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| The Land Down Under, Voodoo and the Juggling Fest
by Chris Aaland
Colin Hay performs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Community Concert Hall. Best known as lead singer of Men at Work, Hay’s voice is a familiar one if you were alive during the New Wave movement that ruled MTV and Top 40 radio in the early ‘80s. You may not have heard their quirky hits “Down Under,” “Overkill” and “Who Can It Be Now?” for decades, but you probably can’t get them out of your head, either. He’s reinvented himself as a sort of Scottish-Australian-American folkie, thanks in no small part to recurring cameo appearances in the TV show “Scrubs” as a troubadour. Hay’s 10th solo album, “American Sunshine,” was released a year ago. While Hay is associated with the early ‘80s, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy burst into the national spotlight in the mid ‘90s, thanks in part to an appearance in the cult comedy “Swingers.” Their music, though, traces its roots to the classic jump blues and swing bands of the ‘30s and ‘40s. “Go Daddy-0,” “Me and You and the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)” and “Mr. Pinstripe Suit” were in heavy radio rotation some 15 years ago. They even made it to the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show in 1999 – a high point for Mile High sports fans as the Broncos beat Atlanta 34-19, and John Elway capped his legendary career with a Super Bowl MVP trophy. But I digress. Their latest album, “How Big Can You Get?” is a tribute to Cab Calloway – the granddaddy of big band. BBVD always packs ‘em in when they play Durango. So if you want to boogie to the Daddies, show up to the Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Greensky Bluegrass is exploding in the jamgrass universe, following in the footsteps of Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Railroad Earth and Yonder Mountain String Band. Dobro player Anders Beck, a pillar of the Durango bluegrass scene a few years ago with such acts as the Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band and Wayword Sons, joined the group in 2007. He immediately added depth and texture, while exposing his bandmates to songwriters like Benny “Burle” Galloway. Greensky’s latest studio album, “Five Interstates,” is a sophisticated effort. Yet don’t think for a minute that the quintet won’t jam. They return to town for what will surely be a sold-out show at the Abbey Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Scrugglers open. Statesboro Revue plays the Abbey at 8 p.m. Friday, with Cosmic Accident opening. After two years, more than 600 shows and 10,000 sold albums, the blues-rock outfit recruited legendary producer David Z, who has worked with Prince, Buddy Guy, Gov’t Mule and others, to produce its new album: “Different Kind of Light,” which officially gets released Oct. 22. Think Blackfoot, ‘70s Stones and the Allman Brothers, and you’ve got this Austin band pegged. They feature a classic drums/bass/twin slide guitar lineup that’s heavy on Southern rock. Ticket specials are available that pair the Statesboro and Greensky shows in a “Preserve the Abbey Theatre” package. Wednesday marks a free movie night at the Abbey, dedicated to the art of the Coen Brothers. “The Big Lebowski” (7 p.m.) and “O Brother Where Art Thou?” (9 p.m.) will be shown on the big screen, with corresponding drink specials — beer for the latter and, you guessed it, White Russians for the former. Circus freaks unite! The Durango Juggling Fest presents three days of workshops, shows, games and open practice space from Friday through Sunday at a variety of locations, including Fort Lewis College, Steamworks and assorted Durango bike paths. Its intent is to add to the progressive juggling and circus scene of the Southwest. There will be juggling, unicycling and general silliness, merriment and frolicking. Visit http://blogs.fortlewis.edu/jugglingclub/ to learn more. Benefits for the Animas River Whitewater Park take place tonight (Thursday) and Saturday. At 5:30 p.m. today, the pre-party downriver event begins at the 32nd Street put-in. From 6:30 p.m. until close on Saturday, festivities move indoors to the Summit, where Cosmic Accident, Lucy and Friends, and Mike Madden will perform. There will also be a silent auction, with gear for summer and winter fun up for bid. Proceeds benefit Animas River Whitewater Park improvements. Follow this event on Facebook at “Durango Downriver.” It’s also Homecoming weekend at Fort Lewis College with “A Blast from the Past” as the theme. Dress in character from your favorite decade at such events as the parade (6 p.m. Friday, Main Ave.), bonfire (8 p.m. Friday near the softball fields on campus), tailgate party (parking lot north of football field) and football game vs. Western State (1 p.m., Ray Dennison Memorial Field). All FLC students have been entered into a drawing to win the equivalent of a semester’s in-state tuition, to be credited to their winter 2011 bill. A winner will be drawn at halftime of the football game, but must be present, must be wearing Skyhawk gold, and must have their student ID to qualify. The Starlight is getting into the “Blast from the Past” theme by hosting a Homecoming ‘70s disco party from 9 ‘til close Saturday. Best disco dance costume and outfits will win prizes. Elsewhere: DJ Double at the Starlight from 9-close Friday; the Kirk James Blues Band at the Schank House from 7-11 p.m. Saturday; and Hello Dollface at the Durango Farmers Market on Saturday morning. In honor of Colin Hay, this week’s Top Shelf list fesses up to some guilty-pleasure ’80s cheese on my ipod: - The Cars. The first album rocks, but “Heartbeat City” is a close second. - Loverboy. “Working for the Weekend” brings me back to the indoor mile in junior high gym class. - Night Ranger. Sorry, but I was a teen-ager. - REO Speedwagon. The soundtrack to every junior high dance at Everett. • He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.
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The Independent Weekly Line on Durango and Beyond
"Living in the Past” isn’t just a Jethro Tull song on bad classic rock radio. It’s part of our lives. My ipod is full of cheesy stuff from past eras: countrypolitan sounds my grandpa listened to in the ‘70s; Top 40 swill from the ‘80s; early ‘90s grunge; and all sorts of nostalgic goofiness. Durango gets the chance to relive the past all week long.