Meet the songwriters
VOL 1
photo by Kate Petrik
HUNTER BURNETTE
Hunter Burnette is an up-and-coming Americana singer/songwriter and artist based out of Denver, Colorado. In 2018, Burnette released his first EP, “The Good Life,” which showcases his capacity for introspective lyrics and the blending of Americana roots music. Colorado Hall of Fame inductee, Chris Daniels, called him “One of the most exciting Americana/Country/Roots songwriters and performers to come out of the West in the past few years." Burnette released a follow-up, self-titled EP in October 2019, produced by Ben Wysocki and Eric Tate, with backing by a rotating cast of extraordinary musicians, including members of The Fray, Heavy Diamond Ring, Smirk, Israel Nash, and King Cardinal.
photo by Kate Petrik
Erika Ryann
Erika Ryann pulls her sound from dimly lit honky-tonks, small western towns, and years lived in the tangled woods of the Colorado foothills. From songs about grit and perseverance to raw portrayals of love, she’s known for cutting to the heart with honest lyrics and a warm vocal inflection. In addition to her solo project, she’s contributed to local bands High Plains Honky, U.S. Tygers, The Hi-Dive Blues Band, and Ryann and Lee, who were nominated for Denver’s best country band by Westword in 2018. She continues to lend her pipes and guitar work to artists across the board, adding vocals to the twang of a Casey James Prestwood and the Burning Angels show and the moody grooves of Esme Patterson’s Prince Tribute at the Oriental Theater.
photo by Kate Petrik
holly lovell
Denver-based singer-songwriter Holly Lovell crafts songs that capture aching intimacy and vulnerability through perceptive storytelling. Using a mix of both acoustic and electric guitar, Lovell’s alternative folk-style songs are delivered with strong melodies and spirited conviction. Lovell’s vocals have been likened to both Maggie Rogers and Ingrid Michaelson “but with far more gumption,” says The Denver Post. Lovell’s latest release, “Still Frames” (2016), was recorded with Colorado heavy hitter Joe Richmond (Churchill, Brent Cowles, The Still Tide). Lovell has opened for acts including The Fray, Phillip Phillips, and Katie Herzig, and has performed at festivals such as the Cayamo Music Cruise and the Underground Music Showcase. Holly is currently recording her fourth project.
VOL 2
photo by Kate Petrik
anna moresett (The Still Tide)
Hailing from Olympia, Washington, Morsett is influenced as much by growing up in the Pacific Northwest as by her experiences traveling the globe as a guitar tech for artists such as Kaki King, Tallest Man On Earth, and Devil Makes Three. Her intricate, immersive performance has landed opening spots with Cat Power, Nathaniel Rateliff + The Night Sweats, Charlie Cunningham, and Margaret Glaspy. Her band, The Still Tide, released their new EP, “Between Skies,” in January 2020. With Morsett’s intricate guitar work and breathtaking vocals on full display, the collection of melodic indie rock sincerely examines the human experience through how relationships change, grow, and end with each poetic new song.
photo by Kate Petrik
JOEL VAN HORNE (COVENHOVEN)
Emerging folk/indie artist Joel Van Horne, aka Covenhoven, hails from Colorado. His third album, “A Kind of Revelation,” continues his over-arching theme of immersion in a place, and letting that place—in this case, Big Sur, Olympic National Park, and the Oregon coast—become the centerpiece of the music. Joel tours the U.S. regularly, sharing the stage with musicians like José González, Gregory Alan Isakov, Blind Pilot, S. Carey (Bon Iver), Lord Huron, Aaron Embry, Rayland Baxter, and The Oh Hellos.
photo by Kate Petrik
JULIE DAVIS
Julie Davis is a singer, songwriter, upright bass player, and installation artist who “operates a few years ahead of the indie-rock curve, whether in her spare, haunting vocals or her boundary-pushing arrangements,” according to The Denver Post. Bluebook is Davis’ current three-piece band featuring her upright bass, vocals, and percussion loops, Jess Parsons on keyboards and vocals, and Hayley Helmericks on drums and vocals. Westword named Bluebook’s recent EP, “The Astronaut’s Wife,” one of “Ten Best Colorado Albums of 2018.” As a member of Nathaniel Rateliff’s band for eight years, Davis toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Davis has contributed vocals and bass to the projects of many Denver musicians including Nathaniel Rateliff, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Ian Cooke. She is currently collaborating with her husband, Joseph, and Bluebook members to create large-scale, immersive light and textile installations that serve as a stage for live music and envelop the audience in a liminal, transformational space.
VOL 3
photo by Nikki A. Rae
JOE SAMPSON
Joe Sampson has been living, writing, and performing in Colorado since 2000. Joe has released four records, most recently April 2020’s “Launder the Mined.” His music evokes the emotive acoustic tones of Leonard Cohen, Will Oldham, and Wilco, and is ornamented with often darkly humorous lyrics and intoned with soft yet road-worn baritone. Joe was awarded Westword’s Best Songwriter in 2008 (“I don’t know who your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter is, but I bet it’s Joe Sampson.”) and The Denver Post says, “The quiet beauty of Joe Sampson’s music comes from its stark simplicity, haunting textures, and dark mystery.”
photo by Nikki A. Rae
BRIANNA STRAUT
Winner of the Americana/Roots category for the 2019 Denver Westword Music Awards, Brianna Straut conveys human condition through empathetic storytelling. She’s opened for artists such as Lillie Mae, Son Volt, and Israel Nash. She’s been compared to Lori McKenna in a recent write up by 303 Magazine in which they write, “[T]here is something about a girl and a guitar that can tug at those heartstrings. Straut pulls from her personal experiences to really give her songs a deep sense of emotion that listeners can empathize with regardless of their own personal experiences.”
VOL 4
photo by Glen Ross
ANTHONY RUPTAK
Colorado songwriter Anthony Ruptak was born on the banks of the North Fork at the South Platte River amidst the Rocky Mountain range. With an ear for infectious melodies as well as pop sensibility, the multi-instrumentalist has been shaking the Denver music scene for over 15 years. Whether backed by his full live band with string accompaniment or armed solely with a guitar and his voice, Ruptak’s high-energy live performances are scintillating and leave the listener wanting more. Ruptak weaves an unforgettable experience that marries both music and the values he stands for. Passionately possessed by his love for the stage and the community, he has curated weekly gatherings of fellow musicians for years, encouraging them to write songs that allow them to use their voice for the people that may have none. A voice for the lost and disaffected, Ruptak advocates for positive, inclusive progress in our society through songs that not only shake every bone in your body but swoon you into the midnight hours.
photo by Glen Ross
COURTNEY HARTMAN
With her most recent release, “Ready Reckoner,” Courtney Hartman takes the helm as producer, transforming her most private ruminations into songs both bracingly intimate and magnificently vast. The Loveland-based artist worked in collaboration with co-producer Shahzad Ismaily (a multi-instrumentalist known for his work with Lou Reed and Tom Waits) and assembled a close-knit community of musicians, including guest appearances from Anais Mitchell and Bill Frisell. Hartman’s finely honed musicality has firm roots in her upbringing, which included taking up violin at three, learning to play guitar at 11, and writing her first song at 12. She spent much of her childhood immersed in the bluegrass world, a factor that eventually led to her seven-year stint in the Grammy-nominated band Della Mae. During her time with the band, Hartman also released a collaboration album with Robert Ellis (2017’s “Dear John”) and another with Taylor Ashton (2018’s “Been on Your Side”).
photo by Glen Ross
PATRICK DETHLEFS
Denver singer-songwriter Patrick Dethlefs (pronounced “DET-Lefs”) began releasing music in high school. Since then, he's been a highly active member of the Colorado music community. Patrick Dethlefs’ songwriting crests like a humble Townes Van Zandt, innocent of his own haunting melodies and lyricism. Dethlefs’ music offers folk Americana with effortless sincerity at a time when many acts strive purposefully to revive the stripped-down feel of a musical history long past. In 2017, he released “Beauty in the Unknown,” which Westword called a “shimmering, atmospheric offering,” and followed it in 2018 with the single “Remembering.”