Seratones to Headline the First Ever UMS Impact Show

Funk-soul-rock band from Louisiana that marries spirituality, protest, Black feminism, and Afrofuturism, Seratones, will headline the Underground Music Showcase's inaugural Impact Show on Saturday, July 30.

Led by the enigmatic frontwoman and reproductive rights advocate A.J. Haynes, Seratones will join more than 150 bands to perform during the Underground Music Showcase (UMS), Denver's largest multi-day, multi-venue festival. The Mental Wellness Impact Show will take place on the festival's largest outdoor stage, the “Showcase Stage” on Broadway and Archer. 

 “Seratones are the ideal band to orient our audience to mental wellness for all. Not only are they focused on the good – but they are real and authentic when discussing the more distressing and painful parts of life. Their music lifts you, makes you feel your feelings, and make you feel better,” says Jami Duffy, UMS Co-Manager and YOR Executive Director. “Seratones provide a magical experience and we’re so excited to share it with our community of UMS fest goers.”

Seratones were most recently seen on The Late Show with Steven Colbert, and released their album, "Love & Algorhythms," on April 29th, 2022, under New West Records.

Youth on Record’s team met Seratones in February 2017 when they performed at YOR’s recording studio as a part of the nonprofit’s YOR Sessions.

The focus on mental wellness and substance misuse prevention was born of a new partnership between Youth on Record and Two Parts, which joined forces in March in an effort to expand the festival's social impact with a threefold focus of Artistic Excellence, Community Impact, and Economic Sustainability.  The word is catching on, and some of Colorado’s most respected mental wellness funders and providers are coming to the table with financial contributions and resources in support of the new mission-alignment at UMS. The Colorado Health Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, Caring for Denver Foundation, and Colorado Enterprise Fund are early supporters of the music festival’s focus on mental wellness, with more supporters joining each week. 

A music festival is an opportunity to reduce stigma by providing health and accessible resources for wellness within a community of care. By creating an environment where mental wellness and substance misuse are discussed openly, those who struggle with either or both issues will know that they're not alone – and may leave the festival more ready to seek support in the future.