Sunnyside Music Festival Pt.1: West Side Books, The Reals!

Join Mama Jill and her friends at the Sunnyside Music Festival, recorded Sept. 13, 2025. Bear with the Mama as she battles portable mics in the wind with the background noise of the festival. Despite that challenge, these were live-on-the-spot interviews, very organic and real! First off is an interview with the proprietors of West Side Books from North Denver near 32nd and Lowell. They are one of our long-standing authentic, independently owned neighborhood bookstores with a great backstory.

Mama Jill chats with her brother briefly at the festival right before Matthew Kowal and the beloved local band The Reals play a "pirate" session at the Colorado Soul Stories booth. They drew quite a crowd in between the sets on the main stage of the festival. The Reals is comprised of mostly North Denver musicians who have lived in the area and played together for decades. Their original songs possess a particularly wonderful Colorado essence. Enjoy!

The rest of the festival recording will launch soon as well.  https://www.jillcarstenswriter.com/coloradosoulstoriespodcast