Looking back at the albums, songs and shows that defined 2014, we slipped off our headphones to recall happenings in the music world that made news in the Colorado scene and beyond.
10
Major local album releases
While Colorado artists are releasing music every day, a few local acts came out with albums that either put them in the national spotlight or helped brighten their already-growing careers.
Denver favorite Nathaniel Rateliff
Along with a national tour and a stint opening for HAIM, : Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), Jim Eno (Spoon) and Richard Swift (The Shins).
After a four-year hiatus since its last proper album, emerging Denver hip-hop act
9
Jack White’s love affair with Denver
Jack White before his show at Red Rocks. His fun in Denver continued when he .
8
It’s SnowBall! Minus the snow…
Originally envisioned as a winter mountain getaway, , marking its third home in four years. The festival found itself at Sports Authority Field at Mile High after bouncing around different locations in the Rockies and being plagued by arrests, complaints and more.
In Denver, than previous years.
7
Denver bands break up, change lineups
While this year saw continued growth in the lively Denver music scene, it also marked the end of a number of promising local acts.
After forming in 2012, garage-surf band Thee Dang Dangs
The same week, Hot Congress Records band
After a brief and bright run, You Me & Apollo
In September, Denver’s Esmé Patterson , the indie-pop band that she had been a member of for eight years. She moved on to pursue her solo career.
6
Is Red Rocks too loud?
After receiving noise complaints from neighbors about the volume of EDM shows, the city and county of Denver
In May, officials gathered to and decided it “really wasn’t very loud.”
5
AXS becomes the exclusive ticket provider for Denver venues
The city of Denver in December finalized a five-year contract to make the AEG Live-owned AXS the exclusive ticket seller for city venues, including Red Rocks
4
Sold: One famous piece of music history
The legendary Caribou Ranch property near Nederland, where a number of iconic recordings were made, After the sale, the new owners said they planned to
3
Planet Bluegrass Ranch beats the odds and rebuilds
Working tirelessly for 10 months, Planet Bluegrass Ranch in time for in time for RockyGrass July 25-27 and its other summer music festivals.
2
Gunman fires at Schoolboy Q after Red Rocks show
A man armed with a rifle fired multiple shots into an SUV carrying Schoolboy Q and three others Though Schoolboy Q was not injured, the story quickly gained national attention as police sought the shooter.
“We heard more than eight gunshots in a row,” said Patricio Illanes, who was outside Red Rocks during the shooting. “Then we saw an SUV take off and we paused for a minute.”
1
Riot Fest vs. Byers
In late June, The Denver Post broke the story that Riot Fest’s future at May Farms in Byers might not be so certain. Arapahoe County was seeking public input to at the location Sept. 19-21. Byers locals , which made its debut the previous year.
“Byers might become the wrong kind of town for families and farmers!” read an ad from opponents of the event.
After getting input from the community, Arapahoe County announced that it had As the struggles of the festival became national news, Riot Fest vowed that it would take place and Riot Fest’s Mike Petryshyn
“We were duped,” he said in a statement. “It’s disgusting and these people should feel ashamed.”
At the last minute, , where it
