MWR Singer/Songwriter Showcase at Lost Lake (May 30th)

Mean World Records presented its first singer-songwriter showcase at Lost Lake Lounge on May 30. It was a night to celebrate local artists, new and established, in addition to showing what makes the Colorado scene unique. 

Lost Lake was packed with a mix of artists, friends, family, and members of the community who were all there to support the artists performing that night. In between sets during the show, it felt more like a meet up where people could catch up with one another. 

The show was hosted by Denver based poet Gion Davis, who wrote pieces for the artists on the lineup. Davis' inclusion really cemented the intention behind the showcase- to uplift artists from Colorado by giving them a space where their voices can be heard.

Sibyl Vane started off the night with a charming and high energy performance. Her excitement spread to the audience which caused the first set of the night to be full of light and fun. During her time on stage, there was a moment she swapped out her acoustic guitar to play her electric guitar. As she picked up the guitar she mentioned how she had to quote Bob Dylan and exclaimed, “I’ve gone electric!”

Hala Hooper went next. Most of her songs were accompanied by her band but also had softer acoustic songs that were sung solo. Some of the songs she played were from her most recent EP, “it’s getting hard to romanticize this…” which was released in January of this year. During one of the songs, everyone in the band put on party hats. Guitarist Miachael Amodeo wore it on his nose which was a fun spin on an already endearing moment. 

Juney has been performing in the Fort Collins scene for some time, and he shared his music with a Denver audience for the first time at the showcase. The indie rock sound was comforting which was welcomed on what ended up being a very rainy night. Overall, it was a good introduction of what Juney brings to the Denver scene.  Juney is releasing a new single on June 14 called “Associate Degree”. 

Corsicana marked the first performance of the night to be a solo act. This brought something different to the night which, up until this point, had been artists with accompanying bands. It worked wonderfully for Corsicana’s sound. Corsicana has been part of the Colorado music scene since 2014 and his most recent album “Kept” came out in 2023 and is the third full length album he has released. 

Lonely Choir continued the trend that Corsicana had established and put on a solo acoustic set. Her vocals were only elevated by her mesmerizing lyrics and showed how music and poetry can intersect. It was a captivating performance. Her more indie folk musical style was a welcomed contrast to the other artists at the showcase.

Finn O’Sullivan went next and also had an acoustic set. The scenarios O’Sullivan writes about are relatable, so when she was performing these songs the audience started to be more reactive. She released an EP this past April called “Best Last Words” and played some songs from the EP.  O’Sullivan gave herself a challenge for this show. She decided to write a song specifically to perform at the showcase and you would have never been able to tell that it hadn’t been performed live before. 

The night ended with Bryce Menchaca, who kept the energy high and brought back an accompanying band to the stage. People started to break out into dance throughout Menchaca’s performance. During the final song of the night, the crowd was having so much fun that two different people did the worm. It was an entertaining audience and performance as well. Menchaca has been releasing music since 2014 and recently released an EP titled “Pepper” this past March. 

Mean World plans to host more singer-songwriter showcases to continue amplifying the music of local artists.