Vol. 3 No. 5
MAY 3, 2024
STEEL CITY MUSIC 6 | SYRINGE SERVICES 16 | STATE OF ART 23 | SPIRIT OF INCLUSIVITY 28
• DIG DEEPER •
Photo by Jeffry Moore
| COMMUNITY | ACCOUNTABILITY | CURIOSITY | CONNECTION |
Rock ‘N’ Steel Inaugural Music Showcase brings Pueblo together, delights crowd of more than 1,000
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By Luke Lyons
nion Avenue was abuzz just before the sun set on April 12. Spanning that evening and the next, Pueblo’s historic street hosted more than 1,000 visitors. There was the normal bustling of traffic and avenue shoppers, but there also was excitement and anticipation for the inaugural Steel City Music Showcase. Hailing from Pueblo, Denver, Colorado Springs and even Albuquerque, New Mexico, 30 bands and artists performed throughout the four-stage, twonight event on Union Avenue. Starting at the intersection Union and B Street, The Fuel & Iron Food Hall, at 400 S. Union Ave., bands played in the restaurant and at the Loading Dock Gallery. the loading docks. Visitors found the CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves Main Stage at La Bella Union Plaza, an outdoor food truck court and community gathering space at 318 S. Union Ave., which featured acts such as the Canary Initiative, Los Mocochetes and Neoma. The Gold Dust Saloon, at 217 S. Union Ave., acts like Morgan J. Cox, Phat Quarter, Snatch and The Ragetones performed on the restaurant’s patio. At the final stage along Union Avenue, held at The Sacred Bean, located at 209 S. Union Ave., groups and artists like Christian Jaquez, Lucky Overton Duo and The Marieta Dolls performed on the coffee shop’s indoor stage. The festival was a culmination of months of planning, collaboration, fundraising and hard work between multiple organizations, people and the venues. It was an undertaking that brought the city together all for one goal: to create a new tradition that could potentially put Pueblo on the map for indie artists and bands.
The birth of the Steel City Music Showcase Local “soul funk” band, The Canary Initiative, played the CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves Main Stage at the Steel City Music Showcase. Bassist Charlie Hayden and singer/guitarist Stefan Anderson-Findley are two players in the five-member group. Photo by Jeffry Moore.
Fuel & Iron Food Hall owner Nathan Stern has always loved the Denver Underground Music Showcase. The three-day event takes place on South Broadway in Denver and features more than 200 indie music acts. STEEL CITY MUSIC continued on page 6