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by Mike Sheahan
D urango is a wonderful town in which to
live. Our neighborhoods are neighborly; we are surrounded by unreal
natural splendor; and, for a town of Durango's size, we attract
great touring entertainment. Earlier this week, Steve Earle dropped
a seamless show to a sedate but sold-out crowd at the Abbey
Theatre, and in a few weeks, Saint Valentine's Day to be exact,
indie-bluegrass legend Danny Barnes will make a second stop at
Storyville. Not too shabby for lil' ol' Durango, one must
say.
Because of these things I often wonder how, in our idyllic
setting, some people could be so frustrated, angry or stupid
that they are led to wreak havoc upon their immediate surroundings.
For example, a recent trip along Main Avenue revealed two tipped-over
trash cans with contents splayed along the street and sidewalk
and a harmless box of real estate circulars left disemboweled.
While I pretend no  support
for ubiquitous real estate flyers, it's obvious that only a
moron would abuse random sidewalk fixtures in the name of some
sort of imbecilic release. Really, it bugs me that we are almost
half way through the first decade of the 21st century and some
of our townsfolk have not progressed beyond the ritual of breaking
stuff. I say if we, as a people, continue to beat up inanimate
objects, then the terrorists have truly won. So stop it, please.
Quit scraping your knuckles on the ground, walk erect and, for
God's sake, leave Durango's trash cans alone. Thank you for
allowing this rant, now on to the coming attractions.
Friday, Jan. 16, marks
in college-kid terms the return of the new year. A new semester
will be in full force, and all students will be dying to obliterate
anything inadvertently learned with a night on the town. The boys
from Freewill
Recovery are there
for you and are more than happy to host an impromptu back-to-school
special at The Summit. Less and less a band that relies on the jam,
and more a group that wants to get the rock out, Freewill Recovery
remains one of Durango's top performing musical groups. The music
will get going around 9:30 p.m.
Fans of sincere
bluegrass will want to attend the fourth annual Bluegrass Jubilee at the Diamond Circle Theater on
Saturday, Jan 17. Real, down-to-earth bluegrass will be the order
of the day with local groups Badly Bent, Stoney Creek Ramblers and
Down the Road performing. Acoustic music fans who love simply
presented but deftly performed bluegrass will find a little slice
of magic at the Diamond Circle on Saturday. A central microphone
and the ensuing musicians dancing around it should be the norm,
absent will be the mindless noodling that at some shows passes as
music. This is the fourth annual Bluegrass Jubilee and there is no
reason to think it won't be the best one yet.
The ancient art of
Chinese acrobatics will be on display Monday, Jan. 19, at the
Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Although billed as a
"circus," Homer Simpsons everywhere should beware. This is the
other kind of circus; this is the kind filled with amazing acrobats
and magicians and not the kind with elephants and bearded women.
The Shanghai
Circus has won
multiple awards for its craft and vision and is sure to not
disappoint this time around. Concert hall managing director Gary
Penington calls the Chinese circus "the best Chinese acrobats we
have enjoyed in Durango." Check www.durangoconcerts.com for
details.
 The
legendary ska band The Toasters will get busy skanking The Summit
on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The Toasters could be our country's longest
living ska band, and a visit will be worth your time. Whether
you're an old school ska fan or a relative neophyte, The Toasters
will make you, if only for a week, want to wear skinny black
ties and a black-and-white checkered shirt. And maybe some jack
boots.
Maybe pridefully
skanking isn't in your Tuesday night cards. No matter, Storyville
has other ideas. The Austin-based alternative country act
Micky and the
Motorcars will
handle the stage. Like a dummy, I missed the group's last visit but
have heard that the Motorcar experience is one worth experiencing.
Spend 10 minutes on the group's online message boards and you'll
realize their fans are dedicated and ravenous. Here's our chance to
find out why.
Website of the Week: www.rottentomatoes.com is the
ultimate resource for movie fans everywhere. Do you wonder whether
critics across the country agree that the new movie "Cheaper by the
Dozen" is as bad as the trailer suggests it is, or, for that matter
if Steve Martin has made a decent movie since "L.A. Story,"
rottentomatoes is the place to be. If one avoids all the video game
nonsense on the site, one can link to the best, and most
gratuitous, film critics at work today. It's not all about new
movies as archives abound and, yes, you can become a critic
yourself by posting your own well-thought-out criticisms. If that
isn't enough, lonely hearts will enjoy the fairly hip singles
page.
My name is Shake-zula the mike rula. mpsheahan@
yahoo.com
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