Denver’s Twist & Shout earned a reputation as…
…one of the great record stores in the country. But its importance to the area music landscape, as epitomized by its inclusion in the inaugural class of Colorado Music Hall of Fame Community Impact Award recipients, went well beyond its terrific music selection and friendly service.
The greater Denver area “has gone from being a tiny music market to a major player nationally,” noted store co-founder Paul Epstein. “I’d love to think that Twist & Shout was a part of that, and I’m proud that the Hall of Fame recognizes it.”
“Obviously, I’m very honored,” echoed Patrick Brown, who purchased Twist & Shout from Epstein and wife Jill in 2022. “We’re in good company with all the others awarded as well: René Heredia, ListenUp, Bob Rupp, and Kolacny Music. These are people who’ve been deeply involved in the scene for decades, and I like being included in the group.”
Epstein was addicted to music from childhood.
A New York native, he was ten, when he moved to the Mile High City in 1968 after his father landed a position in the creative writing department at the University of Denver. A week later, he and his brother were riding their bikes when they stumbled upon UndergroundRecords, a shop on South Pearl Street — and he became an extremely regular customer.
Cut to twenty years later. Paul and Jill were English teachers at Smoky Hill High School. So it was serendipity when the pair, on a stroll near their Washington Park home, walked past the Underground Records storefront and noticed that it would soon be going up for auction. The following Monday, they were back at school — and also the owners of a record store.
Times were tough in the beginning. But the situation gradually began improving thanks to several key decisions, such as embracing the nascent CD market and focusing on the burgeoning subgenres of extreme metal and dance culture.
By the mid-1990s, Twist & Shout had outgrown…
…its Pearl Street digs and moved to a much larger building on Alameda, subsequently supplemented by a satellite shop catering to DJs. These twin successes helped Twist & Shout become a leader in the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, a national organization for which it was a founding member.
In 2006, Twist & Shout moved again, this time to the site of the historic Lowenstein Theatre on Colfax. The 11,000 square foot space (up from 7,000 square feet on Alameda) provided an enormous platform for displaying product of all sorts and allowed the crew to take the in-store appearances that had become a staple at the previous location to the next level. Notable drop-bys included Mumford & Sons and Jason Isbell, who released an EP entitled Live at Twist & Shout 11-16-07.
Also seen on the Twist & Shout stage…
…were local acts such as The Fray, DeVotchKa, Flobots and The Hall inductees Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. Twist & Shout staffers endeared themselves to these artists by treating them like important contributors instead of wannabes whose albums were dumped in the miscellaneous bin. The store sold so many discs by Colorado acts that record companies took notice — a development that no doubt contributed to a significant increase in major-label signings.
Achieving this status wasn’t easy. After Twist & Shout survived the COVID-19 pandemic, the Epsteins were ready to retire – and in Patrick Brown, an employee at the store for three decades, they had the ideal person to continue their legacy.
Under Brown’s leadership, Twist & Shout continues to evolve with the times but retains the welcoming atmosphere that made it a Colorado classic.
By Michael Roberts
