PEAK TO PEAK — The end of June 2026 marked five years since I wrote my first entry in this column, “Music of the Mountains.” While I wasn’t the first person to write for the column, let alone the person to propose it, it has become a very special part of my writing and performing journey.
2021 was a formative year for me personally and artistically. Beginning my work on this column in tandem with joining the first year of The Mountain-Ear Podcast became the start of me being able to interview and cover dozens of musicians in the Colorado music scene.
For me, in many ways, the focus of this column has become the stories of the people who bring this music to life and bring it on stage. It’s the stories of people who have arrived from across the country, or even across the world, to perform here in the mountains and what they are bringing from their own experiences.
Seeing how many passionate musicians have been able to find consistent performance outlets, even if they are not on the grandest scale or the widest stage, has inspired me with what artists can achieve even in a local context. It’s exposed me to stories and music that I never would have looked into otherwise, and I hope that some of these columns have exposed readers to new material, too.
In the grand scheme of things, I recognize five years isn’t a massive amount of time. As a 24-year-old, though, who started writing for this column at 19, that five years feels like a huge portion of the life I’ve lived so far. The stories I’ve gathered and the music that’s inspired me have been part of my own personal journey as an artist and writer, finding new ways to express myself creatively.
Sometimes this column has veered into more historical territory with the stories I tie into upcoming shows. Other writers have jumped in every once in a while with their own pieces for the column, and I even created a “spin-off” of sorts when I re-titled the column "Performing in the Peaks" to focus on a comedy show.
While those provide a change-up every once in a while, the consistency of bringing a new solo act or band into rotation every week has kept me invested in the local music scene and connected me even more to the community that I’ve always called home.
What an amazing five years it’s been so far! I intend to keep building this column catalog for as long as I can, so here’s rooting for (at least) another five.
Have a happy Independence Day weekend, everybody!
