In celebration of Women's History Month, we are spotlighting some bands that are centered around women that have caught our attention in the Colorado music scene.
This month features local mainstays like the solo project by Briana Harris of Greeley funk band The Burroughs makes its premiere, heartfelt Americana artist from Denver Deva Yoder, and a Local 303 return with teenaged R&B/pop artist Lokana from Littleton.
Denver soulpop songstress Dani Jay joins the Local 303 and we also welcome uplifting Latin pop vibes from Virgi Dart originally from Colombia and based in Boulder.
From Fort Collins we have solo artists Haley Harkin, Eva Rose King, and Miranda Fling. Also from northern Colorado, indie act (and longtime best friends) Autumnal.
Join us at the end of the month for our Local 303 Meetup. The event gives space to celebrate Colorado musicians and music fans from our community with our Music Meeting that previews new local music you can vote on, giveaways, and there will be a very special performance from one of this month's bands!
Additionally, for Women's History Month we will be hosting a panel with women from the music industry sharing their experience with us. The Local 303 Meetup is at Mercury Café, on Monday March 27th from 6:30-9 p.m. It is all ages and open to the public. Mercury Café is located at 2199 California Street in Denver.
Are you a Colorado musician who wants to be featured in the Local 303? Send us your music.
Meet March's picks:
autumnal
Colorado Home: Fort Collins
Formed: 2019
Latest Release: "girl at a party" (single), Dec. 16, 2022, Self-Released
Pronouns: Geneva Hein: they/she, Justice Murray: he/they, Annalee Knies: they/she/he
About: autumnal is an indie-folk band from Fort Collins started by two longtime best friends. The project began as an acoustic singer-songwriter duo, though in the years since they started writing music together they have grown musically and have added members to the band, leaning more into indie-rock. Today their music straddles genre, from their acoustic roots to fuzzed out bubblegrunge autumnal creates a new sound and mood with their music. Their second single 'radio silence' will be out on all streaming platforms on March 10th.
Plans For 2023: We're going on tour in March! We head out March 10th down south, the same day our second single "radio silence" releases! We hope to release more tunes throughout the year, and have something big planned for this summer :)
Website: https://autumnalmusic.weebly.com/
Get Social: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify
Briana Harris
Colorado Home: Greeley
Formed: 2022
Latest Release: When We're Found, 2022, Self-Released
Pronouns: she/her
About: Briana Harris is a musician, artist manager, and entrepreneur with a focus on empowering creatives to do their best work. A versatile creator and collaborator, Bri has credits as a saxophonist, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and composer. Her debut album as a solo artist, When We’re Found, contains 10 original songs that explore personal stories and venture through an eclectic set of style and genre influences. A saxophonist by trade, Briana is a performing member, manager, and co-owner of The Burroughs, a Colorado-based original funk and soul band. As a performer, recording artist and composer, Briana’s credits include performances with The O'Jays, Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, and Annie Booth; recordings with the David Caffey Jazz Orchestra, the Spencer Zweifel Quintet, Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Art Deco; and original music composed for Octave Records and KUNC radio's Colorado Edition program. Briana runs Harris Artist Management, a full service management roster serving public visual artists. She is an in-demand clinician and educator with expertise in jazz performance and improvisation, music business, and arts administration. Briana is a voting member of the Recording Academy.
Plans For 2023: I'd love to play more of this music for live audiences: both as a solo singer-songwriter and also with my full band. I'm in process pitching the project for performing opportunities like songwriter showcases, support slots, festivals, and more...while also working around a very full life of other musical work with my band The Burroughs and as a freelance musician. I recorded my album release show last September, and I plan to release some live videos of the band later this spring. I also wrote an accompanying set of short essays for each song on the album, that so far I've only published as a print zine. I want to find ways to share more of those stories online. I'd also love to use this album as a launchpad to work more as a collaborator on other musicians' projects, both as a co-writer and producer. Writing and singing songs has given me an entry point to genres and styles I don't get to participate in as much as a saxophonist - I'd love to work on some indie, Americana, pop, and R&B projects.
Website: brianaharris.com
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook
Dani Jay
Colorado Home: Denver
Formed: 2019
Latest Release: Nice To Meet Me(EP), Dec. 18, 2022, Self-Released
Pronouns: she/her
About: I started in 2019 in the basement with Authentic 100, from there they helped me build myself as an artist and I got to help build an amazing recording studio in Englewood now where artists from all over come to record!
Get Social: Instagram, Apple Music
Deva Yoder
Colorado Home: Arvada
Latest Release: I self-produced my first album, Storm Chasers, in 2017. Now in 2023 I will release my second album, Be Well, on May 12th that will include the singles, "Resting From Their Labors," out January 27th, followed by "Rocket Ship" on February 17th and then "Breathe" on April 14th.
Pronouns: she/her
About: Deva (pronounced Day-vah) has always been involved and enveloped in music creation and community. She grew up in a house with frequent exposure to creative minds and musicians. As she entered high school, she fell in love with strong women performers like Suzanne Vega, PJ Harvey and Tilt. She taught herself to play guitar with Beatles books, and her voice is nothing short of strong and entrancing all rolled into one. Strumming her acoustic guitar, she writes heartfelt Americana/folk-rock songs inspired by her spiritual journey, while keeping a scrappy, DIY attitude. Her path as a musician has presented her with experiences from working with producer Billy Smiley, sharing the stage with David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand, Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield, and fronting local Denver bands. She continues on her spiritual, musical path as the songwriter and front woman of her own Deva Yoder Band. Listen to her self-produced full album, Storm chasers, and keep an eye out for the new album, Be Well, due out May 12th, 2023.
Plans for 2023: Album release party at Enigma Bazaar on May 12th with Slim Cessna, and play as many shows as possible in the Denver area.
Website: https://devayoder.com/
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Linktree
Devyn Rae
Colorado Home: Denver. Born and raised in Swansea and Globeville.
Formed: I started my solo adventures in 2013 so I just hit 10 years this year working on my music!? So crazy but the trio started in 2019 right before covid hit. We met in college and it was meant to be.
Latest Release: "Ghost" (Single), December 23, 2022 on all streaming services and available on Bandcamp to buy. I am anticipating a new single, "Little Things," to be released in May with a video to follow!
Pronouns: She/Her for all three players
About: Denver songwriter, vocalist and musician Devyn Rae has an unforgettable, straight to the soul approach to her music. Collaborating with other musicians. Devyn has been writing for multiple genres including folk, R&B, rap, pop and soul which has defined her unique sound of alternative folk/soul.
After attending music school together at MSU Denver, Devyn Rae Trio was formed with guitar player Heather Hunt and Bass player Rachael Margulies. Their performance is artistic with organically quirky moments. Their music welcomes diverse genres while adding their own soulful touches. Audience members have described Devyn Rae Music as "intimate with a personal touch behind her soulful vocals and eminent lyrics."
Plans For 2023: A single release in May called "Little Things" with a music video to follow. We plan on playing all over Colorado and in hopes to play in festivals this summer together!
Website: https://www.devynraemusic.com/
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
Eva Rose King
Colorado Home: Fort Collins
Formed: 2021
Latest Release: My latest release is "Over Chicago," a single released 17 February 2023. More to come soon!
Pronouns: she/her
About: Eva Rose King is a folk singer songwriter based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Eva is originally from Orange County, California, where she grew up playing the viola and touring internationally with youth symphony orchestras. As a singer songwriter, Eva's songs are heavily influenced by folk and indie music, but she experiments with different genres and often incorporates classical elements to her songs. The strength in Eva's songs lies in her rich, soulful vocals and carefully crafted lyrics, which relay stories about dreams & perception, being a woman, and the often painful elements of love and longing.
Plans For 2023: In the coming months, I will be releasing a 5 song EP with Colorado producer Corey Andrew Wright (member of band Frail Talk). Later in the year, I will also start recording my second full length album for possible release in 2024.
Website: evaroseking.com
Get Social: Spotify, Soundcloud, Instagram
Haley Harkin
Colorado Home: Fort Collins
Formed: 2016
Latest Release: To Heal Her Too, Self-Released, Jan. 6, 2023
Pronouns: she/her
About: Haley was born and raised in Austin, TX, and is currently residing in Colorado. Surrounded by music most of her life, her roots are in folk, while pushing the edges of creativity. She has described her style as folk medicine music. Others have said her music feels like, 'bare feet on grass'. Her lyrics express her love for nature, humanity, and her desire to make change. With her sultry sounds and sweet words she will surely touch your heart.
Plans For This Project in 2023: Hopefully playing at some festivals and local radio shows! I currently have a residency at Wolverine Farm in Fort Collins.
Website: www.haleyharkin.com
Get Social: Facebook, Instagram
Lokana
Colorado Home: Littleton
Formed: 2018
Latest Release: "Forever Blue" (Single), Self-Released, Nov. 23, 2022
Pronouns: she/her
About: Lokana is an independent artist from Littleton,Colorado. She is a 19 year old musician and songwriter who has been releasing music since 2020. Since her first release, Lokana and her team have been hard at work creating unique music that people all over the world can enjoy. In her free time, Lokana is writing songs, learning how to produce music, and working hard on upcoming projects with her producer/manager NicoTheOwl. In the near future, Lokana says she would like to go on tour and share her music around the globe. Make sure to be on the lookout for updates and upcoming releases from Lokana!
Website: https://lokanamusic.com
Get Social: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube
Lu Lagoon
Colorado Home: Denver
Formed: 2019
Latest Release: Seven Corners, July 2020, Catapult Recordings and When Birds Fly West, April 7, 2023, Catapult Recordings
Pronouns: see band bio!
Artist/Band Bio: Lauren Black (she/they), the voice behind the project Lu Lagoon, grew up in Maryland in a family that loved music, which later inspired her to take up songwriting herself. After a demo led her to Catapult Recordings. In 2020, Lu Lagoon, now rounded out by Madison Madeira on guitar (She/they/it), Justin Given on drums (he/they), and Kyle Waggoner on bass (he/him), released Seven Corners. The record became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, derailing any plans for touring and promoting. For the next year, Black recorded a series of covers, including a Christmas EP in late 2020, while applying her gentle, playful songwriting style to the things she was witnessing around her, politically – voter suppression, environmental issues– and personally, entering a new relationship as the world outside went into disarray. Two years later, she emerged with When Birds Fly West.
Plans For 2023: Release sophomore album When Birds Fly West and USA Tour in summer 2023!
Website: lulagoonband.com
Get Social: TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp,
Miranda Fling
Colorado Home: Fort Collins
Formed: 2020
Latest Release: "Call You feat. Co-Stanza" (Single), Self-Released, Dec. 22, 2022
Pronouns: She, her, hers
About: Miranda Fling is an indie pop artist from Fort Collins, CO. She began producing and releasing her own music at the beginning of 2020 and has since gotten several opportunities to collaborate with other local artists and play shows with musicians that inspire her. Miranda Fling is first and foremost a writer, focusing on the storytelling elements of music. Her goal is to be able to share her songs with as many people as possible in hopes that they might resonate with someone.
Plans For This Project in 2023: Miranda Fling is working on developing a unique indie pop project that blends raw, narrative driven lyrics with a full sound. Her plans for 2023 include collaboration with other local artists, more live performances, and releasing an EP early this summer.
Website: https://www.mirandafling.com
Get Social: Facebook, Instagram
Robot Tennis Club
Colorado Home: Denver and Fort Collins
Formed: 2020ish
Latest Release: “If These Walls Could Talk, You Wouldn’t Listen” came out on January 13, 2023!
Pronouns: Laura and Nina use she/her, Eli uses he/him
About: Fresh out of Sophomore year, Nina Dorighi and Laura Steadman were pulled into a band by a music teacher in Denver. They hardly knew each other until one night when their other bandmates didn’t show up for rehearsal. Here, Laura was encouraged to share a song she’d been writing and the two instantly bonded thanks to the poignant vulnerability in the lyrics.
Laura had been writing songs since middle school, aspiring to the idea that someday they could help her connect with people. Having never written songs before, Nina stepped right up to the plate with lyrics, melodies and guitar parts that she would sing so that Laura could play.
Later joined by Eli Schulz on bass, the power trio was built and ready to captivate audiences with their gritty, personal indie rock sound. Ranging from piercing, raucous noise to brighter, more sparse grooves - the band is influenced by Paramore, Hop Along and Veruca Salt.
Their debut LP “If These Walls Could Talk You Wouldn’t Listen” came out in early 2023.
Plans For 2023: Robot Tennis Club is currently going through some lineup changes, if anyone knows a guitarist, let us know! Once we’re done figuring that out, we’re hoping to write some songs and tour with ferocity and gusto!
Website: https://www.robottennisclub.com/
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube
Virgi Dart
Colorado Home: Boulder
Formed: I've been professionally singing for 15 years but started my solo project in 2019.
Latest Release: "Te Vi y No Me Morí", released on November 8th 2022 and the video released on January 15th 2023. The Label by Coll Music.
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers.
About: In Colombia, Virgi's musical prowess has afforded her the opportunity to perform on the most important + grand stages in her hometown, Cali, along with many respected venues throughout her home country. Prior to moving to the US, Virgi headlined at the most prolific disco group in Colombia for six years, granting her access to performances with some of the most well-respected artists in Latin America.
Virgi is excited to bring her professionalism, talent, and commanding stage presence to her newfound home in Colorado and in venues across the US. She looks forward to continuing to honor her influences of pop-rock/Latin music while delivering memorable performances for her crowds.
Virgi recently released her first album, a versatile EP with 6 songs where the audience will be delighted with pop music, cumbia, bachata and electro-pop as well as a beautiful ballad with a symphonic orchestra. She is currently working on the recording of her second album, she is also releasing music videos and performing throughout the US, Mexico, Colombia and working on upcoming shows in Colorado as well.
Plans For This Project in 2023: I will be releasing 6 more songs, working on a cumbia album for this year and also music videos for every of those songs. I will be performing in Colorado, Florida and organizing my agenda for in person media tours and shows in Colombia, Mexico and Bolivia.
Website: www.virgidart.com
Get Social: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok
