Music 2023 - Boulder International Film Festival
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Music 2023

Singer-Songwriter Showcase
Music at the Parties
Music before the Films

BIFF SINGER-SONGWRITER

11th ANNIVERSARY

Free Live Music @ The Velvet Elk
2027 13th St.

Thursday, March 2nd, 6-9:30pm
Saturday, March 4th, 6-9:30pm

 

For the 11th anniversary of the BIFF Singer-Songwriter Showcase, we collaborated with Sonic Guild to put together a roster of local Colorado musicians. 8 acts will perform, 4 per night, that have been selected by a music industry advisory board, Sonic Guild members, and selected media partners. These acts will perform this year at our new venue, The Velvet Elk.

We have a hand-picked host of performers who are excited to share their music with you. We’re thrilled to continue our commitment to local, original music with these and other great performers.

BIFF 2023 Singer-Songwriter Playlist

Dave Tamkin

Thursday, March 2 | 6:00 PM

Singer/Songwriter, Dave Tamkin, currently resides in Boulder, CO. He has created his own unique style of rhythmic-acoustic sounds that’s based around a fresh musical vision. His shows vary from intimate solo acoustic performances to a full band experience (DT&CO.) encapsulating a mixture of personal lyrics and skilled songwriting set against a high-energy percussive backbone. He’s shared the stage with Guster, The Samples, Brendan James, Rusted Root, Donavon Frankenreiter, Butch Walker, Freddy Jones Band, Eric Hutchinson, Willy Porter, The Violent Femmes, and Peter Mulvey to name a few. Tamkin has a style that’s hard to resist. His lyrics are unabashedly honest and his passion for playing is undying.

https://www.davetamkin.com/

Saja Butler

Thursday, March 2 | 7:00 PM

Saja Butler is old Southern roots Music wrapped up in a crispy, sex’d up, Blackneck shell.

Birthed down South and living in Colorado, her sound emits tones of sultry smoky seduction, airy breezy hope, and down right dirty sass.

She’s been playing Music since a kid and has honed her craft in her solo career, her studio, Urban Monk Studios, and in her band Lois and the Lantern. Uplifting herself and others with the Gift of Music is why she is here.

http://www.sajabutler.com/

Veronica May

Thursday, March 2 | 8:00 PM

Veronica May is a blend of music and madness. Plugging in and digging in on her electric guitar or dragging her fingers across sandpaper on the body of her acoustic guitar. She builds layers of acoustic elements not often heard from the instrument. She’s a multi-instrumentalist and she also has Bipolar 1, two facts that combine to produce a unique musician whose life work of
destigmatizing mental illness is set to music. Veronica May seeks to spread hope, joy, vulnerability, and support through her music. She’s also on a mission to rock your world musically. Her music has been compared to Alabama Shakes, Queen, and KD Lang.

http://www.veronicamay.com/

Megan Burtt

Thursday, March 2 | 9:00 PM

Megan Burtt is an international touring singer/songwriter decorated with national recognition. She is the winner of the Kerrville NewFolk, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival and Westword Music Award and a finalist in Mountain NewSong, Songwriter Serenade and Great American Song Contest.

December 2019 marked the 10th year Megan performed throughout the Pennsylvania state maximum security prison system with her band.

Megan has toured as a headlining artist, and as support for acts including Gregory Alan Isakov, Marc Cohn, Brett Dennen, Glenn Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket, Lissie, Stephen Kellogg and Leanne Rimes. In 2015 she collaborated with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra as a featured artist.

https://www.meganburtt.com/

Anna Cutler

Saturday, March 4 | 6:00 PM

The music bug found Anna at a young age. When she turned six, Anna was gifted her first electric Yamaha keyboard that she went on to play through college. Inspired by other singer-songwriters like Norah Jones and John Craigie, she loves to connect with fans through lyrics and story telling. She often offers her crowd comedic relief in between songs because sometimes the truth in her lyrics hits hard. She has sung to crowds as big as ten thousand people but loves to play cozy and intimate venues just the same.

https://www.annacutlermusic.com/

Lucas Wolf

Saturday, March 4 | 7:00 PM

Lucas Wolf is a South Dakota born, Arizona raised singer songwriter currently touring the western region of the United States. He has supported bands such as Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Leftover Salmon, Lion Vibes, Gipsy Moon, Mountain Standard Time and more. He writes heartfelt, thoughtful lyrics and his songs are delivered with passion and sincerity each and every time. Once upon a time he lived as a wandering, hitch-hiking busker playing his music from town to town, never knowing where he would end up next. As time went on, life on a never-ending road lost its allure and he decided to stay put a while and pour himself fully into his music. He is currently working on his second full length record out of Boulder Colorado.

https://lucaswolfmusic.com/

Claire Heywood

Saturday, March 4 | 8:00 PM

Claire Heywood is a songwriter whose music has been featured on CPR News, 105.5 The Colorado Sound, KTCL 93.3, and Colorado Public Radio’s Indie 102.3.

After playing solo sets for small listening audiences alongside poets, comedians, and writers in Denver for several years, Heywood self-released an EP titled “The Wind, It Howls” in March 2019. In 2020, Heywood released three singles: “Python,” “Letter Day,” and “I Won’t Resign My Love For That Old Dream.” The songs were recorded at the home studio of bandmate/producer Michael Sandoval and sees Heywood take on new roles as a rhythm guitarist and co-producer.

Influences range from Rilo Kiley to Lucinda Williams.

https://www.claireheywood.com/

Dzirae Gold

Saturday, March 4 | 9:00 PM

Dzirae Gold is a Denver based RnB Singer. Her sultry vocals have been described as “smooth as liquid gold” and her music is often compared to a Memphis Soul inspired Pop style with a classic jazz influence, which inspired the name “DZIRAE GOLD” – fresh, sexy, and timeless. While, you’ll love the sultry twist DZIRAE GOLD puts on many of your favorite pop songs, and her crooning rendition of some of the best vocal jazz classics, it’s DZIRAE GOLD’s deep and thoughtful original lyrics and passionate instrumentals that will surely stir your heart and mind.

https://www.dziraegoldofficial.com/

Music at the Parties

Perpetual-Motion

Perpetual Motion

Cinechef | 3/2/23 | 5:00-6:45 | Avanti Office

Exploring different styles of music keeps Perpetual Motion’s compositions fresh and exciting. For guitarist Tom Carleno and violinist Josie Quick, everything is an inspiration. They jump from bossa nova to blues, surf to swing. Everything ties together with the mastery of their instruments. 

Perpetual Motion burst on the scene in 2014 with the release Perfect Imperfection. The disc won the Zone Music Reporter  Best Instrumental-Acoustic award.  Since then the duo has received many citations, including Best Jazz in the 2020 Peace Song awards.

www.perpetual-motion.net

Tie Dye Sushi

Opening Night | 3/3/23 | 5:00-6:45 | Avanti Office

Tie Dye Sushi is a colorful melding of experimental jazz, funk, R&B, hip-hop, rock infused with rhythmic inspiration from every corner of music around the globe. The group focuses mostly on their original music, with a heavy emphasis on experimental writing and compositional concepts. Tie Dye Sushi likes to create music with an edge and an inherent air of danger, using a unique palette of sounds and concepts, while still maintaining a tight pocket to hold the ear of the listener and dancer.
https://tiedyesushi.com

Miguel Espinoza Fusion

Opening Night | 3/3/23 | 5:00-6:45 | Boulderado

Miguel Espinoza Fusion has been delighting audiences in Denver, the state of Colorado, and more recently, other parts of the US with their original, Flamenco-infused music for half a decade.

 

“Miguel Espinoza Fusion is world class global chamber music making that explodes the parameters of style, yet ever remains close to the heart.” 

— David Balakrishnan, founding violinist/composer of the two-time Grammy winning Turtle Island Quartet

 

Winners of Westword Magazine’s Best of World Music Award, as well as two-time winners of the Indie Acoustic Project’s awards for Best Instrumental Album (Turtle Dreams) and Best Jazz Album (Veneta), their original compositions are imbued with harmonic adventure, rhythmic complexity, and heart-rending soulfulness that moves audiences emotionally.  Their third album, Living in a Daydream, was released in the Spring of 2022, and their fourth album, Gabriella, featuring the collaborations of David Balakrishnan and fellow two-time Grammy winner, Howard Levy (of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), among many other guest artists, is expected to be released by Octave Records in February of 2023. Their album. Veneta, also placed 9th of 200 in the Roots Music Reports’ “Top World Album Chart” of 2022.

www.miguelespinozafusion.com

Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band

Opening Night | 3/3/23 | 6:45-7:15 | Outside

The Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band (or simply Guerrilla Fanfare or GuFa) brings the high energy funk of New Orleans-style Brass Band to the Northern Colorado area. Our mission is always to get everyone up and grooving to our relentlessly fiery and funky sound. GuFa is composed of some of the finest and rowdiest horn players and percussionists in Northern Colorado, and performs hard-hitting funk, New Orleans Second Line style, fiery originals, and raucous arrangements of modern pop hits.

For more information on booking, visit us online at gufabrass.com or facebook.com/guerrillafanfare, or shoot us an email at guerrillafanfarebrass@gmail.com

Espresso!

Longmont Opening Night | 3/3/23 | 5:00-6:45 | Stewart Auditorium

Colorado-based band Espresso! merges two musical traditions with red-hot interpretations of American swing and Gypsy jazz favorites. The traditions of the past come alive with powerful instrumental leads and vocals in French and English. Espresso! includes an abundance of Colorado talent: Bill Pontarelli (clarinet), Jordan Ramsey (mandolin), Emily Reynolds (rhythm guitar), and Duane Webster (bass). Bill and Emily have performed Gypsy Jazz and American Swing for many years at venues in and around Boulder and Denver, Colorado. Jordan Ramsey came on board in 2010, greatly enriching the new group dynamic. Bass man Duane Webster has been putting it all together since 2016 to create our saucy swing sound. Very danceable, this music is infectious. “You owe it to your ears.”  

The Constant Tourists

BIFF Noir | 3/4/23 | 9pm-12:30am | License No. 1

Rocky Mountain Battle of the Bands “Acoustic” winner, The Constant Tourists, play gypsy folk rock. They mix Nate’s upbeat guitar lines and vocals with Cassie’s sultry voice, accordion, and jazzy trumpet licks. Shortly after moving to Denver, the dynamic duo was joined by Dustin, on bass, Rebecca, on cello, and Sammy G, on percussion. Their eclectic style can only be categorized as Gypsy Folk Rock with influences from the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pink Martinis, Django Reinhardt, and waffles. The group has recorded two full-length CDs together entitled, “Missed Connections” and “Carry On” which were fully funded by Kickstarter and two other previous disks as trios entitled, “Tourist Information,” and “Postcards.” The Constant Touristsfrequent venues in Denver and the surrounding areas such as The Local 46, Denver Public Library, Children’s Hospital, Odell’s Brewery, Littleton Museum, and The Pike’s Peak Brewing Company. They have also toured through New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
http://www.theconstanttourists.com 

Music before the Films

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