/O (2024)

03/01/2023

Excited to start the new year playing guitar with these folks!

DM for fee-free tickets. You’ll want to be there!

18/02/2021

Anthony ( ) has the ability to deeply care about other people and outwardly focus that through his actions and songwriting. For almost 7 years, he operated the most noted open mic in town. As he put it, “The beautiful thing about the open mic format as an enigma is it’s such an integral part of any music scene in any city. To see someone play a song for the first time that they’ve never played in front of anybody; It feeds my soul to be a part of that because it’s a really unique moment.” It’s hard work running an open mic almost every week of the year, and we know that we aren’t the only ones who are grateful for what his efforts have added to the Colorado music scene.

His songwriting is challenging and connects us all within the common fibers of our shared human condition. Whether it’s in his 2018 album “A Place That Never Changes” or his /O Sessions performance of “Don’t Let the Bastards Win,” Anthony takes us on a journey where he deeply thinks, profoundly cares, and then brings that to us as call-to-action. You can hear that call to be anti-racist in all of our actions and our words now in his /O Sessions performance of “Don’t Let the Bastards Win” on NPR Live Sessions on .

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15/02/2021

More highlights of the /O Sessions house band.

Ben Waligoske ( ) - Vol. 2, Vol. 4 - Pedal Steel - As a guitarist, pedal steel guitarist, producer/engineer, and writer, he has played and toured with a large number of regional, national, and international projects in primarily the Rock/Country/Indie/Americana worlds. Photo by

Daniel Stephenson ( )- Vol. 4 - Bass - A Colorado native and veteran of the Denver music scene, Daniel has played in bands such as A Mouthful of Thunder, A Boy & His Kite, and Navy, as well as alongside solo artists including Josh Dillard, Anthony Ruptak, and Holly Lovell. Photo from film.

13/02/2021

Before joined us for the /O Sessions, she had recently relocated back to her native home in Colorado after living in New York City. As she said, “I needed to know if I could come back home to where I lived and grew up, and this could be a space that I could create in. We don’t always know what environment we will be able to create in best, but I think it’s worth finding.”

It’s that exploration that drew us into her music...that and how she charmed us with her iPhone demos recorded in a Winnebago or back-country tent after being driven inside by mosquitoes. ”Being here, I love really natural sounds, and I love being in spaces where I can hear my fingers being influenced… lyrically, it shifts everything. Because I draw from what I’m around.”

You’ll experience that sensation in her resonant debut album “Ready Reckoner,” where the songs emerged from walking a 500-mile pilgrimage route across Spain or were written in the solitude of a Brooklyn apartment. We hope you will listen and experience a sense of grounded exploration in her /O Sessions performance of “Reservoir” on NPR Live Sessions with .

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10/02/2021

"I think my Dad always pointed me in the direction of sometimes the simplest thing is the best thing. “How to the point can I make this?” is something that has always stuck in the back of my mind.”

Well, to be to the point ourselves, there's a certain timeless nostalgia to Patrick Dethlef’s ( ) music -- it's equal parts cozy and comfortable, expansive and wayfaring. Listen now to his /O Sessions performance of "Remembering" at NPR Lives Sessions on 105.5.

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08/02/2021

We wanted to illustrate the great backbone of musicianship in the colorado music scene. Enter: the /O house band. Each Volume had a revolving cast of some incredible Colorado musicians, and we were honored these brave souls got on board with the experiment. It wasn't easy, everyone learned 12 new songs in about 48 hours, but each person brought something extraordinary.

Rihanna Fairchild ( ) - Vol. 2 - Violin/Viola - Known for her inventive collaborations with many groups around town - from string ensembles to chamber groups consisting of traditional acoustic and modern electronic instruments. We were honored she joined us and lent her thoughtful, textural playing for /O Sessions Vol. 2

Mike Lang ( )- Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 4 - Keys - Known for his intuitive playing and immersive performance with bands from Heavy Diamond Ring to Hunter Burnette. His presence is a boost of energy and joy for anyone lucky enough to share a stage or studio with him.

Photos 1, 2, 4, 5 by

Photo 3 by

06/02/2021

Seeing Joe Sampson ( ) play live around Denver over the years has always been a rare treat. Partially because, as Joe puts it, he put in more work at home than he did on the street. The way we see it, Joe comes from that tradition of songwriter that enjoys the craft of songwriting and enjoys hearing others perform his songs as much, if not more, than performing them himself. As he recently said, "I believe when we hear a real singer bring their take to the song, it is where the magic and "fun" wakes…" Well, we are sure honored that Joe joined us for the Vol. 3 of /O Sessions. The /O house band had an absolute blast coming up with new expressions of just a few of his vast catalog of songs. We sure experienced a lot of magic in his performance of "Save Me," we hope you have fun watching it now on NPR Live Sessions on .

Link in bio

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04/02/2021

We wanted to illustrate the great backbone of musicianship in the colorado music scene. Enter: the /O house band. Each Volume had a revolving cast of some incredible Colorado musicians, and we were honored these brave souls got on board with the experiment. It wasn't easy, everyone learned 12 new songs in about 48 hours, but each person brought something extraordinary.

Josh Skelton ( ) - Vol. 1 - Pedal Steel - Known as an incredible guitar and pedal steel player. In the before-times, you'd catch him around town in a busy gigging schedule with multiple bands. You won't find anyone more enthusiastic about his fellow musicians in the scene; Josh is always championing other creatives.

Jason Legler ( ) - Vol. 1, Vol. 2 - Bass - Known for his calm, thoughtful demeanor on stage and holding his own in a bar fight (kidding). You won't find a better hang for an intelligent conversation during the pre or post-show beer.

02/02/2021

Brianna Straut () captured our hearts with her soaring voice and a deep sense of emotion in her songs, and we were thrilled when she joined us for the /O Sessions Vol. 3. Lucky for us, she found time in her 150+ live show 2019 schedule to join us. Brianna has described herself as easily distracted, which we found surprising given her songwriting's focus and directness. It's a craft that she's honed since her youth growing up in Texas, and those roots have grown stronger here in the Rocky Mountains. You can hear that continuum in "Salt in My Wounds." The song is a thoughtful journey, one we hope will leave you feeling strengthened.

Link in bio to video and digital tip jar to support these artists.

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31/01/2021

/O Sessions Volume 2 expanded our initial vision by bringing songwriters out of established bands and featuring them with a new collaboration.

Joel Van Horne is Covenhoven () And when we were talking with artists for the Sessions, we were intrigued and moved by Joel’s ability to use the idea of place and environment as creative inspiration. From writing his initial album, ‘Covenhoven’ in 2013, through 2018’s ‘A Kind of Revelation’ in locations from Wyoming, the American Southwest, to the Pacific Coastline, Joel has the ability to transfer into song the feeling of those environments that wash over us. As he said during The /O Sessions, “I seek out the places to dream up what I’m going to do next.” We can’t wait to listen to what he has dreamed up in his much anticipated 2021 album that is yet to be released, but for now go check out “Where to Begin” on NPR Live Sessions on .

Yep, link in bio

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28/01/2021

/O Sessions Volume 2 expanded our initial vision by bringing songwriters out of established bands and featuring them with a new collaboration. Anna Morsett is The Still Tide ( ).

“The further in you draw the arrow, the more personal it is, the farther it will reach someone else when you release it.”

During Vol. 2 of the /O Sessions, we asked Anna Morsett of The Still Tide about vulnerability in songwriting. Her response, perhaps, shows the true connection point that we all feel when we open up and expose the deepest, or most vulnerable, parts of ourselves.

Watch & listen to her feature on , ‘Better Than I’ve Been’, to feel and understand how songwriting is helping her become a better vehicle in vulnerability, and what we can all learn from it.

Link in bio.

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27/01/2021

/O Sessions Volume 2 expanded our initial vision by bringing songwriters out of established bands and featuring them with a new collaboration. Julie Davis () joined us from Bluebook.

When we first conjured the idea of the Sessions, we wanted amazing songwriters to join us in an authentic way. Enter: iPhone demos. Julie’s might be one of the most epic, because it featured her son (who, quite frankly, might’ve stolen the show) in the background playing with his red fire truck.

Firetruck or no, Julie shared with us that the creative energy in parenting and raising a child is a big part of what she channels into her music -- which all started with poetry. Julie is a part of Bluebook, a three piece indie band that we hugely adore and that feels more like performance art and otherworldly imagination during their sets than anything else. We were thrilled to welcome Julie to explore some of her songs during the Sessions. ‘Remember Me’, featured here, was based on the story of the Snow Queen, and never ceases to conjure mystic and magic. Watch, listen, and support her work via the digital tip jar. (Link in bio, in case you forgot)

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23/01/2021

wins the awarded distinction of: 'only songwriter to finish one of his songs the morning of the /O Session event'. That song, in particular, was different than our feature today of "If I Told Her," but the fact that he was in the moment, writing and creating the morning of, speaks to his passion for the craft and his ability to tell a story in a real, authentic way.

But when it came to writing this feature, true to this passion and style, Hunter shared that "writing If I Told Her was one of those songs where you sit down with the guitar and the guitar does all the heavy lifting. When I started to write it, I didn’t really have a topic in mind, I just let my subconscious speak with the music and it wrote itself. Sometimes I still go back and forth between what it actually means for me personally. Maybe at the time, I felt that a love lost could have been saved by the simple act of telling that person how I felt. But the song embodies the 'what if...' the experience of having lost it, and the scenarios that start to follow. And how they can become overwhelming."

We're proud to share Hunter's songwriting and artistry as a part of the /O Sessions release -- as an artist, and as friends.

You can support his work by donating to the tip jar.

Link to video on in bio, as always.

22/01/2021

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Today’s /O Sessions featured songwriter is Holly Lovell ( ). We are moved by how she crafts songs that capture aching intimacy and vulnerability with such perceptive storytelling. Holly describes the song “I Love You” as “a song about addiction and what it does to those lives it bleeds out all over. It’s about my life, and how someone’s addiction bled out all over me." ⠀
Listen to her powerful performance of "I Love You" now at NPR Live Sessions using the link in the bio. Photo courtesy: Kate Petrik /

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