Local collective opens its arms to curious musicians

Photo courtesy of Openness
New musical collective cultivates dreamy vibes

Local acts team up for something extraordinary

Collaboration is key in the music industry, and this is evident with star collaborations like BROCKHAMPTON, 88Rising, and the infamous Odd Future. Without these partnerships, iconic artists like Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, Rich Brian and Kevin Abstract wouldn’t have such a popular platform to build off. With the ever-changing Denver music scene, it’s exciting to see local acts teaming up to make something epic. This is where Openness steps in.

Openness is a project started by UCD Sophomore and Denver native Keelan McDorman. The project was started with one goal in mind; make music genuinely. The name Openness is the essence of how the music feels while making it and how he wants others to feel while listening to it. When asked about the alias of the project McDorman commented “Openness is a collaborative effort first and foremost and it is a record label in the sense that I self-release all the music.” The record label mentioned above is called Lavendork Records that has released 23 songs featuring 18 artists with the works of Openness and has another album in the works.

Openness produces music that is dreamy and psychedelic. Checking out their Instagram one can see trippy videos that accompany the songs playing in the background. When asked about the creative process for creating theses posts McDorman replied “My Instagram is comprised of things I create, as well as vintage and royalty free footage that I edit and repurpose.” Check out the Openness Instagram here to see the artwork firsthand.

Openness as a collaborative is exactly as it sounds; it’s an open space for like-minded people to create music on a similar platform. While the collective as a whole does not perform, getting a band together is in Openness’s future. McDorman welcomes and encourages musicians who are curious about the collaborative to reach out to him about joining.

So, what’s next for Openness? As mentioned earlier, there is another album in the works as well as some exciting new releases. “I definitely enjoy releasing albums in this modern time where singles are the norm. Albums are stories, and stories never die.” McDorman is also focusing on creating better music with each release. “The stuff I’ve got in the works will definitely one up anything I have out.”

“Everything about this music is entirely up for interpretation; take from it what you will. I feel like a musical messenger, and the message is definitely stamped for priority delivery.” To listen to and support Openness, check out their Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud. To directly support the collaborative, check out their Bandcamp to purchase their whole discography for $4.71 or about the price of a latte.