500 individuals lending a hand, we spent the first part of Saturday working volunteer shifts in exchange for ticket wristbands. My spot at the Old Town Center info booth was a great vantage point to engage with the crowds while also being treated to numerous acts on the nearby public stage.

On Saturday afternoon the sun came out, and I caught a string of diverse acts beginning with the incredible world music beats of Blessing Bled Chimanga, who'd arrived from Zimbabwe the day before and had the crowd dancing in the square. Another hip-hop group, DCI Tour (or Dream Create Inspire), rocked the scene as well, while numerous passersby inquired at the info table about the act.  And the kids from the Fort Collins School of Rock house band filled the square with classic rock, including a rousing rendition of G-n-R's "Sweet Child O' Mine," with two young women sharing Axel Rose's role, one belting out the lyrics while the other harmonized. Performances like this prove that the music future is bright in Colorado.
Another bonus was provided by the Bourbon Brass Band, which evoked the community spirit of big brass and Bourbon Street. After its official performance at Oak Street Plaza, the band marched up College Avenue and, like the Pied Piper, led a group of a hundred people through Fort Collins before arriving in Old Town Center for an extended set.

Following our volunteer shifts, we enjoyed one of Colorado's greatest gifts: live music on a sunny back patio. Acoustic singer-songwriters abound in the age of indie folk, and there was no shortage at FoCoMX. After first hearing the melodic, soothing sounds of Eva Rose King on the Colorado Sound, a festival sponsor, we'd been anticipating her live set at Schneider's Schnitzel. Accompanied by an ethereal violin, she treated us to songs about the journey through loss, loneliness and re-connection; in "Right Place, Right Time," she reflected on appreciating the past without regret.

On Saturday evening we returned to the Neighbor and roots music with Fort Collins's favorite honky-tonk band, Sugar Britches, led by engaging guitar picker Brian Johanson. The line was out the door for this set, and it became an outright hootenanny with songs like "Quinoa Cowboy" and a stirring cover of Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey," with singer and fiddle player Zee Crain belting out a chorus like a gospel choir. The band closed with a wild cover of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club," and the image of a country band covering that pop song perfectly captured the rich, inclusive community spirit of FoCoMX.

FoCoMX is always rich with surprises and musical discoveries, and our Saturday closed with two mind-blowing sets at Washington's. First, Fort Collins reggae favorites Dubskin hit the stage for the first time in nearly five years; when singer Jamal Skinner proclaimed that "the Love Revolution is Real," reminding the crowd of "who was president four years ago," it was as if the band had been called back on a mission to spread the message of love and the power of music. With primal screams, sick beats and magical guitar runs, the band brought its powerful message through songs promising "The Tables Will Turn," and lyrics urging us that "times are getting lethal, but if you choose love over evil, then nothing can defeat you."
While fans might think the inspirational energy from the return of Dubskin couldn't be matched, thirty minutes later famed Colorado hip-hop band Flobots hit the stage for an astounding set fueled by community, social justice and full-blown activism. With a rotating set of pictures on stage of immigrants like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the phrase "Imago Dei," or image of God, the humanitarian message was electric. Flobots hit hard with songs of activism like "Rise" "Mayday!!" and "Circle in the Square." The set also featured a Langston Hughes poem and a rousing version of "Bella Ciao," a traditional Italian hymn of resistance against oppression. A set from the Flobots is not just a show, it's not just a concert, it's a full-blown hip-hop opera that can be a life-altering experience.  FoCoMX is a music fest unlike any other, with the non-stop sounds of every imaginable genre jammed into a downtown area where you trip over new music at every turn. You sleep very little and dance a lot, and when Sunday comes, you're joyfully exhausted, glowing with the warmth of live local music.

Colorado music fans owe it to themselves to attend FoCoMX at least once. It's an unforgettable experience, and if you come once, you'll likely be back. You might even do what we did after our first FoCoMX: We moved to Fort Collins.

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