After a year of unemployment, Colorado musicians are fed up with low rates and poor treatment by venues, according to guitarist Aidan Pagnani. So he and sax player Sarah Mount have been recruiting musicians to join the recently formed Colorado Musicians Union, hoping that they can prevent the music industry from going back to business as usual characterized by what they say is rock-bottom pay (when musicians are paid at all), rampant mistreatment and even assaults on musicians.
Although the Denver Musicians Association has been around for decades, they note that it largely represents musicians working for larger organizations, not gigging artists whose careers are more precarious and who are harder to organize.
Animas City Theatre reopens its doors
Durango, Colorado Currently Thu 4% chance of precipitation 13% chance of precipitation 0% chance of precipitation 18% chance of precipitation
Red Eyed Djinn, Elder Grown play this weekend and next
Thursday, April 22, 2021 5:02 PM
Animas City Theatre reopens its doors Durango’s Red Eyed Djinn will play two shows Friday to a reopened Animas City Theatre. Courtesy Escuchar en Español:
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When patrons walk into Animas City Theatre on Friday night and the band takes the stage, it will be the first time in more than a year.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, ACT hosted its last show March 14, 2020, and closed its doors the next day. Now, the venue has two local bands scheduled to play – “psychedelic gumbo” jam band Red Eyed Djinn performs two shows tonight, and funk-meets-pop, rock-meets-hip-hop, jazz-meets-reggae Elder Grown will p
Indie 102.3 host Jessi Whitten left her full-time position with Colorado Public Radio to join the team at Levitt Pavilion Denver in March 2020. The time seemed right: The nonprofit venue, which was ready to reboot its fourth season of concerts, was looking forward to major growth.
Levitt, which had opened in 2017, was still something of a secret after its first three years, offering fifty free high-end concerts showcasing some of the best local and touring bands each summer alongside a number of ticketed blockbuster shows.
For those looking for free killer music for all-ages audiences, Levitt had become the destination in Colorado. Shows, geared toward families, ended at 10 p.m. Talent buyers booked a diversity of genres, from cumbia and bluegrass to hip-hop and rock, and attracted those who might not be able to afford high-priced tickets and fees at Red Rocks Amphitheatre or a club. And the view of Denver from Ruby Hill Park, where the amphitheater is located, is stunning.
Colorado music venues planning their comebacks Jennifer Castor, Brian Willie
April 6, 2021
DENVER Local music and performing arts venues are starting to reopen slowly. With warm weather returning and some pandemic restrictions lifting, the sun is starting to shine on an industry hit hard during the past year.
Revenues down and jobs lost
Performances by the bands Three Dog Night & Firefall wrapped the 2019 concert season at Levitt Pavilion Denver. Heading into the off-season, the outlook industry-wide for the new year was impressive.
“Year over year there’s been a tremendous amount of growth in live music. 2020 was supposed to be this major breakthrough year. Almost everybody was on tour, venues were filled up, our projections were looking really, really strong. And, then COVID hit and it all fell apart,” said Chris Zacher, Executive Director for the Levitt Pavilion Denver.