Power guitar chords, sweet melodies, thunderous drums and even a little summer love.
That’s what the provided fans of independent music Thursday and Friday. More than 20 venues along South Broadway hosted more than 100 performances the past two days.
And it’s not done yet.
This year, UMS features 400-plus performances by carefully culled acts from the national and local independent music scenes. Significant — curious melody-makers of entrancing pop — on Saturday and and .
School Knights, a quartet of Denver-based rockers, took to the Main Stage at Goodwill on Friday at 6 p.m. for their final show as a band. And though it was the end for them, their swirling guitar riffs started a long, eclectic night.
Another local band, The Wales, with their soulful and bluesy rock harmonies.
“Keep your eyes in mine,” frontman Scott Storch crooned. “I really hope it’s worth your time.”
Meanwhile, a few blocks south, local folk-rockers PrettyMouth seduced fans with their thoughtful tunes at Illegal Pete’s.
Chelsea Middaugh, a five-time UMS attendee who lives in Denver, said the performance was beautiful and delicate.
“It’s a really tiny girl with a huge voice,” Middaugh said. “(UMS) is possibly one of the weekends I look forward to most in the summertime.”
At Skylark Lounge, . Thomas, though, had a surprise for his girlfriend and bandmate Jen GaNun — a marriage proposal. Thomas asked her during their performance. UMS seemed a fitting time to ask, and Thomas, a 10-year UMS veteran, said the crowd loved it.
Now the rockers are engaged.
“I finally surprised her,” Thomas said. “I’ve never gotten a response like that from any other show.”
attracted Stapleton resident Rebecca Sangster to UMS for the third year in a row.
Sangster requested the weekend off from work three months ago.
“I actually came right after work,” Sangster said.
Blake Greenwell and Jamie Sampson, both Army veterans who live in Lakewood, were looking forward to a good time all weekend.
“It’s our first year in Denver. Didn’t think it would be this crazy the first time, but we had a blast,” Greenwell said.
Long box office and will-call lines Thursday night signaled a continued increase in UMS ticket sales. Pre-sales on tickets and multiday passes for UMS 2013 were 50 percent higher than 2012, organizers said. Last year, . Many of those fans were multiday pass holders.
Other rocking acts, such as The Epilogues, Rachel and the Kings, and Ian Cooke, will power the festival through Saturday and Sunday at stages along South Broadway.
More information is available at or .
Matt Phillips: 303-954-1211, mphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mrphill25
