Music | Record Store Day | Saturday, April 16th

On Saturday, April 16th, record stores across the country will open their doors to doe eyed music fans in search of reissued classics, new issues, colored vinyl and vintage treasures. Despite the early kickoff and long lines, many, including us, regard Record Store Day as one of our favorite holidays. Because, nothing compares to the aroma of fresh pressed vinyl mixed with morning breath and anxious sweat. But all jokes aside, we love seeing Denver unite under the greater umbrella of music appreciation. Side Note: if we don’t get our hands on Dig Everything - The Pye Singles 1966 by David Bowie or Alt – J’s Live at Red Rocks specialty record, we may have to sell Castro’s sock collection in hopes of obtaining one on the vinyl black market. 

Hey we get it, 7am is rough, but thankfully for you there are ways to not only survive but thrive your early wake up call on a coveted weekend morning. Illegal Pete’s will be giving burritos to the first 100 people in line at Twist and Shout Records between 6:30am and 7am. Some say the early bird gets the worm, but we say the early bird gets the burrito… and first dibs on all the best vinyl.  Twist and Shout is not the only record store participating in RSD, for a full list of stores visit: http://www.recordstoreday.com/Stores. 

We’re sure you all have your top picks in mind, here are a few that we’re most excited about or check out the full list. We'll see you Saturday morning, come blizzard, rain or shine (fuckin' Colorado.. amiright?)

Show Alert | Red Bull SoundSelect's Brownout do "Brown Sabbath" This Tuesday at Hi-Dive

You guys should realize by now just how much Ultra5280 loves Red Bull Sound Select. A beautiful, new-age platform where fans can collaborate on playlists, discover new artists, and get access to hundreds of super cheap - and sometimes even free - concerts a year? This program sits at the forefront of new-age music discovery, and we’ve loved taking advantage of Denver being chosen as one of the first markets for SoundSelect to call home over the last year. We’ve covered multiple SoundSelect shows over the last year, and featured SoundSelect artists like CRL CRRLL, In The Whale, and The Epilogues at numerous Ultra5280 events. 

SoundSelect is continuing to work hard on the artist development portion of it’s program, helping bring young artists to new fans across the globe, and they’re kicking off year two in Denver by bringing Austin-based group Brownout to the Hi-Dive this coming Tuesday, February 24th. The group describes themselves as “hardcore Latin Funk”, and I’m really not sure what could be more tantalizing than hearing each those words used together to describe one single group. Supported by Denver SoundSelect artists The Yawpers and Dragondeer, Brownout Presents “Brown Sabbath”, the group’s re-imagined versions of Black Sabbath songs. SoundSelect events like this Tuesday’s show are open to the public, but members of the SoundSelect community get first dibs on discounted tickets, as well as fun bonus’ that come with each event. Fans who join the SoundSelect community before 9pm on Tuesday and RSVP to the event online will be eligible to get tickets to the show for a measly $3 dollars (no, we’re not kidding), while tickets without RSVP will be $15. In case you needed more of a reason to come, the first 50 fans through the door of the show that night will receive a free Illegal Pete’s burrito. Good music and delicious food - what more could you ask for? 

This Tuesday’s show is the first of many amazing performances Denver will see from SoundSelect artists this year, and registering with the SoundSelect community is the easiest way to guarantee you don’t miss a minute of fun. Register online at www.redbullsoundselect.com/login, and while you’re there, be sure to RSVP for this week’s show. Hope to see you there - you know we’ll be getting down.

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