MUSIC ® Scott Rednor (from left), Kory Montgomery, Mark Levy, Kramer Kelling and Bill McKay perform at Shakedown Bar. Philanthropic Focus BY JOHN BEAR Mr. Anonymous Philanthropic Society (MAPS), a nonprofi t music organization born at the height of the pandemic, has launched a record label called Go MAPS Music. MAPS creative director Scott Rednor is HI-DIVE BROADWAY - DENVER HAPPY HOUR 4-8 PM DAILY - $3 COORS & $4 WELLS the owner of Vail music venue Shakedown Bar and a member of the band Brothers Keeper. When the pandemic struck and shut down live music, he and his friends began to throw impromptu shows outside the bar to scratch their collective live-music itch. “We got the bug going that we just wanted to play,” says Rednor. “We ended up moving out on the sidewalk in front of our place and playing on the street.” The nascent label’s fi rst offi cial release, “Name Song,” by Kory Montgomery, debuted on Friday, May 20. More releases by various musicians are planned on a bi-monthly basis. “We’ve got about thirty songs we re- corded the past couple of years,” Rednor says. “We’ve got about 28 ready to roll.” To create the label, MAPS has partnered with Color Red, the Colorado music platform and record label founded by New Master- sounds guitarist Eddie Roberts. Rednor is excited about the partnership, because recording music is one thing, but getting it distributed properly is another. “[Color Red] set up a whole distribution 20 HI-DIVE.COM - 303.733.0230 chain,” Rednor says. “Those guys have proven their way. They’ve released a lot of music...so we are really glad to get in the trenches with those boys, because they are doing it.” Rednor says that the impromptu concerts at Shakedown Bar led to a contract with the town of Vail to do pop-up concerts. “I think we did 72 shows during the COVID sum- mer of 2020,” he recalls. “We did another fi fty last year.” He says he was approached in 2021 by someone who attended those shows about starting a project to help artists with the ins and outs of the music business; the nonprofi t eventually sprang from that. MAPS pays homage to the father of a boardmember who used to give money anonymously to various causes, including funding for teaching hospi- tals and for putting people through medical school, according to Rednor. “We paid all of these artists to come into Shakedown, which we turned into a record- ing studio,” Rednor recalls. “We paid all the artists to help them out by creating all our promotional material to launch the non- profi t. That’s how we started helping artists.” Those who recorded with Go MAPS Mu- sic include Brothers Keeper as well as Nicki Bluhm, Ross James, Rob Eaton Jr., Tyler Grant, Keith Moseley of the String Cheese Incident and a “whole slew of artists,” he adds. The organization’s primary interests are community, artist development, youth music education and mentoring programs. “In our fi rst year of MAPS, we raised over a half-million dollars,” Rednor says. “We got a lot of money into artists’ pockets to help them through the pandemic and formed our recording studio. We did about seventy sessions to raise money.” He adds that MAPS will hold a Youth Mu- sic Showcase in August and is currently taking applications from musicians between the ages of ten and twenty who want to participate. With regard to youth mentoring, Rednor envi- sions the community of local artists helping younger ones not only with their performance skills, but also with the nuts and bolts of being a musician, such as the right way to string a guitar and how to set up pedals. “It takes a village, man — not just to raise a baby, but to raise a bunch of musicians and successful artists,” Rednor says. MAPS wants to help artists learn music business operations, as well, such as how to manage a business checking account and how to streamline freelance projects so they can operate effi ciently in their chosen profes- sion. Rednor points out the label’s nonprofi t status and says that it’s not looking to make money off the artists. “We give artists the fairest share you can get from a record deal,” he says. “The rest of it pumps back into the machine — not for profi t, but to fi nd new artists and keep helping developing artists. So it’s kind of an all-in family affair.” As for the label, Rednor says it isn’t focused on any one genre but will likely be recording primarily rock-and-roll and Americana artists. “There’s a lot of heart and soul going into the lyric writing,” he says. “No one is taking any shortcuts. Everyone takes the songwrit- ing seriously.” Montgomery says that the songwriting he’s heard among the artists is incredible. “There’s a strong emphasis on writing songs that’s encouraged by MAPS,” he adds. “The industry has kind of gone away from that.” In fact, Montgomery’s “Name Song,” which he wrote for the debut release, is about songwriting. “It’s an incredible opportunity for me as an independent artist,” he says. “At the time of COVID, just the fact of them investing in us at a time when the world kind of shut down is just incredible. Scott has believed in me and helped me believe in myself and my songs.” “Name Song” is available on all streaming platforms. MAPS is accepting applications for its youth showcase through July 15. Learn more at gomapsmusic.com or color-red.com. MAY 26-JUNE 1, 2022 WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | westword.com JOHN RYAN LOCKMAN THURSDAY 5/26 FRIDAY 5/27 SATURDAY 5/28 SUNDAY 5/29 MONDAY 5/30 TUESDAY 5/31 WEDNESDAY 6/1 TAPE NIGHT WITH CASS FIDDLEHEAD/FLOWER LANGUAGE/ DESTINY BOND/PUBLIC OPINION ADV NECK OF THE WOODS/THE BEAST OF NOD/NECROSOPHIC ABYSS/ STARWRAITH KING HANNAH: ALISON LORENZEN ADVANCED BESTIAL MOUTHS/DEADLUV/ CXCXCX/CAU5ER KID FRANCESCOLI WITH KIDS RETURN FREE POOL + $2 RAINIERS
