FreePeopleTV Highlights Denver’s Thriving Music Culture

When Mona Magno (Monalicious) founded their company Free Music For Free People in 2013, she began pulling back the curtain to reveal how flourishing Denver’s music scene truly is. Since then, they have created their own record label, started several bands, and developed an entire channel of programming called FreePeopleTV (FPTV).

“We’re seeing a growth of all creative industries whether it’s new people coming in to make a name for themselves or the really strong community of people who have been grinding and contributing for years,” Monalicious said. “Not only is Denver evolving with its modern creative renaissance, musicians and artists around the world are currently using isolation for inspiration in what’s projected to be a renaissance in-and-of-itself. During these times of isolation, FPTV crosses borders because it’s virtual. When people across the nation previously couldn’t attend a Denver concert or performance without significant travel and costs, they can now with this consistent source of video entertainment.”

Season one of FPTV is now available and will highlight a variety of content that has been produced over the past year whether it’s a mini-documentary, an artist session, or virtual live set. The channel will also include two podcast-style interview segments.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Monalicious about the channel, why it is important to help the community thrive, how important the Denver music scene is to them, and their work with Youth on Record, a non-profit organization that brings artistic opportunity to underserved youth.Hi, Mona! Thank you for taking some to chat with me. You launched an entire channel of programming for the Denver music scene called FPTV. Can you tell us more about it?
FPTV, I pretty much simply just describe it as music television. We are a community organization that focuses on the music community here in Denver. At this point, it’s not exclusively Denver, however, we just have so many amazing people here in Denver that it would be kind of ridiculous not to feature them. FPTV is a branch of Free Music For Free People, and we have several different segments and shows. That varies between live sets, artist sessions, special projects where we will work with circus performers, and then some interviews. Season one of FPTV highlights all of those different segments, so we put it into one episode where you get to see kind of a variety show.

What inspired you to create FPTV?
Ever since I started the company, videos have always been an aspect of what we do. We live in this digital era where video is sometimes one of the most compelling ways to digest media. In addition to that, videos can really help propel people’s creative pursuits. So, in the act of service that we kind of embody, we also want to give people engaging materials to continue pursuing opportunities with.

As a Denver native, you grew up watching the music scene flourish and evolve over the years. What makes the Denver music scene so special and unique?
The Denver music scene has been cultivating for longer than I have even been alive. So, it has this really rich history in this really rich culture that just continues to be added to. New people are obviously flooding into Denver and Colorado, but that creates this kind of melting pot of new that are built off of really old things. An example of that is Mercury Café. It has gone through so many different phases and it’s affected so many different lives. Same with Gypsy House Café. Then there have been several different collectives of artists, whether that’s hip hop or Americana.

We have places like The Parasol and The Platt, all these unique artistic places that are ingrained in the history of the music scene. Even if you were to just move here and you may not have any relationship to these places, there is still going to be some beautiful influence from those venues. It’s all based around community, and I love that. There has always been a huge emphasis of community in the Denver scene, and it continues to get richer as more people come and tap into what has been happening here.

Related article: City Games: The Return of Josey Greenwell

And you are a musician and songwriter yourself. Have you always had a passion for music?
Yes, I am very passionate about it. Even as a child, I would make up songs and sing them to my mom as she was cooking dinner. I just felt compelled to it. When I was 13, I would find old mixers in the auditorium of my school and ask if I could take them home and play with them, and that helped develop my articulation with equipment and with the language of music. I have always been interested in it. I think I tried to always figure out who I was when I was 12-13. I was pretty interested in being a comedian, but when I started singing, it was like oh, I’m a musician. That desire to really know and be who I want to be, I think that music gave me a really solid foundation for building out my identity.

Before FPTV, you created a record label and multiple bands. With how much you have accomplished, how do you stay motivated?
Energetically, I put an emphasis on my health, fitness, and general organizations. I try to keep spaces clean so I try to just have good energy and enough energy to put into projects. I would say that my father instilled a really beautiful thought in my brain when I was 13 or so. He asked me what I wanted to do. Like, if I could do anything, what would I want to do. At the time, I was a skateboarder, and he said to think of the biggest thing I could ever do. I was like, oh, I want to put together a skate competition.

He asked what would that take, so I sat down and he didn’t really follow up with me, he was just kind of talking to me, but I went through in a notebook and wrote down every single aspect of it and realized I could do this if I wanted. I never ended up doing that show, but I get very excited to envision something like a big show or a big project or album. I guess I have always realized that I could just do it. People seem to be compelled by that as well, so they join me on the journey. So, the idea that I could achieve anything keeps me motivated, as well as working with people who believe that also.

Several musicians and artists have used the COVID pandemic and these times of isolation and quarantine as a source of inspiration to create new works. Have you been doing the same?
Definitely. Our company, we have several projects that we have been working through during this time. A big part of that is that I have a really amazing team and I feel responsible for keeping things exciting for them, you know? They have devoted their time and energy to the company, so I feel a responsibility to have us work on exciting and compelling things. I have also had a lot more space. I love what I do, so I could find myself consumed for hours and days.

Related article: The Return of Neon Trees: One on One with Tyler Glenn

Black Lives Matter is still a hot button issue these days, so how is the Denver music scene paying homage to the movement?
There have been a lot of articles and shows coming out spotlighting black artists. I am a part of the Denver Creative Industries Alliance, and they have been working on some reform action to make a stance and some movement as a creative industry to support this movement and end police brutality.

What do you think the world would be life if we never had music?
I don’t know if that’s possible. I truly believe in the musician and artist’s role in keeping inspiration alive. I believe that inspiration fuels wanting to be alive. I also play Dungeons & Dragons, and one of the classes you can be is a bard and one of their special abilities is giving inspiration to themselves or to their party. That inspiration is like a bonus to any move that you do. I truly believe that like the musicians and artists of the world, they bring inspiration which enhances the community which enhances individuals. So, I think that without music, there would be a lack of inspiration and that our inner fires and motivations to be alive and enjoy life would significantly suffer.

What do you hope audiences take away from FPTV?
I hope that they are inspired and proud of being a part of the scene or of their friends in the scene. I hope that they recognize that they too, if they put their minds to it, can find other amazing people of like-minded interests that they too could achieve something exceptional.

Who are some of the feature artists that have been spotlighted?
Oh, it is such an amazing list! We have Jen Korte, Kid Astronaut, Jenny LaJoye, Joshua Trinidad, Anthony Ruptak, DJ Erin Stereo, Levi Double U, N3PTUNE, Zea Stallings of The Copper Children, and the list goes on.

Do you have plans to roll out a second season?
Right now, we do have some plans, but with the coronavirus, we have to be mindful about how we navigate production. So, we might be working on some hour-long specials.

You are also a teaching artist and the lead program coordinator for Youth on Record’s girls music group called FEMpowered. Can you tell us more about Youth on Record and how you got involved?
I started Free Music For Free People when I was 17, and I was just super eager to be involved with the music community. The music community let me do my thing which helped me develop a reputation. I had some friends who had been involved with Youth on Record, and when I walked through the door of one of their events, they were like, ‘oh, we like forgot that you existed. Do you want to lead a workshop in an hour?’ I was like, of course I do! So, I literally walked in the door and was hired that day.

Youth on Record is such an incredible organization to be part of. We have several different programs that focus on empowering youth through creative education. An aspect of that is, I run their girls music program, FEMpowered. It is built around sisterhood and giving resources and information to young women who are interested in music. I am also a teaching artist, so I go to different high schools. This past year, I was at North High School and they taught audio production. Within all of the work that we do, we focus on a bit of a social justice engaged pedagogy teaching platform. So, we are showing these students how powerful they can be and how they can use their voice to contribute to their communities and the liberation of themselves. We are also giving them the tool of music to be the vehicle that they liberate themselves through.

What’s next? Are there any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
Yes! FPTV, we will be producing programming in the future, so definitely be on the lookout for what’s next there. With the label, we are doing a project called Time Stamp, and that is a community compilation album that is collecting music that was created during quarantine. It’s like, remember this moment and kind of brings us all together. So, we have that coming out. We also have a few recording projects on the label coming out, so those are the latest projects we are working on.Stay up to date with FPTV on social media, or visit fm4fp.com. To keep up with Monalicious, follow them on social media or visit monaliciousmedia.com.

Photos Courtesy of Julianna Photography