Hi, everybody.

It’s been a pretty busy couple of weeks for this guy. In addition to celebrating another lap around the sun and taking my first hike to Crystal Mill, I took a quick trip to Denver to speak at the Regional Folk Alliance event produced by the Valley’s own Jackson Emmer. While I was in the metro area, I popped into the Local 303 Meetup hosted by Indie 102.3 (96.7 here in our neck of the woods). The meetup is all about connecting with their audience, spotlighting regional artists, and promoting music discovery. It was good to see old friends and hang out with a curious bunch of music aficionados.

I have a quick question.  How might I spark that curiosity in these parts? We’ve got some terrific artists coming through who you shouldn’t miss out on. Many people created much new music AFTER you graduated. Really, it’s true!

We have a very busy June on tap. Let’s have a look at next week, shall we?

• Saturday, June 3 – Salsa Night – Orquesta la Brava is back to provide live music for your dancing pleasure.
• Tuesday, June 6 – The Longevity Event: Aging with Purpose – The Longevity Project is back with an event focused on life’s second acts.
• Wednesday, June 7 – 5Point Summer Film Series: Full Circle – A Story of Post Traumatic Growth – A film and conversation featuring Trevor Kennison and Barry Corbet
• Thursday, June 8 – Parker Millsap – This is one of those emerging artists I was referring to above. Remember that song I shared a while back? “I’ll disappear your disaster.”
• Friday, June 9 – What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears? – A film about a rock band that was on top of the world until a seven date concert tour behind the Iron Curtain. Cancel culture isn’t a new phenomenon.
• Saturday, June 10 – Comedian Shane Torres – This bit about Guy Fieri never gets old!

We’ve added another event to the calendar:

• July 14 – A Conversation With Lynn Goldsmith – The iconic photographer of icons will be joined by author and filmmaker, Daniel Shaw to discuss her latest book, Music in the 80’s, and her recent historic Supreme Court victory in a landmark copyright case.

I am serious about developing an audience for music discovery. Please let me know if you have any insight on how we might do that. And, while I am looking for input, what’s your favorite hike in the valley? I guess you could say I am asking you to tell me to “Take a hike!”

Kendall Smith
Director of Programming