The Westword Music Showcase is another opportunity to block party before fall season officially envelops us! Say so long to summer by exploring music block by block, at indoor and outdoor venues including Mission Ballroom in the Rino Arts District! A year has been missed for this festival which seemed to snowball the impact and duration. Westword Music Showcase is now a TWO day celebration, cramming in as much entertainment as possible to make up for last year. Indie 102.3 will be hanging out with you for both days, come meet the hosts you hear every day and grab some cool indie swag at our tent!
Like most events, for entry, you must offer proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result conducted within the previous 72 hours (proof can be printed or digital). Currently Friday is sold out, but day passes for Saturday are still available!
Friday night sports some of our previous Local 303 artists like Schama Noel and Trayce Chapman at the Meadowlark and The Mananas closing out the night/welcoming the morning at Larimer Lounge. A few other artists that are Local 303 alums; Los Mocochetes who will bring their Chicano funk to Reelworks, local mainstays Nina De Freitas and Wes Watkins will be delivering sultry and brass magic at Rino Beer Garden, Bison Bone and Pink Hawks share the stage at #38 where Indie 102.3 is presenting the artists all night long, and Adiel Mitchell and LVDY will be featured at Bierstadt Lagerhaus. That is just a small sampling of artists making music in Colorado that will be performing at 12 different venues all over the Rino Arts District.
Saturday will be a full day of hopefully cool breezes and definitely sonic exploration as the three main stages are dominated by local and national acts. Gates open at noon on Saturday, with the first band starting at 12:15pm. Some artists we encourage you to check out at the various stages include;
Smart City Main Stage
Hippo Campus- Indie rock out of St. Paul and no stranger to Denver and Red Rocks, will likely be supporting cuts from off their new ep, Good Dog, Bad Dream and possibly some newer in the works stuff that will be part of a new full-length album still TBD. Get ready because Hippo Campus describes themselves as “more of a party than a band”.
Thundercat- Top of my list, I can’t wait to bathe in the bass brought by Steven Bruner aka Thundercat. Former Suicidal Tendencies bassist, he’s played with Snoop Dogg’s band, and even helped with Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. Playful humor, pop references, and explorative with genres, themes and his styling, you will be tantalized by eye and mind (‘seye) in the presence of Thundercat.
Herban Legendz Stage
2MX2-Bilingual Latin pop/hip-hop out of Denver and former Local 303 artist 2MX2 are making a world of substance provided by their beats, songwriting, and community. Composed of rappers Juice El Tio Hugo and O1 along with singer Lolita and producer DMD, 2MX2 honors the traditions of their respective heritages and invites you to not just witness but be part of the family celebration of many cultures and what can be, positive change.
Neoma- Catch her before you can’t! This year Neoma has dropped TWO fiery new singles, headlined Levitt Pavilion, and will be performing at Westword Showcase before heading off on an October tour. Neoma broke binding on her Denver chapter back in 2019 when she moved here from Ecuador and she has only been rising as a global star with lunar pop hits.
Plaza Stage
N3PTUNE- A must see and experience is rising star, no, rocket launched, Denver singer/songwriter, dancer, producer, model, actor & director N3PTUNE! We’ve been showing love for N3PTUNE as part of our Local 303 for two months this year for Pride and UMS features so come and witness an artist who is inspired by Prince, Little Richard, Lady Gaga, Beyonce & Jay Z, but is still uniquely his own and gaining lots of well earned attention.
iZCALLi-Longtime landmarks in the Denver scene, iZCALLi are a melting pot of traditions and genres made accessible through their familiar yet refreshing indie-folk-blues-rock you can’t help but sway and sing along to. iZCALLli rocks in every language and is relatable not just by subject matter but by blood consisting of siblings, friends, and other local artists contributing to expanding the family and sound of all that can be and what is iZCALLi.
Map provided will help you get acquainted with the area before ride-sharing over. Come hungry to enjoy tastes and treats from local Denver restaurants and your favorite food trucks, snap away at muralists painting in real time throughout RiNo #westwordshow, and pre plan your Westword Music Showcase with the interactive lineup and a spotify playlist.
