At times, the music industry can seem like a viciously preposterous environment, kind of like a Sharknado movie sequel only with amplified instruments and egos, laptop computers and seven-dollar plastic water bottles sucked into a funnel cloud with the slimy sharks. But every now and then, a musician emerges from an overseas humanitarian mission or a music promoter decides to plant trees for each ticket sold to an event, or a festival books performers based on integrity as well as talent and name recognition. And in the state of Colorado all of those can be found in the confines of one event, the Arise Music Festival, held last weekend August 4-6 at the scenic Sunrise Ranch near Loveland.
“It’s not called the Wake Up Festival for a reason,” piped up festival co-founder Paul Bassis. “We want to bring in as many people and performers who are already awake.” Organizers and staffers of the Arise fest set an intention of blending entertainment with community activism, consciousness-raising workshops and thoughtful environmental stewardship in a way that they hope separates their event from the rest. The festival’s moving opening ceremony featuring Native American dances, African drumming and prayers offered an immediate and rousing example of that intention.
And the Arise message seems to be getting out to the public. Last weekend’s event sold out for the first time in their brief five year history. One music group, Rising Appalachia, split a European tour in half just so they would be able to make a return appearance to Arise this year. Alan Bartram, the stand-up bass player for bluegrass music favorites the Travelin’ McCourys, was impressed with the number of workshops offered over the weekend. “There was even a workshop on how to hula hoop with your elbow,” he commented with a baffled expression.
Though the festival’s rust-colored mountain valley was raked by a daily series of rain and windstorms, the spirits of brightly colored festifarians remained buoyed by a wide ranging lineup that included EDM favorites like Tipper and rap musicians like Brother Ali. Fans of folk and bluegrass flocked to sets from Ani Difranco, Rising Appalachia and the frenetically improvisational Jeff Austin Band. Austin’s band joined with the McCourys for a spirited bluegrass tribute set to the Grateful Dead as well. The performance talent wasn’t limited to the musician sets either. Acrobatic acts like Fractal Tribe and Lunar Fire combined grace, athleticism and captivating aerials along with live music and fire performances throughout the weekend.
The Arise festival sets a unique tone and atmosphere that is both fulfilling and fun. And its participants long for what surely will be a whirlwind of a sequel next year.
The weekend consisted of countless extraordinary artists including performances by 
Despite its sophomore residency, Panorama has added some big names to its roster, including Frank Ocean, Solange, Tame Impala, Alt-J, Nine Inch Nails, and A Tribe Called Quest. Spanning over the last weekend in July, Panorama already crosses off some musical bucket list items, but what’s even more impressive is their unique and extensive series of lesser-known artists on the rise. With such a wide range of audiences, there’s a setlist to watch for everyone. If it gets too overwhelming to choose who to see at Panorama this year, we’re here to give you some guidance. Here are 10 acts to see, from the celebrities to the rising stars, in no particular order. 
The weekend got off to a hot start on Thursday with two NYS artists, Turkuaz and Break Science, dropping some funk on opposite sides of the venue, each to a widening crowd as their set progressed. In Electric City, Gramatik put forth a politically charged set that featured strong support for 
The Biscuits kicked off their second set with “Solstice,” not played since May of 2007 and threw in “Spacebirdmatingcall” with “Gangster” worked in between. Out of “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.,” a perfect song to keep energy flowing, was a jam that drifted into an instrumental version of Prince’s “Controversy,” perhaps an homage to Purple Reign’s victory earlier in the day, but quite possibly one of the biggest surprises of the weekend thus far. Bassnectar’s set followed and drew an immense crowd to Electric City, with fans standing on seats and throwing down in unison as Lorin’s hair and hands flowed across knobs and laptops, creating a tremor of music that didn’t stop for 90 minutes. Late night on the Above the Waves stage, Twiddle welcomes Tommy Weeks from Sophistafunk to the stage for “Latin Tang” and Aron Magner for “Mamunes The Faun,” with Shpongle following behind for a hillside packed to the top for one final throw down of the evening.
Back over at the Above the Waves Stage, Escort worked the crowd with their charismatic front woman Adeline Michèle. Her rainbow sequined shorts caught the eye of many as she popped and locked all over the stage, pausing only to occasionally pick up the guitar. They concluded their set with fan favorite “Cocaine Blues,” a song sampled by many bands in various genres.
Back to the hosts, The Disco Biscuits, for their second set of the day and fifth of the weekend. Opening with “Morph Dusseldorf,” they moved into an inverted portion of “Above the Waves.” Their newest song, “The Champions,” ended with guest guitarist and friend Tom Hamilton who helped usher in the phenomenal cover of Bob Marley’s “Exodus.” The set then circled back to “Above the Waves” and “Morph Dusseldorf” with a confetti cannon raining paper on fans during the climax of the morph jam.
The primarily free series brings live music to the Bay Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer. It began June 3 with Broken Arrow Hearts and followed with Earphorik, Mick Fury and Mister F. Friday’s featured artist is the Tyler Pearce Project, a soulful pop-rock act from Rochester.
Join NYS Music and the Riverboat Bar for a summer full of great live local, regional and national music.