Outside of the Main Stage, offers the best opportunity to discover emerging artists. Steal “Como Yo” from , a band awaiting your discovery.
Unless you are so far removed from the Denver music scene that you think Big Head Todd and the Monsters are the best music to hit Colorado since John Denver, you by now know that The UMS is this weekend. And it’s kind of a big deal.
Sure, there will be national acts like Real Estate and Blonde Redhead on the Main Stage, adding a certain pedigree to the weekend. That, too, is kind of a big deal. But truly, if you ask us, the most exciting thing about The UMS is discovery. It doesn’t matter how well you know music in Colorado, if you wander around from venue to venue, you’re sure to find some new band that makes your hand stand on end, or pump your fist, or shake your rump — however you express musical elation.
Yes, we’re trying to sell you on attending. But honestly, it’s because it is a truly incredible Colorado music event!
Take the bilingual indie-rock band Montoneros, for example. This is a band that only recently formed, yet were chosen to play The UMS, giving them a certain pedigree as well. They don’t even have an album out, though we’ve got a track for you to download below. And if you stumbled in at 6pm on Saturday, you would see an emerging artist.
Here’s the thing about emerging artists, for the uninformed: You are witnessing the process of creation. It’s an incredible, beautiful thing. And though these artists deserve the same kind of critique you might give a national artist, the don’t have the decades of experience that bands like Big Head Todd and the Monsters have, who should perhaps give it up. So, there will be kinks in performance, in songs, in sound — in something. But you’re not doing them a favor by attending. Again, you are party to the process, and that is a privileged experience.
We would bet that Montoneros will have less kinks to work out. This is a tight band with their shit together. At the core, it’s indie rock with Modest Mouse-like guitar work. But they bring their personal influences to the table. The name is derived from a leftist guerrilla group in Argentina, but the band doesn’t appear to be overtly political. Though, they do sing some tracks in Spanish, which is lefty to the speak-English-only crowd. On occasion, the guitar takes on slightly harder tones, but for the most part what we’ve heard thus far — the full album is out in August — has a casual groove with an almost world music feel.
Again, check them out on Saturday at 6pm at Eslinger Gallery. But be sure to allow free-flow moments in your UMS schedule to discover bands. See you out there!
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Steal This Track for consideration.
Josh Johnson is a Denver freelance writer and Reverb contributor. He’s also a journeyman butcher. Seriously.
