It's the summer of 2022. We're 2.5 years into the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Roe v. Wade has been overturned, inflation is sky-high, housing costs are astronomical, and we're all so, so very tired. All I have to say right now in response is: Thank god for UMS, the Underground Music Showcase. 

Each summer in Denver, South Broadway (between about E 4th Ave and E Cedar Ave) turns into a 3-day playground for live music-loving adults. UMS runs from Friday through Sunday on a weekend in July or August, features 2 or 3 outdoor stages, as well as a wide variety of indoor and indoor/outdoor venues. There are big name acts (but not *too* big) on the bill, some local names you might recognize, and many acts you've never heard of. It's an accessible, affordable music festival for locals, by locals. And with everything that's wrong in the world these days, it's one really good thing that, at least for a weekend, makes everything feel alright. 

The end of spring is almost upon us, and there have been a ton of great new releases already this year! Here's a select list of various indie, rock, and pop artists who you might also want to add to your rotation in 2022 and beyond. 

COIN, Uncanny Valley
This may be my favorite album of 2022 so far! It has such a catchy set of songs, that are so well done and lined up in such a good order. I find myself returning to it over and over these days while driving. "Chapstick" has made rounds on the radio lately, but I highly recommend continuing on to "Cutie" and the rest. 

MICHELLE, AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS
The band's debut album has also been rocking my world this year. Their single "Syncopate" had me in suspense for what the rest of their release would be, and it does not disappoint. It's poppy, full of harmonies, and some of the best composition in indie music today. I cannot wait to see them live... when they're not opening for sold out Mitski shows.

In 2013, Maria Maita-Keppeler moved to Kyoto, Japan for the summer to study Japanese woodblock printmaking for her college degree. What she left with was something valuable, but intangible: a relationship with loneliness. 

Now almost ten years later, Maita-Keppeler, joined by guitarist/producer Matthew Zeltzer, bassist Nevada Sowle, and multi-instrumentalist Cooper Trail, communicates that experience artistically through “Loneliness,” the first track on MAITA’s new album, I Just Want To Be Wild For You, out Feb. 18, 2022 via Kill Rock Stars. 

“I missed that rapport that I had with my loneliness, with myself, that intensity that exists when you're alone,” Maita-Keppeler said of her inspiration for the song. ​

MAITA plays the Hi-Dive in Denver this Friday, March 4. Get tickets here. ​

Hoo boy, friends. 2021 was... something. It started off as rough as it gets, with a storming of the capitol and a mass shooting in my home of 5 years here in Boulder, Colorado. Then we got vaccines and for a magical couple of months in the summer, it felt safe to live life almost "normally" again. However, I knew it couldn't last. Soon Delta showed up and the fall was a hot mess of hybrid work, overcommitment, and what felt like stolen time. By the time December rolled around, I wasn't even sure I wanted to write a year end list. I didn't think I'd discovered much or paid enough attention to new releases to write a summary. But even though it's been another very tough year, there were some good moments in my world of music I'd like to highlight.

​“We found a thread that we intend to keep pulling on,” say Peter Miller of We Are The Willows and Matt Leavitt of Orchid Eaton. And boy oh boy, I hope they do.
 
These two Minneapolis musicians have recorded a two song EP, Keep Your Head Up, released today, and I’ve come out of music writing hibernation this year to convince you to take a listen.