When Becky Otárola dreamed up her own all-ages DIY music festival, she envisioned a cross between Lilith Fair and Riot Fest where local female and femme-fronted bands were celebrated. Tapping an eclectic crew of local Denver talent including The Milk Blossoms, Gartener, Dream of Time, The Tammy Shine (the solo project of Tammy Ealom from Dressy Bessy), and her own band Bellhoss, the first annual SarahFest kicked off last month at Mercury Cafe.
A Grrrl’s Two Sound Cents caught up with Becky Otárola to get a recap of this year’s SarahFest, her personal highlights of each set, and how she turned her idea into a reality.
Tell me about the inception of Sarahfest and how it started.
I was wanting to play with a few other local bands in Denver, but it’s hard not to overdo it with booking shows in Denver, both in terms of promoting and personally for me. I wanted to be intentional with booking a show that would be special. I also wanted to highlight local femme talents, just knowing the data around festivals and low percentages of booking femme artists. I ultimately called it SarahFest to name it after my bandmate, since it ended up happening around her half-birthday.
I understand that in the beginning you wanted to create an all-femme festival in the spirit of Riot Fest and Lilith Fair. What makes these two festivals in particular something you want to replicate?
Yes! I think of Lilith Fair as this intentional moment for femme positivity, more as a blurred image from my youth, since I was a kid when it was active. I ended up going to Riot Fest as a teenager, and loved the experience running around and discovering new bands. One other thing I’m remiss to have not mentioned is that for about a decade Denver had its own strong femme-forward festival/collective called Titwrench, and I wanted to continue to honor that tradition as well.
Why was it so important to you to ensure that this festival was all-ages?
Thinking of how old I was when Lilith Fair was happening and when I went to Riot Fest and other local festivals in Southern California (where I grew up), I think that was a prime time for me to develop a lifelong interest in music as a community. I want to encourage that community and confidence in artistry in kids and young adults today, especially after the pandemic. Despite what other generations may think, the youth of today want in-person experiences as much as everyone else and I want to nourish that in the ways I can.
What do you love the most about the creatives and the music scene in Denver?
The music scene in Denver is very friendly, and based on relationships in a more sincere way than what I was exposed to in and around LA/Orange County. I have really enjoyed being a part of what feels more like a community than a scene (or competitive arena). I know there is definitely competition in Denver, but I think because it’s a smaller scene, there is more room to make what you want of a music/creative career.
SarahFest Highlights:
Bellhoss
That’s us! We got to try out a new song! That was fun.
The Milk Blossoms
They killed it with the new lineup! Harmony puts so much passion into her songs.
Luna Nuñez
So moody and dreamy! Love them.
Dream of Time
Lots of experimental sound, I love Olivia’s brain and how her violin leads the band into new places.
Gartener
Such amazing energy and Coco’s voice is incredible!!
Summer Bedhead
The surprise of the day for me, this was a blind booking (I had never heard them before) and WOW they knocked everyone’s socks off.
The Tammy Shine
Tammy killed it as usual! Her songwriting is incredible and she knows how to capture an audience with and without her band (Dressy Bessy).
Nina de Freitas
A jewel of the Denver community, Nina hypnotized everyone.
What are your biggest ambitions for next year’s Sarahfest?
I want SarahFest to have more of a DIY-friendly feel. I’m thinking backyard with couches, BYOB, picnic blankets, a chill and cozy party next year. Maybe a craft/zine table- something I didn’t have the energy for this year. We’ll see!
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