Westword Music Showcase will take over the Golden Triangle Saturday, June 23, and while there will be plenty of music on the festival grounds, venues around the neighborhood will also host some of Denver's best up-and-coming acts. Here's what to expect.
Coors Light Stage
12th and Acoma streets
This year, the Coors Light Stage will host indie and bluesy rock, electronica and alternative, with local acts Wildermiss and Tracksuit Wedding starting things off at 12:25 p.m. and 1:30, respectively. The national acts are next, with Treepeople at 2:40, Phantoms at 4:15, Bonobo (live) at 6:05 and Galantis closing out the festival at 8:30.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade Stage
12th and Bannock streets
For Showcase-goers with a penchant for all things hip-hop, rock, indie rock and pop, look no further than the Mike’s Hard Lemonade Stage. Music here starts at 12:05 p.m., when local band Rocket Surgeons takes the stage, followed by MAGIC GIANT at 1, Sunflower Bean at 2, Joywave at 3:20 and the Front Bottoms at 5:10. St. Lucia closes out the evening starting at 7:15.
La Rumba
99 West Ninth Avenue
Denver’s hottest club for all things Latin, La Rumba has been a Denver staple since 1997, earning a loyal following of dance and music lovers. Today it’s known for its impeccable sound system as well as its weekly events, which include salsa DJs on Thursdays; salsa, merengue and more on Latin Fridays; and a dance party with live salsa bands on Saturdays. For those who aren’t yet comfortable with their dance-floor technique, the club also offers lessons with trained instructors Monday through Wednesday. On June 23, however, the club will spotlight some of Denver’s grooviest hometown acts, including Eddie Turner & Trouble, Judge Roughneck, Emma Mayes & the Hip, Float Like a Buffalo, Gracie Bassie, the Dendrites, SF1 Performs OutKast and Roka Hueka.
100% de Agave
975 Lincoln Street
100% de Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina specializes in authentic Mexican dishes, with an inventory of over 100 tequilas to augment your meal. On June 23, that tequila will go well with something special on the menu: the Westword Music Showcase. Watch for Ludlow, Jen Korte & the Loss, Jennifer Jane Niceley, Kayla Marque, the Corner Girls, the Milk Blossoms and Avenhart.
The Church
1160 Lincoln Street
In the renovated hall of an actual church founded in 1889, the Denver club known as the Church specializes in a more experimental style of nightlife, with genres ranging from EDM and trance to drone, goth and industrial. The club hosts several weekly events, including a DJ night called Ritual Fridays, Latin Night on Saturdays, and SIN Sundays, a night of retro goth, industrial and dark techno. The Church’s unique vibe has made the club a staple of Denver’s scene for more than twenty years and earned it a spot on DJ magazine’s list of the ten best clubs in America. On June 23, the Church will boast groups on its main stage and downstairs in the Basement. They include Super Distant Boyfriend (Venus Cruz), Ramakhandra, It’s Just Bugs, Dandu, All Chiefs, Def Knock and YaSi on the main stage, and Voight, EVP, Trisicloplox, Poppet, Seal Eggs, Rare Byrd$ and Mirror Fears in the Basement.
Stoney’s Bar and Grill
1111 Lincoln Street
You’d be hard-pressed to find a spot in Denver that has more hometown pride than Stoney’s Bar and Grill. The sports/music bar has long been central Denver’s gathering spot, a place to see local music, enjoy great food or catch a game on one of thirty HD TVs. The space itself has a welcoming atmosphere, with 150-year-old barn wood, exposed brick walls, and a ski gondola that’s been converted into a booth. During Showcase, Stoney’s will have two stages hosting music ranging from rock, Americana, country, cumbia and Chicano funk. The Stoney’s Main stage will host openers Guerrilla Fanfare at 12:40 p.m., followed by Quemando, Don Chicharrón, Tivoli Club Brass Band, MLIMA, Gora Gora Orkestar and Los Mocochetes. Kicking things off at the Stoney’s South stage is Mr. David Booker at 12 p.m., followed by Grayson Country Burn Ban, Chella & the Charm, Lady Gang, Florea, Blake Brown & the American Dust Choir and RL Cole & The Hell You Say.
EXPANDVinyl
1082 Broadway
Want to dance the Showcase away? Head to Vinyl, a four-story club that’s a Golden Triangle mainstay. Vinyl will host the best of Denver’s rap and EDM scenes on the Main stage and Rooftop, respectively, enticing listeners with its state-of-the-art Funktion-One sound system. Shank Aaron opens the Main stage at 12:40 p.m., followed by Brothel, Freddy Rule, Aaron Bordas, Milky.WAV, Felix Fast4ward and Lea Luna. And starting the party on the Rooftop will be Mawule at 12:55, then Ill Se7en, Reason the Citizen, Ray Reed, DJ A-L and the Reminders.
#Vybe
1027 Broadway
The new club with “a fresh vybe,” #Vybe returns as a Westword Music Showcase venue for a second year, in the space that was once home to Broadways. The brainchild of local promoter Joe Miranda, #Vybe opened last summer and has since become a Broadway go-to. During the Showcase, #Vybe will show off its spacious outdoor patio, proving that this is a spot where “everybody can vybe together.” Bands playing at #Vybe represent rock, pop, Latin and grunge. Chloe Tang starts the party at noon, followed by the Hollow, SIR, CITRA, the Velveteers, iZCALLi and Slow Caves.
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Bar Standard
1037 Broadway
Housed in what used to be Jonas Bros. Furs, the modern-day-speakeasy-themed Bar Standard is one of the best spots in Denver for live DJs. This popular nightclub is a mecca for lovers of electronic house and dance music of all styles, as well as the occasional live band, such as the Cool Kids — and its two patios provide a great place to take a break and admire the Denver skyline. At this year’s Showcase, the Bar Standard stage will deliver music guaranteed to bring on some head-banging, from punk rock to heavy metal, with energetically irreverent tunes from Hooper, Hydraform, Ghosts of Glaciers, Fathers, the Burial Plot, Dead Set and Son Survivor.
Westword Music Showcase, Saturday, June 23, Golden Triangle neighborhood, westwordshowcase.com.
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