I can remember the exact moment that Charla Harvey came into my life - and I’m so so so thankful she did! She is not only one of the best concert photographers in the state, but also a force of positivity and light. I’ve gotten to work with Charla on many shows - she’s always my number one pick when it comes to concert photography! Over the years, I’ve also had the privelege of coming to be friends with her. I wanted to highlight Charla’s amazing photography and magical personality, so I interviewed her so she could tell you about what she does in her own words. Like thousands and thousands of people, Charla has been harshly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but remains positive and hopeful through it all. Please enjoy Charla’s incredible photography and reading her story, and be sure to support by purchasing one of her photo masks, following her on Facebook and Instagram, and visiting her website to book a shoot!

Christmas may be over, but there’s still plenty of excitement to be had. Today, starting at 12:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. MT), Georgia Comes Alive will launch a one-day virtual music festival promoting active votership”in the upcoming runoff elections by supporting local grassroots organizations Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda and CivicGeorgia. Coordinated by HeadCount, the event will be produced by the team behind Democracy Comes Alive, Quarantine Comes Alive, and Justice Comes Alive, which collectively raised close to $300,000 and garnered nearly 2 million views. GCA is also proud to partner with Participant, the producers of the new film John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The festival’s stellar lineup includes several Colorado artists - Andy Frasco, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Big Gigantic, and Nathaniel Rateliff. To support these local artists and the overall cause, Sonder Music Management and Rocky Mountain Virtual have partnered to donate and will give away 5 tickets to the event to the first people to claim them in the comments of the Facebook posts, Instagram posts, or on this blog post. One of these five tickets will be given away in Dog House Music Studios’ name, as they continue to be an incredible support for our local Colorado music community, offering a place for artists and musicians to be seen and heard while venues’ doors remain closed.

On this Christmas Day 2020, I find myself once again feeling emotional over how lucky I have been over the year. I know it isn’t the year we all asked for or wanted - and I definitely had down moments, where the loss seemed overwhelming - but there were so many surprises and things to wonder at this year. Here are 7 things that I’m insanely thankful for, and that give me so much joy to look back on.

This holiday season, let’s remember that it’s not about the material things. Some of the best gifts are experiences, and our local Colorado music scene offers a wide variety for you to choose from. They need your help now more than ever - so if you’re feeling generous - support some of our local Colorado music venues this Christmas. Many of these gifts can be ordered today to go under the tree tonight, and by making purchases from our venues, you’re supporting the entire musical ecosystem. This income will help these stages survivie, which gives us all the gift of music for years to come. Here’s our giant list of how you can monetarily and non-monetarily support every single music venue in Colorado.

We are so lucky to have a massive number of music venues and I’m sure we missed some here. If you own or know of a venue that’s not on this list, let us know in the comments, along with ways people can support them during the pandemic.

New Years Eve is going to look much different from normal this year - but there are forces at work on the quest to ring in 2021 with as much joy, excitement, and yes, music, as ever. One of those forces is ARISE Music Festival, who is throwing an online bash, complete with performances from Desert Dwellers, Magic Beans, Spectacle, and Melody Lines, live painting with Laura McGowan, poetry, interviews, and more. Meant as a global celebration of the things that bring us together as a community, the night will also serve as a means to raise money for the performers and for all artists affected by the Covid-19 pandemic through donations to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. It has been such a gift to work with ARISE Music Festival as partners to Rocky Mountain Virtual during these past 9 months, and I can’t imagine a better way to end 2020 and look toward a brighter future. I had the extreme honor of interviewing ARISE’s Executive Producer, Luke Comer, and its Marketing Director, Shannon Bock - the two people responsible for creating the magic that is ARISE Music Festival.

COVID-19 has impacted the Music Industry a massive amount over the last 9 months. Touring staff, crew members, artists, venue owners and their staff have been greatly affected by the pandemic across the country. While artists and their immediate staff have been able to barely stay afloat through virtual concerts, merchandise sales, and streaming royalties, smaller venues are not able to benefit from these sources of income. Smaller venues’ lack of opportunity to make money has led them to become the most negatively affected Music Industry sector due to the pandemic. As COVID-19 has worsened over the course of its existence in the United States, it has affected venues across the Front Range. It has most recently contributed to the closing of the historic eighty-seven year old venue known for its jazz roots, El Chapultepec.

During the Covid-Era, there has been a shift in mentality to doing whatever we can to simply keep the music alive. Musicians, venues, and industry workers have been focused on keeping the lights on and getting the music into people’s hands - because we need music to get through all of this - and we need stages to be there when we get to back to normal. Shawn Eckels has gone above and beyond to keep music as a part of our Colorado community, and despite all of the hurdles Covid has thrown out, has continued to grow and advance his already prolific musical career. You may know him as the Lead Guitarist for Andy Frasco and the U.N., but Shawn is also constantly playing with other musicians locally and around the world - making music with his own bands and playing a multitude of socially-distanced shows and live streams as a solo artist. I’ve had the extreme pleasure of working with Shawn on various things for a few months now, and I’m so excited that I got to pick his brain about his musical history, favorite bands (local and non-local), and what he’s accomplished during Covid - which has been a whole freaking lot. Please enjoy my interview with Shawn Eckels, and make sure you head to one of his solo gigs, buy some of his merch, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to show your support.

Every single industry has suffered in different ways since COVID-19 began to worsen in March. The one that has faced the most economic hardship has been the music industry, specifically live entertainment. After a long plea by senators, venue owners, and other music industry professionals beginning in July, the next $900 Billion stimulus package hangs in the balance, as Congress finally came to an agreement on it before formal votes this week . By coming to an agreement on this stimulus package deal, congress took the next step toward passing the “Save Our Stages Act.” The bill would grant $15 Billion to a variety of independent venues, movie theaters, and cultural institutions. This would be the first major relief deal involving independent venues since the pandemic began nearly 10 months ago.

I love it when interviews come together organically, and this one with Derek Dames Ohl of Flash Mountain Flood did just that. Flash Mountain Flood is an American Roots Rock N’ Roll band out of Boulder - and a mainstay in the genre in the local scene. The band’s members have been doing a lot during quarantine, and Derek Dames Ohl has set out to pursue a solo career in addition to his bass-licks in Flash. Recently, Derek released a new Christmas song, Blue Skies and It’s Christmas Time, with the true essence of Christmas in our beautiful state. He’s donating all of the proceeds from this song on Bandcamp to The DiChiaros, a family experiencing a time of extreme hardship in what should be the most joyful time of the year. I encourage you to go give the song a purchase - you’ll help a family in need and have a beautiful new Christmas song to enjoy. Be sure to follow Derek on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and Flash Mountain Flood on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as well. Enjoy my interview with Derek Dames Ohl - I sure did!

It’s 2020 and things are weird. Coming into the year, I was so proud of the beautiful plans I had laid out - it was some of the best work I had ever done, and I couldn’t wait to see it in action. Then, after a rocket start to the year with back-to-back sold out shows - Float Like a Buffalo and Silver And Smoke both at The Bluebird - and a steller win for FLAB at the Summer Camp On The Road Tour Battle of the Bands, it all came crashing down. Cancelled tours, cancelled shows, cancelled, cancelled, cancelled. We made the best of it - even securing a Socially-Distanced Red Rocks show in October, but the outlook remained bleak. All of this is to say - I wasn’t even considering bringing on anyone to help with Sonder, much less an intern.

However, as much as 2020 was devastating, it was also inspiring. The opportunities I’ve had this year would never have come to fruition without the circumstances at hand. One of those opportunities was hiring an intern. Again, I didn’t actively seek this out by any means, but I just couldn’t say no when the perfect person popped into my inbox. Joseph sought me out, and on his own, sent me his resume and cover letter explaining why he wanted to work in music, and why he wanted to work with me specifically. A short phone conversation later, I knew I had found someone who just resonated with me. We have the same feelings and beliefs on the greatness and potential of Colorado music, the same passion for making music-driven experiences happen, and the same drive to work. AND we found out that we went to the same high school - good ‘ol Holy Family in Broomfield - a coincidence that just seems to keep happening (if you remember, Andy Sydow also attended). So, I’d like to introduce you all to the first-ever Sonder Music Management Intern: Joseph Prather.

“Though 2020 has been a horrific year in so many ways, it has had its silver linings. For me, one of those silver linings is that the absolute lack of live music and oppressive headlines of the day-to-day news cycle kicked my drive to make a difference into high gear. I am doing this. I am managing incredible artists. I am expanding Sonder Music Management. And I’m doing it with a little help from my friends. I’m so excited to announce a few additions to the Sonder team, and I’m starting with Alyssa Montaño, my Co-Founder on Rocky Mountain Virtual. Alyssa is coming on as a contributor to the Sonder Blog, and seeks to focus her attention on topics that involve education and representing those populations that are sorely under-represented in the public eye of the Colorado Music Scene. I’m so excited to have her on board, and I can’t wait to see what she writes in the future. Please meet Alyssa Montaño, the newest contributor on the Sonder Music Management Blog.” - Sarah Shuel, Owner of Sonder Music Management

When we talk about Colorado music, several names come up that truly define our state’s music scene. Hazel Miller is one of those names, making a true mark on our community with her incredibly pretigious career. I’m sure you’ve heard her on KUVO, eTown, or a variety of other places. Hazel is the picture of success as a musician and she has achieved things beyond many a band’s wildest dreams, but remains a humble, charismatic, and sweet individual through and through. From singing for Presidents to headlining Red Rocks with Big Head Todd and the Monsters to crooning to audiences at intimate (but always packed) shows around Colorado, Hazel is a true champion of the community and always lifts people up with her voice. Give her a follow on YouTube and Facebook - or visit her website to learn more - then, please do yourself a favor of seeing her live when you can.

I first had the pleasure of seeing Hazel Miller play live when I attended the Five Points Jazz Festival in 2018. I went alone, in the rain, especially to see her - and boy, I’m glad I did. She has changed my whole outlook on music and how it can be used to unite us all. Since then, I have been so lucky to work with her and get to know her a little better - and she is definitely one of my favorite people. I’m so thankful to have had the chance to interview her so that you can get to know her a little better too. So, without further ado, please enjoy this interview with the one and only Hazel Miller.