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Have no fear Durango, the
crack team at The Goods has once again sifted through its seemingly
endless list of entertaining diversions and distilled it to
a simple few. That is, for those of you not leaving town for
Las Vegas to begin a mini tour with the twirl-band Phish. I
know my attempts to change your minds about going will go unheeded,
so have fun. Just remember though, the old guy in the rasta
hat is probably a narc.
 Back
in D-town, there is reggae music at Storyville tonight, Feb.
13 with Jamaican musician Anthony B. Mr. B is well known in
reggae circles and should deliver an authentic good time. At
this show, the old guy in the rasta hat is probably not a narc.
The show starts at 9:30 p.m., and tickets are cheaper if you
don’t buy them at the door.
This Friday is Valentine’s Day, of course, and thanks
to the folks at American Greetings and Hallmark, men everywhere
will find themselves scrambling around at the last minute trying
to better last year’s feeble attempt at romance. Even
though I know that this is a holiday perpetuated by the greeting
card companies, I finally know better than to try to convince
my significant other of this. I will never win, and now I realize
these holidays are cumulative. Meaning if you tanked last year
then this year must be doubly good. This year I probably should
rent a helicopter or something. Those not in as much hot water
as I am might want to check out the Valentine’s Dance
at the Durango Arts Center. The cover gets a couple access to
a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres and music by locals Hues of
Blues. The romantic fun lasts 7 p.m. to midnight.
Just up the road at Haggards Black Dog Tavern, Sand Sheff and
the Bony Ponies will host their own special Valentine’s
Day show. Billed as the “Love is in the Air” show,
this promises to be a fun time for those who like their holiday
romance countrified. I wonder if I can get my helicopter to
land there for a little bit.
 Sunday
night gives us a more somber reason to go out. Folkie Melissa
Ferrick, touring behind her latest release “Listen Hard,”
brings her show to the Diamond Circle Theatre on Feb. 16. Originally
hailing from New England, Ferrick slugged it out for years in
Boston coffeehouses until going national a few years ago. Now
receiving plenty of attention, her songs are serious, personal
and socially relevant. The real reason to go, however, is the
night is a benefit for Durango’s own Michelle Morey who,
sadly, is battling cancer and seeking alternative treatments
that don’t come cheap. Ever since moving to Durango, I’ve
been amazed by the willingness of the people of this town to
pull together in order to support someone who needs it. I truly
hope this is one of those times. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
By now most of you are familiar with the weekly music event
called “Downtown Live,” but for those of you who
aren’t, here’s how it works. A local musician or
group plays a one-hour set at one of the local music venues,
and the performance is simulcast on The Point (99.7) and video
taped to be re-broadcast on Channel 61 in the following weeks.
The result is great exposure for the musicians and the venue
that hosts them. This Wednesday, Feb. 19, local upstarts Freewill
Recovery will perform for “Downtown Live” from 8
to 9 pm at The Summit. At 10 p.m. the band will retake the stage
with “multiple special guests” to play the night
out.
 If
you’re reading this and thinking “well, dang, this
column is nothin’ but a bunch of high falutin’ hooey,”
then I’ve got just the thing for you. Gas up the Camaro
and wax down the mullet, it’s time for a trip to Albuquerque
for a monster truck rally!!! That’s right: Tingley Coliseum
at the New Mexico fairgrounds is hosting three full days (Feb.
14, 15, 16) of really big trucks driving over the top of other
not-so-big trucks and cars. If that alone isn’t worth
the price of three days’ admission, there also will be
this big robotic monster (I think it’s called Carnosaurous)
that picks the cars up off the ground, breathes fire on them
and then smashes them. Ooh doggy, I can feel my brain’s
frontal lobe shrinking just writing about it.
This Week’s Sign the End is Near: Every time I hear about
some washed-up rock band on tour I think about that scene in
“This is Spinal Tap” where the band members, in
the midst of a big comeback tour, hear a radio DJ refer to them
as in the “where-are-they-now file.” It’s
really funny but also really pathetic. Of course, real life
is always more pathetic than the movies could ever be, and the
current Whitesnake, Scorpions and Dokken (yes, the Dokken) touring
cemetery is playing rooms as large as Tingley Coliseum and the
Pepsi Center.
This Week’s Album Worth the Price of Admission: The Shiners’
most recent release “See Rock City” finds the band
turning up the volume and the tempo from last year’s “Bonnie
Blue.” The Shiners are a Virginia-based roots-rock six
piece, with the husband and wife team of Wes and Jyl Freed at
its core. The mountain music influence is apparent – fiddles
and banjo run throughout the record – but the songs are
delivered at such a tempo and with rock drumming styles that
make this far from a hillbilly record. Anyone familiar with
the southern rock of the Drive by Truckers has some idea of
what I mean. “See Rock City” is a healthy dose of
mountain music that was raised square in the city. Find out
more about The Shiners at www.planetaryrecords.com
What’s happening? mpsheahan@yahoo.com
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