Inspiring Conversations with Liz Vasko of Rock For The People

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Vasko.

Hi Liz, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started the nonprofit, Rock for the People, in 2020 (yikes!) from my studio, Dog House Music Studios, in Lafayette, Colorado. My husband Kenny and I had been running Dog House for a year and a half by then and though I was falling in love with all the incredible musicians coming into the studio to rehearse and record, it was pretty obvious that we had a huge lack of diversity in our client list and in the genres of music being played in the studio. The lack of diversity was particularly prevalent among the touring and headlining bands rehearsing in the studio.

I didn’t start out as a music industry person (I’m still not an “industry” person) and I was just discovering the long-standing inequities in the music industry. I’m embarrassed to say that I was surprised to realize the lack of women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, people of color, Black, Hispanic, and LatinX musicians and performers in both the larger music industry and here in our local music community. It’s wild to realize that only a few (or none!) of the musicians included in the typical “best bands of all time” lists include musicians from any of these groups.

I want to create low-stakes, free, and low-pressure opportunities for ALL local musicians and local music fans to feel and be part of the local music community here in east Boulder County, and especially in my studio. I want to remove gatekeeping and offer up a space where everybody feels they belong and that they are celebrated. I want to create a space where safety is a given and musicians can experiment, create, and collaborate.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The most monumental struggle for Rock For The People was that I started the nonprofit in April of 2020. At the time, we were offering music therapy classes, and the majority of our clients were people with chronic medical conditions. We had our first board meeting and then shut down all of our programming (and the entire studio) for weeks. We came back online as an organization slowly over the next three years, offering free monthly programs one at a time: monthly open mic nights, then monthly songwriter meetups in partnership with Carly Fox, and then adding musician meetups and Band Speed Dating.

In 2022, an incredible group of local music venues and volunteers created the first annual Lafayette Music Fest, which is now under the umbrella of Rock For The People and is in its 4th year! In 2024 we began applying for local grants, and we were able to start offering scholarships for recording, rehearsal space, band marketing services, and paid audio engineering internships!

Along the way, our incredible board members and staff have struggled and adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of local musicians as they work to keep up and adapt to an ever-changing music industry. My goal in all of this is to keep it fun and keep it genuine.

As you know, we’re big fans of Rock For The People. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At Rock For The People, we enthusiastically believe that YOU are your local music scene. We’re all about East Boulder County’s homegrown music and we’re here to support YOU (the folks who create it). You want a music scene that represents you, so our mission is to make opportunities for y’all (musicians, audio engineers, music fans) from historically underrepresented groups so you’re heard, seen, and cheered for.

We’re a group of music nerds who want to find all the other music nerds in town. Our programs include: annual scholarships for recording, rehearsal studio space, and band marketing services; paid audio engineering internships; planning and hosting the annual Lafayette Music Fest; hosting free monthly music meetups like open mic night and band speed dating; and a concert series featuring local musicians and performers.

We focus our efforts on serving and supporting local musicians, music fans, audio engineers, band photographers, band videographers, and local independent music venues.

We’re powered by our volunteers and donors, and we’d LOVE to have you join in all the fun.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Our musicians, partners, donors, grantors, and volunteers make Rock For The People go ’round! I’m so very grateful for our nonprofit advisory board, made up of Kim Cortes, Melissa McGown, Dave Heinrich, Anna Frick, and Jesus Ortiz. These five folks volunteer their time and energy to keep everything working and growing.

Our Lafayette Music Fest planning committee is made up of local independent music venues throughout Lafayette, including Nissi’s, Muse Performance Space, The Arts Hub, The End Lafayette, and even our local bowling alley, Coal Creek Bowling. The City of Lafayette, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, ARTS! Lafayette, and Old Town Lafayette have all cheered us on since the beginning.

The many, many bands, musicians, music fans, and volunteers who have come through our doors make Rock For The People a community. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rockforthepeople.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockforthepeople
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockForThePeople
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rock-for-the-people/
• Other: https://www.lafayettemusicfest.com