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The 10th annual UMS — the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase — loves you. Seriously, the UMS – the largest indie music festival in the Rocky Mountain region – really, really loves you. Because without you, there is no UMS.
You are the fan walking South Broadway and checking in on the 25 venues hosting music throughout the four-day music festival. You are the artist, one of more than 300 who will play the showcase in 2010, who will share your insights with the masses. You are the volunteer that donates your time to support independent music. You are the music lover that inspires the UMS to be better.
The yearly celebration of music known as the UMS — dubbed “the South by Southwest of Denver” by many – has always been at the forefront of Colorado’s burgeoning local music community. The festival started out as a delicately curated night of music at the Bluebird Theater with 100 percent of ticket sales going to the bands. The first year was modest, with 300 people coming out to hear four bands, but after a number of years bouncing between the Bluebird and Gothic theaters, the UMS moved to South Broadway in the Baker Historic District in the summer of 2006.
The first year on Broadway started simple: 25 bands in five rock clubs, all within walking distance of each other. A couple years later, the UMS was a different beast entirely: About 4,000 fans in attendance to see 150-plus local artists in more than 20 venues across two days – and with ticket revenues still going directly to the artists.
In 2009, the UMS expanded to a four-day music and art festival that included 225-plus local and national-level performers in its fold of rock bands, comedians and singer-songwriters. In 2010, the UMS will be four days of goodness from July 22-25 — featuring more than 300 skilled bands and artists.
For the second year in a row, Denver-based audio masters Notably Fine Audio have been contracted to run all the non-traditional stages, all but guaranteeing a crisp sound at every stage.
What makes the UMS so special? It’s you – the people who love music, the folks who share their music, the crew that spends nine months planning the event, and, most importantly, the crowds that come out to South Broadway in droves each July to take part in the most legitimate, comprehensive fete of music the region has to offer.
Walking along South Broadway in late-July, you can’t help but feel the vibe in the air. For those few days, Denver feels like San Francisco or Austin – with music everywhere you turn and friendly, familiar faces surrounding you. The bustling street traffic at the UMS outperforms First Friday on Santa Fe in volume, the People’s Fair in youth and vitality and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in diversity.
Festivalgoers love the UMS’s commitment to quality music and art – and the way it is delivered to the public. Even though the festival has grown from four bands on one night to more than 300 artists over four nights, the event is still carefully curated by executive director Ricardo Baca and talent director Ben Desoto.
As the lead pop music critic for The Denver Post, Baca has devoted his life to independent music. And Desoto – the talent buyer at vaunted rock club the Hi-Dive – approaches music with an equally discerning ear and love of the process.
At the UMS, the presentation of the music is as important as the music itself. It’s the songwriter circle in the Persian rug boutique; the punk band playing the skateboard shop’s parking lot stage; the arena rock band playing the packed rock club; the neo-folk collective playing inside the church’s sanctuary; the indie rock band playing the outdoor stage in the park; the singer-songwriter playing original compositions in an indie clothing shop; the vintage-rock band playing the rockabilly bar; the countrypolitan group jamming out in the back room of a popular restaurant; the hyped electro act starting a dance party in the elite art gallery; the hardcore group jamming out at the hipster screen-printing shop.
The Fray’s lead singer Isaac Slade played a surprise solo set at a recent UMS – right as his band’s debut was crossing the 2 million mark in sales. And while the festival has also hosted performances from other major label acts (DeVotchKa, Meese, the Photo Atlas), its heart is with the indie acts (Langhorne Slim, Bowerbirds, Dressy Bessy, El Ten Eleven, Megafaun, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel, 16 Horsepower, Planes Mistaken For Stars and so many others) that have graced its many stages over the years.
After all, the UMS is for artists, and the festival’s volunteers get that. The festival exists purely to spread the good word of music and art – from the visual art at the various galleries to the rock photography that exhibits each July in the festival clubs. And keeping with the spirit of artistry, the UMS is looking forward to the growth and evolution to come.
If you are interested in performing at this year’s festival, visit Sonicbids later in the year for more information on the 2010 festival.
The UMS has come a long way in ten years, and has grown with the support of the Denver music community. You can share your past UMS memories by adding photos to Flickr and add the tag dpums.
