Michele Castro
All Swallow Hill Music programming, including concerts, is on hold through March 31, 2020. To learn about postponed and rescheduled concerts, please click here. To read our statement on Swallow Hill’s response to the COVID-19 situation, click here.
At Swallow Hill Music we are proud to support Denver and Front Range-based musicians, and this winter and spring we are pleased to carry on that tradition.
Whether it is an emerging artist playing our 75 seat Quinlan Cafe, a seasoned band led by one of our instructors in our 100 seat Tuft Theatre, or artists who have grown a rabid local following in our 300 seat Daniels Hall, we want musicians to feel at home at Swallow Hill.
On Friday, February 21, neo-soul band Color will get Quinlan Cafe rockin’ and swayin’ with a fundraising event. Color features our Development Manager Cheri Gonzales on lead vocals. Proceeds from the concert will go to Swallow Hill’s Scholarship Fund. In 2018 Swallow Hill Music awarded nearly $50,000 in needs-based scholarships to music lovers of all ages. These scholarships could not be awarded without the generous support of our community.
On Friday, March 27, we are excited to welcome both LAPOMPE and Michele Castro back to Daniels Hall. LAPOMPE’s stringband jazz draws upon traditional sounds and presents them in unique and modern ways. Michele Castro, meanwhile, draws upon her Brazilian upbringing and musical background to infuse her songs with a pop sensibility that sound right at home in the Mile High City.
At Swallow Hill, we boast a Music School faculty of 60 instructors. The majority of these teachers are also professional, gigging musicians. Our Top of the Hill Faculty Concert Series in Tuft Theatre spotlights these amazing instructors as performers. We are happy to announce That Damn Sasquatch, featuring instructor Spencer Crawford, performs on March 21. Then, on April 4, LIAT, Liat Arochas, takes the Tuft Theatre stage for her Top of the Hill moment.
These shows and more are on sale now. Thank you for supporting musicians in Denver with Swallow Hill Music!
FULL EVENT DETAILS
Color: Scholarship Program Fundraiser in Quinlan Cafe
Friday, February 21 at 8pm; Color in Color $20, Color in Technicolor $30
Color is delighted to play a show with proceeds supporting Swallow Hill Music’s Scholarship Fund. Committed to providing access to music education for everyone, Swallow Hill’s Scholarship Program is an ongoing program that provides very low-cost to completely free access to music education to low-income individuals, giving all students the opportunity to connect with music.
Color is a singer-songwriter soul band with members from all different musical backgrounds. Influenced heavily by the musical stylings of soul greats like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, you can expect Color to dazzle your earbuds with a variety of original tunes and danceable covers.
Possessed by Paul James
Possessed by Paul James in Tuft Theatre
Sunday, February 23 at 7pm; $18 advance, $20 day of show
Performing as Possessed by Paul James, singer-songwriter Konrad Wert’s live shows hit you “like a hurricane” to borrow the chorus from his rousing anthem, “Hurricane.” Bluegrass Situation writes “There’s nothing more DIY than a one-man-band, and there is no better one-man-band playing today than Austin’s Possessed by Paul James.” Konrad is returning to Swallow Hill on February 23 shortly after the release of his long-anticipated album, As We Go Wandering.
Jon Chandler & Friends in Daniels Hall
Saturday, March 14 at 8pm; $20 advance, $22 day of show
Throughout his career, Jon Chandler’s recordings have almost exclusively featured his own compositions. For his latest album, Homage, he’s chosen inspiring ballads from Americana’s finest songwriters, past and present, including Mike Blakely, Greg Brown, Willie Nelson, and more. Author Johnny D. Boggs says “Jon is part Wallace Stegner, part Jack Schaefer. He’s part Bruce Springsteen, and part Rambling Jack Elliott. He’s part William F. Cody, and part Cole Younger. Yet he’s distinctively original, a poet laureate of the American West of past, present and future.”
Jon will be joined at Swallow Hill by a superb cast of musical friends including Colorado Country Hall of Fame members Ernie Martinez, Lindsey Brown, Dana Vernon, and John Macy, along with the incomparable Mary Huckins.
LAPOMPE and Michele Castro in Daniels Hall
Friday, March 27 at 8pm; $18 advance, $20 day of show
The tradition of gypsy jazz is alive and well in Colorado. Denver-based LAPOMPE combines rustic gypsy swing with vintage blues and soulful originals to create a unique sound and style. The string quartet features two guitars, vocals, upright bass and violin and crafts a musical pulse full of energy and excitement. The band has been nominated by multiple publications for best jazz band on the front range and won the 2017 Producers Choice award at the Westword Music Showcase. With that, on top of headlining spots at City Park Jazz and the Speakeasy Soiree, and a prestigious recurring weekly gig at Denver’s Union Station, LAPOMPE is quickly becoming “Denver’s Jazz Band.”
Based in Denver, Michele Castro hails originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As vocalist and guitarist, she began to play internationally when invited to perform two tours of Germany with a Choro/Samba band as lead singer. Michele is proud to say she grew up in the Rocinha favela where she draws much of her musical inspiration and appreciation. Her vocal repertoire includes Samba, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Pop & Rock, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), Choro and Forró but she also plays a variety of Brazilian percussion instruments. Michele is excited to explore the Colorado music scene and to share her culture and music with a new public.
Sons of the Pioneers in Daniels Hall
Saturday, April 18 at 8pm; $33 advance, $35 day of show
The Sons of the Pioneers, formed in 1934, is known as the original “singing cowboy” band, instrumental in creating the earliest sounds of western music. Founded by Roy Rogers (then known as Leonard Slye), Bob Nolan, and Tim Spencer, the band has remained together continuously since then, rotating a total of 46 members over the years. This award-winning, legendary band continues to gain fans young and old, playing original favorites like “Cool Water” and “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” along with gems from the early days. These six accomplished musicians (including Roy Rogers’ son) bring fresh energy to this classic genre, taking audiences time-traveling into the great American West with them.
Henhouse Prowlers in Daniels Hall
Friday, April 24 at 8pm; $18 advance, $20 day of show
Founded over 14 years ago with the simple desire to play original and powerful bluegrass, the Henhouse Prowlers now stand at the intersection of performance, diplomacy and education. On stage, the group’s electrifying performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do; while on record, the band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.
Also coming to Swallow Hill Music
LAPOMPE