The Mountain-Ear Podcast

Today's show is a rerun of one of our most popular episodes ever. Back in February, we produced this story about how Boulder ended up as a hot bed for hippies and counterculture. If you didn't catch it then, you're in for a treat. Here's the link to the original episode, along with details about the historical clips used to produce the show: buzzsprout.com/1583656/episodes/1874...

This week, we're flashing back to the very first segment of Music of the Mountains to celebrate the five-year anniversary of journalist and host Jamie Lammers writing for the column. This first interview features bassist Dolores Berbaum talking about her group Treeline String Band after their first performance. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record...

The July issue of Caribou Current hit the racks this week, so today we're featuring an exclusive interview with Boulder County-based cosmic Americana group Prairiewolf. Our editor Jezy Gray sat down with Jeremy Erwin, Tyler Wilcox and Stefan Beck to chat about their latest album Zone Poems, out July 17. Last year the group went on tour around Colorado and got into some pretty funky head space...

In this week's Music of the Mountains, Jamey and Heather Bilyeu take time out of their breaks performing at Very Nice Brewing Company in Nederland to talk about their history as a duo before their follow-up performance at the Gilpin location on July 11th. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Better off Dead  here. Support the show Thank you for l...

Today, we’re taking a trip to CU Boulder’s Mountain Research Station. This little plot of land in the Indian Peaks Wilderness operated by CU’s Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is one of the longest running high elevation research centers in the world. This summer, they’re celebrating 100 plus years of groundbreaking research by opening its doors to the public.  First, we'll...

Rachel Cole and Gus Miller have been performing music as a duo for years, but for the first time, they're cementing a duo project they've called Down River. This week, we talk to Rachel and Gus in preparation for their upcoming performance at the Jamestown Mercantile on Thursday, June 25th, 2026. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Better o...

We've got another segment from our friends at Boulder Valley Frequency today featuring prolific music journalist, outdoorsmen and Ward-adjacent resident Grayson Haver Currin. Grayson has profiled Willie Nelson, Peter Frampton, Tame Impala and of course, Paul McCartney. Today, he explains how he found his way to music journalism while telling some pretty cool stories along the way. Also Black...

Local indie folk unit Trouble's Braids released their newest EP Tarantula on June 5th, and to talk about the release and their upcoming group performances, co-founder Emily Pennington joins this week's episode of Music of the Mountains! Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Better off Dead  here. Support the show Thank you for listening to Th...

Take a break from national headlines and tune in to what's going on in your neighborhood. On this week's episode, we've got just the headlines: a quick round up of everything that's been happening in the Peak to Peak these last two weeks, from proposed rental housing in Nederland to Central City Opera's show stopping drag performance in Denver.  Also Nederland child care c...

Colorado guitarist Jon Ridnell has released his first new BlackDog album in over a decade, Freak the Funk. Tune into this week's episode to learn more about Jon and his new release. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Better off Dead  here. Support the show Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak...

The June issue of Caribou Current hit the racks yesterday, so we've got another sneak peak at all of this months content today. In honor of our cover story about Boulder Comedy Festival, coming to venues across The People's Republic June 16-21, we compiled a few snippets of standup from comedians performing at the festival for today's show - along with our regular round up of concer...

In this week's episode of Music of the Mountains, we bring on Dango Rose to talk about his musical endeavors, celebrating his opening at Ned General for Redd and the Paper Flowers on May 30, 2026. From a new documentary focusing on his songwriting and mental health journey to performing with Elephant Revival, we catch up with Dango on his current musical direction. Our theme song is courtesy...

The general public tends to write off skaters as grungy, lazy, troublemakers. But that's far from the truth. In reporting a story for the May issue of Caribou Current, I asked Nederland skateboarders about the lessons skating can teach us. There's a lot more to learn than just how to do a kickflip - skating can teach us how to persevere, how to fail and succeed, and how to be a good pers...

Guitarist Tony Crank recently performed with friends as Tony Crank Music at The Old Gallery in Allenspark. On this episode of Music of the Mountains, we talk with Tony about his time as a guitarist in Colorado and the reasons he continues playing and learning today. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Better off Dead  here. Support the show Thank you...

Today, we’re featuring an episode from our sister podcast, Shay Castle’s Boulder Valley Frequency, about a pair of mountain women breathing life into Ward’s Hotel Columbia, which just opened its doors after a year and a half of renovations.  A few months ago, Shay paid a visit to Hotel Columbia and its new owners, Masyn Moyer and Gurjeet Gill, to find out what possessed them to renovate the  old b...

Brian and Lacey Loeper are core members of a close group of musicians who arrived in Colorado from different places. This connection of new community members inspired the name Satellite Friend, who now work together to write new songs on a regular basis. Learn more about the band by tuning in to this episode of The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring Brian and Lacey! Our theme song is courtesy of sing...

Colorado's largest Superfund site by area stretches 400 square miles across Gilpin and Clear Creek counties. The site has been in remediation for nearly five decades, and a new scope of remediation is assessing the health risk of lead left behind by historic mining to residents. At Gilpin County's annual health fair on May 9, public health workers were testing residents' blood for l...

This week, transitioning into our new regular spot for Music of the Mountains, we're bringing a stand-up comedian, Aaron Foster, onto the show to talk about his upcoming set for his tour, Mostly Jokes, at the Backdoor Theater on Thursday, May 14th. Join us for this slight detour of an episode with Performing in the Peaks! Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream...

Today's show features an exclusive interview with Elephant Revival's Bonnie Paine, who just released her debut solo record, Unseen.  She joins the show today to talk about how the record came together, her path to headlining Red Rocks, and a little known band out of Oklahoma called The Rat Nurses.  You can read the full story at cariboucurrent.com, or in our May issue, on news racks all...

After the devastation of the Lakeview Fire in October 2025, Nederland businesses had to find their footing again. With the upcoming opening weekend for Ned's newest hub, The Vault, we're featuring Doug Armitage to talk to him about his business, Brightwood Music, and building it back up with the help of the community. Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Strea...

Cross Mine could finally reopen. A final hearing on operator Grand Island Resource's application to resume mining activity is scheduled for May 20 after years of delays. But where does the town of Nederland fit into all of this? On today's episode, reporter Shay Castle sits down with Nederland Town Manager Jonathan Cain to discuss what's at stake for the mountain town, and what they...

In preparation for the first show of the Gold Hill Inn's 2026 season, learn more about That Damn Sasquatch from primary songwriter and guitarist Spencer Crawford. To prepare for the band's performance on May 1st to start the season off, we talk with Crawford about the history and stylings of the band! Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record  Bet...

On this week's episode, Nederland's new mayor Nichole Sterling joins the show for an exclusive interview to talk about her vision for Ned's future, affordable housing and the dramatic finish to the mayoral race. Polls closed in Nederland two weeks ago, and after several unofficial results and recounts, Nichole Sterling edged out incumbent Billy Giblin, 261 to 258, for the mayor&apos...

Wendy Woo will be coming back to the Peak to Peak area when she performs at Oskar Blues Grill and Brew on Friday, May 22, 2026. In anticipation of next month's performance, we're bringing back her segment from November 2025! Wendy Woo is a performer rooted sturdily in Colorado. Originally from New York, the acoustic singer-songwriter moved to Boulder with her parents as a kid, going back...

What's the first thing you would grab if your house was on fire? For Brianna and Max Rashbaum, owners of Nederland's Spinning Silica, seeds are at the top of the list. On today's episode, we hear the story of a pair of seasoned gardeners who have been saving seeds from their garden for decades -  a practice that slowly adapts a plants genetics to the climate they grow in.  They lost...