Singer-songwriter Patrick Dethlefs joined KGNU for a special live broadcast from the Boulder Farmers Market, sharing his signature blend of heartfelt folk music with a crowd of marketgoers and listeners. Performing originals like “Somewhere in Between,” “Why Not Try?” and “Daydream,” he gave audiences a taste of his upcoming album, recorded live during a snowed-in mountain retreat with longtime collaborators. In conversation with host Indra Raj, Dethlefs reflected on his 15+ years in the Front Range music scene, the evolving community of artists. His new record is set to debut this September. (Local Gold: 5/21/25)
Indra Raj: Patrick Dethlefs, welcome to the show.
Patrick Dethlefs: Thank you for having me.
Indra Raj: It’s great to have you—such a friend of KGNU. It’s always nice to have you on the airwaves. We’re going to talk about what you’ve been up to, but why don’t we start off with some music?
Patrick Dethlefs: This first song I’m going to play is called Somewhere in Between.
(play music)
Patrick Dethlefs: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Indra Raj: Yeah—Patrick Dethlefs here on KGNU. We’re live at the Farmer’s Market. Always love hearing your music. Is that a newer one or an older one?
Patrick Dethlefs: That one’s a couple years old, but I was thinking of playing a new one next.
Indra Raj: Yeah, you definitely should. Before we do that—you’ve been active here on the Front Range for a very long time. When did you first start playing shows here?
Patrick Dethlefs: Oh, it’s been forever. I think I’ve been playing for over 15 years now. I started in high school, and the band I was in back then even played the Boulder Theater—opening up for a band called The Seldom Scene. That would’ve been at least 15 years ago, maybe longer. So, it’s been a while.
Indra Raj: Yeah, so you’ve seen the Front Range change a lot—musically and culturally. As a performing artist who’s stayed active this whole time, what have you noticed that’s different? What do you think is good—or not so good—about those changes?
Patrick Dethlefs: Ooh, I don’t know. It definitely has changed, but it’s inspiring to see that people are still doing it—or starting to do it. And there’s such good music coming out of the scene. Sometimes I’ll see someone really young perform, and I think, “Wow, they’re light-years ahead of where I was at that age.” It’s a small community, but I feel like everyone’s still helping each other out, which is really nice.
Indra Raj: Absolutely. All right, well, you’re going to play a newer one next?
Patrick Dethlefs: Yeah. This one’s called Why Not Try?
(play music)
Indra Raj: We’ve got Patrick Dethlefs live here on KGNU, at the Boulder Farmer’s Market. It is such a gorgeous, perfect day out here. Shout out to our volunteers, Don and Rhonda, who are here keeping it real for KGNU. And thank you to all of our listeners and volunteers who are part of this amazing community. Patrick, you and I were chatting a bit before this, and you mentioned you have some new music coming out?
Patrick Dethlefs: Yes, I do. It’s going to come out in September—that’ll be announced soon. I’ve got a whole new record that I made last year during the election. It was a great distraction. We were up in the mountains, and it snowed way more than expected, so we ended up kind of snowed in. We spent a few days recording everything live in a small room together. I didn’t wear headphones at all—it was actually really fun.
Indra Raj: When you say “we,” who else are we talking about?
Patrick Dethlefs: A group I’ve been playing with for a very long time—my friend Mark Anderson, Miles Eichner, Jess Parsons, and Kramer Kelling. Our friend Jesse helped engineer the session too. That was the whole crew involved in the recording.
Indra Raj: Well, that’s really exciting.
Patrick Dethlefs: Yeah! I put out a record with my friend Paul last year, and I think the year before that I released a little mini record. I’ve kind of surprised myself with how much I’ve put out over the last few years. But I’m really happy with this one—it feels like some of the best stuff I’ve made.
Indra Raj: That’s exciting. And the song you just played—is that one going to be featured on the new album?
Patrick Dethlefs: Yeah, it is. Nice to debut it on the radio!
Indra Raj: We love that! All right, let’s hear one more piece of music from Patrick Dethlefs.
Patrick Dethlefs: This one I wrote with my friend Paul DeHaven. It’s called Daydream.
(play music)
Patrick Dethlefs: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Indra Raj: Thank you so much for being here, Patrick! Tell our listeners—and everyone here—how they can keep up with what you’re doing.
Patrick Dethlefs: I’m on all the social media sites, and then there’s my website: patrickdethlefs.com.
Indra Raj: Wonderful. Thank you again for being here today.
Patrick Dethlefs: Thank you for having me, Indra.
