By Charlotte Kriete

The backyard of the Pi Kappa Phi annex house was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with students and visiting parents for Mom’s Weekend at the University of Colorado. They were drinking, dancing and shouting over the music. On a wooden platform tucked under a tent, the band Sunkissd was playing their latest original songs. 

“They’re the best band in Boulder,” said Nathan Rak, who was there among the crowd. “They’re the best local band. I love them, and they have a talent for everything.”  

James Ritchie, the lead singer, and Gabe Smith, the keyboardist, started the group in 2024. Last year, they added two new bandmates: Auggie Frio on the drums and Jack Nakashima on bass. All of them are CU students.

“I think it’s definitely taken off because we brought the right people on,” Ritchie said. “Auggie is a power rock drummer with a lot of versatility, and Jack is extremely musically knowledgeable. Between Gabe and all of these guys in front of me, I just try to keep up as much as I can.”   

The band has headlined at the Fox Theatre, a milestone for any local act. A centerpiece of their performance is their original song, “STAY.” They’re still a DIY operation, lugging gear in their own trunks to get to fraternity and sorority gigs on The Hill. 

“Hauling the drum kit around is definitely a pain in the ass,” Frio said. “It actually doesn’t even fit in my car, and I have to borrow my brother’s car. So hopefully a Sunkissd van is on the way.”  

The band’s set list is a mix of high-energy covers and their own songs. They play crowd-pleasers like the soulful groove of “Valerie” and the upbeat indie-pop of Declan McKenna’s song “Brazil.” But it’s their originals, like the guitar-driven “Carolina” and the fast-paced “17” that show their specific sound.  

In addition to his part in the band, Smith is working to change the music scene on The Hill. He led the Colorado launch of Local Mojo, a student-run music festival that creates a nationwide network for grassroots musicians. It focuses on connecting local artists with student audiences through live shows, music videos and events. While a larger version of the festival is planned for next fall, Smith is running pop-up versions to give local student artists a platform. 

“I’m just doing this for the love of the game,” Smith said. “I don’t make any money from this. I think it gives us an opportunity to unite. It gives the musicians in Boulder who are already killing it an opportunity to really unite and come together and work cohesively as one.” 

Smith says the project is a way to push back against the digital world we live in. He wants to see students reconnecting in person rather than scrolling on their phones.  

“People need an opportunity to reconnect with people,” Smith said. “In a time where everything is just scroll, scroll, scroll, there’s an appeal for the exact opposite, and that’s putting the phone away and just living in the moment.” 

Smith is a CU communications major who says his real love lies in music. 

“I do what I can in school,” he said. “I really try, and I put in the work, but I eat what I do for breakfast because it’s my life. I eat music for breakfast. I eat working with people for breakfast.” 

Twelve hours after their show for Pi Kappa Phi, the band was at the Pi Beta Phi sorority house performing for its Sunday morning brunch. The setting was calm and quiet with moms and daughters roaming around the house, sipping catered coffee and dissecting plates of pastries and fruit skewers—a far cry from the dirt lot the moms were standing in the night before. 

“If we’re doing three gigs a week and we’re in the studio and we’re cutting demo tracks before we get in the studio, we’re doing music six days a week,” Smith said. 

The band rarely finds a spare window to simply jam.  

“The gigs, in a way, are our practice,” Frio said. 

They lack a dedicated rehearsal space, rotating between whichever house is available. Most often, they end up at Frio’s, where his mom makes them home-cooked meals. 

“We’re always busy. We work bell to bell. We work very hard,” Smith said. “But we enjoy the process, and we enjoy what we do.” 

Their music is a byproduct of a genuine friendship. 

“I seek these guys as company outside of playing gigs,” said Ritchie, the lead singer. “As much as it is playing a show, it is like hanging out with your really good buddies.” 

“I think Jack put it best,” Smith said. “Being in a band is like dating four guys at the same time.” 

The band is now working on their debut album. They didn’t give away much detail but want to waterfall the release between now and June.  

“If we were to drop everything at once, it would be very sudden,” Smith said. “But as we go, we build on top of the streams we already have. We’re looking at a single, then another single, and eventually the EP.”    

For now, the group is leaning into the DIY grind. They are trading the digital scroll for the physical sweat of backyard shows, hauling their own gear across The Hill, and building a reputation one house party at a time. 

“Through playing shows, I meet a lot of people,” said the bassist Nakashima. “It opens up an entirely different side of Boulder that you don’t see in a classroom.”