With fire in its belly, Tit wrench Festival returns for ninth year
Titwrench, Denver’s provocatively named experimental music and arts festival, has always flaunted its underground, activist bent. Performers from across the country have appeared at the grassroots confab representing a kaleidoscope of race, age and gender perspectives, with progressive causes always at the fore.
But in light of two major shifts in the local and national scene since Titwrench’s last appearance, the event is returning for its ninth year with a renewed purpose, according to co-founder and creative director Sarah Slater.
“Anyone who has an underrepresented voice in our society is feeling under attack, but at the same time feeling like we have more of an urgency to stand together and to fight back,” Slater, 41, said. “The importance of Tit- wrench, to a lot of people, is that it’s one of the few spaces where they feel safe and affirmed in who they are, and they know they can find a community here.”
Slater noted that last year’s surprise crack-down on Denver art spaces that have hosted Titwrench in the past, such as the Rhino ceropolis and Glob venues in what’s now called the RiNo neighborhood, instantly displaced parts of the community with which she has long been involved.
Additionally, the election of President Donald Trump in November has encouraged hatemongers to openly harass people
and organizations that advocate for racial equality, feminism, LGBTQ rights and other causes that Titwrench has spent its entire existence supporting, Slater said.
“That’s always been the intention of what we’re trying to do, but we’re especially struggling to find our beacons in the darkness right now,” said Slater, a community organizer, DJ and cultural worker who is well-known in the Mile High City’s DIY art scene.
This year, Titwrench returns to the locally owned and operated Mercury Cafe, from Aug. 25-26, as well as increasing its Saturday programming in the form of more panels and workshops around town. Topics follow Titwrench’s mission of em- young and marginalized creatives: “Getting Over Stage Fright,” “Making Beats for Beginners,” “DIY Marketing & Self Branding” and more.
“We’re always kind of going by the skin of our teeth, budget-wise and time-wise, so we just haven’t had as much capacity to do as many workshops in last few years,” Slater said. “But we prioritized it this time around.”
The core of the event is the performance schedule taking place upstairs at the Mercury Cafe, including headlining bands Midwife (Denver), Laura Ortman (New York City), Shooda Shook It (Tucson, Ariz.) and Chicharra (Albuquerque).
The lower level of the Mercury will also host a local artisan market on Friday -- imported from Mutiny Information Cafe, which itself is hosting the High Plains Comedy Festival this weekend -- and a visit from Witch Collective on Saturday, with herbalists, artisans and crafters, plus astrology, tarot readers and “other things you often find at the Mercury Cafe,” Slater said.
“It feels like the largest amount of programming we’ve had in quite a long time,” she said of the dozens of performers.
Supporters can donate to Titwrench’s online funding campaign — which helps pay the artists and performers who travel nationally for the event — at gofundme.com/ titwrench9, and RSVP for panels and other events at facebook.com/pg/titwrenchfest/events.
True to its DIY nature, Titwrench does not have any sponsors and counts on donations and volunteers for most of its resources.
“It’s actually really expensive to put on an event that lasts all day and all night,” Slater said of rentpowering ing space for this year’s festival. “(Mercury Cafe owner) Marilyn Megenity offers her space for a very reasonable price compared to the increasing costs that are happening all over the city.”
Slater did not comment on the terms of the deal, but said her revenue comes from door admission and that Megenity takes a percentage of that.
Titwrench remains an all-ages event that offers donation-based pricing for students and senior citizens, and $10-$45 admission for everyone else.
“Did I mention Titwrench is a lot of fun, too?” she added. “As someone once told me after attending Titwrench for their first time, ‘It’s a great place to discover new music and an even better place to discover yourself.’ There will be plenty of dancing and celebration, which is so important in life, especially in these times.”