Mini-Festival Celebrates Music Activism for the Environment on August 29

Nonprofit Sustain Music & Nature to host Summit: Music & Nature conference and concert in Fort Collins on August 29.

FORT COLLINS, CO - The environmental movement is enjoying a new approach thanks to local nonprofit Sustain Music & Nature. Sustain takes a celebratory approach to conservation through music. They tap into the emotional hook of music and the cultural sway of bands to generate new supporters for nature. They’ve partnered with federal land agencies, universities, musicians, record labels and conservation organizations to deliver unique concert experiences in the outdoors, and music videos featuring national parks.

How do they do it? Join Sustain at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery on August 29 for an afternoon conference on music activism for the environment. Featuring panels, workshops and dedicated networking, this is an unmissable event for people interested in conservation, community building, and the music industry. Running from 1p-4:30p, the event includes:

• Otterbox Digital Dome Theater screenings of national parks music videos filmed by National Geographic videographers

• A panel and workshops surrounding music activism for the environment, community building through music, and cause marketing for musicians. Guests include Susan Cistone, former SONY records marketing specialist, with clients like Backstreet Boys and Santana.

• A performance by LA’s Dante Elephante

• Appetizers and networking on the rooftop

After the conference, head over to The Aggie for a concert featuring Slow Caves and Special Guests. Concert proceeds directly support Sustain’s mission to make music a force for nature. Doors open at 6p with a silent auction featuring premier outdoor gear. Miguel Avina (iZCALLi) kicks off the music at 7p, followed by a co-bill show with Slow Caves and another act to be announced on August 16!

Tickets are $10 for the conference at the Museum of Discovery and $15 for the concert at The Aggie. Visit www.sustainmusicandnature.org/summit to find tickets and learn more. 

June 27 Trail Session: Bevin Luna & moonmoon at Red Mountain Open Space in CO

Music and nature come together in this Trail Session. Join us on Sunday, June 27 with rock & roots artist, Bevin Luna, and folk band, moonmoon. Sustain Music and Nature will be leading a hike to a beautiful sandstone canyon in Red Mountain Open Space (Wellington, CO). We'll also hear from the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, who are bringing bits of their upcoming Smithsonian "Life in One Cubic Foot" exhibition!

Sliding scale donation tickets and details on our page: https://www.sustainmusicandnature.org/june272021

Concert Video: National Public Lands Day at Lory State Park

Enjoy hip hop artist Rolos Rios and Americana musician Daniel Rodriguez in beautiful Lory State Park- Colorado Parks & Wildlife as we celebrate National Public Lands Day. Each artist is inspired by nature, so what better place to perform? Find your own CO State Park at: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks Thank you to Little House of Sound for producing the video and National Environmental Education Foundation - NEEF for support. Follow Colorado Parks and Wildlife to see more of your public lands in Colorado.

Sustain 5th Anniversary Bash! Songscapes at the Drive-In

We’re celebrating our 5th Anniversary! To mark the occasion, we have Songscape alumni bands, Conner Youngblood and The Burroughs, performing on August 11 at the Holiday Twin Drive-In Theater in Fort Collins, CO. We’ll also be sharing a sneak peak of our next Songscape music video featuring Ben Sollee at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

This is a special Sustain-hosted night within the larger Drive & Jive summer series, in partnership with the Fort Collins Musicians Association. These Covid-cautious concerts can be enjoyed right from your car!

Tickets are $30 for a car of two, plus $10 per additional passenger.

We are very grateful to the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund, Bohemian Foundation and WESTAF.

To purchase tickets, visit: https://holidaytwin.eventsmart.com/events/focomx-drive-jive-sustain-nature-anniversary-bash/

*Did you know Conde Nast Traveler highlighted the Drive & Jive in their list of best drive-in shows around the country?

Bohemian Foundation Awards Sustain Music & Nature a Muse Grant for New Songscape

Last fall, our Colorado board member Nicole Reese attended a workshop in Greeley, CO to learn about Bohemian Foundation’s new Muse grant program. Taking diligent notes about the application criteria and process, she called me right after the session finished.

“We’ve got to apply for this. It’s a perfect fit, we’ve always wanted to do a project in Fort Collins, and I’ve worked with so many of the public lands in this area. I know we can make this work.” Her enthusiasm was contagious as she described the opportunity, rarely pausing to take a breath. We immediately set to work on the application.

Muse is a responsive, competitive grant program offered by Bohemian Foundation’s Music Programs. Bohemian Foundation is based in Fort Collins, CO as a private family foundation that supports local, national and global efforts to build strong communities. Muse supports music-related organizations and activities in Northern Colorado in order to strengthen community through music.

 

In our Muse application, we proposed a new Songscape based within the grant’s scope of work of Weld and Larimer Counties. Here, the public land options are pretty incredible- National Forests, National Grasslands, and State Parks as well as county and city open spaces. We will be partnering with one of these public lands in Northern Colorado to host a locally based band for a Songscape. They’ll spend a week outdoors, learning about the ecology and history, all while soaking up sunshine and enjoying the landscape. From the band’s experiences, they’ll draw inspiration to write a new song. We will shoot a music video and release the video and song at a live concert.  We’re also planning to partner with local businesses and organizations- recording studios, Biodiesel for Bands, the Music District, and Cloverlick Banjos to name a few.

Soapstone Prairie

This Songscape will help raise awareness and appreciation for not only a beautiful public land area, but also for the music industry in Northern Colorado. We create new audiences for public lands and bands through the Songscape program, and we’re incredibly excited to do so in this region. I (Betsy, co-founder) attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins and fell in love with the mountains and plains there. Giving back to a landscape and community that means so much to Nicole and me will be a real privilege.

This Songscape is made possible due to a generous grant from Bohemian Foundation’s Muse program. We are very grateful! Join our Newsletter to stay up-to-date as this Songscape develops. We're also looking for sponsors to help us reach our last bit of funding still needed.