Overview:
Denver’s all-ages DIY music venues give teenagers affordable places to hear live music, build community and start performing.
“When I first moved here from Tennessee, I didn’t really know anyone,” said local teenager Willow Dowty. “I went to a show at D3 and made some friends in the scene. I’m just really glad that everyone was so welcoming and kind.”
D3 Arts is one of several all-ages DIY venues giving Denver teenagers a place to hear local bands, meet other young music fans and start performing themselves. Seventh Circle Music Collective and Ante Up serve a similar role, offering an alternative to bars and other age-restricted venues.
The low-cost, alcohol-free environment can make those spaces especially accessible to younger fans. At Seventh Circle, for example, shows are typically inexpensive and the venue operates as a member-supported collective.
“It’s really cool that kids today have a place where they can be themselves and help each other out,” said Stephanie Walkenshaw, a local parent and president of the Denver Parent Rocker Organization. “I never had that when I was growing up.”
These venues also give young musicians a path from attending shows to playing them. Brooke Campbell, a local music fan and member of the new band Encompass, said DIY shows helped inspire her to start making music.
“They’re the reason why I even wanted to play music,” Campbell said, calling DIY shows “one of the first places where I truly feel I belong.”
Denver’s DIY scene extends beyond established venues. Shows also pop up in parks, skateparks, houses and garages, creating additional opportunities for young musicians to perform and organize events on their own terms.
Local band Clay Pot Pigeons is a teenage band that has played shows in places such as Commons Park, where the audience and performers share space without the restrictions of a traditional bar venue. Elliott Sense of Clay Pot Pigeons said alcohol does not need to be central to the concert experience.
“Some people just think that the entire point of going to a show is to get wasted with your friends,” Sense said. “I disagree. I think that the point of having a show is to listen to music with your friends. DIY venues and sober spaces make that possible without alcohol.”
That accessibility is part of what keeps young people returning to the scene. They can see local bands, meet people with similar interests and, in many cases, eventually become performers themselves.
“Once I started going to shows and playing music, I felt instantly connected to everyone in the room,” Campbell said. “It’s really endearing.”
The venues can also give teenagers a place to build relationships outside school, work and home.
“I’ve been having some personal issues, and going to DIY venues has genuinely helped me find community in a place that isn’t just a place to learn,” Dowty said. “It’s been really nice to know people who don’t go to school with me, because now I get to see people outside of it.”
The future of those spaces is less certain. DIY venues often depend on volunteers, inexpensive rents and organizers willing to keep shows accessible.
“With zoning issues and eviction notices and such, it’s kind of hard to know what the future holds for places like us,” Ante Up owner Steve Beam said. “But we’re hoping that more people will come to shows here and maybe one day start venues of their own to keep those wheels turning.”
All-ages venues serve an important purpose for Nat Attack, the teenage frontwoman of DogBite.
“Before I found places like D3, I felt completely invisible,” Attack said. “This scene isn’t just about the music; it’s where I found my people and realized it was just fine to be different.”
She hopes Denver keeps making room for spaces like them.
“Looking ahead, my biggest hope for Denver is that we protect these places like sacred ground,” Attack said. “Teenagers need a place to figure out who they are without judgment, and we get that at DIY venues.”
