by Amy Martin
“This Week In Grass”
You know the post. The post we all love from Denver Jamgrass that tells us about all the grassy-musical happenings in Colorado for the week. But did you know that post comes from one solo man who spends hours making sure it happens? That sometimes this man has to redo the entire post because Facebook doesn’t like all of those tags in one place? Or that sometimes he gets put in Facebook jail for his tactics? The man, the myth, the sometimes anonymous legend behind this post is none other than Kirk Hubbard, founder and creator of all things Denver Jamgrass. He’s a humble man, and he will hate (in the nicest way) that he’s being praised for all his work, or that he’s the center of an article at all, but he deserves recognition, and quite frankly, a round of applause. So we’ll ask for forgiveness later.
Kirk grew up in the Ohio River Valley and has lived in West Virginia, so his bluegrass roots planted early. He has always been a lover and supporter of music and art, and he has lended himself to both for many years. He is a photographer and videographer, and is most often seen at shows behind the lens of his camera. He is a family man and a community man, always doing what he can to help those around him. If Kirk sees a friend, a stranger, or a band in need, he springs into action. It’s how Denver Jamgrass got its start, Kirk saw certain needs in the bluegrass community and wanted to fill them. He wanted new bands to have good photos and audio who couldn’t afford it, he wanted venues to have good ticket sales so they’d continue to book these bands and pay them well, and he wanted a safe space where bands could self-promote and be promoted by others. He wants absolutely nothing in return. He doesn’t care for notoriety or recognition, and he prefers to do his good deeds quietly, so we can’f even tell you all the ways he has helped our community because we are sworn to secrecy. But he has, and some of you know.
It has been TEN YEARS since Kirk brought Denver Jamgrass to this scene, which has over time produced professional-quality live performance photos for bands at no cost, granted relief funds during the Covid shutdown (a great team and community effort!), recorded podcasts, interviews, live streams, promoted local venues and musicians, connected touring musicians to local gear or housing needed, and of course, THE LIST. Ten years of volunteer work that this man has done with so many of us benefiting in one way or another. Perhaps you were in one of these bands and still love that photo he took or you went to a great show last Thursday because you saw it on the list.
We certainly reference the Denver Jamgrass list often at CBMS, which is where Kirk focuses a lot of his energy these days, and know that many people rely on it when making their plans. It’s why we wanted to take a moment to give Kirk Hubbard a shout out and to say THANK YOU for everything you do and have done. Happy 10 year anniversary Kirk! Happy Ten Year Anniversary Denver Jamgrass. We appreciate you so much.
(Editor notes: If you want to be on the list, create an event on Facebook and invite this man. That’s how it works.)
