Longmont's sound of winter -- 50 local musicians

Feb. 3—A snowy Saturday didn't deter hundreds of music lovers from coming to downtown Longmont for the sixth annual Winter Walkabout Music Showcase.

The event featured more than 50 live performances by local musicians, who played in more than 15 venues within the Longmont Creative District. The district centers around the bars and coffee shops surrounding downtown Main Street, from Copper Sky Distillery at 110 Emery St., on the south end, to MeCo Coffee Collective at 627 Main St., on the north end. This year's lineup represented a wide range of musical styles and genres, from hip-hop to funk to soul.

Kimberlee McKee, executive director of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, said the showcase sold more than 900 tickets online. People could also buy tickets in person on Saturday at Dry Land Distillers, 519 Main St., which saw plenty of foot traffic from music lovers who seemed undeterred by a winter snowstorm.

"A lot of people are saying, 'It's finally a winter walkabout,'" McKee said.

McKee said that the showcase injects some energy and excitement into downtown Longmont during a traditionally slow time of the year.

"From people that come each year to business owners, people just really look forward to this," McKee said. "It's a good — when you have cabin fever — way to go out and explore."

Dry Land Distillers owner Nels Wroe said that in addition to being the hub for ticket sales, the distillery also hosted meet-and-greets for this year's musicians and their fans.

"We talked with the musicians last year who felt like they really needed to have a non-performance venue where they could actually regroup and meet people," Wroe said.

Wroe added that the showcase is great for a local business like Dry Land Distillers because it emphasizes guests engaging with the venues — something an outdoor or street concert wouldn't necessarily do.

"It's probably the most effective arts event that we have in Longmont," Wroe said. "We have people walking in from Boulder, from Denver that have never been here, and they're blown away by Longmont businesses."

One of the many returning venues was record store Absolute Vinyl at 319 Main St. Filled with albums by decades upon decades of musicians, the small store offered an intimate performance experience to those who stopped by.

This year also saw a couple of new downtown businesses serve as performance venues, including Bricks Retail at 417 Main St. Bricks was a walkabout sponsor previously, but the store's new Main Street location allowed the owners to actually host musicians this year.

"We definitely have been part of the community for a number of years, and we're excited to bring this venue to life with music," said Bricks owner Jennifer Ferguson.

The Passenger, the restaurant underneath the Dickens Opera House at 302 Main St., also joined as a showcase venue for the first time. While the Dickens Opera House is one of the showcase's biggest venues, The Passenger got a chance this year to spend Saturday serenading dining guests with live music.

"It's a historic venue, and locals look forward to concerts and events," said restaurant co-owner Madhoo Seth. "This is our first time, so there's a lot of excitement."