The Fourth, BYOB Bluegrass and Memphis soul

by Chris Aaland

Happy birthday, ’merica. Woulda been damn fitting had Chris Wondolowski chipped the ball into Belgium’s goal in the waning moments of regulation stoppage time two days ago. Woulda made skanky Ann Coulter look more foolish than ever. Woulda let us soccer moms and liberals get to continue living the USA’s World Cup dream until this Saturday. 

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Jon Lynch-endorsed Quaker City Night Hawks play the Balcony on Tuesday.

If there’s one characteristic that’s stood out for Americans in the past 238 years, it’s that we don’t give up. Down 2-0 with 13 minutes left in their World Cup, Jürgen Klinsmann’s team trimmed the lead in half and dominated down the stretch. Tim Howard proved to be the best goalkeeper in the world, making 16 saves along the way to keep the Yanks’ hopes alive.

Yeah, we were coached by a German – one with an umlaut in his name. Umlauts are as patriotic as it gets. Can you think of a more American song that Mötley Crüe’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” (aside from the obvious, Warrant’s “Cherry Pie?”)

So wave that flag. Wave it wide and high.

In Durango, highlights include a family picnic in Buckley Park from noon-5, with live music and games; a parade at 6 p.m. on Main Ave. followed by a street dance with music by the Hi-Rollers and a beer garden from 6:45-9; and fireworks at 9:15.

Having the Fourth fall on a Friday is firkin cool! After waving sparklers, roasting weenies and playing beer pong all day, you can head to Steamworks at 3 p.m. for the tapping of Skip and Go Naked. A far cry from a frat house concoction, Skip and Go Naked uses the award-winning Kölsch as its base. “Then we’ve added fresh peach puree and our own special lemonade made of lemon juice, zest and sugar,” said brewer Spencer Roper. “It’s mighty tasty.”

Void Where Prohibited, Larry Carver’s long-time rock band from San Francisco, is in town for its annual Southwest mini-tour. You can pair classic rock with fireworks on July 4th when the Void does the Balcony from 6 ’til 11, with a break around 9 for fireworks. On Saturday, the Void heads across Main to the Derailed Pour House for an 8 p.m. gig. As always, they’ll play the music of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, Hendrix, Cream, Santana … you get the picture.

Celebrate the Fourth at Moe’s with live music from Splatapus from 7 ’til close. On Saturday, ladies get a free shot while grooving to the Intelligents from 9 ‘til close.

Up in Silverton at America’s best Fourth of July celebration – trust me – there’s the parade (10:30 a.m.) and fireman’s water fight (following parade), International Rhubarb Festival and brass band (noon at Memorial Park) and fireworks (9 p.m.)

If you’re in Silverton on the Fourth, catch the Lawn Chair Kings doing an acoustic set after the parade and water fight at Avalanche Brewing at around 1. What could be more patriotic than chugging high octane microbrews on a full belly of rhubarb pie at 9,308 feet above sea level while listening to the Nord belt out hits like “Monster Trux” and “Greasy Meal?”

The Blue Spruce RV Park at Vallecito puts the free into freedom this weekend by hosting nationally acclaimed Bluegrass Etc. at 7 p.m.  Saturday. Featuring mandolin player (and Montezuma County resident) John Moore, banjo player supreme Dennis Caplinger and (for this show) bassist Steve Spurgin, Bluegrass Etc. has played RockyGrass, the Durango Meltdown and countless other festivals. Not only is the concert free, but you can BYOB!

Alpine Bank and the Community Concert Hall again team up for free concerts in Buckley Park on Thursdays. Bayfield singer-songwriter Tyller Gummersall plays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight (July 3).  Gummersall, who already has a handful of CDs under his belt, recently released his first live effort, “Live from the Henry Strater Theatre.”

The Quaker City Night Hawks bring Texas boogie, Memphis soul and heavy blues to the Balcony on Tuesday night. KDUR program director Jon Lynch digs these guys – enough so that he’s become a vinyl stalker of theirs.

This week’s Top 10 list was provided by the aforementioned Lawn Chair King tunesmith Erik Nordstrom. Aside from “Abbey Road” and “Kind of Blue,” which he strangely omitted, here are Erik’s top 10 albums:

1.Camper Van Beethoven, “Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart,” 1988.  The soundtrack to my later high school and college days. David Lowery’s quirky songwriting continues to inspire.

2.The Replacements, “Let It Be,”1982. Original indie music from Minneapolis blurred the lines between punk and country. Provided some memorable tunes for my friends and me to sing along and pump our fists in the air.

3.Meat Puppets, “Meat Puppets II,” 1984. Like the varied and twisted landscape of their native Southwest, Meat Puppets created an original American sound blending psychedelia, cow-punk, and country whistling.

4.The Byrds, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” 1968. Featuring Gram Parsons, one of the first albums to bring hippies like me into the world of country-rock. A timeless classic.

5.Sonic Youth, “Daydream Nation,” 1988. Thurston Moore’s use of distortion and atonal frequencies is breathtaking and beautiful. Of course, I’m partial to “Eric’s Trip.”

6.Pavement, “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain,” 1994. Epitomizes all the great indie rock of my college days from Archers of Loaf to Zoom.  “Darlin’ don’t you go and cut your hair ... .”

7.Neil Young & Crazy Horse, “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere,” 1969. One of the original alt-country albums. Neil throws down the best one-note guitar solo of all-time in “Down by the River.”

8.Minutemen, “Double Nickels on the Dime,” 1984. With songs averaging  106 seconds, has helped me in my ADHD moments from high school to the present. D. Boon’s twangy Telecaster and Mike Watt’s rumbling bass will forever jangle within my nervous system.

9.Bad Livers, “Delusions of Banjer,” 1992. As I was first cutting my teeth on bluegrass, Danny Barnes was as much of an influence as Bill Monroe. Leading the way for bands like Split Lip Rayfield, Bad Livers incorporated a punk sensibility into hard-driving hillbilly music.

10.         Pink Floyd, “Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” 1967. Syd Barrett was a  gifted songwriter who makes me wonder about the line between creativity and madness. A jewel from the psychedelic ’60s.

Dance for me, I’ll keep you overemployed? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.