Denver Music Round-Up | You, Me & Apollo part ways, announce final show

It's with a heavy heart that we report You, Me & Apollo are parting ways. The quickly growing band based out of Fort Collins announced today on their Facebook that it's time to say goodbye, giving fans one last chance to see them perform this month at Hodi's Half Note on Saturday, December 20th. 

The quick post released this morning did not cite reasons for the bands seemingly sudden end, but did tip their hat to their humble beginnings, the local scene that raised them, and the ever-faithful Illegal Pete's, who will be hosting an official after-party for the bands farewell show. 

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the final You Me & Apollo show will take place in our hometown of Fort Collins, CO on Dec 20th. Although, Brent had been performing as a solo artist under the You Me & Apollo moniker previous to this, Hodi's Half Note was where You Me & Apollo had it's inaugural performance as a full band on July 13th, 2011. It only feels right that our last performance as a band also take place on the same stage. We will be joined by our friends and locals, Slow Caves and The Covz. The night will come to completion with an after party at Illegal Pete's Ft Collins. The generous folks at Illegal Pete's have also provided you Denverites with a bundle package that includes a ticket to the show and transportation for $30. There are only 48 spots available, so check out bit.ly/YMAAPartyBus for more details. 
We cannot begin to tell you how much appreciate all of the support we have received throughout the years, we love all of you fine people very much.

Last year the band took a huge leap into the national spotlight, playing a handful of shows at SXSW in 2014, including one festival Official Showcase. We first saw the band play opening for Churchill at The Walnut Room way back in October of 2011 when the group was still a solo project for lead vocalist Brent Cowles. Believe it or not, that was my very first show ever reporting for Ultra5280, so seeing this band break up truly marks an end of an era for me in Denver's music scene. Opening for acts like Brandi Carslile,  ZZ Ward, Paper Bird and more, the band was poised to break on a national level - another Mile High success story. Last fall CU Denver's student-run record label CAM Records chose the group to be the focus of their work for the 2013/2014 academic year, assisting the band with the Kickstarter campaign funding their 2013 release Sweet Honey. It has been a true pleasure watching these impressive musicians take flight from their hometown and reach new levels every time we saw them. As purveyors of local talent, the staff at Ultra5280 are disheartened to see them disappear, and can't wait to see what's next for each of the band's members. 

If you'd like to take a quick walk down memory lane, here's all the Ultra5280 articles about the band, and a quick link to some of the latest music. 

You, Me & Apollo with ZZ Ward. 

You, Me & Apollo Need Our Help

You, Me & Apollo at Snowball Music Festival


LOCALS ONLY: Ginny & The Bridge Burners | The Aggie Theatre | October 17, 2014

Ginny and The Bridge Burners, photo credit: Matt Smith

Ginny and The Bridge Burners, photo credit: Matt Smith

If you follow Ultra5280 in any sense, you know that local, Colorado music is one of our biggest focus'. We're so proud of this beautiful state that we call home, and all of the amazing talent that it produces, it's only right to take some time to highlight up and coming acts every now and again. 

This past Friday night, photographer Matt Smith headed north to the great lands of Fort Collins to watch local bands Ginny & The Bridge Burners and Hog Magundy. A great southern-style rock group, Ginny & The Bridge Burners were an excellent mix of classic rock with gospel and jazz influences. Lead singer Justine Kurtz's raspy yet pronounced voice made for an excellent vessel for the bands lyrics. Throughout the show, both guitarists took turns performing talent-laden guitar solos that changed from jazz stylings to a more alt rock type sound. Their second to last song, "Ripcord" had the crowd jamming cheering along.

Hog Magundy, photo credit: Matt Smith

Hog Magundy, photo credit: Matt Smith

Hog Magundy took to stage second, and were a bit more traditional bluegrass. With the fiddle player, banjo player, and lead guitarist all taking turns singing lead vocals, it was a unique change of scenery from the traditional "lead vocalist" setting. Although most songs sounded great, there were a few points throughout the show where many of the instruments seemed to be competing for space, making the song feel a bit too busy for our personal liking. The crowd enjoyed the set, dancing along beginning to end. 

Check out photos from the night below! 

-Matt and Maddie