Written by Tessa Barker
Everyone knows to get involved in the music industry you have to network like everyone is your best friend and create those meaningful connections that lead to the formation of a tight knit community; your music family per say. Your community should have all the resources you could need at the dial of a phone from collaborators, to photographers, to supporters. As much work as creating that special group takes, Elle Naef, the relations manager and right-hand women for The Head Room Sessions, believes those tight communities can hinder the creative process. The Head Room Sessions act as a crossroads for artists, in all senses of the word, to network with people they would never meet otherwise in what Naef calls a “bubble crossover”.
It all began with creator Matthew Shaw’s realization that the community art gallery he worked in was “begging for [live music] to happen” strictly based on the sheer perfection of the acoustics produced by the 25’ ceilings. Now for almost four years, Recreative Denver has housed 40 sessions consisting of two artists and two poets that are professionally recorded and photographed with a small but engaging live audience. The Head Room Sessions are completely volunteer run with a mission to help creatives from all sectors of Denver’s artistic community with a career boost through skill shares, exposure and local support. Both Shaw and Naef have a soft spot for DIY venues and local communities, something they feared would be lost with the rapid gentrification of the art districts in Denver, which is why The Head Room Sessions are such an important factor in keeping art a creative and authentic process, rather than a money making operation.
Although The Head Room Sessions only asks for a small door fee from audience members, they have a running fund they use to support local artists who become financially troubled. Due to COVID-19 and the lack of income independent artists face during this time, The Head Room Session’s funds are being quickly depleted. They do an hour long segment on WeAreDenver’s Wednesday podcast asking for any donations via their Venmo, @headroomsessions, in which they then allocate to Denver creatives.
While the live sessions are currently on hold due to the coronavirus, The Head Room Sessions are still creating content and supporting their community, specifically within the Black Lives Matter movement. To show their solidarity with the protests, they have paused all musical programming and handed over their platform to local leaders. Every Thursday community Black rights activists determine the topic they see fit and engage in an honest, thought provoking conversation. So far topics have included Black joy, mental health, allyship and Black space in the arts. These conversation live streams can be found on The Head Room Sessions’ Facebook page.
As the organization itself grows, Shaw and Naef intend on keeping the sessions intimate and exclusive due to the live recording factor. Their main goal has always been and always will be giving Denver artists a place to collaborate and grow while holding true to their non-profit and DIY values. Through their initiative, artists have the head room to let their creativity cultivate and The Head Room Sessions to capture it.
Photo by Caito Foster