Sorry to hear this: Jennifer Byers writes: I’m sad to say. . . I’m CLOSING my doors at “Fraco’s Bar” on Sunday [March 22nd]! I gave it a run! I did the best I could getting loan after loan after loan to keep the doors open. I feel very blessed that God let me run this business over the last few years. I’m super excited for my new adventure. I’m going to miss everyone so much. With tons and tons of love. – Jen, Fraco’s Bar Owner.
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Also sad to hear that Dana Cain of Dana Cain Events, the organizer and producer of the Vintage Voltage Expo and Toy & Doll Super Show has sold the events. She has done an AWESOME job of organizing events for the “little people” so everyone has a chance to sell or show off their collections. We have enjoyed working with her the last few years. Best of luck in your coming endeavors, Dana!
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Boulder Arts Week starts Monday, April 6th with a presentation by COMBO member Lauie Dameron entitled “Spaceship Earth: What Can I Do?” More details next week but calendar it!
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Our annual Songwriting Contest starts April 1st and ends May 31st – only two months to enter. MP3s are recommended. Reminder: If you are a dues-paying member of COMBO, you get one free entry for an individual membership, two free entries if your band is a member, and 4 free entries as a business member! Also new this year: If you enter the contest, you can count the date and time of your entry as proof of “copyright!”
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“There was no more fight left in Rachel Platten. The “Fight Song” singer was the latest celebrity to be revealed on Season 14 of the Fox singing reality competition “The Masked Singer.” Platten was unmasked as Pangolin.” || This show is so much fun, especially if you play along, following the clues, and trying to guess who’s under the mask! Down to four contestants for the finale next Wednesday, April 1st: Crane, Galaxy Girl, Pugasso, and Cat Witch. (BTW, those costume designers MUST be properly honored! The costumes look like something straight out of an AI movie but they are recreated in “hard copy.” Most of them are absolutely AMAZING!)
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Add this to your calendar now! More info in the link. Colorado Guitar Show & Custom Luthier Expo, Saturday, May 9th – Legacy Campus, Lone Tree, CO. Still a couple of tables left! http://guitarshowmagazine.com/coloradoexpo.html
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Go to our website at https://www.coloradomusic.org and hit the “Join COMBO” button. If you’d prefer to not use a credit card, you may send a check for the proper amount to COMBO, PO Box 18186, Denver CO 80218 instead. (Actually this helps us out even more as we don’t have to pay fees to Paypal!)
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COMBO is about the LOVE of Music and the musicians who create and play songs. We do our best to educate and offer an exchange of information, guidance and advice to help musicians advance their careers. Our articles and programs represent some phase of the music business that could affect musicians – all musicians, all genres – everywhere.
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Our motto: Elevate Your Musical State! (Courtesy of former COMBO VP Andy Ard!)
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Please “Like” us on Facebook! Helps our “standing” in the web world!
http://www.Facebook.com/ColoradoMusicBusinessOrganization
TALENT NEEDED:
Chris Reidy Looking for Bands for the new Soiled Dove. Contact him at
https://www.facebook.com/chris.reidy.5811
Voices With Vision: Innervision FM Open Mic Fundraiser – Friday, March 27th
Email johnnie@innervisionrecords.org to reserve your spot.
The Outlets at Castle Rock are Looking for Bands and Musicians for Outdoor Summer Concerts
https://form.jotform.com/260545135621047
CALENDAR
First Friday Five Points is a monthly cultural event held in Denver’s historic Welton Street corridor. The event celebrates the legacy of Five Points — known as the “Harlem of the West” — through live music, art, local businesses and community engagement. Participating venues host performances, art showcases, food and drink specials and cultural programming designed to drive foot traffic, support neighborhood entrepreneurs and highlight the creative spirit of the district. https://www.artsandvenuesdenver.com/grants-cultural-investments/five-points-jazz
March 2026
Th, 26th – 7:00-9:00 p.m. – FREE Karaoke Social – Denver | RSVP required!
You can find our free events at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/free-events
Th, 26th – Doors at 6:00 p.m. – Fundraiser & show for Zing for Zonta, at Nissi’s Event Center stage, 1455 Coal Creek Drive, Unit T, Lafayette, CO 80026 | Vote here: https://bolder.bid/app/public/bidapp/zonta26/auction
Sa, 28th – All day, all night! Frozen Dead Guy Days in Estes Park! Live Music, too! https://www.facebook.com/frozendeadguydays
April 2026
Watch for Boulder Arts Week and Celebration for Earth Day!!!
Sa, 3rd – 7:00 p.m. – COMBO’s own Chris Daniels and the Kings with Freddi Gowdy and Firefall at the Paramount Theater, Denver | More: https://www.facebook.com/chrisdanielsdenver
Mo, 6th – 5:30 p.m. – Laurie D with her program “Spaceship Earth: What Can I Do?” It’s a Multimedia Presentation with her original music. Boulder Arts Week at Junkyard Social Club, 2525 Frontier Avenue, Suite A, Boulder | Come celebrate the 56th Anniversary of Earth Day!
Tu, 7th – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – FREE Song Circle – Broomfield/Online
https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/free-events
We, 8th – 7:00 – Colorado Music Hall of Fame – Community Awards at the Colorado Convention Center’s CMHOF Display | Tickets and more info here: https://cmhof.org/events/inaugural-community-impact-awards#
Th, 9th – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Stage Performance Workshop: Bringing It All Together – Denver/Online | You can find our classes at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/classes
Th, 9th – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. – Laurie D Jazz Duo at Wayback Bar, Lyons, CO
Fr, 10th – 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Laurie D at the Embassy Suites Denver, Downtown
Sa & Su, 11th & 12th – 10:00 a.m. til 4:00 p.m. – Rocky Mountain Record Show at Denver Sports Castle, 1000 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203 | Cost: $10
Fr, 17th – 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. – Laurie D at Dazzle Jazz, El Chapultepec Piano Lounge, Downtown Denver, CO
Fr, 17th – Doors 6:00; Show 7:00 – Crazy Diamonds – Honoring the music of Pink Floyd with the
Colorado Transit Authority (a tribute to the music of Chicago) at the Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue, Denver | Tickets: https://theorientaltheater.holdmyticket.com/tickets/458409
Sa, 18th – 7:30 – 11:00 p.m. – Pop Divas Masquerade Charity Ball for “I See You”at Pace Center Ballroom, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker, CO 80138 | The Pop Divas are Amanda V as Madonna, Marilyn Taylor as P!nk, and Ana Rock as Lady Gaga.
Su, 19th – 10:00 Early Birds; 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. – Vintage Voltage Expo, Toy & Doll Super Show, Colorado Radio Collectors Club at the National Western Complex – Expo Hall, 4655 Humboldt Street, Denver (Centrally located just east of I-25 off Washington) | Cost: $10 gets you into all three shows! Kids under 10 free!
Mo, 20th – 7:00 p.m. via Zoom – COMBO Presents pianist Rob Mullins: Grammy-Nominated Pianist, Composer, and Music Educator on “Relevance Over Time: Longevity, Rediscovery, and the Skills That Sustain a Music Career”! | https://www.planetmullins.com
Tu, 21st – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Music Theory Workshop: Singing Harmonies – Denver/Online
You can find our classes at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/classes
Th, 23rd – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Songwriting Workshop: Writing Better Lyrics – Denver/Online
You can find our classes at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/classes
Sa, 25th – 4:00 p.m. – Rocky Mountain Brassworks with an afternoon of cinematic sound of iconic Western Music at the Wheat Ridge Center for Music and Arts, 7530 West 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge | The concert will feature guest trumpeter Ryan Gardner of CU Boulder | Tickets available:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/rocky-mountain-brassworks-presents-legends-and-landscapes
Mo, 27th – 5:00 p.m. – Laurie D. – Musical Hike with Suzanne Michot,Chautauqua, Boulder, CO | Contact Laurie if you’d like to join them!
Tu, 28th – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Artist Development Workshop: How Do Musicians Make Money? – Denver/Online | You can find our classes at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/classes
We, 29th – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – Songwriting Workshop: Chord Progression Analysis in Popular Music – Denver/Online | You can find our classes at https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/classes
Th, 30th – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. – FREE Karaoke Social – Denver
https://performancehigh.opus1.io/w/free-events
May 2026
Fr, 1st – 6:00 p.m. – Jenn Cleary at First Friday Niwot, 255 Murray Street, Niwot, CO 80544
Su, 3rd – 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. – Laurie D at Busey Brews, Nederland, CO
Fr, 8th – 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Laurie D at Snowy Peaks, Estes Park, CO
Sa, 9th – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Guitar & Luithier Show at the Legacy Events Center in Lone Tree, CO – more info in the article below! Look for COMBO’s booth there!
Sa, 9th – Fund raiser for Boettcher Concert Hall with special guest Jon Batiste!
Fr-Su, 15th thru 17th – Wildflower Fest, Richardson, TX – Look for a Colorado winner in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest!
Sa-Su, 16th & 17th – “Chris Fest” – raising funds for Chris Dellinger, reeling from Stage 4 cancer – at the Oriental Theater, 44th & Tennyson, Denver
Su,17th – 3:00 p.m. – BCAP Annual Candlelight Vigil, Boulder, CO
Mo, 18th – 7:00 p.m. – COMBO Presents – TBA but put the date on your calendar!
Summer Concerts:
Botanic Gardens: https://concerts.botanicgardens.org
Levitt Pavillion: https://www.levittdenver.org
Open Mic / Jam Nights:
Tuesday, April 21st – Special Amplified Open Mic from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Doghouse Studios, 525 Courtney Way, Lafayette, CO. Doors open at 6:20 p.m. and first performance begins at 6:30 p.m. We’ll have the bar open to help y’all enjoy your Tuesday evening, and don’t forget to bring along friends and family! Want to keep Open Mic Tuesdays FREE?! Buy drinks at the bar and donate to our nonprofit Rock for the People ($5 is a GREAT donation)! This is an RSVP event:
https://www.rockforthepeople.org/event-details/amplified-open-mic-night-2026-04-21-18-30?
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Songwriters at the Speakeasy (Roxy on Broadway), 554 South Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
This series takes place at 7:00 p.m. on the second & third Tuesday of each month in the listening-room basement at Roxy on Broadway. Shows feature top songwriters – from upstarts to pros – performing solo. Hosted by Baggs Patrick and Marty Jones
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Acoustic Open Mic Night – 4th Tuesday of the month at the Doghouse Studios, 525 Courtney Way, Lafayette, CO | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Sponsored by Rock for the People | RSVP at
https://www.rockforthepeople.org/events
The Open Jam Night at Mega Music in Sterling is the perfect place for musicians of all ages & levels to get together, hang out, play & learn. Always a good time. Even if you’re not a musician, come hang out & watch. Call 970-521-9020 to sign up. Host: Todd Allen