No, Future Arts Foundation is NOT opening a venue in Longmont, but...

While a recent Daily Camera article declared that a Boulder County music nonprofit will soon be opening a new venue in Longmont, that's not quite true. Or maybe we just mean different things when we say "venue."

Give us a second while we push our glasses up the bridge of our nose.

Technically, "venue" pretty much just means a place where things happen. And with that definition, the new spot that Future Arts Foundation is opening will, in fact, be a venue.

However, we all know that when we say "venue" in a musical context, we're talking about a spot that hosts shows. We're not trying to call anyone out, but, according to Future Arts founder and executive director Travis Albright, that is not what's happening.

"I don't want anyone to think this is a place to see regular live music," Albright told Front Row LoCo, setting the record straight. "It's a place to hang out and support independent artists."

Future Arts Foundation is a 12-year-old Boulder County nonprofit whose mission is to improve communities through arts, music, and environmental programs. Eight years ago, the organization launched the Bluebird Music Festival, a multi-day musical extravaganza in Boulder that manages to feel simultaneously huge and intimate.

But FAF didn't set out to produce live music events. Informed by Albright's background in both music and education, the group's long-term goal has always been to provide free music education for kids (a critical ingredient for sustaining a burgeoning music scene like Longmont's).

"The Lost Bluebird will be our new home base to enable us to do these things," says Albright. "It also gives us the opportunity to get back to supporting independent artists and not just musicians."

So if it isn't a venue, what exactly is the Lost Bluebird?

"It will be a retail location for independent artists, a home for the free Bluebird School for young musicians, the merchandise store for the Bluebird Music Festival, host monthly dinners and concerts, and even have a cool espresso bar," Albright elucidates. The proceeds from the retail store will enable FAF to keep the Bluebird School (which is open to all kids, but focuses on the children of teachers, first responders, and mental health professionals) 100% free to everyone.

Albright began hosting music festivals around Colorado in 2008, featuring local favorites like The Lumineers and Gregory Alan Isakov, and while the lineup for the Bluebird Music Festival leans into Albright's love for indie folk, the songwriting and performing education provided by the Bluebird School extends far beyond that. "Our students have a wide range of interests, and we encourage that," Albright explains. "We don't want everyone to be like us. That would be awfully boring!"

The Lost Bluebird will open its doors to the public and students on August 21st right here in Longmont. "We were looking for the right fit and were open to any town in Boulder County," recounts Albright. "When this location became available, it just felt right. It has a good vibe, a great location, and is not too big. We don't want to get in over our heads right away...Slow, continuous growth has always been our goal."

So where exactly is this great location? Albright isn't quite ready to say, but he gave us a pretty juicy hint: "You'll be able to get a great burger on one side and a tasty ice cream cone on the other."

Count us in!