More movies, Selection Sunday & Los ... oh – nevermind
By Ted Holteen

So you see, we really do get good music in town every so often, but you've got to be quick to catch it. If not, then you probably won't be among the select 600 who will see Los Lobos at the Concert Hall this weekend.

And, as I'll remind you in a couple of weeks, you'll probably also miss out on Taj Mahal at The Abbey. As for myself, I'll be one-for-two, which puts me somewhere between negligent and lucky. Both shows, obviously,are sold out, so I'm mentioning them only to spur you to action next time rather than bitch about ticket prices and being shut out this weekend. But this space is not about what you can't do, but rather to explore the endless possibilities that still remain. (Possibilities will actually end by the end of this page and will probably only number three or four.) And next week will be the St. Patty's Amateur Night Preview, so don't look for any of that here either. I'm recruiting expatriated Sinn Fein members to teach the Shamrock/Corona crowd what an Irish holiday really looks like. Interested parties please respond to the address at the end of this article. Anyway, what I was getting at is that Scoot 'n Blues scheduled a perfect act for the Los Lobos spillover crowd with Nosotros on Friday night. It's the Latin sound, albeit without the rock and roll part, but for some, that might be an improvement. The lewd dancing and fiery passion that Nosotros ignites should more than make up for the frustration of those who missed out on the big show and should also make a great night-cap for the post-concert crowd. Dress to impress. I think it starts at 8 p.m. or something.

How 'bout dinner and a movie or 20? The 5th annual Durango Film Festival concludes this weekend, with showings from morning 'til night today through Saturday. Then on Sunday, there will be encore screenings of all the winners as judged by the viewing public and some allegedly qualified judge-types. I've been hearing great things, although once again it seems like another festival will pass without me having seen even a frame. But I'll go out on a limb and predict the winner anyway, sight unseen: "2000 Terrorists." Write it down - I'm sure it's got as good a chance of winning as the lemon I serve up for my March Madness picks. Plus it's about genocide, which is always a can't-miss with the judges, and it has graphic violence.

Consider this the last time I use the phrase "jamband." It's caused me to lose respect for bands that I used to like and turned me off to others that I've never heard. Guitar solos and formulaic improvisation reached their collective ceiling once King Crimson and Grand Funk were relegated to kitsch on "The Simpsons," and I just can't pretend that it's OK any more. I'm sure it's fun to noodle away after pulling a few tubes, bra,' but like NASCAR, it just doesn't translate into spectator appeal. For this reason, I can no longer in good conscience feature bands that include the "j.b." designator in their press releases. It's nothing personal, and I don't want to make enemies of people who I consider friends whose only apparent flaw is their fascination with this tired genre. But I gotta be me. I did not, however, give advanced notice of this new policy, and so in the interest of fairness I should mention that Acoustic Syndicateis playing Tuesday night at the Durango Arts Center in a DSCPA event.

One type of music that I haven't tired of over the last 70 years or so is the Big Band sound. Itcould also be argued that I'm a dork, but that's why I include my e-mail address. But love it or not, the Artie Shaw Orchestra will be at the FLC Community Concert Hall on Wed., March 16, which is a great justification for staying home the next night. Let's be clear about one thing: Artie Shaw is dead, but he made it to 94, which ain't bad. I recall not long ago when the Duke Ellington Orchestra was playing here and people were excited about seeing the Duke himself, which was doubly confusing because Duke was dead, and I wasn't sure that they weren't talking about JohnWayne anyway. So someone named Dick Johnson will be the director/conductor instead, which is fine because what was any big band leader without the band? The old man, by the way, hand picked Johnson to be his successor when he handed the baton over to him in 1983. Shaw's most famous piece is probably "Begin the Beguine," but the show will include all kinds of jazz and Big Band era standards. At 15 to 25 bucks, it's pretty reasonable, so maybe you can go out next Thursday,too. But don't feel like you have to.

Big day Sunday. I'll giveyou my picks next week after the bracket comes out so you'll know at least which teams to avoid, but if you want to be a part of my friendly survey for charity, then be sure to get your brackets into me by next Thursday morning. A few lucky respondents even get paid for their opinions! You've got three full days between Selection Sunday and tip-off, so don't be leftout. Surveys are available at quality retailers in town or just e-mail me your bracket, and we'll work out the donation particulars.I am not accepting jamband hate mail this week. ted@ksut.org. Fear the Penn Quakers.