Upper Colfax Root 40 Music Fest: ‘Seven Days of Music and the Business of Making Music.”
by Tim Wenger
Mark your calendars for April 21-27. The second annual Upper Colfax Root 40 Music Fest is hitting, of course, at the Upper Colfax business district, which runs from the State Capitol east to Columbine St. Those familiar with the area, or with Denver’s music community, have undoubtedly spent their fair share of nights crawling the 24 blocks that make up Upper Colfax, and have probably spent a fair amount of time drinking cold brews and watching live music in the 15+ venues that span the district.
The idea for Root 40 came from the brain of former Upper Colfax Business District board member Randy Swan, who is involved in architectural preservation, and has been involved in helping improve the business district for years. “During his second term, he had been nudging me with the concept of doing a week-long music event,” says Stephanie Salazar with the Upper Colfax Business District. “The reason for this was, this area in Denver is the gateway to the State Capital, to City Hall, and is one of the most historic areas in Denver.”
Originally, they hoped to not only highlight the many venues and independent shops on the strip, but to celebrate the rich history of music in the area. “Music has a history here,” says Salazar. “This is where the epicenter of Denver’s music scene originated.”
“East High School has produced some pretty renowned artists including Judy Collins and Bob Dylan. The Satire Lounge at one time was very active with music, and they are becoming more active during Root 40. You’ve got all of these historic structures in the area.”
“Randy kept saying, ‘You know, we really need to look at doing something to draw attention to this area,’ which has really been changing and growing,’” says Salazar. “We want to celebrate the history of music and culture in this district. We want to draw attention to this district from our neighbors and visitors to bring people onto Colfax as a dynamic and fun place to be, and to celebrate the fact that it is a very entrepreneurial area.”
There are two big things that separate Root 40 from the majority of music festivals that grace our fine city every year; first and foremost, this event is billed not only as a festival, but also as a conference with workshops and features heavy interaction with music industry professionals throughout the week. The whole thing kicks off on Sunday, April 21 with the Root 40 Expo at the Fillmore Auditorium. Featuring live music outside as well as on the main stage, the event plays host to bands, vendors, and industry pros looking to showcase their services and do as much networking as possible. “Both regionally and locally owned music-related businesses will showcase their products. There will be listening sessions (bring a music sample), keynote speakers and performances,” said the Fillmore’s parent promotion company Live Nation in a press release.
“We are expecting this to be very interactive,” says Salazar. Musicians will be able to set up tables to promote their music. There will also be guest speakers.
On Monday, April 22, there will be a panel discussion featuring top music industry pros from across the nation. Being put together by CU Associate Professor Chris Daniels, this event will take place at L2 Arts & Cultural Center beginning at 7 pm. Attendees will have the opportunity ask questions and interact with the panelists after the discussion.
Tuesday, April 23, features two additional panels at the Auraria Campus, focusing on the publishing industry. 100-150 seats are available to public, with the first discussion starting at 2 pm and the second at 3:30 pm. Check the current schedule at root40.com.
The weeklong celebration also aims to help their four beneficiaries. Musicians In Action will be collecting non-perishable food items throughout the week, leading up to the outdoors close out party on Saturday, April 27, on the Musicians In Action stage in the parking lot next to the old Smiley’s Laundromat. 9 Cares Colorado Shares will be distributing the collected items, as well as promoting the legwork that MIA will be doing. Baby formula and any other items that homeless people can use are encouraged donations.
Gently used cell phones and musical instruments will also be collected by KBCO for redistribution. “KBCO wants to celebrate earth day by collecting these items,” says Salazar. “We will be doing that at the expo on the 21st.”
And, of course, there is something for the kids coming out of all this. “The other initiative we want to support is music education,” says Salazar. “We know that [East High School’s] music program has been slashed over the last 2-5 years, really significantly in the last two years, and they have a really good music program. What we’d like to be able to do is have some substantial corporate sponsorships and be able to provide resources to East High School.”
Last year’s inaugural Root 40 Music Fest was just a fraction of what the organizers hope to do with the festival as it grows. Board approval was required to get the festival off the ground. “Last year they supported a pilot project,” says Salazar. “We rolled it out as a pilot just to test, with very little promotion. We had so much interest from musicians, educators, businesses, and vendors who asked if we were going to do it again that we brought it before the board. Our seven-person board unanimously supported moving forward with it.”
They acquired non-profit status under the name of the Upper Colfax Community Foundation 501c3,” says Salazar. “This year, the objective is to have really broad promotion of the event, and we want to make sure that we really develop a platform to support and strengthen the music industry in Colorado.”
The support from the community has been overwhelming. Over 229 artists submitted for consideration. There are 21 venues on board in the district alone; many of who do not normally feature live music. Additionally, over 30 vendors have come on board. The only ticketed events will take place at the Fillmore, Ogden Theatre and Lion’s Lair. The events throughout the week at the other 18 venues will not require advance purchase. “It’s all about taking the registrants and trying to book as many acts as we can,” says Salazar.
“We’re trying to accomplish several different things with this one event,” Salazar says. “It’s all about the surrounding community and promoting our neighborhood and our businesses. I think our tagline says it all- ‘7 Days of Music and the Business of Making Music.”
Online: root40.com
Category: localnews2
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