The Dynamic Denver Music Scene
 

With homegrown bands burning up the charts and selling out shows all over the country, Denver’s music scene is booming. Need a quick primer on the Mile High City sound, new and old? Check out this custom-made Spotify playlist: http://denv.co/milehighmusic

THE LUMINEERS – “Ho Hey”
One of the city’s biggest success stories of the past year, this high energy folk trio has gone from playing tiny clubs on Larimer to the Grammys and Saturday Night Live in the blink of an eye. According to the New York Times, their crossover smash hit, “Ho Hey,” “has reclaimed pop radio for the acoustic and the hand played.”

THE FRAY – “How To Save A Life”
For a little while, you couldn’t turn on the radio – of the TV – without hearing this dramatic, inspiring tune, which showed up on Grey’s Anatomy and elsewhere. “How To Save A Life” propelled The Fray to worldwide popularity, hitting the top 5 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

DRESSY BESSY – “Baby Six String”
Dressy Bessy have been longtime fixtures on the Denver music landscape, with pages upon pages of rave reviews to their credit. Playing a modernized, revved-up version of British Invasion-style pop a la the Beatles and the Kinks, the band boasts tunes that will lodge themselves in your brain for weeks at a time.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE – “September”
Dance floors still erupt at the first note of this 1978 party anthem. Earth, Wind & Fire has deep roots in The Mile High City – both vocalist Phillip Bailey and keyboardist/musical director Larry Dunn are graduates of Denver’s East High School. In between world tours, Earth, Wind & Fire still make time for regular visits back home.

DEVOTCHKA – “How It Ends”
Blending rock, world music, mariachi and a wildly dramatic live show (often featuring belly dancers and trapeze artists), gained the quartet a devoted Front Range fanbase. And thanks to a prominent spot on the hit Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, DeVotchKa is no longer just a Mile High City phenomenon.

TENNIS – “Origins”
A favorite of tastemaker websites like Pitchfork, Tennis’ breezy brand of indie pop has caught the ear of the musical cognoscenti in recent years. The husband-wife duo of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley bring some sunkissed, beach-worthy melodies to the otherwise landlocked state of Colorado.

BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS - "Broken Hearted Savior"
One of the longest-running (and most popular) Colorado bands, Big Head Todd & The Monsters have been rocking audiences all over the country since the 1980s. Their 1993 platinum breakthrough, Sister Sweetly, featured this heartfelt tune.

ONEREPUBLIC – “Feel Again”
With soaring choruses and Ryan Tedder’s powerful vocals, Colorado Springs’ OneRepublic made radio history with "Apologize", which received the largest amount of airplay in history with 10,331 plays in one week. “Feel Again” comes from their 2013 release Native.

FLOBOTS – “Handlebars”
Offering a righteous mix of hip hop, rock and political awareness, this Denver band struck gold with “Handlebars,” an infectious 2008 radio hit. Despite their success, Flobots remain devoted to Denver – check out their Flobots.org nonprofit organization, which brings the power of music to classrooms all over the city.

PAPER BIRD – “Colorado”
Paper Bird’s joyful, Americana-inspired music – equal parts folk, country and bluegrass – has been winning over audiences one by one for close to five years now. This stirring tribute to their home state will get your toe tapping, guaranteed!

CHURCHILL – “Change”
These rootsy rockers have been making waves lately, thanks to an early 2013 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the soulful vocals of Bethany Kelly, and this incredibly catchy tune. They’re still playing Colfax St. theaters in Denver, but can a headlining spot at Red Rocks be far off?

JOHN DENVER – “Rocky Mountain High”
The official state song of Colorado, John Denver’s 1973 tune remains one of the finest odes to the glorious Rocky Mountains ever penned. Denver loved his namesake city and it loved him right back, perhaps best shown by his classic concert film at Red Rocks.