Spearhead, Le Tour and Whipsaws

The MarchFourth Marching Band plays Tour de Fat

by Chris Aaland

The anarchists took over last Thursday. A roving band armed with colored chalk scrawled their protests to war, oppression and censorship on the sidewalks of Fort Lewis College. In the process, they broke one of FLC’s cardinal rules — they used sidewalk chalk. The company line: it’s messy and requires someone to clean it up. This costs time and money and sullies a state-funded institution that, by law, must remain neutral on political issues.

But protests, by nature, question rules rather than follow them. I remember marching from campus to the former Durango federal building back in 1991 at the onset of the first Gulf War. We were spit on, flipped off, honked at and cheered. The nation was divided then, though not as much as we are now. We learned — as last week’s rebels did — the value (and costs) of political activism.

One artist who embraces activism is Michael Franti. From his industrial punk with the Beatnigs to opening for U2 with the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy to his lengthy stint with his current band, Spearhead, he’s tackled such themes as the death penalty, corporate globalization and the prison-industrial complex. His famous line from “Bomb the World” – “You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace” – has spawned countless T-shirts, bumper stickers and protest signs. Neil Young and Bob Dylan couldn’t have said it better.

Franti also spearheads the annual Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco, which draws more than 20,000 people annually for positive vibes. Franti & Spearhead bring those messages to Cottonwood Park in Mancos on Wednesday. Gates open at 4 p.m., with Franti set to take the stage three hours later. Seating is festival-style, with low-back chairs, blankets and tarps encouraged. No glass, coolers or outside alcohol will be allowed; food and Ska beer will be sold. Proceeds benefit the Mancos Valley Sustainability Initiative, a watershed-scale process designed to support the Mancos Valley’s transition toward a non fossil-fuel-based, sustainable existence.

Tour de Fat pedals back to Durango on Saturday. New Belgium Brewing’s celebration of all things bicycle moves to the La Plata County Fairgrounds this year, with registration for the bike parade at 9 a.m., the parade (wear your zaniest costume!) at 10 a.m. and other activities from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Live music will be provided by the MarchFourth Marching Band and Paper Bird with additional entertainment by the Squirm Burpee Circus, a juggling and swing dancing group that performs death-defying feats. All proceeds from the sale of New Belgium brews and merchandise benefit the San Juan Mountains Association and Trails 2000. Admission and good times are free; the knowledge about how to reduce your fossil fuel dependency is priceless.

The MarchFourth Marching Band is a sight to behold. The enormous ensemble features a 12-piece horn section (four trombones, four saxophones and four trumpets), a 10-piece drum and percussion section, and an electric bass. If that’s not enough, they’re accompanied by stilt-walkers, unicyclists, fire eaters, puppets, flag twirlers, burlesque dancers, clowns and acrobats. Following their Tour de Fat performance, the whole troupe heads down to the Abbey Theatre for an all-ages show starting at 10 p.m. Saturday.

Franti isn’t the only national act to hit Montezuma County this week. Durango Acoustic Music and KSJD Dryland Community Radio present Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles at 8 p.m. Friday at the Dolores River Brewery. Borges plays straightforward rock with a country edge. She’s a witty songwriter as comfortable in roadhouse boogie as she is in guileless romanticism. While her debut Sugar Hill CD features mostly originals, covers range from songs popularized by Dolly Parton (“False Eyelashes”) to L.A. punk pioneers X (“Come Back to Me”).

A busy week at the Summit is highlighted by the return of Alaskan rockers the Whipsaws, who on Friday night make their third trip to town this year.

The quartet’s sophomore effort, “60 Watt,” is my favorite album of 2008. It includes the raucous “Jessi Jane” and a blistering instrumental “Sinferno.” Think of how “Exile on Main Street” and “Rust Never Sleeps” influenced Son Volt and the Drive-By Truckers and you’ll get the picture: pure, unadulterated rock ’n’ roll. The Lawn Chair Kings get the party started.

The Summit’s lineup this week also features the folk rock and psychedelia of Interstate Stash Express on Thursday, DJ Rootz from Boulder on Saturday, progressive psychedelic jam band Smooth Monkey Orchestra on Monday and the Afrobeat and reggae of Euforchestra on Wednesday.

The Whipsaws

Saturday marks the monthly theme party at Steamworks. Come dressed in your best kung fu or Ninja attire for the chance to win a $50 bar tab while grooving to Champagne with Friends, a funky and rootsy Austin reggae outfit.

The last Ska-B-Q of the summer – and the grand finale at the current location on Turner Dr. – features the rock and blues of Cosmic Accident. The fun starts at 5 p.m. tonight (Thursday).

In 2002, the United Nations established Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace. Durango celebrates the event for the first time from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday in Rotary Park. Retired FLC English professor Leonard “Red” Bird, who authored Folding Paper Cranes: An Atomic Memoir, is the keynote speaker. The free event also includes live music from Kirk James (11:45 a.m.) and others, educational booths, children’s activities, food and more.

In honor of Michael Franti & Spearhead, the International Day of Peace and rebellious youth practicing their First Amendment rights everywhere, this week’s Top Shelf list recognizes a few unforgettable contemporary protest songs:

- “100 Million Little Bombs,” Buddy Miller. No Depression magazine’s Artist of the Decade links landmines to cell phones.

- “If It Were Up to Me,” Cheryl Wheeler. Her response to school shootings is a strong argument for gun control. Garth Brooks raised eyebrows when he covered it.

- “Ellis Unit One,” Steve Earle. A death row prison guard is haunted by his job.

- “Dress Blues,” Jason Isbell. I hope W. has listened to this true story about the ex-DBT guitarist’s high school buddy’s trip home from Iraq in a box.

- “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?” Tom Russell. A realistic look at the cost of reactionary border politics from someone who actually lives on the border. •

If there’s a new way, you’ll be the first in line? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.