Ear to the ground

“Believe it or not, it was a tough decision.”

– Local man explaining his choice to take a multi-day trip down the Dolores over piloting the Ska kegcycle during last Friday’s “Unofficial Bike Parade.”

Seeking a Cosmic Break

A handful of local musicians need your help to get to the big time. Local funk/trip-hop/nu-jazz unit, the Frank Trio, has been selected, from hundreds of bands nationwide, to participate in the 10,000 Lakes Music Festival Cosmic Break Contest. The foursome is within striking distance of being invited to the major festival to share the stage with the likes of Widespread Panic, Les Claypool, Trey Anastasio, G. Love and Special Sauce, and others.

Many members of the Frank Trio are veterans of the Durango music scene, having played in groups like Goodfoot, Dome Piece Essentials and Airborne. As of press time, the band was sitting squarely in fifth place and in danger of losing to the likes of Public Display of Funk, Roadside Zoo and T.U.G.G. That’s where you come in.

Go to http://10klf.com/cosmic_break. php or www.franktrio.com and vote for Frank Trio to be one of the three bands invited to perform at the festival. Voting booths will be open through June 10, and the results will be announced June 15.

The Frank Trio is playing two shows in Durango this weekend to drum up support for their Cosmic Break. You can catch the band Fri., June 3, at 10 p.m. at the Summit and on Sat., June 4, at 9 p.m. at Scoot ’n Blues. Check the local boys out this weekend, let your voice be heard by the powers that be at 10,000 Lakes, and keep T.U.G.G. where they belong, back playing weddings in Lacrosse, Wisc.

Racing across America

Just as the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic drew to a close and the last piece of sweaty Lycra packed up and pointed it for home, another major cycling event is on the local horizon. One of the most grueling athletic events in the world will make a local stopover later this month. The fabled Race Across America (RAAM), a 3,000-mile cross-country cycling race, will pass through Durango in late June.

The 2005 race starts in San Diego on June 19 and finishes in Atlantic City on June 28. In all, successful RAAM competitors will climb more than 109,000 feet, cross 14 states and pedal 3,047 miles. Racers will be in the Four Corners region after crossing California’s Coast Range and making their way through the Mojave and Painted deserts. Riders will eventually find their way to U.S. Hwy. 160 and drop from Hesperus into Durango. The 2005 route will make a Durango stopover as well as the addition of “RAAM’s classic trio of mammoth passes.” From Durango, cyclists will tackle Wolf Creek, La Veta and Cuchara passes before rolling into the windy plains of Kansas. For more information, log onto: www.raceacrossamerica.org.