From its humble beginnings at Boulder’s Fox Theatre — as a piggybacked “showcase” with Denver country-punks 16 Horsepower — to its reputation as the South by Southwest of the region, the Underground Music Showcase has always been the time to catch all the best Colorado bands for less than the price of an oil change.
You may already know scene champs like Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, Epilogues, Danielle Ate the Sandwich and Git Some, but the majority of the festival’s 300- plus performers are up-and-comers.
We split the difference by choosing six of our favorite local artists that you may (or may not) have been exposed to.
1. Gregory Alan Isakov
A quiet indie-folk fixture with an intimidatingly deft touch, Isakov’s skillful melodies and narratives amount to much more than the sum of their acoustic parts. His ear for arrangements and harmonies consistently yields transcendent, heartbreaking ballads — which explains why he’s shared stages with Ani DiFranco, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Brandi Carlile and Fiona Apple. 8:15 p.m. Sunday, Sailor Jerry Main Stage
2. Wheelchair Sports Camp
Want to know what everyone was talking about after the South by Southwest and Westword Music Showcases this year? Check out this Denver hip-hop outfit, led by cartoon-voiced Kalyn Heffernan (who uses a wheelchair) and backed by live drums and sax. Her nimble flows and production prove that hip-hop bravado is not the sole province of swaggering dudes and cookie-cutter bling bots. 8 p.m. Sunday, Bands for Lands stage at the TS Board Shop
3. Gauntlet Hair
Between its recent signing to respected indie label Dead Oceans and love from tastemaker music sites such as Pitchfork, this Lafayette-based duo is poised to join groups as diverse as DeVotchKa, Tennis and Pictureplane in carrying Denver’s DIY music torch. The band, which toured North America last month with blog-buzz duo the Dodos, litters its deconstructed ’80s melodies with thunderclap beats and hazy vocals reminiscent of an abused Animal Collective. 9 p.m. Thursday, Illegal Pete’s stage at the Hi-Dive
4. BLKHRTS
The inevitable collision of the city’s smartest, most aggressive MCs? We like to think so. Gritty indie rappers King F.O.E., Karma and Yonnas Abraham (of the Pirate Signal) combine their considerable strengths — dizzying flows, retro-futuristic production, massive stage presence, dystopian lyrics — into darkly magnetic songs that gather as many apocalyptic clouds as raised hands. Midnight Sunday, Club 404
5. Andrew Orvedahl
As part of the crew that runs the monthly Grawlix showcase (and his own Narrators show), comedian Andrew Orvedahl has learned a thing or two about putting on quality stand-up. At the UMS, he’ll debut his newest show, “Randomicity,” in which two teams of comics write jokes on the fly, Friday, then present a more traditional showcase Saturday. Among the performers: Ben Kronberg, Adam Cayton-Holland, Chris Charpentier, Jim Hickox, Ben Roy, Sam Tallent. 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, both at Sobo 1516. Hindershot
This band shares members with fellow Hot Congress act Amazing Twin, but Hindershot is lead singer Stuart Confer’s show. Recalling timber-legged ’90s indie rock as much as dance-punk and Weezer-style pop, Hindershot’s explosive live shows are earning the band a rightful place among the city’s most exciting acts. 6 p.m. Saturday, Club 404
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
