Road trips, honky tonk and Zetroc

Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass play a free show in Ridgway

by Chris Aaland

It used to be that Thursdays were reserved for sneaking down to the Animas for an evening caddis hatch, mowing the lawn to free up the weekend or lounging in front of the idiot box. All three gave my liver an extra night’s rest before Friday’s debauchery.

Not anymore. Suddenly, Thursdays present mind-boggling boozing and grooving opportunities. Each week, swarms of Durango’s scruffiest weigh the pros and cons of dollar pints at Steamworks versus free grub and tunes at the Ska-B-Q. Some of us manage to fit both into our routines.

This week, out-of-town options offer even more Thursday choices. Head north and catch my favorite bluegrass band in Ridgway. Go west and see a top Nashville picker do bluegrass and Americana in Mancos. Stay home and watch local rockers play Ska-B-Q. Here’s the skinny on each:

Bryn Davies & Hickster hit the stage at 8 p.m. tonight at the Millwood Junction in Mancos. I caught Hickster’s act at the Diamond Belle Saloon a month ago. Davies is on the A-list of Nashville bassists, capable of playing bluegrass, jazz, folk, country and more. She’s best known as the longtime bassist for Peter Rowan and Tony Rice but has also performed with Patty Griffin, Old & in the Gray, Jim Lauderdale, Uncle Earl and countless others. You probably already know her accomplices, Robin Davis and Benny “Burle” Galloway. Both were founding members of Wayword Sons; Davis was also an original member of Broke Mountain; Galloway is a songwriter whose work has been recorded by Yonder Mountain String Band, Drew Emmitt and the Infamous Stringdusters.

Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass play a free show from 6-9 p.m. tonight at the Ridgway Town Park. Paisley and Co. stole the show at the 2005 Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. The Southern Grass is a Delaware band started by Bob Paisley nearly 30 years ago with pals Ted Lundy and Don Eldreth. Five of their sons (Danny and Michael Paisley, T.J. and Bobby Lundy, and Don Eldreth, Jr.) keep the traditional fires of mountain music burning. If you’re unfamiliar with Danny Paisley, imagine Del McCoury after one too many lattes. It’s amped-up bluegrass steeped in the classic sounds of the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and vintage, early-’60s George Jones.

This week’s Ska-B-Q kicks off at 5 p.m. tonight with live rock ’n’ roll from Boxcar and food from Zia Taqueria. While they are rooted in rock, Boxcar fuels itself on everything from the classic country of Willie and Cash to jam-band influences of Panic and the Dead.

Thursday isn’t the only night to get funky to live music this week. Durango Acoustic Music kicks off its 19th season with two shows (full disclosure: I’m the DAM president and have served on its board of directors since 1997). On Friday, DAM and KDUR present legendary folkie Patty Larkin at the Abbey Theatre for a 9 p.m. concert. Darling of music scribes and AAA radio programmers, Larkin has twice played sold-out DAM shows and has 10 albums to her credit. You’ve heard “Wolf at the Door” and “Mary Magdalene” on public radio. What you might have missed is a Berklee-schooled guitarist whose style quotes Leo Kottke and Bill Frisell. Larkin played every instrument on her latest CD and brings along an assortment of electric, acoustic and slide guitars, banjos and bouzoukis for her Durango gig.

On Sunday, DAM presents honky-tonk troubadour Dave Insley in a free members’ concert from 3-6 p.m. on the Carver Brewing Co. patio. The Austin-dwelling, Arizona-raised Insley conjures up country icons Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Conway Twitty (and covers them all). He has also remained true to the Texas songwriting tradition of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt by penning a slew of classic-sounding originals. Sign up for a DAM membership for the new season and receive two free tickets at the door, a membership card that gets you discounted beer at Carver’s, Durango Brewing and Ska, and a $5 savings per ticket to all 2008-09 DAM concerts. If you don’t want to purchase a membership, you can buy tickets at the door.

The second annual Zetroc Music Festival takes place from noon-10 p.m. on Saturday in Cortez City Park. Five bands share the stage, led by the aforementioned Insley and the Patrick Sweany Trio, an Ohio-based group that mixes blues, R&B, folk and rock. Others include the Lindells, the Porchlights and bluegrass wiz Zachary Baker. What the hell is Zetroc? Looks like Cortez spelled backwards to me.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver bring their high-altitude blend of blues, folk and rock to Pagosa Springs for a pair of dates this weekend, first at 6 p.m. Friday at the Pagosa Brew Pub and again at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at La Tazza.

Formula 151’s Dave Mensch has a busy week as usual, performing solo at the Office Spiritorium 7 p.m. tonight, the River Rat Café 4 p.m. Tuesday, and Joel’s 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Dave Insley plays a free show for DAM members at Carvers on Sunday

Formula 151’s Dave Mensch has a busy week as usual, performing solo at the Office Spiritorium 7 p.m. tonight, the River Rat Café 4 p.m. Tuesday, and Joel’s 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Like many local DJs, I’m rightly accused of playing far too few female artists on my “Cask Strength” radio program, which airs 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays on KDUR. In honor of Friday’s Patty Larkin concert, this week’s list highlights my 10 favorite women’s folk albums:

• Gillian Welch, Revival. One listen to “Orphan Girl,” and I was hooked.

• Lucinda Williams, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.” If it makes Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 500 albums, that’s good enough for me.

• Mary Gauthier, “Drag Queens in Limousines.” Equal parts Falkner stream of consciousness and Blood on the Tracks-era Dylan wit.

• Emmylou Harris, “Roses in the Snow.” Her 1980 set featured the Hot Band and bluegrass standards.

• Iris DeMent, “Infamous Angel.” Had she been born two generations earlier, she may have been mistaken for Mother Maybelle.

• Katy Moffatt, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” This title was later changed to “Evangeline Hotel” because of a lawsuit threatened by circus clowns. Moffatt’s songs, many co-written with Tom Russell, are classics.

• Nanci Griffith, “The Last of the True Believers.” Aah, romance.

• Mollie O’Brien, “Big Red Sun.” Tim’s big sister belts out blues, rock and folk favorites. And she played my wedding.

• Patty Larkin, “Perishable Fruit.” Perishable? Try timeless.

• Eliza Gilkyson, “Lost and Found.” Her muses are the Southwest, love gone bad and politics gone worse. •

That old copper kettle was the death of you? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.