What this year's Bohemian Nights meant to me

{Bonnie from Bonnie and the Clydes with Mattie Lou singing before their set on Library Park}

There is so much anticipation when a festival approaches. The excitement each morning of what the day will hold, the thrill of discovering your new favorite band, the memories made... A lot of people in the music business call the day (or days) after the "music hangover". You are tired in a good way and socially drained.  You reflect on every small detail of the weekend and smile. This year's Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. It was the city's 150th birthday, it was the 10th anniversary of Bohemian Nights and it was a celebration of some of the best music in the state.

 

{The crowd for Mama Lenny and the Remedy during our set, photo taken by Amanda}

To me, this year's festival was also a lot of things.  This was my 6th year working behind the scenes on the talent committee and also blogging about the local music.  So I was extremely proud of our lineups and genuinely thrilled to hear everyone talking about how awesome the music was (hooray fellow TAC'ers!). I performed on the Mountain Ave Stage on Saturday with Mama Lenny and the Remedy.  And let me just say that it may have been the hottest show I have ever played in my life.  There were times during the set where my shoes felt like they were melting to the stage.  It was also one of the funnest shows I've ever played. The crowd was right there in the hot hot heat with us, moving along to every song.  I spent the weekend with my family and was able to share my love of music with my Mom and my 20 month old daughter Mattie Lou, who absolutely loves music and dancing.

 

{Mama Lenny and the Remedy meet and greet some very special fans!}

Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest puts local musicians front and center.  As a musician, this is one of my very favorite festivals to play.  You are treated so well by staff and made to feel like you are special and important.  And trust me, those two things are rare in the local music scene. You are able to connect with the community, the audience and other musicians. 

{Mattie Lou with the ReMINDers in the Green Room}

I walk away from this year's festival with the feeling of an amazing local music community.  We are surrounded by an incredible amount of talent and some of the kindest people I have ever known. This year's event was a snapshot in time.  We were fortunate enough to play the 150th birthday party for Fort Collins and 10th anniversary of Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest because of all of the bands that came before us.  They put in and some are still putting in an enormous amount of work to make our Colorado music scene a very special place to be.  I'm so humbled by the sacrifices that everyday folks make in order for the whole to be bigger than the individual.  It takes a village and we are lucky that our village is Fort Collins.