Velvet Elk Lounge

Justin Bradford is a Americana singer-songwriter and accomplished guitarist based in Boulder, Colorado. He pairs cinematic-like guitar arrangements with folky and soulful lyrics. Justin takes his listeners through an emotional songwriting journey that has everything from dark insecurities, deep introspection and ecstatic bliss. Justin travels the world playing shows and hunting for inspiration. Many songs are often written while gazing at epic views and by soaking in the experience of different cultures and musical styles. Justin’s live performance is far from the typical timid folk singer who whispers songs in the corner, Justin uses powerful chord-melody guitar parts, percussion and live-triggered loops to create full-band-like dynamics. Whether its a bootstomping-cocaine-blues or a soul-hugging indie-folk song, Justin never fails to engage the crowd. His catalogue contains originals and covers similar to Jose Gonzales, Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, Tommy Emanuel, Ben Howard, Devil Makes Three, Nathaniel Rateliff, Marcus King, Bon Iver, Greensky Bluegrass & Keller Wiliams

Vitalwild and Zaje are an electrifying DJ duo renowned for their groundbreaking take on the Bass House music genre. Comprising of two distinct yet harmonious personalities, Vitalwild and Zaje have carved out a unique niche in the music industry with their infectious beats, innovative soundscapes, and electrifying performances.

Join us for the Lunar Lux Music Festival's pregame, an evening filled with free music and good vibes. Enjoy music by DJ Drake, Mr. Gettdowne, and other special guests as we set the stage for an unforgettable night. Don't miss out on this epic start to the festivities!

LunaFest is proud to feature a multitude of artists, many of whom are from LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. Trans woman-owned, we are honored to have captured the attention of local, national, and international acts of all types to create one big community of talent and appreciation for four days in a row. It all started as a South Florida birthday party with one band in 2023, which became three bands in less than an hour after the announcement. Within weeks, the party became a four-day festival, and history was literally made - we broke records. Buy tickets: https://lunarluxfest.com/

(21+) Velvet Elk Lounge does not allow minors - No Exceptions. 

“This record was me trying to take everything I love as a listener and a player and shove it all into one thing without it sounding random,” says Hunter Pinkston, former punk turned cosmic country auteur, describing You Know Who, the boisterous, ambitious sophomore album by his band The Pink Stones. Ostensibly they play country music, yet all the pedal steel sobs, the two-steppin’ rhythms, twangy harmonies, and lyrics about broken hearts and long days on the road are launchpads for wild experiments and unexpected stylistic forays. “There’s obviously a lot of country and rock in our music, but there’s a lot of gospel and soul and psych and dub. I really wanted to get all of those things living peacefully together in one record.”

Made up almost entirely of Athens musicians who play in other bands around town (including former members of the Drive-By Truckers and the Glands), The Pink Stones match their frontman’s vast musical vocabulary while adding their own twists to spacey honkytonk, pedal-to-the-metal trucker anthems, and ecstatic gospel. Together, they have the range to be whatever they need to be at any given moment, embracing the spirit of musical freedom that has animated the local music scene for more than forty years. Yet, The Pink Stones sound like no other Athens band. “We have the space to be free here in Athens and do whatever we want,” says Pinkston. “We get to do our own thing, and there are a million other really good bands doing their own things here as well. Everyone is friends with everyone else, and everyone’s doing something constantly, so you’re always hearing something new. And you always have to stay on your toes.”

Jesh Yancey is a folk singer and songwriter based out of Denver, Colorado. Since moving to The Front Range, Yancey has managed to assemble one of the best Rock'n'Roll bands out there! Over the last year Jesh Yancey & The High Hopes have been working on their first release with the current lineup with the help of esteemed producer Chris Harden. Work on the album began in October 2022 in Fort Collins at Swingfingers Recording Studio where the foundation for Screaming Into The Darkness was laid. From there Chris Harden got to work in his home studio and the final touches were made. 

Kayla Smith is a Denver based vocalist, pianist, & all around lover of performance. Lead singer of her funk band, Kayla & The Rays, and Colorado Springs-based rock band, Æternum, Kayla is enjoying her exploration into new genres & meeting incredible local musicians along the way. 

Aaron Mitchell is an indie-western folk/country singer, songwriter and visual artist. He was born and raised in the small rural town of Ft. Lupton, Colorado, but moved to Chicago in his early twenties to live the "big city" life. While cutting his teeth in Chicago as a musician, ironically Aaron found himself being drawn to the sound of early country music- taking him back to his roots of growing up a "city boy" in a "country town."  After falling under the spell of artists like Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Dylan, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and many others he started to carve out his own distinct sound as a songwriter.

Aaron explores all the ups and downs of life through his songwriting in an authentically vulnerable fashion. He's the real deal-- in that  he is real. He is a heart wailer; deciphering codes and honoring the whispers of the muse. He can sing a romping' "stick it to the man" song and go right in to a heart broken ballad then top it off with a funny "tongue and cheek" ditty. 

Sturtz’s music stands out for its distinctive, soothing instrumental and vocal harmonies. NPR’s All Songs Considered described the band as “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times." The acoustic quartet – Andrew Sturtz [vocals, guitar], Courtlyn Carpenter [cello, harmonies], Will Kuepper [bass, harmonies], and Jim Herlihy [banjo, harmonies] - is serene and folksy, with melodic vocals soaring over the lower string instrumentals. Sturtz released their debut album, You’ve Done This Before in August 2021, and now they are hard at work recording a second album that is set to release in Summer 2024. When they’re not playing music, you’ll probably find them milling flour, farming, laying in a creek, or eating native foliage.

Played and recorded entirely by himself in his apartment during the pandemic, Trout Steak Revival's Travis McNamara explores more indie and electric territory on his lush and experimental debut solo release, MOON CALENDAR. 

Trout Steak Revival's win at the 2015 Telluride Bluegrass Festival - a lineage including Chris Thile, Greensky Bluegrass, and The Lil Smokies - launched them into an odyssey of national touring, playing alongside artists like Brandi Carlile, Billy Strings, and Emmylou Harris. When the pandemic struck and McNamara's touring life ground to a halt, he turned to self-recording as a salve against great fear and uncertainty. A group of other waylaid Denver songwriters met online each month - the Beaver Moon Songwriting Club - and helped each other keep moving. 

MOON CALENDAR represents McNamara's exploration into a more electric and experimental form of his folk writing; a moving pastiche of layered recordings inspired by the sounds of Adrianne Lenker, Bon Iver, The Books, Jason Isbell, and Denver’s own Natalie Tate and Nathaniel Rateliff. No fewer than 16 instruments appear on the record, all played by McNamara himself. As always, he makes generous use of his most dynamic themes: expansiveness and adventure, balanced with isolation and freedom, and of course the perennial search for love.