Music and Panic in the Mountains

by Chris Aaland

It’s an extremely busy week of entertainment, what with festivals ranging from rock legends to world-renowned classical performers to ukulele masters, let’s get right to it.

Dance, hippies, dance! Widespread Panic headlines a jam- and rock-heavy Ride Festival this Saturday and Sunday in Telluride’s Town Park. Now in it’s fourth year, the Ride continues what Bill Graham envisioned in 1991 when he created the Telluride Mid-Summer Music Festival. Not coincidentally, Panic was part of that, too.

Jackson, Wyo.’s Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons shred Buckley Park for tonight’s free Concert in the Park.

This year’s lineup also includes Gov’t Mule, North Mississippi All-Stars, Trigger Hippy (the jammy supergroup that includes Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene and Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman), Jonny Lang and nearly a dozen more. Late night shows round out the weekend Friday through Sunday at various venues.

I first saw Panic in ’91 at that legendary closing Sunday of what locals call the Bill Graham Fest. Strangely, I met them at a funky little breakfast orchestrated by a sweet-talking hippie girl at a groovy little condo that had various members of Panic, Blues Traveler and Little Women passed out on couches, beds and the floor. A few hours and much fruit and bread later, I crossed the San Miguel on the bridge into Town Park for the first time ever. Let’s just call the day trippy. Panic opened, with Taj Mahal taking the stage afterwards and bringing an early August downpour. Sets by the David Grisman Quintet and Hot Tuna offered balance to the acoustic assault that would come in the form of the Allman Brothers.

In the months following, they played a couple Durango shows … at the Iron Horse Inn, of all places, and the old FLC Fine Arts Auditorium. Bassist David Schools even joined me for an interview at KDUR. Hard to believe 23 years have passed since then, but I’m excited to remedy that this weekend.

Music in the Mountains gets under way on Sunday and continues through Aug. 2 at a variety of venues. The classical festival’s first featured soloist, Ida Kavafian, plays at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of Durango. Internationally acclaimed as a violist and violinist, Kavafian is an member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio. She’ll team with conductor and violinist Guillermo Figueroa and narrator Toby Appel to perform Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky in “Once Upon a Time.” Visit musicinthemountains.com for tickets and a schedule.

Grammy-nominated Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai plays a benefit for the Tara Mandala Temple in Pagosa Springs at 8 p.m. Saturday (doors at 7). Nakai is the premier performer of the traditional Native American flute, with more than 1 million copies sold of his platinum album, “Canyon Trilogy.” His firm footing in traditional music is complemented with the seamless integration of new age, world-beat, jazz and classical musical elements. Think a native flutist is out of place at a Buddhist temple? Nakai’s cross-cultural collaborations have included recordings with Tibetan flutist and singer Nawang Khechog. You can catch Nakai live on the radio when he performs on KSUT at 2:15 p.m. today (Thurs., July 9).

Crash Music in the Aztec Theatre hosts the Blues Doctors, two Mississippi-based blues veterans, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A duo that includes the harmonica master and drummer Adam Gussow and guitarist Alan Goss, the Doctors play a mix of down-home Delta standards and urban grooves from the Texas-to-Chicago axis with some New Orleans funk thrown in. Gussow is best known for his 25-year career in the blues duo, Adam & Satan. He’ll also give a harmonica workshop at Crash from 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday.

The inaugural Rocky Mountain UkeFest comes to various downtown venues Friday and Saturday. It features special guest presenters Heidi Swedberg, Daniel Ward and John Bartlit. Highlights include a concert by the Smoking Jackets & Heidi Swedberg at the Durango Arts Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, a welcome reception and ukulele jam session Friday in the Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden and workshops and live jam sessions at the Strater Hotel.

D.L. “Dave” Duncan returns to the Mancos Valley Distillery at 8 p.m. Saturday. This marks the third straight year Duncan has returned to the Montezuma County venue. This time around, he has a new CD set for worldwide distribution. The record features some notable heavy hitters – Delbert McClinton, Sonny Landreth and the McCrary Sisters – plus Duncan’s own electric and acoustic guitars, dobro and National steel.

Tonight’s free Concert in the Park features high-altitude funk-rock from Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons. The Jackson, Wyo.-based sextet continues to garner rave reviews across the Mountain West and Pacific Coast by mixing originals with covers of popular dance tunes from the Budos Band, Frank Zappa, Phish, Buena Vista Social Club and more. It recently released its debut studio record, “Breakfast.” As always, it takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Buckley Park and is presented by the Community Concert Hall and Alpine Bank.

The Alchemist’s Affair, a celebration of health with live music from Afrobeatniks, organic foods and fun for all ages, takes place from 1-9 p.m. Sunday at Rotary Park. Local businesses and organizations have banded together for a day of addressing wellness, both inside and out. The theme of the first-ever holistic Alchemist’s Affair is “A Golden Opportunity for Change,” with an emphasis on exploring the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual way of healthy living. Local food artisans will be on hand serving up healthy meals, teas and treats. Entry into the fair and all the sessions is free.

Get twice as funked up this Friday at Moe’s, as Pants Party plays at 7 p.m., followed by DJ Kaztro at 10. Then on Saturday, DJ Beeso spins at 9.

Elsewhere: Pete Giuliani, Richard Leavitt & Ross Douglas play tonight’s Ska-B-Q from 5-7; Kirk James will be at the Hideaway Grill at Vallecito as a solo performer at 6 p.m. tonight and with his full band at 6 p.m. Friday and solo at 6512 Restaurant & Lounge at 7 p.m. Saturday; the Pete Giuliani Band plays Trimble Hot Springs from 1-4 p.m. Sunday; and the Six Dollar String Band plays classic old-time fiddle and banjo tunes from 7-9 p.m. each Tuesday at the Yardbird Eatery.

I’d give a coconut to everyone? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.