Meltdown breakdown and Mississippi blues

by Chris Aaland
 

Ah, the post-fester blues. The 21st annual Durango Bluegrass Meltdown came and went last weekend. Even 8-year-old Otto commented Monday that festivals go by quickly. He was sad. So was I. This year’s Meltdown ranks among the finest that the volunteer Board of Directors has ever put on (my highlights are in this week’s Top Shelf list at the end of the column).

Even sadder is the sudden disappearance of live music from town. Late April and nearly all of May are lean months for concerts here in D-Town. As the rivers rise and the snow melts, promoters think that we’re all off to kayak, bike and burn weenies at backyard barbecues. Otto and I will no doubt explore rivers and lakes in search of trout, bass and crappies. But the little guy finally enjoyed sitting next to his parents and listening to music … waiting nearly two months for Pagosa Folk ’n Bluegrass is a shame. His training to become a full-fledged festivarian must continue.

Still, if you dig deep enough, you’ll find entertainment options. Here are a few:

Mississippi bluesman Bill “Howl-’N-Mad” Perry plays the Aztec Theatre on Friday night.

Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry comes to Crash Music at the historic Aztec Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Born in Mississippi’s Hill Country, Perry’s father and family were sharecroppers and moonshiners. His father presented him his first guitar when Perry was just 9 years old after winning it at a craps game, and the rest is history. He moved to Chicago as a young man and spent time in the clubs listening to Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Mighty Joe Young. By his late teens, he’d recorded gospel for Chess Records, toured the country and played bass and guitar behind the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and Shirley Caesar. Broke in Memphis in 1966, he put on his finest clothes and hooked up with Little Milton. For the next decade, he toured and recorded with the likes of T-Bone Walker, Little Richard and Johnnie Taylor. In recent years, he’s performed regularly at Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, moonlighted as a DJ at WROX in Clarksdale and taught local kids at the Delta Blues Museum. He’ll join me live on KSUT at 1 p.m. Friday for stories and song.

Maestro Arthur Post’s final concert conducting the San Juan Symphony occurs Sunday afternoon at the Community Concert Hall. Plaza tickets are sold out, but good seats remain in the orchestra and balcony sections. His final concert weaves together diverse musical and spiritual traditions that explore music’s timeless pathway to the soul. He will introduce us to the Native American-inspired soundscapes of Paul Fowler, our vocal soloist for the concert and a brilliant young Colorado composer. Indeed, Sunday’s curtain call is “A Joyous Farewell,” as the San Juan Symphony has called Post’s final season.

Mancos Valley Distillery presents Secondhand Strings at 8 p.m. Friday. Blues-grassy is the best way to describe this acoustic duo from Farmington. Harris Brogan and Justin Brown meld today’s newgrass funk with the roots of yesterday’s blues and folks. They take their cues from a diverse group of influences that range from the Beatles and Stones to Django Reinhardt and Doc Watson. Doors open at 5 for those of you looking to get your rum on leading up to the show.

Moe’s madness this week is highlighted by the danceable sounds of DJs T-Munz, Noonz & Beeso from 8 ‘til close Saturday. Funked Up Fridays also goes down from 8 ’til close Friday.

Finally, the Pete Giuliani Band plays the Earth Day Celebration and 5k sponsored by Durango Nature Studies from 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Rotary Park.

This week’s Top Shelf list recounts a dozen highlights from last week’s Durango Bluegrass Meltdown:

1. The Special Consensus. Founder and banjo picker Greg Cahill has not only kept this band afloat for 40 years, but his current incarnation may be its best lineup ever. Fast-paced classics from records like “Scratch Gravel Road” and tender renditions of John Denver cuts from last year’s tribute record were welcome. Let’s hope it’s not another 10 years before they next grace a Durango stage.

2. Shawn Camp. Sure, it wasn’t bluegrass. But Camp writes equal amounts of tunes for bluegrass legends and country music hall of famers. Seeing field hippies belt out “Two Piña Coladas” was worth the price of admission. Camp had no idea his co-write with Guy Clark, “Rain in Durango,” would be demanded no fewer than four times.

3. Balsam Range. The IBMA chose wisely when awarding this quintet its Entertainer of the Year award last fall. This is a talented group of talented pickers and singers. Fiddler Buddy Melton’s voice, in particular, shined. He can slow it down for a tender ballad in the middle of the festival and accomplish the same thing Roy Orbison could to a weeper during a rock show. That takes rare skill.

4. Jon Stickley Trio. Their two-hour Saturday night set at the Durango Arts Center mixed Brazilian choros with flamenco, surf and new acoustic jazz in the vein of Mike Marshall and David Grisman. As if Stick’s guitar playing wasn’t enough, it’s safe to say the Four Corners now has a collective crush on Lyndsay Pruett and her otherworldly fiddle.

5. Last Nickel. Dolores newgrass is in good hands. These guys (and gal) have quietly become one of the best bands in the Four Corners.

6. Lawn Chair Kings. In particular, dusting off “Alien Abductee” from their hard-to-find debut EP and following it with an encore of Dan Leek’s testicular take on the Jerry Reed classic, “Eastbound & Down.”

7. Papa Otis & the San Juan Moonshiners. Although not officially part of the festival, Steve Mendias’ band of gypsies packed BREW on Friday night.

8. Sunday Bloody Marys. Uncle E and I elevated our annual gospel cocktail with Soiled Dove Vodka from Durango Craft Spirits. Mama Kaye’s suggestion of Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix over Freshies was a welcome addition.

9. The Railsplitters. This Front Range quintet is as nice as it is talented. Good people.

10. Finnders & Youngberg. Ditto. It’s always a family reunion when Mike, AA and E come to town.

11. David Smith. I sure miss my buddy. A lot of us do.

12. The Palace’s baked ziti. Saturday’s green room dinner is always a hit.

Keep your foot hard on the pedal? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.