Denver Comes Alive has announced the addition of banjo player Billy Failing, best known for his work with Billy Strings, as an artist-at-large for its 2023 event, set to return to Denver, CO’s Mission Ballroom for its third annual edition on Friday, January 13th and Saturday, January 14th. Failing will replace previously announced artist-at-large Kyle Tuttle, who will not appear due to conflicting tour obligations with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway.
Presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with AEG Rocky Mountains, the expanded, two-day 2023 event will feature one night (1/13) focusing on bluegrass and Americana artists and one night (1/14) built around funk and soul styles. Denver Comes Alive 2023, hosted once again by SiriusXM‘s Ari Fink, will donate a portion of proceeds to Backline, the music industry’s mental health and wellness resource hub [get tickets].
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The party will get started on Friday, January 13th with Colorado-native progressive bluegrass stalwarts Yonder Mountain String Band, hard-touring “galaxy grass” quartet Kitchen Dwellers, and Nashville-based country-soul maven Maggie Rose and her talented band. The Friday night picking party will also feature a number of Denver Comes Alive artists-at-large including Billy Failing, Jason Carter, and Tyree Woods.
On Saturday, January 14th, Denver Comes Alive will field a lineup of heavy-hitting funky acts including a headlining appearance by Grammy-nominated future-funk sextet Lettuce, a rare performance by sacred steel-soul supergroup The Word (comprised of Robert Randolph, John Medeski, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, and Kevin Lloyd), and a set by funk-rock outfit The Main Squeeze with a very special auxiliary backing ensemble, Pulp Friction, featuring Will Phillips, Adryon de León, Shira Elias, Tiffany Johns, and Nick Gerlach.
Each night of Denver Comes Alive 2023 will also feature a special appearance by an all-woman supergroup. On Friday, Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Lindsay Lou, Mimi Naja (Fruition), Megan Letts (Mama Magnolia), Emma Rose (Big Richard), and Michelle Pietrafitta (Banshee Tree) will join forces for the latest iteration of bluegrass combo WinterWonderWomen. On Saturday, Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power), Katty Rodriguez (Beyoncé), Tonya Sweets (Klymaxx, Lizzo), Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band), Ella Feingold (Silk Sonic), Amy Bellamy (G. Love), Shirazette Tinnin (Dee Dee Bridgewater), and Lenesha Randolph (Lauryn Hill, Robert Randolph and the Family Band) will pool their extensive funk credentials for a performance as Super Sonic Shorties.
Single-day and two-day tickets for Denver Comes Alive 2023 at Denver, CO’s Mission Ballroom are now on sale here.
Get excited for the expanded, two-day 2023 edition of Denver Comes Alive on January 13th and 14th with a full rundown of last year’s event featuring photos and an official recap video here.
