Denver, CO
Denver’s UMS indie music fest is back from the dead, but in a new location
The owners of Denver’s Underground Music Showcase are reviving the indie music festival in a big way this summer, but with a major new financial partner, and in a new part of town.
Previously held along South Broadway in the Baker neighborhood, the multi-day music fest known as The UMS will take over the River North Art District, July 24-26, said Keanan Stoner, owner of the Denver-based Two Parts marketing and production company. It announced before last year’s event, however, that 2025 would be its final iteration in its longtime, South Broadway location.
The RiNo Business Improvement District will purchase a 50% stake in the event, Stoner said, valued at $250,000. That follows monthslong negotiations that began when the BID approached Two Parts early last fall about acquiring the fest. The BID’s board has also pledged $250,000 annually for UMS title sponsorship for the next three years, which will shore up the fest’s estimated $1.4 million budget — and which brings the BID’s overall investment to $1 million.
After the purchase, Stoner will transition from CEO of Two Parts to director of The UMS this year — a contract job, he said.
The festival is valuable not only for its artistic discovery but also for its commercial potential, said Terry Madeksza, executive director of the RiNo BID. She was up front about the organization’s interest in the event as an economic engine that promotes RiNo’s businesses and promotes its cultural offerings, but that remains affordable for fans, and reliable in paying bands, artists and venues what they’re worth.
She expects a number of public and private partners, from big promoters to independent businesses, to take part, but has yet to start that process of reaching out to them. BIDs are private-public partnerships that collect money from local businesses in a particular area to fund services, improve public areas, and develop economic opportunities.
“Yes, it is about the music and the festival (experience),” Madeksza said. “But it’s also about the businesses and venues that will participate, or be adjacent to music venues. If we can involve people and engage visitors while also showcasing and celebrating the arts, it can provide more exposure for RiNo.”
Two Parts has owned The UMS for several years, and last year produced its final event with nonprofit partner Youth on Record (YOR), which owned a 30% stake. As a music education organization, YOR ultimately said costs were too high to sustain the festival, forcing it to divest and refocus on its core mission, according to executive director Jami Duffy.
The retooled event is scheduled to return on its traditional weekend and with a similar format to last year, Stoner said. That includes welcoming an estimated 10,000 people per day and hundreds of mostly local and regional bands on multiple indoor and outdoor stages.
Past UMS Denver acts have included Nathaniel Rateliff (pre-Night Sweats), DeVotchKa, Dressy Bessy, and Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, as well as acclaimed national headliners such as Blonde Redhead, Amyl and the Sniffers, The Beths, Real Estate, Lord Huron, and many more.
RiNo’s BID already had money set aside for a “signature event” for 2026, Madeksza said, but didn’t have an idea for what that would be until The UMS announced its final event of South Broadway last year. Harnessing the name recognition and overall experience of the 25-year-old UMS could boost local breweries, restaurants, performance venues, galleries and boutiques in the area northeast of downtown Denver, she said.
RiNo includes large and small music venues ranging from promoter AEG Presents’ Mission Ballroom to rock clubs such as the Larimer Lounge, the jazz-forward Nocturne, Two Moons Music Hall, The Meadowlark, and others. Stoner said he did not commission an impact report on South Broadway visitation or spending during its time there, but that he hopes to do so in RiNo to gather more data.
“We have some wonderful outdoor, public spaces like Denargo or the Art Park, not just for the festival but in general, and we have the stages, so there’s an enthusiasm to tap into that naturally built infrastructure,” Madeksza said.
Those who tearfully waved goodbye to The UMS last year might be surprised by how quickly it roared back, Stoner said. But that was never the plan.
“Some people might think this was our mischievous master plan the whole time,” he said. “It was not. Truly, that week after the festival, I remember sitting there and being like, ‘It’s a coin toss if this thing ever returns. I hope it does because I still have a lot of heart in this thing, but I’m tired, and it’s not working, and we don’t have a path forward.’
“But when the (RiNo BID) approached a month or two after the fest, they said, ‘Let’s have a conversation, because we’re curious if this thing is really over,’ ” he added. “From there, we had many conversations and realized, yes, finances are a huge part of this, but it’s not just a big check from a corporate sponsor.”
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DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.
Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.
“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”
A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.
“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.
This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.
“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.
He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.
“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.
With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.
McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.
“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.
Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.
“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.
Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.
“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.
As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.
“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.
To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.
For the first time in the team’s history, Altitude Sports is broadcasting Denver Nuggets home games in Spanish. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment announced it has contracted a team to broadcast its games in Spanish for the playoffs.
“I think that is what the public wanted,” said Ivan De La Garza, producer for the broadcast team.
A team of three people, two commentators and a producer, sit in a press box at the top of Ball Arena. Their commentary is then synced with the traditional Altitude broadcast video and shared on the Altitude Plus application.
“With the Nuggets winning in the last five years, there is a tremendous amount of following from Latino people trying to listen to and watch the games in Spanish,” said Andres Casas, color commentator for the broadcast.
Casas said he strives to bring the same energy fans get during soccer broadcasts into the basketball broadcasts.
“That excitement that gets you. We want people to feel they are at the game,” Casas said.
“It has been so amazing to be a part of the Spanish broadcast for the Nuggets. I have been a fan of the Nuggets for my whole life,” said Jena Garcia, play-by-play commentator.
Garcia said it has been a dream come true to help bring this broadcast to her community.
“I’ve always desired to hear a Spanish broadcast, just as a fan. To be a part of it is just incredible,” Garcia said.
Those working in the broadcast said they are honored to help expand the reach of the Nuggets and sports in accessing diverse communities.
“We love sports. We are passionate, we are loud. We like to get together and enjoy sports,” De La Garza said.
“The Nuggets have a huge following, especially on the Spanish side. So, it is great for them to be able to listen to what is going on, game by game, especially into the playoffs,” Casas said.
“It is just another step of access that they are getting to be a fan of basketball,” Garcia said.
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