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Free Throw in Denver

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Free Throw
Summit Music Hall — Denver, CO

Free Throw is a pop punk and emo band from New Jersey that built a devoted following on the strength of introspective songwriting and infectious melodies. Their 2016 debut "What's Golden" introduced listeners to singer Mat Kerekes' particular brand of anxious vulnerability, where he'd examine his own neuroses with the kind of specificity that made them feel universal. Songs like "Lavender" and "Strawberry" became the kind of tracks people looped endlessly, catching new details in the production each time. The band kept releasing solid records—"Piecing It Together" and "Jet Black Jetpack"—each time refining their approach without losing the raw emotional core that made people connect in the first place. They're the kind of band that plays smaller venues but inspires genuine devotion from the people who find them.

Their crowds are engaged and vocal, singing along to every word like these songs have been soundtracking their lives. Energy is intense but intimate, the kind of show where people genuinely feel heard. Kerekes connects with the room; it doesn't feel performative.

Known for Lavender, Strawberry, Graphic, Map of the Sun, Gawker

Free Throw has maintained a quiet but steady presence in Denver's indie rock circuit. Their April 2025 show at Summit Music Hall found them in familiar territory, working through a setlist that balanced newer material with the kind of deep cuts their core audience actually cares about. They opened with "Such Luck" and settled into the groove with "Two Beers In" and "Good Job, Champ"—songs that hit harder in a room full of people who've been paying attention. The real moment came when they dug into "How I Got My Shrunken Head" and "Let's Get Invisible," tracks that showcase the band's ability to shift between wry humor and genuine melodic weight. They closed with "Randy, I Am the Liquor," which says everything you need to know about their approach to endings.

Denver's indie rock scene has always had room for bands that don't take themselves too seriously but absolutely take their craft seriously. Free Throw fits that mold perfectly—they share DNA with the city's tradition of wry, self-aware songwriting that plays as well in dive bars as it does in proper venues. The local audience appreciates bands that can balance clever wordplay with actual hooks, which is exactly what Free Throw delivers.

Stay in Highland, where tree-lined streets and independent bookstores make it feel like you're actually in Denver rather than passing through. Eat at Frasca Food and Wine if you want to understand why Colorado takes its ingredients seriously—it's fine dining without pretense. Before the show, spend an afternoon at the Denver Art Museum's contemporary wing, which often has installations that match the visual language of experimental music. Walk around Santa Fe Drive's gallery district. It's the kind of neighborhood where the art and music scenes actually talk to each other.

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