Honky tonk, Americana and transvestites

by Chris Aaland

Tuesday marks mid-term Election Day and I’ll be glad when the campaign mudslinging is over. Television commercials shouldn’t piss you off, but this year’s batch sure does. Venom and lies. Tea baggers vs. tree huggers. Why can’t we just get along? There’s a 24-hour drop box located at the Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 98 Everett St., Suite C in Bodo Park. Hotly contested state and local races warrant your effort to vote.

Besides, Election Day falls four days after Halloween. Being hungover is no excuse.

Wayne “The Train” Hancock was originally slated to appear at the Dolores River Brewery last spring, but a catastrophic motorcycle crash put him in intensive care for a month. He’s fully recovered now, and goes trick or treating at the Dolores River Brewery at 9 p.m. Friday. Hancock, who burst onto the national scene in 1995, is one of the foremost purveyors of classic honky tonk.

Wayne “The Train” Hancock is all healed up and ready to rock the Dolores Brewery on Friday night

Singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne brings her soulful Americana to the Community Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Lynne’s music and lyrics pay homage to her Mobile, Ala., roots. Need proof of her chops? On the day Johnny Cash died, Lynne sat down and wrote “Johnny Met June,” a eulogy about Cash’s reunion with his wife in heaven … and one of the most lovingly crafted songs of the past decade. Local bluesman Kirk James opens.

KDUR and Durango Massive present an epic Transvestite Ball at 9 p.m. Friday at the Animas City Theatre. In addition to the ball’s usual cross-dressing shenanigans, the Fort Knox Five highlight a stellar, four-act bill that also includes Niko, Soul Atomic and Matteo. The Fort Knox Five is a DC-based musical group consisting of Steve Raskin, Jon Horvath, Rob Myers and Sid Barcelona. Their musical style mixes elements of funk, reggae, hip-hop and electronica.

Ska Brewing hosts the KSUT’s 21st annual membership party and silent auction from 5:30 ‘til 9:30 Saturday night. The silent auction consists of hundreds of items ranging from music collections, autographed CDs, dinner-and-concert combos, festival passes, ski trips, sports tickets, outdoor gear, artwork, children’s and pet packages, home improvement services and much more. The $25 entry includes bottomless pours of award-winning Ska brews, beverages from Wagon Wheel Liquors and food from Durangourmet. Register online at ksut.org, where you can also bid on a handful of online auction items, including a Lake Powell houseboat vacation, ski trips to Wolf Creek and Telluride, and a paddleboard from 4 Corners River Sports. Online bidding closes at 6 p.m. Friday, while the silent auction at Ska ends at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Ska hosts its Skalloween happy hour starting at 4 p.m. Friday. The evening marks the official release of its first Skamic book. Get yours signed by the owners and enjoy $4 pints in a commemorative Skalloween pint glass that’s yours to keep. There are also $2 Pinstripes.

The Six Dollar String Band plays All Hallows’ Eve at Carver’s at 9 p.m. Friday. A costume contest and keg giveaway are also part of the 21+ festivities.

BREW’s Halloween party on Friday night features an adult-themed piñata, scary-good food specials and local bluegrass with Running Out of Road at 8. New at BREW this week: Kelsey, a medium-bodied farmhouse ale brewed with grains of paradise and lemongrass.

Speaking of ROOR, the Durango quintet has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to record their debut studio album. Find out more at www.kickstarter.com/projects/ 1587086360/running-out-of-road-studio-cd.

The Be FRANK foundation hosts its second annual FRANK N’ Stein block party from 11 a.m. ‘til 6 p.m. Saturday at Bottom Shelf Brewery on Bayfield’s Mill Street. This family friendly event includes games, music, costume contests, silent auction, face painting and more. Adults can purchase a commemorative stein that includes tickets for two microbrews. All proceeds will support music programs for area kids.

And for the kiddos, a record number of downtown businesses have teamed up with the Durango Business Improvement District and Durango Chamber of Commerce to provide a safe trick-or-treat environment by hosting a children’s Halloween from 4-6 p.m. Friday. More than 90 downtown merchants will offer Halloween goodies and surprises to children 10 and younger dressed in costumes and accompanied by an adult.

In honor of KSUT’s member party and silent auction, this week’s Top 10 albums list is provided by Erin and Aaron Hyder … two KSUT sustaining members who think they’re cooler than they really are. E, the wife, works as HR director at Durango Mountain Resort. Double A, the husband, is a fourth-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary in Farmington and owns a fly-fishing guide service. They tag-teamed their Top 10 list, with E providing commentary:

1. Alison Krauss & Union Station, “New Favorite,” 2001. The only thing better than this album is listening to them live in the poser pit in Town Park.

2. Michael Jackson, “History: Past, Present & Future,” 1995. It was too hard to pick just one of MJ’s albums. Two discs and I know all the lyrics.

3. Beastie Boys, “Paul’s Boutique,” 1989. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I egged the chicken and then ate its leg.

4. Lucinda Williams, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” 1998. This album is distinctively Lucinda with its combination of rock, blues and country.

5. Bob Marley & the Wailers, “Legend,” 1984. I played collegiate soccer at Fort Lewis, so it was kind of ingrained in me.

6. Dave Matthews Band, “Under the Table and Dreaming,” 1994. Hike up your skirt a little more and show the world to me.

7. Johnny Cash, “At Folsom Prison,” 1968. Quintessential Johnny Cash with songs about love, God and murder.

8. The Highwaymen, “The Highwayman,” 1985. Aaron’s redneck Kansas roots come through when he listens to this and feels like a real cowboy … an urban cowboy.

9. Pearl Jam, “Ten,” 1991. We were 11 when this came out. I’m his older woman by four days.

10. Willie Nelson, “The Essential Willie Nelson,” 2003. Roll me up and smoke me when I die. And that’s not even on that album.

And a bonus album pick from our daughters, Emma and Lunchpie: “Kidz Bop, Party Pop!” 2014. If I hear one more “What Does the Fox Say” in the car, I might freak out.

Mixed with the lightning is the glow from the neon sign? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.