Music

Independent record stores with their own unique identities have long served as important cultural hubs in American communities. For Denver-area teens coming of age during the rise of R&B in the ’40s and rock ’n’ roll in the ’50s, Harmony Records and the Rhythm Record Shop were important gathering places. In the ’70s and ’80s, during the prosperity of mom-and-pop stores, shops such as Wax Trax Records in Denver and Triple Play Records on Colorado’s Western Slope emerged and continue to thrive.

While on spring break in 1988, two English teachers bought Underground Records on Pearl Street at a public auction. Paul and Jill Epstein would leave the classroom to devote their energy to building the renamed Twist & Shout Records into a “must-stop” for music fans, surviving the decline of vinyl sales by advancing compact discs and other music and pop culture merchandise. The store eventually moved from Pearl to Alameda and to its current E. Colfax location, and for eight years in a row it won the National Association of Recording Merchandisers award for medium-sized stores. The resurgence of vinyl records in recent years saw the addition of many new stores in the Denver area, with Twist & Shout continuing to set the standard. In 2022, after 33 years, the Epsteins decided to turn over the keys to longtime employee Patrick Brown.

Twist & Shout’s move to E. Colfax allowed more room for ongoing in-store appearances by local and national musicians who would perform and sign autographs. CoME takes great pride in showcasing exclusive recordings of some of these performances.