Pink Fuzz is On the Rise – Colorado Sound Music Awards

You voted Pink Fuzz as your favorite Colorado band that is On the Rise in 2023

By Adam Perry

Boulder-bred hard-rockers Pink Fuzz might only have one studio album under their belts, 2018’s Speed Demon, but the young, dedicated-to-rock trio actually has a long history from when its members were even younger, as the Branded Bandits and then just the Bandits. Siblings John and Lulu Demitro met phenom drummer Forrest Raup at Foothills Elementary in Boulder, and it seems they were destined to rock together not long after.

As Colorado natives and also members of a band that plays heavy music, which isn’t exactly embraced heavily (no pun intended) in Colorado these days, John Demitro says winning The Colorado Sound’s 2nd annual On the Rise award means a lot.

“Yeah man, we’re stoked about that; that’s awesome,” he says. “It makes us feel supported. We’re obviously flattered and honored. I think for me, and I guess I’ll speak to the rest of Pink Fuzz, too, it just means that we’ve been working hard. I guess the public has taken notice of that.”

To win the On the Rise award as a band that’s still young but has a lot of Colorado history, having grown up here and threw the proverbial spaghetti at the wall for years before finding that blazing Pink Fuzz sound, is not lost on Demitro, either.

“I mean, every day we’re doing something different, which is cool. We try to keep it interesting and spice it up, you know. We’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff as of lately, with a lot of new music. So, in the new year we’re going to be releasing just tons of stuff, which is awesome. We’re really excited about it. We’re really excited to share it with everybody.”
Demitro also says he’s pleasantly surprised that Colorado Sound listeners voted for a heavy band as their choice for On the Rise, although local tastes seem to have separated Pink Fuzz a little from its hometown of Boulder.

“Heavy rock’s not really, you know, a prominent thing in Boulder,” he says. “We kind of have adopted Denver more so as our hometown, and there’s a little bit more in Denver. But yeah, we’re a little surprised because we’re pretty heavy but we have, you know, melodic vocals, I’d say, which makes it a little easier, yeah. A little more palpable.”

There’s no telling how far Pink Fuzz will rise, but the band does have a momentous headlining show coming up at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on January 13, presented by The Colorado Sound.

“We’re just staying busy and touring a bunch,” Demitro says. “We got our Bluebird show coming up here in the new year, and that’s going to be a really big show for us. We had UMS this summer [the Underground Music Showcase in Denver], which was just insane, and, yeah, we just want to keep playing and putting on good shows and making good music. That’s the most important thing.”

Meet all of the 2023 Colorado Sound Music Award winners

On the Rise – Pink Fuzz

Colorado Spirit – The Mishawaka

Outstanding Stage Presence – Alysia Kraft

Outstanding ‘Secret Ingredient’ – Taylor Sims

Musician or Band You’d Drive 105.5. Miles to See – Volores

Lifetime Achievement Award – Chris K.

Meet all our incredible 2023 Colorado Sound Music Award nominees

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