Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitch Wenig and Matt Carnes.
Mitch and Matt, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Matt Carnes and I became friends through our common love of music, film, and art. We both have backgrounds and degrees in Audio Engineering/Production and have been working in the creative media industry for a combined 30+ years. In 2019 we decided to put all of our life experiences, passion, and skills together to create DownBeat Denver.
We both have an immense love and adoration for Colorado music. We believe there is a unique and authentic music community here in CO and we wanted to find a way to share that with the world.
DownBeat Denver is a music series that highlights local bands/musicians through recorded music performances and interviews. Something that makes us different than other music shows such as Tiny Desk is that we include artist interviews in our show. We believe that this offers a deeper understanding and perspective on the human beings behind the art. It also gives the artists a platform to speak on subjects that are important to them. This is one of the many ways we have helped to make our community feel more connected.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the local music scene has faced a major setback. However, as we speak with our community more and more we are finding that the inspiration and desire to play music has never been stronger!
Currently, we are planning for a bigger and better Season 3 of DownBeat Denver whenever it feels safe to do so. This means more new music, fresh faces, a broader reach, a new space to film, and overall improvements to the show. Our mission remains the same; share Colorado music with the world!
We want to thank all of our friends, family, and fans for all of your encouragement and support as we push forward in bringing you Season 3 of DownBeat Denver. Much love!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
“…though the road is rocky, sure feels good to me.” – Bob Marley
One of our biggest challenges when we were first getting this thing off the ground was scheduling with the artists/bands. Balancing our full-time jobs with a busy production schedule proved to be very difficult. However once we began booking things out further in advance and adhered to a more concrete booking structure things got easier for us.
Another challenge we faced – and still do – was our “show flow”. How do you fit three songs plus an interview into a show that feels both entertaining and informative for the audience? People have short attention spans these days and it’s super easy to just click on the next video, but keeping people hooked is something we always keep at the forefront when making our episodes.
Lastly, a rather fun challenge for us as audio engineers has been crafting studio-quality audio in a space that is quite small (14’x25′ or 350 sq. feet). With full bands such as Brass & Gold Society and Tnertle who have 8 and 7 members respectively, the physical and sonic challenge of recording music that is both clear and lively is very difficult and takes pristine attention to detail. We always want to give our artists and audience the best representation of their music possible, and we take great pride in that!
Tell us about your business/company, what do you do, what are you most proud of, and what sets you apart from others?
Something we are most proud of is the community we have built with DownBeat Denver. It might sound weird to some people/businesses, but when we film our episodes WE HAVE FUN! The atmosphere is always light and easy so we can make our artists feel as comfortable as possible when performing. Because of that, we have artists who leave our set telling us “this is the most fun I’ve ever had on a shoot”. We really want it to be a fun and memorable experience for all of the people involved. We have made many friends through DownBeat Denver and built a tight-knit community that is passionate about our mission.
Something unique about us is that since the very beginning we have been the only ones running the show! Matt and I (Mitch) do everything involved in the whole project, and WE DO IT FOR FREE! We have never charged a cent for our services and believe that what we offer the artists is of unmatched value. They leave the session with three radio-ready songs, professional photos, three individual music performances (music videos), as well as a full 20+ minute episode with an interview included. We do all of the promotion, distribution, recording, mixing, mastering, video editing, color grading, lighting, website design, booking, management, producing, and directing. The list goes on and on… While we love wearing all of these hats and having creative control over our show, we are super excited to expand our team and let other people share their gifts as well!
Lastly, something that sets us apart from everyone is our “Question Snare”. This is probably the most beloved part of the show from artists and audiences alike. It’s a segment where random questions are pulled out of a snare and answered by the artists. The questions can range from serious topics like, “What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in your musical career?” to silly questions like, “if you could blend any two animals into one, forming a ‘super-animal’, what animals would you choose and why?”. This really lets the personalities shine through, and usually ends up in heartfelt tears or laughter.
What were you like growing up?
Mitch: Growing up with Tourette Syndrome, it was hard for me to find solace. I found my comfort in things such as music, movies, and nature. I always say that I was blessed to have parents that listened to such good music when I was growing up. We would crank the stereo system and my two brothers and I would run around the house dancing and singing. It was like that music made an imprint on my soul at an early age. As I grew older music and sounds became an escape for me, something I could go and get lost in. I found that when I was immersed in the world of sounds, all of my ticks would go away. Since then, I’ve learned to use music as a tool and medicine.
Matt: I was a hyper troublemaker who was interested in music from an early age. Having family members in the industry, I quickly fell in love and wanted to find a way in. I learned to play guitar in the summer between sixth and seventh grade. I started percussion in seventh grade and immediately started playing with others forming garage bands that nobody should ever hear. After graduating high school, I moved to Nashville to begin my formal education as an audio engineer. Since then, I found a passion working with indy artists. It’s that passion that helped inspire Downbeat Denver with a great partner in crime Mitch Wenig.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.downbeatdenver.com
- Phone: 9253379095
- Email: downbeatdenver@gmail.com
Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
