GABE MINTZ & THE SPARROWS Release Blues-Rock Single 'Colfax Swamp Blues'

Gabriel Mintz has spent the last decade living on Colfax Avenue, and over that time, the street has become more than a place he calls home. It has become part of the music.

As the founder, bassist, songwriter and composer of Gabe Mintz & The Sparrows, Mintz channels that experience into his lead single, 'Colfax Swamp Blues,' a blues-rock track from his forthcoming self-titled debut album that takes listeners into the less polished side of Denver and the communities that exist beyond the city's postcard image.

'It's impossible to live in Denver and not feel the energy that reverberates along Colfax.' says Mintz.

There are plenty of ways to describe Colfax Avenue. It is the longest continuous commercial street in the United States, a road with a long history in Denver and a place connected to Jack Kerouac's cult-classic book On the Road. But for Mintz, it is also a street where the city looks nothing like the clean, polished version sold to outsiders. 'The homelessness you see, the addiction, cheap roadside motels, prostitution, and neon bar signs that come alive at night show the kind of scene that polite society prefers not to acknowledge,' he says. 'It is exactly the kind of street that produces the blues.'

The result is a blues-rock single built not on the standard four-count that anchors most rock songs but on a lurching five-count that feels as off-balance as the street it's named for. The groove isn't clean. It's swampy and primal, rooted in the tradition of Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Leadbelly. ''Colfax Swamp Blues' doesn't move in the usual way most songs do,' Mintz says. 'That 5/4 timing resonates deeply – it's a little off-kilter, quirky and unexpected, and in that way, it's similar to the Sparrows and myself.'

'An Ode to Flea' is the bass intro track to 'Colfax Swamp Blues,' performed in the slap-bass style that Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers helped popularize. 'Flea is one of my biggest heroes, an incredible musician and inspiring human being. He also owns a music school, something I would love to do someday.'

The Sparrows' single carries that point through the music itself rather than through the lyrics on this instrumental track.

It took Mintz several years to figure out what the song wanted to become. Some songs come together quickly. 'Colfax Swamp Blues' was different. He kept returning to it until the pieces finally made sense.

'I wanted it to feel like the street sounds,' Mintz says. 'Not polished. Honest and raw.'

Mintz describes the band's sound as a mix of blues, funk, punk, outlaw country and jazz fusion, without trying to force those influences into a single genre. 'I'm not sure,' he says when asked how the band holds all those genres together. 'We're just playing the genres we grew up with and love, while trying not to box ourselves in.'

For 'Colfax Swamp Blues,' Mintz assembled an exceptional cast of collaborators. Guitarist DJ Williams, who spent more than twelve years playing alongside Karl Denson – saxophonist of The Rolling Stones – brings the kind of seasoned, elastic playing that can only come from decades on the road. Guitarist Shawn Eckels is another road warrior who spent a decade with Andy Frasco rocking stages and blowing minds. At the core of the song is the album's producer and Mintz's close friend Jack Marty, the keyboardist for rising jam scene stars Sqwerv, who brings the vintage Hammond organ sound that grounds this track. Lastly, Mintz had hot-shot horn player Nate Miller put the cherry on top with his buttery arrangements.

'I've met all of these collaborators and friends through the music scene,' says Mintz, who also owns the booking agency Mintz Media. 'Whether it was booking their bands, open jams, going to their shows, or just being a fan. I am super blessed they were down to work with me.'

Mintz's path toward becoming a bandleader wasn't exactly planned. He credits the defunct Your Mom's House Open Jam, which was hosted by the Sparrows' touring guitarist, Jason King. King helped him find the confidence to get onstage, after inviting to join him on a slow night. Mintz kept coming back, honed his craft, and eventually asked friends to join him for a few shows.

Through his business and his love of music, Mintz became a regular in the Colorado music scene.

'I just want people to have fun and feel when we perform,' Mintz says. That same sense of spontaneity carries into the band's live shows. Gabe Mintz & The Sparrows want 'people dancing, to forget about their cell phone and, when it's over, wonder when they can see us and have that feeling again.'

For a band rooted in the independent music community, that connection with an audience is at the center of it all. 'The whole CO scene has been central to my life since I was a kid. Red Rocks and Cervantes' Ballroom have always been a home away from home,' Mintz says. 'Colorado has such amazing venues, and I'm lucky to be a small part of this amazing scene.'

'Colfax Swamp Blues' will be available on streaming platforms on October 21, 2026.

Event Details

To celebrate 'Colfax Swamp Blues' Gabe Mintz & The Sparrows are playing a special listening party show at Cervantes' Other Side in Denver on Friday, October 9, alongside Honey Hounds and Bonfire Dub.

Tickets are available here.