Not only was there a stellar line up of progressive and impressive music (60 bands on five stages over two days), but the Red Rocks-based festival also involved lots of exercise.

Ascending and descending copious amounts of stairs on Sept. 13 was de rigueur, but was worth it for diehard fans to catch indie phenoms such as Foals, John Vanderslice, Blitzen Trapper, Cut Copy, Pop Levi, Vampire Weekend and the Presets.

A wind advisory over Red Rocks Amphitheatre couldn't break spirits, but Mickey Avalon appeared to break a couple hearts. Local success story DeVotchKa wrapped things up and those lucky enough to be in attendance went home satisfied ready to do it all again the next day.

"Monolith was probably the greatest music festival I have ever attended," said Metromix music guru Matt Sandy. "To have that caliber of talent all on one bill was almost overwhelming, but running around from stage to stage catching as much as possible was all part of the experience. Kudos to the organizers and Red Rocks staff for putting together such an amazing and well run event that I hope will be around for years to come. I ran into people from across the country which proves that this type of event really puts Colorado on the musical map."

On Sept. 14, the day kicked off with the Boulder wonder boys and Battle of the Bands winner Sound Rabbit on the main stage, while another homegrown favorite Chain Gang of 1974 got the blood churning downstairs. More local talent, Astra Moveo, Moonspeed, Hearts of Palm, Joshua Novak, The Wheel, Paper Bird and Dave Beegle all held true to Colorado being a gold mine for spawning musical genius as they made sure the home team was well represented.

New to many at the show, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings swept the crowd with their funky yet retro soul sound. To set the tone for the last few hours of the day, Does it Offend You, Yeah blasted the audience with a dance fest so hot the red rocks were burning hot. CSS kept that momentum going, and Justice made sure no one went home dance deprived.

Monolith will keep the ears ringing of Colorado's music faithful for sometime to come.

For complete coverage of the weekend and pictures, visit http://denver.metromix.com/music/roundup/monolith/614137/content.