Fort Collins Band ‘prairie’
Roots Itself in Moody, Mystical Folk on Debut Album
BY ZACHARY VISCONTI
Colorado’s Front Range is home to many creative musical acts, but there’s something that feels particularly natural about pensive, spacey folk. Whether due to the mystics of the mountain landscape or the fact that bands must drive hours in any direction to reach larger tour stops, there must be something in the waters of the Poudre, because the canyon just can’t stop driving bands to release thoughtful, sprawling folk records.
Somewhere between dreamy and wideeyed lies the sound of Fort Collins folk outfit prairie, which released its self-titled debut album on New Year’s Day. The four-piece erupted onto the local scene last summer with a cast of music community mainstays, following a switch from Corbin’s own name to the current moniker of prairie.
The band is made up of principal songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Chloe Corbin, guitarist Zack Hill (Bitchflower/Copper Teeth), bassist Tucker Valentine (King Crawdad/ Wolfblitzer), and drummer Miles Mercer (Bitchflower/King Crawdad).
Spanning nearly an hour across 13 introspective tracks, the album is a cohesive debut with washed-out guitars, a touch of twang, and a rhythm section comfortably rooted in classic folk rock stylings. It was live-tracked to tape on a Tascam 388 by
Shane Zweygardt (Dead Pioneers/Leashy) and mastered by Andy Whilden of Treeline Sound.
“It was a really great experience, because we had two full days that we did, and we were in our home,” Corbin says. “It was very comfortable, and it was like I was just hanging out with all my best friends for two days and playing music.”
She adds that working with Zweygardt has “always [been] really great,” noting that the producer and drummer had lots of great feedback and knowledge throughout. Hill also said that tracking the album in Corbin and Valentine’s home made for a particularly special experience.
“Mistakes were made and time was well spent,” the guitarist explains. “At the end of it all, we were able to create an unforgettable moment between the four of us that generated an album I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of.”
Some of what makes prairie’s sound so special are Corbin’s unique vocal articulations, which are at once both meditative and haunting. Her meandering melodies and ab-
stract, nostalgic storytelling are supported by reverb-laden guitars and slow, engaging rhythms, coalescing into an ethereal atmosphere fitting for the mystical terrain of the Front Range.
“Learning Chloe’s songs and writing parts to them took some time because she had a pretty big back catalog,” Valentine says. “But the challenge of fitting impactful lines in with her unique chords and phrasing is fun and rewarding when the end-result sounds the way it does.”
Tracks such as “to be the same,” “harder,” and “closer to content” emphasize the band’s more catchy, upbeat and dynamic approach, while others like “waiting around” and “calling out” find the act leaning into subdued, story-driven ballads.
You’ll also hear a number of special recording artifacts sprinkled throughout the album. For example, on “carousel,” the band crescendos into a rising, Space Echo-drenched outro, and those who listen closely will hear Corbin “screaming and laughing maniacally” beneath the heavily affected swell of sound.
Overall, this collection of abstract, stream-of-consciousness folk songs doesn’t leave much else to be desired, solidifying prairie as a promising young band and one of Colorado’s latest gems.
ALL IN ON
KEENAN TREVON
AS THE WORLD OPENS UP, THE DENVER R&B ARTIST STEPS FULLY INTO THE HERO HE’S ALWAYS BEEN.
BY LANDON UNGERMAN
Keenan Trevon is ready to take on the world, and he’ll be doing it in a Colorado Rockies cap. Denver-based singer, songwriter, and producer from Aurora, CO, Keenan Trevon is becoming one of the most compelling new voices in contemporary R&B by staying true to himself. In 2025, that truth began to travel far beyond Colorado with two performances featured on On The Radar Radio as well as a placement on Spotify’s R&B Weekly, which boasts a staggering 1.1 million followers.
Back home, his nearly sold out end-of-year show at Bluebird Theater was a milestone to his staying power as an artist, not just his ability to draw a local crowd. Keenan Trevon’s story is one of proximity; deeply rooted in Denver and Aurora, Trevon carries those experiences into songs that resonate far beyond city limits. This accessibility has placed his work at the rare intersection of polished and ready for the world, yet rooted at home where it all started.
Keenan Trevon delivered his best work yet on buymeflowers, a five-song alternative R&B project released in November 2025. It invites listeners into Trevon’s interior world as he navigates love, self-worth, and the growing pains of adulthood. Fan favorite, “Yours, Hers, Theirs,” quickly surpassed 20,000 across the streaming platforms in its first month, while, “Tied Up,” features a standout collaboration with Colorado hip-hop legend TheyCallHimAP. Sonically, buymeflowers leans into warmth with lush vocals, understated grooves, and melodies that linger.
“buymeflowers is me becoming the person I always knew was there, but didn’t have the confidence to be.”
The project marks a turning point for Trevon. “This is the most ‘R&B’ people have heard me,” Trevon muses. “It’s the most mature people have heard me.” Recently turned 27, he describes the music as growing alongside him. Still catchy and accessible, but rooted in a deeper sense of self. At its core, buymeflowers is an act of affirmation. “The project is big on self-love,” he explains. “It’s me having the confidence to say, ‘I love myself. I respect myself. Buy me flowers.’” The songs are lived-in and intimate, like a late-night conversation.
The months surrounding the creation of buymeflowers were some of the most difficult of Trevon’s life. After finishing the record, coming off tour, and a performance at Mission Ballroom opening for Saint JHN, his personal world unraveled rapidly. His mother began chemotherapy. He lost his relationship and his home within the same week. Shortly after, he was jumped, suffering a broken jaw. Then, in November, his brother passed away.
“Last year it was hit after hit, and I’m still digging out of that dark, low place.”
Yet even in the midst of grief, there was light. Trevon speaks about the way his family came together as a source of strength, and about the meaning of stepping onto the Bluebird Theater stage in front of a hometown crowd.
“To still be doing what I love in the midst of the darkness it’s everything,” he says. The songs on buymeflowers carry that weight, and give listeners working through their own darkness a sort of comfort. Now, a new chapter of the buymeflowers project is unfolding.
The lead single “Act Like U Loved Me,” released in December, surpassed 50,000 streams in a month and signals what Trevon calls his best work yet. This second half of buymeflowers pulls the curtain back further, revealing the human behind the music. “I want to bring out the human behind everything,” he says. “There’s so much to this next half of the project that I know people relate to.”
What ultimately sticks with listeners is Keenan Trevon’s balance of vulnerability and movement, deeply personal music that you can’t help but groove to. After nine years of honing his craft, he’s learned that the power isn’t in mythology, but honesty.
“Oftentimes the hero is just you at your core.”
Looking ahead, Trevon’s vision remains both expansive and grounded. He’s preparing for a 2026 headline tour, eager to reimagine buymeflowers in a live setting with full instrumentation. “I take these songs people know and love and serve them on a different plate, and the music just transforms into something beautiful,” he says. More releases are already slated for 2026, but the mission stays the same: to take the music as far as God will allow, and to bring his city with him. “It’s all for the city,” Trevon says, and listening to the music, you can’t help but put your chips on him.
You can still hear the echo of boots on boardwalks, but now they’re headed downtown for happy hour.
Today in Cheyenne, murals pop, cocktails clink, and makers turn grit into something downright gorgeous.
STAY AWHILE. WE CLEAN UP NICE.
Thursday, July 2 2 Jul NATE EyJ J SMITH H with Chase Matthew w
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