I have a theory that those who live in Colorado simply have no choice but to translate their beautiful environment into the most inspired music available today. Their music scene is unmatched. Claiming artists from all genres, from 3OH!3 to The Lumineers, it lacks nothing.

I had the privilege of spending the last few days of summer there, and every piece of the state that I experienced was unique to anything else I had ever felt or seen. The first half of my trip was spent in Colorado Springs, where I did the vast majority of my hiking. The weather was unbelievably amazing. Coming from the humidity of Houston, it felt like winter had come early. The combination of this and the scenery just made it feel like the perfect place to go when in need of a reset. It was like everything was simultaneously blooming, and you couldn’t help but do the same. Among some of the places I visited were the Helen Hunt Falls, Garden of the Gods, and Pikes Peak.

The Helen Hunt Falls is a great alternative of a public park if you don’t feel like blowing $30 on the privately owned Seven Falls. The hike itself is pretty easy, but having to climb through that elevation increase was a fun challenge. There were a couple times where I doubted that I’d actually make it to the top, but then I would see children, some elderly couples, and  even pregnant women making their way down. So I told myself to suck it up and just keep going. It was totally worth it. You cross the falls multiple times on the way up, and that alone was enough to keep me going. You’re not supposed to drink any of the water, but the foam of the falls and the sound of rushing water was too tempting not to dip your hands and feet in for a cold surprise.

The streets of Congress were buzzing with independent businesses and awesome graffiti that I’m sure I’ll never encounter again. Larimer Street was like a scene from a movie, complete with twinkly lights and hanging images of butterfly replicas. I was also able to catch Ryan McGinley’s The Kids Were Alright exhibit at their Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s only $5 for students!

Tennyson was another great highlight. It’s an entire street dedicated to locals, complete with an amazing neighborhood park for volleyball tournaments and armed with exclusively local businesses like the infamous Book Bar, where you can enjoy a glass of wine while browsing for your next read.

Below is a video that not only features my little adventures in Colorado but also a couple bands from there! It was easy to fall in love with their sounds and all the other music that hails from that great state because of The Prelude Press’ playlist, featuring over five hours of Colorado’s music. It boasts of artist like Flobots, OneRepublic, and The Fray. There’s a link to that below, too!

Let me know who your favorite band is from Colorado, or if The Prelude Press forgot to add them to their playlist!

xxRose