Sound and Light offers opportunities in Fort Collins music industry

FORT COLLINS — Dani Grant, owner and general manager of the Aggie Theatre, wants to direct a spotlight on local music professionals in a showcase series.

With the Sound and Light series, created by Grant and the Aggie staff, bands gain access to mentorship, free practice spaces, training and spots in the concert lineup. Light and sound engineers receive a short apprenticeship with a week of training.

The second installment of the four-part Sound and Light series will be at the Fort Collins theater on Sunday, March 15. Performances will be from Cactus Cat, Grant Sabin and the Juke Joint Highball and The Dollhouse Thieves.

Before the creation of Sound and Light, Grant operated SpokesBUZZ Fort Collins, a non-profit musician incubator program. After shuttering in 2016, there was a need for industry support, Grant said.

“What I found from running that nonprofit is that assisting artists in a local community to become more developed and have stronger fans is really good for the local music industry,” Grant said. “It’s good for the venues. It’s good for Fort Collins as a city to be well known for its arts and culture.”

Grant’s passion for the Colorado music scene is rooted in her other venue ownerships: Chipper Lanes Entertainment, a bowling alley and event venue chain that often books live music guests; and the Mishawaka amphitheatre in Bellevue. She took over the Aggie Theatre lease in partnership with Boulder-based Z2 Entertainment LLC in March 2019.

Sound and Light is organized by the Mishawaka Initiative committee and sponsored through local companies including KRFC Media, Music City Hot Chicken, Longevity Productions and Showsonics Inc. among others.

Higher Ground Rehearsal Studios offers artists free rehearsal time leading up to the concert while Shaped Music helps train the lighting and sound engineers.

Grant said that this is an opportunity for artists who the Aggie wouldn’t normally book. Typically to headline at the theater an artist or band would need to pull at least 300 people to the venue and demonstrate a wide fan-base, such as a following on social media. 

For Sound and Light, bands fill out an application that’s reviewed by a curation team. Sound and lighting engineers have to follow the same process. Among the curators are Bridget Law, who works with the Loveland Arise Music Festival and plays in the Elephant Revival, and Chris Beeble, audio producer and engineer for Fort Collins’ Blasting Room Studios.

She said the program is competitive, letting in only 10 people for the audio and lighting apprenticeship and a handful of music acts. Music acts are encouraged to experiment with laser lights, song covers, dancers and guest performers. 

Doors open for the next Sound and Light concert at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $15.

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