This week, we're featuring a story from reporter and producer Shay Castle. Shay wrote a piece for the August edition of Caribou Current about a family of artists being featured in a Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art exhibit through September, called "Tres Voces, Un Corazon". 

In this week's episode, the trio tells us who their biggest influences in art are, how they fell in love with their respective mediums, and what it's like being a family of creatives all sharing one heart.

Read the full story at cariboucurrent.com.

We featured some music from Cipriano's band Los Lo Los in this episode. Check them out here: youtube.com/@loslolosrock.

For a full schedule of BMoCA events related to the exhibit, head here: www.bmoca.org/2026/tres-voces-un-corazon-summer-exhibition

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Gearing up for the 5th annual Nederland Jazz and Wine Festival, we're interviewing Joslyn Ford-Keel, multi-genre artist known professionally as JoFoke. She'll be performing as the middle act with her group Same Cloth between noon and 2 p.m. You can learn more about the festival and buy tickets at nedjazzwine.com.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week we've got our very first edition of our Town Hall Podcast with Nederland Mayor Nichole Sterling.

OVer the past week, we asked you to submit your questions for Mayor Sterling. Today, we've got answers. We cover everything from downtown signage to fire evacuation routes, and of course the town's pending purchase of Eldora Mountain.

If you'd like to follow up with Nichole Sterling, you can reach her here: nicholes@nederlandco.org.

If you want to get in touch with the team behind The Mountain-Ear Podcast or send us more questions, you can reach out to Tyler Hickman at tyler@themountainear.com.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Debuting as a group with their first public performance, The Full Tilts will play at Two Bears Bar and Grill in Idaho Springs on August 1st. Lead guitarist and singer Brian Bucca joins the podcast to talk about the new group, with host Jamie Lammers revealing his surprising connection with the musician.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week we've got just the headlines.

We get to the bottom of community concern sparked by a large number of dead fish washing up on the shore of Nederland's Barker Reservoir, and rehash a surprise motion accusing Central City's Mayor Jeremy Fey of impropriety.

Also

• Ned chases emergency siren funding
• Central City approves boxing event
• Gilpin County cowboys up

Submit your questions for Mayor Nichole Sterling here: https://forms.gle/gsLHfRsSgY1h2LpR7

Listen to "How Colorado's fitness culture (and the rise of GLP-1s) are fueling eating disorders" from Boulder Valley Frequency here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2600535/episodes/19461249

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In this episode of Music of the Mountains, Punch Brothers bassist Paul Kowert joins the podcast to talk about his involvement in the Grammy-winning group in anticipation of their closing performance at RockyGrass 2026 at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons and their first all-instrumental album "The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers."

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week we've got just the headlines.

We've got tons of news coming your way, from Gilpin's preliminary discussions of a "de-Brucing" ballot measure that would remove the county's TABOR restricted budget cap, to Nederland's $325,000 contract with a brokerage firm assisting with the Eldora acquisition. Listen in to hear this week's top stories from the Peak to Peak.

Also

• Nederland lands $1 million grant for ADU, downtown accessibility
• Remembering artist and former Gilpin resident Ramblin' Roy Smith
• Fado music: Sounds of Lisbon

Read senior reporter Mindy Leary's obituary for Roy Smith here: themtnear.com/stories/story-of-roy-smith-racism-gilpin-county,77519?

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

The 2026 Gilpin County Fair is coming to Black Hawk from July 17th to 19th, and to prepare for the event, we talked with volunteer organizer Marilyn Ashmore to talk about the fair and what to expect!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today's show is a rerun of one of our most popular episodes ever.

Back in February, we produced this story about how Boulder ended up as a hot bed for hippies and counterculture. If you didn't catch it then, you're in for a treat.

Here's the link to the original episode, along with details about the historical clips used to produce the show: buzzsprout.com/1583656/episodes/18748944

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week, we're flashing back to the very first segment of Music of the Mountains to celebrate the five-year anniversary of journalist and host Jamie Lammers writing for the column. This first interview features bassist Dolores Berbaum talking about her group Treeline String Band after their first performance.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

The July issue of Caribou Current hit the racks this week, so today we're featuring an exclusive interview with Boulder County-based cosmic Americana group Prairiewolf.

Our editor Jezy Gray sat down with Jeremy Erwin, Tyler Wilcox and Stefan Beck to chat about their latest album Zone Poems, out July 17. Last year the group went on tour around Colorado and got into some pretty funky head spaces on stage. They didn't know it yet, but they were recording their next record in real time.

Listen in to go on that journey with them.

You can check out their upcoming show schedule here: prairiewolfmusic.com/home#shows

Today's show featured their first single from the record "Burning Edges", which you can stream here: prairiewolfcf.bandcamp.com/album/zone-poems

Head to cariboucurrent.com to read the full story, and so much more. 

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In this week's Music of the Mountains, Jamey and Heather Bilyeu take time out of their breaks performing at Very Nice Brewing Company in Nederland to talk about their history as a duo before their follow-up performance at the Gilpin location on July 11th.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today, we’re taking a trip to CU Boulder’s Mountain Research Station. This little plot of land in the Indian Peaks Wilderness operated by CU’s Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is one of the longest running high elevation research centers in the world. This summer, they’re celebrating 100 plus years of groundbreaking research by opening its doors to the public. 

First, we'll hear from INSTAAR on the history of the Mountain Research Station. After that, we meet three scientists with upcoming public seminars at the station who are doing groundbreaking research that could soon influence your local community.

Also

• Timberline Fire Protection District unveils new station
• Central City Opera launches renovation project for historic stables

Check out the full schedule of seminar speakers here: colorado.edu/mrs/current-events/summer-seminar-series

Learn more about INSTAAR's 75th anniversary and sign up for alerts here: colorado.edu/instaar/about-instaar/75th-anniversary

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Rachel Cole and Gus Miller have been performing music as a duo for years, but for the first time, they're cementing a duo project they've called Down River. This week, we talk to Rachel and Gus in preparation for their upcoming performance at the Jamestown Mercantile on Thursday, June 25th, 2026.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

We've got another segment from our friends at Boulder Valley Frequency today featuring prolific music journalist, outdoorsmen and Ward-adjacent resident Grayson Haver Currin. Grayson has profiled Willie Nelson, Peter Frampton, Tame Impala and of course, Paul McCartney. Today, he explains how he found his way to music journalism while telling some pretty cool stories along the way.

Also

• Black Hawk water issue gets multimillion dollar fix
• Nederland explores IGA for fire mitigation
• Central City talks affordable housing
• Former Gilpin resident wins a Peabody

You can watch the Peabody award-winning KMBC-TV documentary Restrained here: kmbc.com/article/chronicle-restrained-law-enforcement-restraint-documentary-investigation/64592751

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Local indie folk unit Trouble's Braids released their newest EP Tarantula on June 5th, and to talk about the release and their upcoming group performances, co-founder Emily Pennington joins this week's episode of Music of the Mountains!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Take a break from national headlines and tune in to what's going on in your neighborhood. On this week's episode, we've got just the headlines: a quick round up of everything that's been happening in the Peak to Peak these last two weeks, from proposed rental housing in Nederland to Central City Opera's show stopping drag performance in Denver. 

Also

• Nederland child care center nears completion
• Massive turnout for Ned's annual clean-up day
• Live music kicks off summer at Chipeta Park

Read Caribou Current's roundup of shows playing at Central City Opera this summer

Nederland Summer Concert Series full schedule

Hazel Miller and The Collective at Village at the Peaks

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Colorado guitarist Jon Ridnell has released his first new BlackDog album in over a decade, Freak the Funk. Tune into this week's episode to learn more about Jon and his new release.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

The June issue of Caribou Current hit the racks yesterday, so we've got another sneak peak at all of this months content today. In honor of our cover story about Boulder Comedy Festival, coming to venues across The People's Republic June 16-21, we compiled a few snippets of standup from comedians performing at the festival for today's show - along with our regular round up of concerts, events and stories you won't want to miss.

Content warning: This episode contains strong language.

Watch Ren Q. Dawe's full set here: youtube.com/watch?v=Hx8fXqi-Bis&t=43s

Watch Sami Beason's full set here: youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_VEsbPg94&t=12s

Watch Zoe Roger's full set here: youtube.com/watch?v=d9oyLi115vM&t=7s

Head to bouldercomedyfestival.com to purchase tickets and see the full lineup of this year's comedians.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In this week's episode of Music of the Mountains, we bring on Dango Rose to talk about his musical endeavors, celebrating his opening at Ned General for Redd and the Paper Flowers on May 30, 2026. From a new documentary focusing on his songwriting and mental health journey to performing with Elephant Revival, we catch up with Dango on his current musical direction.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

The general public tends to write off skaters as grungy, lazy, troublemakers. But that's far from the truth.

In reporting a story for the May issue of Caribou Current, I asked Nederland skateboarders about the lessons skating can teach us. There's a lot more to learn than just how to do a kickflip - skating can teach us how to persevere, how to fail and succeed, and how to be a good person. This episode is a compilation of some of those conversations.

Check out the original story about Ned's skate culture here: How Nederland's skate culture got its wheels on the ground

Special thanks to Dave Kingsbury, who shared this video wof him and his then 4-year-old son Quinn skating together.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Guitarist Tony Crank recently performed with friends as Tony Crank Music at The Old Gallery in Allenspark. On this episode of Music of the Mountains, we talk with Tony about his time as a guitarist in Colorado and the reasons he continues playing and learning today.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today, we’re featuring an episode from our sister podcast, Shay Castle’s Boulder Valley Frequency, about a pair of mountain women breathing life into Ward’s Hotel Columbia, which just opened its doors after a year and a half of renovations. 

A few months ago, Shay paid a visit to Hotel Columbia and its new owners, Masyn Moyer and Gurjeet Gill, to find out what possessed them to renovate the  old building. It’s a story of perseverance and preservation — two things that the town of Ward is certainly known for. 

Also

• Black Hawk bans cannabis businesses
• Gilpin fourth graders lobby Central City for playground improvements
• Billy Giblin, Topher Donahue appointed to Nederland Board of Trustees
• The Vault opens in Nederland

Read Shay's full story about Hotel Columbia here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Brian and Lacey Loeper are core members of a close group of musicians who arrived in Colorado from different places. This connection of new community members inspired the name Satellite Friend, who now work together to write new songs on a regular basis. Learn more about the band by tuning in to this episode of The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring Brian and Lacey!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Colorado's largest Superfund site by area stretches 400 square miles across Gilpin and Clear Creek counties. The site has been in remediation for nearly five decades, and a new scope of remediation is assessing the health risk of lead left behind by historic mining to residents.

At Gilpin County's annual health fair on May 9, public health workers were testing residents' blood for lead. On today's episode, we sat down with Gilpin's Public Health director Alisa Witt to find out the risks this poses to county residents. 

Also

• Grand Island Resources withdraws application to reopen Cross Mine in Nederland
• Nederland votes to approve affordable housing feasibility study
• Peak to Peak seniors set to graduate this weekend

Check out a map of Colorado's Superfund sites here.

Contact Gilpin County Public Health at 303-582-5803 to schedule free blood lead testing, or for more information on soil and well water testing.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week, transitioning into our new regular spot for Music of the Mountains, we're bringing a stand-up comedian, Aaron Foster, onto the show to talk about his upcoming set for his tour, Mostly Jokes, at the Backdoor Theater on Thursday, May 14th. Join us for this slight detour of an episode with Performing in the Peaks!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today's show features an exclusive interview with Elephant Revival's Bonnie Paine, who just released her debut solo record, Unseen. 

She joins the show today to talk about how the record came together, her path to headlining Red Rocks, and a little known band out of Oklahoma called The Rat Nurses. 

You can read the full story at cariboucurrent.com, or in our May issue, on news racks all over Nederland, Boulder and the Peak to Peak today.

Bonnie will be at Fox Theatre in Boulder on Saturday, May 16.

Also

• Skate culture is alive and well in Nederland at Nathan Lazarus Skatepark
• American Football drummer Steve Lamos at CU
• MainStage Brewing brings the house down with Bluegrass
• Rebuilding from Colorado filmmaker Max Walker-Silverman resonates with wildfire threatened communities on the Front Range
• Boulder Arts Blueprint sets stage for the next 10 years of art in Boulder 

The song at the end of the show is Bonnie Paine's "Unseen", the title track off her new record. Listen to it here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

After the devastation of the Lakeview Fire in October 2025, Nederland businesses had to find their footing again. With the upcoming opening weekend for Ned's newest hub, The Vault, we're featuring Doug Armitage to talk to him about his business, Brightwood Music, and building it back up with the help of the community.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Cross Mine could finally reopen. A final hearing on operator Grand Island Resource's application to resume mining activity is scheduled for May 20 after years of delays.

But where does the town of Nederland fit into all of this? On today's episode, reporter Shay Castle sits down with Nederland Town Manager Jonathan Cain to discuss what's at stake for the mountain town, and what they're doing to keep an eye on GIR's operations. 

Also

• Campaign launches to save The Merc in Jamestown (Donate here: Savethemerc.org)
• Black Hawk hires new city manager

Links

• Watch the May 20 hearing on GIRs application here
• The Mines Part I
• The Mines Part II
• The Mines Part III
• The Mines Part IV

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In preparation for the first show of the Gold Hill Inn's 2026 season, learn more about That Damn Sasquatch from primary songwriter and guitarist Spencer Crawford. To prepare for the band's performance on May 1st to start the season off, we talk with Crawford about the history and stylings of the band!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

On this week's episode, Nederland's new mayor Nichole Sterling joins the show for an exclusive interview to talk about her vision for Ned's future, affordable housing and the dramatic finish to the mayoral race.

Polls closed in Nederland two weeks ago, and after several unofficial results and recounts, Nichole Sterling edged out incumbent Billy Giblin, 261 to 258, for the mayor's seat.

The former Mayor Pro Tem has big plans for the town as it enters a new chapter. Listen in to hear what her vision is.

Also

• Homemade explosives discovered in unincorporated Boulder County Neighborhood
• Idaho Springs' Mighty Argo Cable Car opening delayed

Purchase tickets to ride the Mighty Argo here

Listen to The Mountain-Ear's articles read out loud here

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Wendy Woo will be coming back to the Peak to Peak area when she performs at Oskar Blues Grill and Brew on Friday, May 22, 2026. In anticipation of next month's performance, we're bringing back her segment from November 2025!

Wendy Woo is a performer rooted sturdily in Colorado. Originally from New York, the acoustic singer-songwriter moved to Boulder with her parents as a kid, going back and forth between Boulder and Nederland.

Both of her parents, Bataan and Jane Faigao, served as founding faculty members at Naropa University and co-founded what has since developed into the school’s Traditional Eastern Arts program. She’s performed seriously in Colorado since the 1990s, and she currently lives in Loveland with her family. 

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

What's the first thing you would grab if your house was on fire?

For Brianna and Max Rashbaum, owners of Nederland's Spinning Silica, seeds are at the top of the list.

On today's episode, we hear the story of a pair of seasoned gardeners who have been saving seeds from their garden for decades -  a practice that slowly adapts a plants genetics to the climate they grow in. 

They lost a portion of their stock when their pottery and glass studio burned down in the Caribou Village Shopping Center Fire last fall, but now, they're hoping to share what they still have with the community.

On Sunday, April 19 they're hosting a community seed exchange, where local gardeners can come and share the seeds they've been saving in an effort to strengthen local plant genetics and build community. 

The event will be held at 55 E. 1st Street from noon to 3 p.m.

Also

• Nederland is still waiting on official results from mayoral election
• Black Hawk holds first contested election for city council in 12 years

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

As a special segment to celebrate National Poetry Month, today's episode spotlights Joshua Davis, Streets Manager and resident of Nederland. Read more about him and his poetry in the April 2nd edition of the newspaper or on the website.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

We have another news-heavy episode for you this week.

The Nederland mayoral race came down to just one vote, with sitting mayor Billy Giblin receiving 258 votes and challenger Nichole Sterling at 257. Stay tuned for updates on a potential recount as we hear more from Nederland town staff.

Also

• Nederland's Wild Bear Nature Center names new executive director
• Eldora closes for the season
• The Mountain-Ear's Body, Mind, Spirit magazine hits the racks

We'll be back next week with more new from the Peak to Peak.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Before seeing them as a co-bill at the Gold Hill General Store on April 16th, listen to this week's Music of the Mountains to learn more about Alexa Wildish and Sadie Gustafson-Zook!

Even though both Sadie Gustafson-Zook and Alexa Wildish have been musical since their childhoods, their craft is always evolving. There are new influences, new perspectives and, of course, new skills and songs.

“I feel like I’m constantly growing and shifting and navigating,” says Wildish, “and learning things about myself and the industry as it always changes. There’s lots of different ways in which to express this creative part of our lives.”

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Stanley Jordan is your favorite guitar player's favorite guitar player.

The legendary jazz guitarist is coming to The Caribou Room April 18 ahead of the release of his new record Feather in the Wind. For the latest issue of Caribou Current, Brittney Wagner caught up with Stanley ahead of the show to talk about his signature playing style, and how he used songwriting to cope with devastating loss.

Brittney joins the show today to tell us what to expect from his upcoming album and show. 

Also

• An editorial preview for the April edition of Caribou Current
• One can't-miss concert coming to Boulder this month
• Hand-picked events for you to pack your calendar with in the next few weeks

Clips from today's episode

Audio from a Bigfoot call contest

Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan shares his guitar secrets - The Wall Street Journal

Stanley Jordan - "Stairway to Heaven" (cover)

B.B. King - "The Thrill is Gone"

Stanley Jordan - "Autumn Leaves"

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Welcome Godlazer back to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, where we have DJ Christopher Caligaris talking about his creative resurgence and his personal musical journey. Learn more about him in preparation for his upcoming appearance at The Vault on May 15th from 5 to 9 p.m.!

In the five years since the release of his most recent album, Electric Caribou, instrumental and electronic musician Christopher Caligaris has primarily focused on his career as a water treatment operator. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, though, he’s continued writing, building a catalog of tracks.

“I’m sitting on about 22 tracks, 14 of which, I think, are almost ready to release,” says the DJ, who performs under the moniker Godlazer. “A lot of the process of making music, for me, is therapeutic.”

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

On this week's episode, we're bringing you just the headlines: All the information you need to stay informed on what's happening in your community, in a tight show you can listen to in less than 10 minutes.

This week's updates

• Nederland Mayor Billy Giblin provides update on Caribou Village Shopping Center cleanup
• Gilpin County Sheriff's Office sees large uptick in calls for service, domestic violence bookings
• State denies amended application for Nederland's Cross Mine to begin operations
• Remembering LGBTQIA+ advocate Clela Rorex

Clips used in today's show

• Demolition begins at Caribou Village Shopping Center in Nederland after months-long delay, Denver 7
• Six gay Weddings and a Horse, History Colorado's Lost Highways

Listen in next week for exclusive content from the third edition of our arts and culture monthly Caribou Current.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Tune into this week's episode of Music of the Mountains to hear from guitarist, songwriter, harmonica player, and dobro player Keith Murdock about an upcoming show at Howlin' Wind Brewing and Blending (Saturday, March 28th at 4 p.m. ) from Orchard Creek Band!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

We're excited to announce that Boulder Valley Frequency, a local news podcast from longtime Boulder reporter Shay Castle, is joining the Mountain-Ear Podcast family.

On today's show, we sat down with Shay to talk about the importance of local news, and how her show is bringing you everything you need to know to stay informed on your community in an accessible and unintimidating package.

We feature the lates episode of BVHz, where Shay sat down with the daughter of a King Soopers shooting victim on grief to talk about healing and the power of storytelling.

Erika Mahoney, a Boulder-born journalist, lost her father, Kevin Mahoney in the 2021 King Soopers shooting. She created Senseless, an 8-part podcast, to explore the impact of losing her father in such a sudden, violent and public way.

If you liked today's show, you can subscribe to BVHz here: www.boulderfrequency.com.

To get in touch with Shay, you can email her here: shay@themountainear.com.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week's Music of the Mountains brings back interviews with Harry Tuft, founder of the Denver Folklore Center, to hear from him about his experiences in the Colorado music scene. This interview was partially sourced for this week's Music of the Mountains column, recounting the story of The Beatles performing in their only Colorado show, at Red Rocks, in 1964.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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If you listen to this show every week, you know that Colorado has a rich mining history. With the Peak to Peak’s deep roots in the mining industry, there always seem to be overlooked nuggets of information. In this episode with Maryann Rosen, we dig into one of those stories — how a man moved from China to start one of the first Chinese settlements in the state, and how prejudice and early U.S. immigration laws turned it into a ghost town. 

Also

• Election season in Nederland has arrived
• Gilpin Commissioners allocate funding for childcare center, food assistance
• Sons claim win in Gilpin's 4th annual Mother-Son Nerf War

Submit art to the Mountain-Ear Youth Art Contest here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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Thank you for listening!

In this week's episode of Music of the Mountains, we're featuring Emily Pennington, one half of the duo Trouble's Braids, who is coming to perform at Busey Brews on March 15th at 2 p.m.! Stay tuned to learn more!

"Music is a relatively new adventure in Emily Pennington’s life. For her, it’s also one of the most unexpected, something she’d tried but never considered pursuing. 'To be totally honest, I played guitar a tiny bit in college and got really down on myself because it’s really hard and it hurts your fingers,” recalls Pennington. “I kinda put the guitar down for 10 or 15 years and didn’t even think about it very much.'"

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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The March issue of Caribou Current hits the stands today, and with it we're bringing you a special editorial preview of what's inside this month - including an exclusive interview with art rock darling Neko Case ahead of her March 15 show at Boulder Theater.

Inside the episode:

• Nederland's first Poet Laureate grace's the cover of our March Issue
• A round-up of this month's content, from a feature on a non-profit for local musicians to an inside look Nederland's favorite hangout Ned General
• Our picks for local concerts and events that you absolutely cannot miss this month

Music appearing in the episode

• "Sweet Dreams" by Patsy Cline
• "Winchester Mansion of Sound" by Neko Case

Head to cariboucurrent.com to read this months content and more, for free.

Follow @Cariboucurrent on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with the best arts and culture coverage from the foothills to the Continental Divide.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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Coming from Colorado Springs to perform in Jamestown, the country band Patchwork Jack will be headed to the Jamestown Mercantile, located at 108 Main Street in Jamestown, on Saturday, March 13, 2026, starting at 7 p.m.!

The music of Patchwork Jack reflects the band’s name: Despite origins in folk, their sound also includes the influences of Texas country, Latin ballads, and Romani swing.

The band’s name primarily comes from the main songwriter and guitarist, Shane “Bob” Lory, who released a solo folk song called “Patchwork Jack” before the band’s formation.

“That idea got bouldered into the full band once we got more people involved,” states Lory, “Patchwork sort of representing a fusion of genres and influences from all over the place. And Jack… we used to call each other Jack in high school. Everyone was Jack, so the Patchwork is all-inclusive. Anyone can hop on.”

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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Before the days when Boulder, Nederland and Ward were considered a safe haven for beat poets, rockstars and acid heads, there wasn’t a whole lot of love for weird. Then the 1960s happened, and a near-earth asteroid drove a swath of paranoid hippies to Boulder and its mountain towns.

Today, Maryann Rosen takes us on a long strange trip through the migration of hippies to the area, and how the art, drugs and attitudes they brought with them changed this place for good.

Also

• Demolition process begins at Caribou Shopping Center
• Boulder v. Big Oil lawsuit heading to Supreme Court
• Nederland library celebrates 25 years

Links

The Hippie Temptation, CBS News report, 1967

Jack Kerouac on the Steve Allen Show, 1959

Oral history with Robert F. Raikes, Boulder Public Library, 2011

"Sail On" by Zephyr, track one on Zephyr, 1969

Leftover Salmon in Boulder, 2012

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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In this week's Music of the Mountains, we're featuring country singer-songwriter Alma Russ, traveling from her home state of North Carolina to perform at the Gold Hill General Store on Friday, March 6th, at 7:30 p.m.! 

Narratives are the most compelling part of music to Alma Russ. The Florida-born musician spent summers with her family on her greatgrandmother’s property in Sylva, North Carolina, and Appalachian folk music inspired her most.

“When I was, like, 12, I got into singing Scotch-Irish murder ballads,” Russ recalls about her musical upbringing. “In high school, I got more into country music, the great songwriters like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt and people like that, and I decided I wanted to write songs.” 

Stay tuned to learn more!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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In the 20th century, segregation in Colorado prevented many Black artists and families from staying at hotels, eating in restaurants and finding respite. A little known plot of land in Gilpin County called Lincoln Hills was the only place many African Americans could go for this.

At the time, Lincoln Hills was the only leisure destination west of the Mississippi owned by and made for Black Americans. Artists like Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston spent time communing and creating here to get away from segregation and find peace in the Colorado Mountains.

For Black History month, Mountain-Ear reporter Mindy Leary is writing a series of profiles covering the time these artists spent at the Gilpin County refuge. Today, she joins us on the podcast to tell us about Gilpin's forgotten Black History.

Also

• Asbestos testing to finally begin at the Caribou Village Shopping Center fire wreckage
• Ned BOT pursues $1 million in funding for local improvements
• Very Nice Brewing Gilpin hosts annual crawfish boil

Read the first story in Mindy's Lincoln Hills series about Langston Hughes here.

Her Feb. 19 piece will feature jazz artist Duke Ellington, followed by a feature on actress and activist Lena Horne on Feb. 26.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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In this week's double feature of Music of the Mountains, we're bringing in Kimmerjae Macarus and Morgan McHugh to talk about their upcoming show at Ned General!

The Colorado journey of folk-rock guitarist Morgan McHugh came from expanding his performing reach. Branching from projects he’d been a part of, the Bellingham-born musician brought his original songs and acoustic guitar stylings to perform solo.

McHugh began performing in small bars and house concerts, touring throughout Washington, California, and Colorado. The first show he played in Colorado was as part of a house concert series hosted by artist Kimmerjae Macarus, beginning their close musical connection. The two enthusiastically share their mutual admiration.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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In our Valentine's Day special, we're bring you an episode stuffed with love. We read Valentine's submitted by you, our readers and listeners, to the Mountain-Ear, followed by a dive into the holiday's somewhat twisted origins.

Valentine's Day wasn't always chocolate, roses and romance. The cute cards and candy hearts we know today can trace their origins back to a pagan holiday, Chaucer, and of course, early Christianity, our history correspondent Maryann Rosen says. In today's episode, she reveals the true story of Valentine's Day. 

From everyone at The Mountain-Ear, happy Valentine's Day! Show your love for local journalism by sharing today's episode with your special someone.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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In this week's episode of Music of the Mountains, we feature Christopher Morse, acoustic singer-songwriting with the stylings of John Mayer and Jason Mraz!

Have you ever heard of a boarding school for musicians? Even this column’s author had no idea a school like that existed. For those who actually attended, though, it became some of their first experiences touring.

Christopher Morse attended his middle school years at the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. Though he shifted from his classical upbringing to acoustic indie pop-folk tendencies by high school, the Boychoir is where he first honed his musical skills.

“The easiest way to describe it is, it was Hogwarts for singing,” explains Morse. “It was a boarding school where we sang three to four hours a day, having rehearsals, and then we would go on tour, have school on the bus while we were on tour, sing every night, and drive to a new city the next night.”

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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It's finally here. The first issue of Caribou Current, our new, free arts and culture monthly hits news racks across Boulder and Gilpin County today, Feb. 5. 

In honor of our first issue, we're bringing you an episode packed with Caribou Current content: An exclusive interview with the prolific Boulder-based horror author Stephen Graham Jones, an editorial preview of this month's issue, and handpicked events and concerts you won't want to miss.

Freelance reporter Toni Tresca sat down with Stephen Graham Jones to talk horror writing, industry labels and how becoming a household name has changed his career.

You'll be able to read all of these stories in our print product, or at cariboucurrent.com for free. 

Links

Paranormal activity 2 in theater audience reactions 

The Only Good Indians: Book Talk with Yvette Benavides on Texas Public Radio

Follow on @Cariboucurrent on Instagram and Facebook

Stay tuned for more Caribou Current exclusives at the start of each month.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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In this week's Music of the Mountains, we feature Emma Sky Quarterman, a Colorado singer-songwriter working on booking more gigs in the Front Range. She's got two performances on Valentine's Day weekend, so be sure to stay tuned to learn more about those shows!

Emma Sky Quarterman is, in many ways, a woman of the mountains. Not only is the country, pop, and R&B-inspired artist one of many in the lineup of the 2026 Women of the Mountain Festival, she is also a lifelong Colorado resident—born in Leadville, growing up in Nederland, and moving to Boulder in 2010.

She grew up interested in being a musician, ultimately performing in the school choir at Nederland MiddleSenior High and helping to host an open mic at TEENS, Inc. In her college years, she attended Naropa University to study music.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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Today, we’re joined by a trio of CU Boulder student journalists who dug up a story in Gold Hill, where failing backup batteries cut emergency services for residents during power outages.

The systems, supplied by Lumen Technologies, are supposed to keep land lines operational when the power's out. But some of those batteries are over 20 years old and failing, turning power outages into potentially life-threatening situations.

Sydney Schrader, Corey Neumeier and Sophia Collins tell us what's going on in Gold Hill, and mountain towns across the county, and what the residents are doing about it.

Their story was originally published by the Colorado Sun. Read it here.

Also

• Structure fire in Allenspark
• Nederland ice rink still not frozen
• Golden Gate Canyon OKs Community Wildfire Protection Plan. View it here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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This week on Music of the Mountains, The Mountain-Ear Podcast invites Tom Knowlton, lead singer and guitarist of The Fretliners, to talk about his weekly open jams at MainStage Brewing in Lyons! Be sure to stay tuned to learn more about his background!

Year-round, musicians play unique lineups as part of the MainGrass event, created by MainStage Brewing and Emma Rose in 2021. Musicians and lineups are combined based on their individual and complementary strengths, and oftentimes, the lineups have never previously played together. 

You kinda get called up by random, like, ‘Can you do it?’” says Tom Knowlton, lead guitar player of The Fretliners. “It’s pretty cool because you never know who you’re gonna play with.”

Along with changing lineups every show, MainGrass also plays in different venues. With the opening of its new Gunbarrel location, MainStage hosts the event in Lyons from May to September and in Gunbarrel from October to May.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

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On today's show, Maryann Rosen tells us how a couple teachers, a bluebird, and a love for the Colorado outdoors revitalized the spirits of Chicago’s working women in the early 20th century. 

This episode received contributions from a 2021 History Colorado article written by Dr. Kayann Short. You can read her piece here.

Also, in this week's news

• Federal funding freeze slashes Nederland's TEENS Inc. budget
• Black Hawk Swears in new city aldermen
• Nederland secures Caribou Village Fire demolition permits
• Board of Trustees approve financing structure for Eldora Purchase
• Boulder Falls trail could be closed for good

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

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Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Joey Palermino finds a special connectivity through the art of music. From sharing music with his parents to finding a community of musicians to perform with, building connections and friendships through music inspires him the most.

 Palermino’s instrument of choice has always been the guitar. A selftaught player, he especially embraced the instrument after college, living in Memphis and playing live and among friends.

“Once I moved to Colorado, I found the music scene here, and especially the bluegrass picking scene,” says eightyear resident Palermino. “I really made some awesome friends and connections that really pushed me to go to the next level, if you will."

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

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This week, reporter and editor Shay Castle met with local organizers from Big Tent BoCo, a group that's petitioning to increase the number of county commissioners from three to five.

Organizers Masyn Moyer and Rachel Friend are pushing for better representation for the county - especially for the the more rural, western half of BoCo. Though it's not uncommon for a county of this size to only have three commissioner seats, they make an interesting case to add two members.

Listen in to hear their story, and how you can get involved.

For more information, head to BigTentBoCo.org

Also:

• State to review the 2025 death of CU student Meghan Trussell
• Nederland group names Senior of the Year

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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The Gold Hill Inn is shut down for the season and will reopen in May 2026. To celebrate the venue and its incredible repertoire of performers, we're flashing back to a 2021 interview with Gold Hill Inn performer Finn O'Sullivan!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

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Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In today's show, Maryann Rosen recounts the historic blizzards of the Peak to Peak that buried the region under snow that reached second-story windows. What was it like to live through a storm without access to your snowblower, or without plows clearing the streets?

It wasn't easy. These storms could decimate towns, and they could strand settlers for weeks with nowhere to go. Listen to today's show to hear true stories of these legendary storms.

Plus:

• Nederland approves Eldora purchase
• Death of Gilpin County man brings renewed attention to one of the most troubling accounts of racial injustice in county history
• BoCo awards $2 million in funding for fire protection districts, emergency service agencies
• A taste of Black Hawk's newest pizza joint, Copper Kitchen Pizzeria

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In the first 2026 episode of Music of the Mountains, The Mountain-Ear Podcast hears from Andre LaMotte, a Spanish guitar instrumentalist who brings an acoustic twist to modern rock and pop. The physical and digital music column will be out in the January 8th issue of the newspaper, a day before LaMotte's performance at Monarch Casino in Black Hawk. Listen to the episode for more details -- and if you're listening before January 9th, please spread the word however you can!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday to the Mountain-Ear Podcast!

Today marks our fifth anniversary of being on the airwaves. We've come a long way, and we have a lot to be proud of - plus a lot to look forward to.

To ring in the New Year, we have our first "Sounds of the Town" submission from Eldora resident David Hallock, a bird lover and conservationist who says the song of the American Dipper is what defines the quiet, natural ambience of the historic mountain village. 

Listen in to hear David's explanation of the near indescribable beauty of the song. 

Also:

• Wild Turkey Trail fire triggers evacuations in Fourmile Canyon
• Gilpin County childcare center opens for enrollment
• Your local government's year-in-review

Thanks to Xeno-Canto for providing the American Dipper's songs and calls used in today's episode. Recordings used were submitted by Ted Floyd, Seth Beaudreault, Paul Driver and Denise Wright.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Roger and Lori Drienka have lived together in the Colorado mountain community for nearly 50 years, with Lori’s connections to the state reaching back generations. In 1936, her grandfather built a teepee near his family’s property in the town of Pinecliffe.

Lori was born in Denver, where she lived until around the age of ten. She moved to Southern California, where she met Roger in a high school construction class. As the only girl in the class, other guys would often make themselves known to her.

At one point, annoyed with a guy in her group “subtly” vying for her attention, she asked the teacher for a different class project foreman. The professor reassigned her with a new foreman: Roger. The rest, as they say, is history.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Musicians don’t build their legacies overnight. They learn, they tour, they perform, and they sometimes stumble into their defining moments. Rhythm and blues musician Chris Daniels and soul musician Freddi Gowdy have built their legacies over decades.

In 2025's final episode of Music of the Mountains, prepare for the end of the year by bringing Daniels and Gowdy on to talk about their upcoming New Year's Eve Show at Oskar Blues Grill and Brew in Lyons.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Did miners in the Peak to Peak get Christmas day off in the 1800's? In this week's episode, our guest host Maryann Rosen digs into the history of Christmas, and what the holiday meant for early settlers in Nederland. Winters were long and the holidays in the Colorado mountains weren't always merry and bright - especially for the laborers who worked year-round in the historical mines. But the spirit of Christmas always had a way of brightening the harsh lifestyle that came with living in Rockies. Listen in for a window into Christmas day, circa 1890.

Also:

• High winds and no power up and down the Front Range
• Hundred-year-old shoe shop says goodbye
• Lakeview Fire cleanup delays continue
• The Mountain-Ear Pet of the Year Award goes to...

Read these stories and more at themtnear.com.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

There’s a special joy that comes when people play music together. Richard Shine, who has primarily performed acoustic solo sets over the last few years, is now experiencing that joy with fellow guitarist Steve Scheidker.

“I met Steve playing pickleball,” Shine recalls. “We had him over one night, and he said he played some guitar and did some singing, so we started fiddling around, and next thing you know, I’ve invited him to a gig of mine.”

Both performing acoustic guitar, with Shine singing lead and Scheidker on harmony, the two recognized their connection and started playing together more frequently. They have since cemented themselves as Beyond Comprehension, performing a mix of classic rock, country, and blues.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

We are excited to announce an endeavor that has been months in the making: Caribou Current, our new, free arts and culture monthly coming in February 2026.

A cast of former Boulder Weekly staffers, who lost their jobs when the Alternative Weekly newspaper ceased publishing this past summer, are teaming up with The Mountain-Ear to bring you stories about music, arts, entertainment, food and more, spanning the Peak to Peak, Boulder County and Golden.

We sat down with Jezy Gray, Caribou Current's managing editor and former Boulder Weekly arts and culture editor, to find out what we can expect from this new monthly.

We have big plans in the works, so this is just the start. Stay tuned for more updates and teasers coming early ion 2026.

If you have any editorial tips, you can email Jezy at jezy@themountainear.com.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

On Friday, December 12, 2025, the Nederland Community Library hosted a reception for its current art exhibit, A Plague of Parody, with its artist, Brent Warren.

Community members mingled and drank amongst the artwork in the library’s community room, with the filmmaker, musician, magician, and multimedia artist providing guitar accompaniment.

Warren also discussed the meanings of his artwork, digital graphic photos that he creates with the help of Photoshop. The photos, often accompanied by captions, poke fun at the “things we take for granted in our lives,” as Warren writes.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Gospel music has the power to bring people together, no matter where they’re from or what they believe. The emerging lineup Chapel Mountain Rounders embrace the style for that exact reason.

Longmont resident Elijah Donovan, Nederland resident Matt Thomas, Rollinsville resident Courtlyn Bills, and Steamboat resident Kay McKenzie have consistently drawn hope from gospel music.

While Christian messages build the foundation of the style, the bluegrass musicians emphasize the joy that gospel brings outside of its religious themes.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

On today's show, we’re bringing you a segment from our guest host Maryann Rosen, who paints a beautiful picture of a winter drive down the Peak to Peak highway. 

Bundle up, watch out for moose, and try not to let the breathtaking scenery distract you while you make your way from Blackhawk to Estes Park on one of the prettiest drives in the state of Colorado.

Also

• Reindeer games (literally) in Blackhawk on Sunday, December 14th
• Nederland Cross Country coaches nab regional award
• Old Town Ned lights up for the holiday season

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

William Nicholson has passed down the idea of Tortesia for years. The legend began at a previous job, where he frequently talked to “a guy named Cole,” who constantly showed up hungover.

When Nicholson asked Cole where he had been the night before, he said he was down in Tortesia. Nicholson asked where Tortesia was, and Cole pointed in one direction and responded, “It’s down the road about 10 or 12 beers.”

“I just kept it as kind of a funny thing,” Nicholson says. “When someone was acting goofy, I’d be like, ‘You’re just Tortesian. Quit acting Tortesian, bro.’” Now, a lineup of four musicians (with an occasional fifth member on saxophone) has embraced the inside joke by adopting the moniker of The Tortesians.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Ever wanted to learn how to sharpen your knives like a professional chef? Or dip your toes into music theory? Try asking your neighbor.

In this week's episode, editor and reporter Shay Castle sits down with Fourmile Canyon local Anna Stifter to talk about a community skill share she's been organizing for the past few months.

Anna details the steps you can take to start a skill share in your own community, and takes us behind the curtains of the exciting workshops she has planned for Fourmile locals looking to learn something new. Listen in to hear their conversation.

Here's a link to Shay's story from last week.

And a link to Anna Stifter's skill share starter kit for your own community.

Also:

• Nederland approves a slimmed down 2026 town budget
• Trash talk - literally - at Central City Council
• Donation information for the Nederland Food Pantry's upcoming Holidy Donation Drive
• And a teaser of all the tasty visuals in in this week's paper from Thanksgiving events in the Peak to Peak.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Danny Shafer opens up through music. The Americana singer-songwriter pours his heart into every song he writes and performs, hoping to make honest connections
with his listeners.

“I don’t have to hide anything when I’m on stage,” he says. “There’s no spot in my personality that I can’t show.”

Tune into this week's Music of the Mountains episode to hear from and learn more about longtime Colorado performers Danny Shafer and Wendy Woo.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

It's not often that students, parents and teachers get to share a meal with each other. But once a year, on the Friday before Thanksgiving, the whole Nederland Middle-Senior High School community get's together for the Harvest Feast, a traditional more than a decade old.

Media specialist Jamie Lammers stopped in to the potluck lunch to chat with the hungry cafeteria patrons to see what it's like to sit down and have a meal with people they seldom eat with. We pulled some of the most interesting responses into an episode for you.

If there's one thing everyone agrees on, it's the value of community events like this in a small town. Listen in to what people had to say here.

Also:

• Caribou Village Fire benefit concerts continue to help Nederland heal
• Boulder County abandons plans to increase minimum wage
• Start your holiday season in Central City and celebrate Tommyknocker Holidays
• Cast your vote for Peak to Peak Pet of the Year here!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

We've all been told the story of the first Thanksgiving - but what actually happened?

As with much of colonial American history, the real story is much darker. In Maryann Rosen's annual retelling of the story, she dives into the facts, giving us a true recounting of what colonial and indigenous relationships were like when pilgrims first began colonizing New England. 

Listen today, and keep these stories in mind while you celebrate and give thanks with your families this week.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Ned's got history - a lot of it. From the glacier carved valleys walked by indigenous peoples, to it's early mining settlements, to the vibrant music scene that evolved at Caribou Ranch, the town has been through countless ebbs and flows of time.

History changes though, and in early October the Caribou Village fire that destroyed 20 storefronts and the livelihoods of many locals signified a seismic shift in the town's timeline. But the people of Nederland have been through it all, and this hasn't slowed them down.

To honor the toughness, resilience and creativity of this town, Maryann brings us an homage to Ned, traveling through time from land's first inhabitants to bustling mountain town it is today. Listen in to hear more.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Two things tie together Arn Current’s musical life: family and community. The longtime local musician worked his first job at the Caribou Ranch under founder James William Guercio, and he graduated from Nederland High in 1989.

Now, Current is returning to his hometown for a show at Busey Brews as part of the Ripple Effect Benefit Series. The concert series has been scheduled through November, raising funds for the Nederland Fire Department in the aftermath of the Lakeview Fire that destroyed 20 local businesses at the Caribou Village Shopping Center on October 9.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

On today’s show, we’re launching a new joint segment with Boulder Valley Frequency we’re calling “Sounds of the Town”.  

The Mountain-Ear wants to know: What does home sound like to you? 

We are accepting submissions for Sounds of the Town, a new podcast series that seeks to highlight the sonic signatures of our area: from Allenspark to Idaho Springs, and all the canyons and communities in between.

Tell us what the sound is, where you hear it and what it means to you. We’ll gather the best ideas from each town, then send our audio experts out to record them. 

A different town and sound will be featured each week on The Mountain-Ear podcast. Tune in every Thursday to hear the latest.

When we’ve got the entire Peak to Peak, Gilpin and Boulder County and beyond covered, we’ll pull them all together into a story for readers in the regular, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.

No idea is wrong. If you hear it and it evokes home, we want to know about it.

You can send submissions to tyler@themountainear.com.

Video of Pearl Street performer Ibashi-I, "The Man in the Box" (Courtesy: Boulder Daily Camera)

Also in today's show:

• Eldora is open for the season
• Black Hawk city council honors the late Alderman Gregory G. Moates
• Ned-are orgs nab county climate funding
• Peak-to-peak Auroras light up Colorado sky

Pick up this week's paper to read these stories and so much more!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Patrick Dethlefs has always let his instincts guide him. While he found early inspiration as a young musician everywhere from Jimmy Page to The Allman Brothers, the Colorado native put most of his energy into original material.

“I don’t think I was a big learner of other people’s songs, even in the beginning,” Dethlefs says. “First getting the guitar, I think I just learned chords and put them together in a different way.”

The current chapter of Joel Van Horne’s story begins with a family cabin in Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest. The Lakewood native grew up in a musical household, but the memories and moniker of that special retreat, built and named by his grandfather, inspired the defining stage of his artistic journey as Covenhoven.

“It’s a very meaningful place to me and my family,” Van Horne says. “I wanted to make a record to say thank you to my grandfather.”

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

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Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

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Earlier this summer, Salto Coffee owners Karina and Marcus Luscher struck a deal to sell their shop to the ownership group at Gold Hill Inn, bringing a slice of the iconic Peak to Peak hangout to Old Town Nederland. That's where the story of Ned General, Nederland's newest coffee shop, bar and community space begins.

This episode features a conversation from the archives between Mountain-Ear managing editor Barbara Hardt and the new team at Ned General. They've spent the last few months slowly curating a new, yet familiar, aesthetic, and they have big plans for the future.

Also:

• Last week, the Town of Nederland inched closer to acquiring Eldora Ski Resort after its first public discussion of the purchase since July. The deal is expected to be finalized at its Nov. 18 meeting. You can read the full story from reporter Chris Kelley in this week's paper, or on our website, themtnear.com

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Guy Frydenlund formed a band through connections, meeting the band’s original drummer at an open jam and the bass and guitar players through CU Denver’s music program.

Eight years on, guitarist Frydenlund, current drummer Zach Bulgarelli, keys player Jack Marty, and bass player Caden Kramer play together as Sqwerv.

Frydenlund describes the group as an indie-jam band, with each member bringing their own influences to the table. He comes from an indie-folk singer-songwriter background, Bulgarelli and Kramer come from rock and metal backgrounds, and Marty comes from jam, bluegrass, and country backgrounds.

Together, the group performs original jam songs rooted in their mutual love of Phish and The Grateful Dead. From two-minute psych songs to twelve-minute Prague songs, the band is always willing to take musical risks together.

The tribute act BreadBox calls itself more than a cover band. Their admiration for the Jerry Garcia Band and their arrangements of the band’s songs make the group a lover band.

Much like Garcia in his projects, BreadBox focuses on improvisational jam performances, expanding each song beyond its original performances. The group consists of Zac Flynn on bass, Heather Olson and Miranda Rosalie on vocals, Kirk Larson on drums, Pat Harvey on guitar, Phil Cenedella on vocals and guitar, and Tyler Adams on organ.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week, we're featuring an episode of Boulder Valley Frequency, a show from longtime Boulder journalist Shay Castle covering news across the county.

In this episode of BVHz, Shay sits down with our very own senior reporter for The Mountain-Ear, Chris Kelley, for an update on Nederland's progress toward acquiring Eldora Ski Resort. 

Chris gives us a bit of perspective on the potential purchase, and while he's hopeful it will do a lot of good for the town, he reminds us to stay wary of the private group, 303 Ski, who helped structure the bond deal -- and who Nederland will be indebted to after the purchase is finalized.

One small note: this episode of BVHz was recorded and published before the Nederland Board of Trustees Nov. 5 meeting, which provided an update and opportunity for public comment on the potential deal. For a complete update, you can read Chris Kelley's story in the Nov. 13 issue of The Mountain-Ear.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at info@themountainear.com

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at tyler@themountainear.com

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at media@themountainear.com

General inquiries: frontdesk@themountainear.com

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!