A crowd of sweaty, yearning concertgoers screamed for one more song as Dressy Bessy apprehensively unplugged their equipment Sunday night at one of the last shows of the 2025 Underground Music Showcase. 

Singer and rhythm guitarist, Tammy Ealom, stood grinning at the crowd, egging her three bandmates to plug back in. 

The last few moments of the final (in it’s current form) UMS at Hi-Dive Sunday night were tight, with a strict clock ticking as a nervous energy surrounded the band on whether to press forward with the deafening requests of the crowd. The staff members stood anxiously, awaiting the slaphappy band’s next move.

Dressy Bessy, with the energy of a first concert despite nearly 30 years traveling the world, broke back into song. Ealom screamed that it was her town, pushing power chords through the speakers. Bassist Mike King threw his guitar case to the side to plug back in to an amp.

The lights went dark. The chords still blared, but the microphones never came on. All in all, the Hi-Dive venue forced the show to end. The crowd sighed. 

Just like that, and after 25 powerful years, UMS was over.

“You don’t deserve another song, Denver,” Ealom yelled jokingly.

And, for UMS, there won’t be one — not like this weekend’s anyway. 

25 years of sound

The UMS humbly began in 2001 by The Denver Post reporters John Moore and Ricardo Baca. The one-night showcase was set to show off local, “underground” bands voted upon by 25 local music experts. 

Bands like 16 Horsepower, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and future Grammy winners DeVotchKa were placed on the first polls. 

The event grew over the last 25 years, expanding to a multiple-day festival in 2006 and to around 350 bands in 2010. It was purchased by agency Two Parts from the Post for an undisclosed amount in 2018. In 2021, the local nonprofit Youth on Record bought its own stake in the festival.

Compacted down to three days on South Broadway, the festival began showcasing around 200 bands from the surrounding area, not just Denver, taking up four outdoor stages and multiple venues down the bustling street.

“It was more local,” John Hill, guitar player for Dressy Bessy, said. “Then they moved it down to Broadway and started bringing in national acts. It was instantly not what it once was.”

“I’d like to see it go back. Not corporate. Retool it,” Ealom said. “I don’t want to go see a band on the Doritos stage. I want to go see a buzz band from my town.”

This year’s show would be the last rendition in its current form, with the $1.4 million budget being too high, according to an announcement in June.

“This started with community — asking you which artists you love. That moment sparked something, and we’ve been at it ever since,” Jami Duffy, executive director of both the UMS and Youth on Record, said during the festival’s final bow.

She continued: “Over the past 25 years, UMS has presented more than 10,000 musicians on our stages. We’ve invested in mission, led on accessibility and artist care and set the standard for what’s possible. UMS dared to get loud first. It’s a legacy. There’s nothing like it.”

While UMS does not have the official ticket sales yet, it did have the highest artist turnout in 25 years.

The aforementioned Dressy Bessy, which began in the city in 1996, was the band to be featured on the top-10 polls the most. Even more than the accolade-wearing DeVotchKa.

Dressy Bessy — ushering in 60s pop revival with the heart of punk rock and the pen of tongue-in-cheek cynicism — was rated eight in 2001, two in 2002 and 2003 and finished first in 2004, leading to a headlining gig at the festival. 

Bittersweet… Kinda

For Dressy Bessy, the final Underground Music Showcase didn’t begin with solemn tears about the 25-year festival coming to a close — it began with two lost wallets.

The group was one of the first bands to play the festival on Friday at HQ. Ealom lost her wallet while buying food.

On their way to the last show of the festival at Hi-Dive on Sunday, Ealom lost her fanny pack. 

The full-circle moment of being one of the first UMS bands to being the absolute last was marred in a few mishaps and cancelled credit cards, but it didn’t bother the longstanding group.

“We always bring it,” Hill said about the final show, adding that while there was a bittersweet feeling around the festival ending, they were going to give it their all just as they always do.

“Why play a big venue when you can pack out Hi-Dive? We want it hot and sweaty,” he added.

It was.

Despite a line around the corner, Hi-Dive was still packed to the door moments before Dressy Bessy went on. A nearly visible cloud of heat and humidity flooded from the entry way. Hill, carrying the light load that the band uses to play gigs, turned back and smiled when he felt the heat. 

“Here we go,” he said.

The setup for the Hi-Dive show Sunday night was brief. As in, the four musicians walked through the door, turned a quick left and tossed their equipment on stage. Despite being a million-dollar music festival with outdoor stages and national acts, the prep took around 10 minutes max, just as the band wanted it. 

A group of people leaving the venue asked who was coming on next. When a responder said Dressy Bessy, one of the group screamed “no way,” and turned back in. 

Dressy Bessy delivered a 40-minute performance that captivated an audience of all age groups. Everyone danced, some cried and the chaotic-yet-positive energy of the band’s high-powered tunes was palpable throughout the packed crowd.

Ealom, with a Billy Idol-esque lip curl, cowboy hat and flowery dress, plummeted through the set, singing words of anti-establishment, unrequited love and positivity. 

Hill, King and drummer Craig Gilbert followed in step, pushing energy onto the stage honed from 30 years of performing. 

Dressy Bessy was listed as one of the “legacy” bands for this year’s festival, highlighting artists who have been around since the beginning of UMS like El Ten Eleven, The Velveteers and Anthony Ruptak.

Ealom took offense to that.

“Don’t call me a legacy act. I’ve still got s*** to say,” she said to the crowd before blasting into a song titled “I’m Still Here.”

Never left

According to Hill, the winners of the original UMS polls were the ones considered most likely to succeed. 

Obviously, the likes of DeVotchKa and Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Night Sweats did, but with a vast selection of local bands, there were a lot who fell out.

Dressy Bessy never did. In fact, since 2001, the band has made music for a living. No day jobs. 

“About 90% of the people we came up with are at home,” Hill said. “They haven’t played a show in 10 years. We’ve been doing this more or less full time since 2001.”

Since 1999, the band has released eight studio albums, been featured in various films and television like “But I’m a Cheerleader,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Californication,” played on late night shows and toured the world.

But, they never “hit it big,” according to Hill.

They reached the Billboards around 2005 and were picking up steam with their album “Holler and Stomp” in 2008, but it released right before the housing crisis.

“We literally had sold out shows that had 20-to-30 people at it. Nobody went out because of the recession,” Ealom said.

Their 2019 album “Fast Faster Disaster” was also starting to kick off, but then the COVID shutdown occurred.

Both Hill and Ealom laughed at the concept. A bit of wrong place, wrong time, but spiritually inconsequential. 

“Being able to strap your guitar on, write great songs and record your own music — that’s success,” Ealom said.

Despite being a legacy artist and deeply connected to the now-over UMS, the band is still going, with Ealom set to release a solo record under the name The Tammy Shine in February. They also still tour and are working on new music as an outfit.

Though the band didn’t see the last UMS show as a significant emotional moment before they hit the stage, the veneer of seasoned musicians seemingly slipped after the electric show. 

“I’ve been playing for over 20 years,” King said. “That was the best UMS show I’ve played.” 

“That was punk rock,” Hill said in the parking lot, nearly giggling. “It’s funny, our last UMS show was the best UMS show we’ve ever done.”

And in the utter darkness, with Dressy Bessy attempting to power through curfew with a feverish encore, UMS ended like it began — loud, unabashed and totally Denver.

“Thank you. Good night. Keep fighting for the things you love. And get home safe,” Duffy said at the end of the festival.