After the Marshall Fire, founder of Future Arts Foundation Travis Albright started a drive that aimed to replace every instrument that was lost in the blaze.
Community support was sparked, as folks dropped off guitars, pianos, mandolins — and even musical equipment — to his Lafayette home, resulting in him collecting and distributing over 500 instruments.
Now he’s bringing a new community-centric arts venue to the Front Range and throwing a benefit concert to help with fundraising for the future project.
The one-of-a-kind space will feature an area for music lessons, an instrument shop, art gallery, recording studio, lutherie studio and even a section for intimate concerts and community dinners.
“We are so excited to finally be working toward our goal of opening a community arts house here in Boulder County,” Albright said. “It was the 10-year goal of the Future Arts Foundation to open a facility like this, and we’re eight years in.”
From providing children access to after-school music lessons to throwing sold-out festivals featuring top-tier creatives of folk and rock, FAF curates incredible live music experiences while also inspiring the next generation to strum and sing.
Organizer of the Bluebird Music Festival — a multi-day event that has featured renowned acts like Margo Price, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Gregory Alan Isakov, Jade Bird, Langhorne Slim, Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass) in previous years — FAF continues to bring sought-out performers to Boulder.
Bluebird Music Festival will return to Macky April 29-30, 2023.
“We have always had a two-pronged approach in what we wanted to accomplish as a foundation,” Albright said. “The first is to bring our community together with fun social events. The second is to provide music opportunities to the children of Colorado teachers, first responders and low-income families — many of the folks who keep our community running yet may not have the disposable income to afford these opportunities. We hope that this will be a home for all of these dreams to come true.”
December’s House that Colorado Built fundraising concert — titled Songs We Love — features a not-to-be-missed Colorado-based lineup including Gasoline Lollipops, Wood Belly, Dave Watts (The Motet) and many more.
“I am thrilled that so many Colorado musicians feel as passionate about this project as we do,” Albright said. “I cannot wait to see this collection of musicians on stage, at the same event together.”
Singer-songwriter Daniel Rodriguez — formerly of Elephant Revival — is one of the artists set to take the Macky stage in December.
“I’m most looking forward to playing that beautiful room and being backed by my friends Heavy Diamond Ring,” Rodriguez said. “Sounds fun and interesting. It will be nice to see all the other folksters playing too. It’s a fun idea and lineup.”
Rodriguez has performed at several FAF events over the years and is excited to use his artistry to help the nonprofit’s latest and largest goal.
“I’m not too informed about Travis’s new venue, though It will be nice to have a new creative space in boulder that involves kids, art, music, recording, etcetera,” Rodriguez said. “It sounds really community-oriented.”
Albright also envisions the space as a place for traveling artists to stay, in exchange for teaching music lessons.
“Boulder could definitely use a couple venues that are smaller than the Fox, where bands can perform for smaller audiences,” Rodriguez said. “eTown is great for folk, acoustic shows.”
Albright recently accepted the position of chief operating officer at eTown Hall.
“Though both organizations use music to provide support for the community, they do so in different ways,” Albright said. “eTown focuses more on environmental and social causes, while the Future Arts Foundation focuses on youth music opportunities. My goal is to balance the two in the best way to make this area the most special place to live.”
At the Dec. 10 concert at Macky, Albright hopes to get all musicians up on stage for an encore ensemble.
Fundraising is already underway. As of Tuesday, more than $7,000 has been raised.
“The more we raise, the bigger and better the facility will be,” Albright said. “We’re leaving this up to the community. We’re hoping that Boulder County will heavily support this project and we can create a really special space.”
Just where the center will be depends on how much monetary support the nonprofit receives for its mission.
“We won’t be able to make any decisions on size and location in Boulder County until this fundraising period ends,” Albright said. “This is truly a community project. We are not bringing in outside investors or funding. We have many businesses hosting fundraisers and all of these Colorado musicians playing the benefit concert on Dec. 10, so we hope that the community goes out and supports these efforts.”
A number of businesses are giving a percentage of sales on certain days to FAF. The Post Chicken & Beer in Longmont, multiple OZO Coffee locations and MainStage Brewing in Lyons are among the participating establishments.
Concert tickets — ranging from $19-$79 — are on sale now, along with shirts, stickers and FAF’s “Strings and Stories” film that features performances by Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, Jade Bird, Daniel Rodriguez, Andy Thorn and many others.
Other artists on the lineup include Stelth Ulvang (The Lumineers), Dorota Szuta (Heavy Gus), Cole Scheifele, Sun Jr., Wildermiss, a special appearance from the School of Rock and a number of surprise guests.
On March 5, 2023, FAF will host a “thank you” event for certain donors and longtime big supporters at the Rembrandt Yard Art Gallery in Boulder. The evening will include updates on the fundraising campaign, feature live music and complimentary small plates, wine, cocktails and beer.
“We’re in this together and are grateful for any support,” Albright said.
