The Mirage of Fort Collin’s Music Scene

If you were to interview people for their thoughts on the Fort Collins music scene, you would probably get a diverse range of responses. Some people rave about the local artists, some are dissatisfied in general, and some wouldn’t even realize Fort Collins had a scene. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus about the quality of this college town’s local music scene. However, it seems like Fort Collins is lacking a certain something, a tip of your tongue but unknowable quality. The Fort Collins music scene is yearning for the spirit of more.

Starting at the beginning, what makes a good music scene? What differentiates between good scenes and great scenes? It really can be broken down into a few major categories: community, availability, and spark.

Community may seem like an obvious part of any great music scene, but it is the foundation of everything else to come. Without a solid base of community, the availability and spark of musicians are moot. It should be made up of musicians (and lots of ‘em), ‘role players’ (booking agents, managers, and promoters), and listeners (fans and critics). The three should also be closely knit with strong communication networks in-between them. The strength of community between the three groups of people is truly what makes a great music scene.

Fort Collins has the advantage of being a college town, an ingredient we see in lots of music scenes, with a pre-established sense of community. The college town’s music scene does seem to hiccup right over punk music, though, which is another common ingredient in a pre-established sense of community. The lack of a substantial alternative scene can certainly be felt after the closing of local staples such as Hodi’s Half Note and Pinball Jones Campus West location, with a noticeable dip in outreach and engagement.

However, amidst this yearning for interconnectedness, Fort Collins does possess the foundations for availability with studios like The Blasting Room. Established in 1994 by members of Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag, these musicians chose FoCo for its “small-town nature and sense of community.”

In addition to the studio, Fort Collins boasts several pillars that contribute to the local scene’s growth and vitality. The Fort Collins Musicians Association (FoCoMA) and Fort Collins Music Experiment (FoCoMx) are two such pillars. These organizations, along with The Music District and the Bohemian Foundation, form the backbone of the community.

The availability of a music scene is dependent mostly on physical spaces such as venues, community outlets, and creative inputs. Venues should be diverse. Having spaces that range from house shows to large-capacity concerts allows for an equally wide range of artists to perform and engage in the local music scene. You want your big-ticket people, random three pieces in someone’s basement, and everything in between. Community outlets include neutral locations such as record shops and coffee houses. They function as the connective tissue between musicians and listeners, where someone can tap into the network with ease. Lastly, you need your creative input, such as recording studios. While they may seem obsolete in the age of laptop production studios, these function as a breeding ground of sounds, ideas, and techniques between artists that allow a collective ‘sound’ to begin. This ‘sound’ leads to the third category of a great music scene: the spark.

FoCoMx stands out as the crown jewel of the local music scene, the prime example of availability. The two-day festival showcases hundreds upon hundreds of local bands from all genres. Organized by FoCoMA, the festival showcases the talent residing within the town. Moreover, FoCoMA’s Music Directory serves as a valuable resource for the public, facilitating the discovery of local musicians and providing opportunities for performances. These resources act as a nurturing petri dish, allowing local musicians to flourish and thrive.

The Music District, another invaluable resource, is dedicated to creating a vibrant space for local musicians and enthusiasts alike. Equipped with incredible facilities, including practice rooms and access to professional-grade equipment, the Music District fosters a supportive environment for artistic growth.

The last ingredient in a great music scene, the spark, is a subjective quality that circulates around an entire music scene and sets it apart from others. Musicians often gain the spark through authenticity and inspiration in a city. Rather than being an amplifying location for musicians, Fort Collins is more of a hub of innovation, but it also should also be able to retain and nurture these talented artists.

The small selection of genres you can find in the college town compensates with its’ incredible quality and spark. The ecosystem of dead and active house shows, such as Birdhouse, Plumhouse, Heckhouse, and Hotel Hillcrest, keep the swarm of garage indie and noise rock fans well-fed and content. You can always find a crowd of early-20s men with a long history of gaslighting and Midwest emo playlists around town. Attending any venue or show in town is a feast for the senses, as you are almost guaranteed to discover at least one band that will captivate your heart.  

Fort Collins music scene may currently be in its larval stage with a community patching itself together and the network between musicians and listeners attempting to find a nice groove. The town does have foundations and resources that hold immense potential, with a range of venues and eagerness for more. With time, these seeds of community, availability, and spark may blossom into a more substantial and diverse music scene.