Brendan Forrest

Chicago-born musician Brendan Forrest traded city bustle for the quiet of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains—two worlds shaping the heartfelt acoustic music he makes today. Rooted in folk songwriting, contemporary bluegrass, and what he calls grit-soul, Forrest draws from Chicago blues, Celtic tunes learned at ten, psychedelic and grunge rock, jazz, and global traditions absorbed while performing abroad. After years in Chicago’s indie arts scene and troubadouring abroad, he pointed himself west, settling into American roots music—and winning over locals in his adopted home of San Miguel County.

Forrest’s debut album Daydreaming Music Fiend, tracked live in Nashville, blends folk storytelling with string-band energy and improvisation, earning grassroots acclaim plus festival and international appearances. Its follow-up, Songs from San Miguel, Vol. 1, is the counterpoint: a stripped-down, guitar-and-voice meditation recorded in rural Colorado, backed by a Telluride Arts Augment Grant, and featuring Forrest’s first recorded takes on folk and Americana classics including “Little Sadie,” “Hard Times Come Again No More,” and Blaze Foley’s “Moonlight Song.” Together, the albums trace Forrest’s path from eclectic studio artist to flatpicker, boundary-pushing songwriter, and rising voice in Americana. Accolades: John Lennon Songwriting Competition Winner,  2X Telluride Arts Grantee, 2X City of Chicago Individual Artist Grant Recipient.

Forrest lived in Boulder years ago and continues to maintain ties to the Front Range acoustic community. In recent seasons he has performed at the Loveland Sweetheart Festival, Roots Music Project in Boulder, and a wide network of listening rooms and venues stretching from the foothills into the mountains. His regular appearances include Gold Hill Store, Howlin’ Wind, Salina Schoolhouse, The Neighbor, Horsetooth Saloon, Oskar Blues, and several other Front Range and mountain-town staples. While based on the Western Slope, Forrest actively engages audiences up north, cultivating fans, collaborating with musicians, and expanding his footprint across Colorado’s vibrant Front Range music scene.