By Trenton Krzyzowski
I had planned to arrive approximately when the festival started. I came about an hour before the first act came on, so I grabbed my Will Call tickets @ ~3 p.m. on Friday, April 18th, 2025.
My first stop was Gilded Goat Brewery because I spotted my friend Lizzy, who told me about Maddy Erskine, someone I wanted to visit because of our work with Scrapped Magazine, which Maddy was the founder and editor of since they were in high school. Now, they are 23 as the lead singer for feverishh.
feverishh sways the crowd at Guilded Goat Brewery.
I spotted my companions, but I had a professional agenda and wanted to see the entire venue for a broader scope. I walked to the back and noticed an “Artist’s only” door to my left, which my investigative instincts caused me to try to open for public accountability, even though I am technically a musical artist only with press credentials. Then, when I realized somebody had left the door locked, I forfeited my journalistic agenda. Tired of being annoying, I walked to the back patio, looked around, and decided that being present for as much music as possible was my purpose at the festival.
I merged into the crowd, hugging my friends. Then, fully grounded and invested in hearing and onlooking the band from the edge of the room, immersed feverishh, a post-rock shoegaze amalgam. Maddy pulls out the French horn for their final song.
I awaited Maddy to inform me about where to meet them for an interview, and stumbled into Schneider’s Schintzel (FKA Moe’s Barbecue) to spontaneously listen to Dori Jo and The Double Standards invent a cover on the side of the store opposite College Ave, first. The night raining severely, I was soaked. Then Maddy texted me to meet them at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant on Mountain Ave.
I ran to the Rio, inside intentionally for Maddy; I eventually found their sister.
I said to Maddy, “I don’t know if I should record this.”
“It’s kind of noisy in here.”
That was the starting gun for my race. I awakened more self-aware; I was running around with a “notebook” in my hand, holding it “like an advanced panorama camera.” Many local musicians are frustrated that they do not get into the festival.
Maddy started playing the French horn during childhood for school. They believe FocoMX needs more “weird” music. Some of their inspirations include Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Full Body 2.
With complete urgent curiosity detaching plans, trusting with what I wanted more than anything, like a genie, I internally floated to Equinox Brewery.
At Equinox, I ran into Sturtz, a folk quartet from Boulder, Colorado. With pleasant drizzle, the audience huddled as much as they could under the half-covered patio. The profound Colorado roots elevated the atmosphere with earthly and rustic tunes. “Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
NPR’s All Things Considered, “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times.” That created an impression of professionalism, and the music matched. Their song “Southern Night” sings, “If the day goes easy, I’ll be alright.”
I wanted Hip Hop, so I stepped outside to witness Sauce K. The rain turned into fat, wet snowflakes.
Sauce K’s set started with a DJ and Fort Morgan rapper The Infamous 2Eazy. Both creators had a similar collection of hard-hitting street music, rapping about the grind and struggle of their lifestyle.
Someone told me to catch Elka at 6:00 p.m., but I missed that bill. That motivated me to go to the Aggie Theater. I ran into a band I have heard before, Ash Redhorse & The Midnight Suns. They make twangy indie-rock love songs.
In the crowd, someone turned and noticed, seemingly joking about the fact that I was holding a journal, whispering to their partner, and giggling. They said, “Is he holding a journal?” Following more indistinguishable chatter and laughing with “that would be crazy.” Maybe I was paranoid.
Then I traveled over to the Whiske(y), hunting for marijuana like a puma lurking for the right moment to strike its prey. I noticed a tall Black man coming out back, lighting a joint. He asked another person if they were playing a show and sparked it. I did not want to bug him for a hit, so I went around front to get in. The bar bouncer checked my ID and let me in.
The joint-smoking man was 7-ven, one of the members of Indigenous Peoples. I caught the entirety of Indigenous Peoples’ live show. Their music is high-energy, 90s-inspired hip hop with crowd interaction. I met Rolos Rios in the crowd, who would go on at the same venue later in the evening.
After that, I knew artists were playing shows at the Museum of Art Fort Collins. I was lucky to hear Maxwell Hughes. He was the guitarist for the Lumineers before leaving to focus on independent virtuosity. He works with the band Edison now, an act later on at 12:15 am at The R Bar and Lounge. His solo works feature fairy-like ethereal melodies, for which he gave the crowd commands to wave their hands in the air like “fairies in the forest” when he pointed at us. He uses his guitar like a sceptre of excellence. He performs with the artistic mastery of a painter or poet, an understated appreciation that people need in such an overstimulated world, and is perfect for the sophisticated vibe of the Museum venue.
I stood around in every crowd jotting notes. I had yet to drop the unnecessary pressure and relax. “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. It’s a really stupid thing to want to do.” came to mind.
I noticed my friend Hannah in the crowd back at Equinox Brewery, and caught Foreign Suns. They have a knack for turning any audience into immediate fans. They were the perfect force I needed to let my guard down.
Foreign Suns @ Equinox Brewery
I talked with the band after the performance. They explained that they paid roughly $1,000 to press copies of their album, Come in Closer, on vinyl.
Following that, I saw the final band I could witness for the night, Soviet Mothers, at the Art Lab. Their music features epic and hard mountain rock that sonically provokes the transcendental essence of whatever room they perform in. Frontman Paul Rogers expresses emotion through vocal melodies without prioritizing lyrical expression.
On Saturday, April 19th, I started my day excited to continue the festival. The period between festival days is a noteworthy experience, particularly at a more downtown festival like FocoMX, where the stereotypical hippies-in-tents situation is not prevalent. For example, I returned to my house in midtown Fort Collins after Friday’s events and anticipated the next day of performances. The festival is by the locals for the community.
The first Saturday act I saw was Taylor Shae’s band at Wolverine Farm, only because I was desperate for some CBD with the lack of cannabis the day before (I knew Wolverine Farm sold CBD soda, but the future is uncertain). Taylor Shae is an alternative country frontwoman creating pop hits that most people would appreciate. Her live act is particularly skillful and immersive. I overheard one audience member say, “She could make it with the right money behind her.”
My goal today was to observe as many venues and musicians as possible. Thus, I headed to New Belgium Brewery, overhearing the music from the venue when leaving the North Atzlan Rec Center parking lot.
I wandered the brewery, using the men’s restroom needing to ask how to activate the sink (pedals under the counter) — listening to Maxwell Mud‘s end and Mono Verde Collective‘s start. The latter features eclectic Latin and jazz sounds, electric guitar, rock, and a colorful horn section.
After that, I headed back downtown. I made my way to The Coast and caught Mystee as the band set up and began. Mystee is a four-piece indie rock band with emotional, self-aware lyrics, lightly and magically prancing along the spectrum of danceable and somber beats.
Sagan Petr Smith performs with Isaiah Carter at the Lyric @ 5 p.m. on Saturday. Sagan released anti-Trump anthem “Project 2025” this February. Source: @ivanwnlphoto
I took a break to change my jacket. Then I caught Clare Elich at Equinox Brewing @~ 6:00 PM Her band’s music is a confessional Coloradoan Joan Baez summery cool-and-dry-air exhibition. Her live set is humorous and happy, while one of her bandmates made bird noises with his violin.
I traveled to the Museum of Art again, to feed my stylistic preferences, open to whatever I would find. There, I waited for Ana Luna to finish setting up. Her sound impressed me with classical virtuosity and modern avant-garde electronic flair.
She is a full-time performer. She plays other “corporate” gigs, such as weddings. She also performed later in the night with IZCALLI at Washington’s. She is a member of Bodies of Culture, with someone in the audience and fellow FocoMX performer Kayla Marque. They are a group of musicians advocating for equity, equal rights, and diversity for the Colorado music industry.
Next, I trodded back to Wolverine Farm. Surprisingly, I saw Jaiel singing with her three-piece band, made of a DJ and guitarist. She performed mid-2000s pop-inspired music, including a cover of Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” The people were enthusiastic. Her music relates to a female power-anthem audience.
I walked upstairs to experience Lane-O, a lyrical word wizard from Aurora. He featured an introduction and beat-playing from DJ Dopewave, a talented young curator and dance maestro. Dopewave hyped the folk by playing classic rap songs and remixes nobody despised. Lane-O came on and immediately had the stage presence and charisma to direct mass dancing appeal as though he held a conductor’s wand. His song “Good Smoke” rings the chorus, “Light up the spliff / let it light the way / pray that the smoke keeps the evils away.” He had the audience singing along to many songs that I, and presumably others, may or may not have heard before. That is one indicator, accompanying many others, of his depth and integrity as a genuine artist.
Lane-O told me he was excited to observe DNA Picasso play at The Magic Rat, a familiar name. I caught the end of his set with Siah Rain’n providing DJ and beat support. DNA Picasso earns his spot at the table with a unique, balanced blend of emotional depth and classic, resilient hip-hop bangers.
Following that, I moved towards Washington’s. Flobots talked with fans at the booth after their performance. I looked down from the top row as IZCALLI played a stunning set, bursting open like a musical lightning storm, empowering the room with progressive Latin rock. Their numerous band members include singer Miguel Avina, trumpeter Wes Watkins, Ana Luna playing violin, and fellow fiddler Josh Lee.
Finally, I made my way to The Atrium Music Lounge, ending the night with WLF2MN, an experimental art pop project with intense vocal melodies, heavy electronics, auto tune, and danceable beats that had the dancefloor irresistibly moving like trees in the wind. WLF2MN is the passion project of indie-pop Co-stanza frontman Jack Costanza. Co-stanza was an act at Washington’s the day before.
Former-Brooklyn R&B and Hip-Hop specialist S.iah, the feature as mentioned above on Sagan Petr Smith’s “Project 2025”, performs with arty rock-band Rosebay @ 11:45 p.m.
FocoMX 2025 was a diverse range of talent, painting the Colorado landscape with every color from laid-back folk melodies to bombastic hip hop. Whatever the scene, there is something for everyone in the Centennial State.
This festival reminds Coloradans that we have a rich culture to be proud of. FocoMX can make a small-town girl with less than a thousand monthly listeners on Spotify seem like Taylor Swift. FocoMX reminds us to consider all the fabulous creations happening in our neighborhoods. In this attention economy, the mainstream is, by definition, what most people pay attention to. However, the spirit of our neighbors can be more profound. We should be proud of where we come from, especially if it’s out of our control. The Fort Collins music scene proved Northern Colorado pride. This festival opened my eyes and heart to love those around us as the key to life’s purpose. Try it for yourself.