Alt-country bonanza and blues at Purg

by Chris Aaland

Trump disgusts me … and there’s too much good going on in our community to waste any more ink on this Mother of All Trolls.

Truckstop Honeymoon, which typically travels with the whole brood, plays two shows: a benefit Thursday at the Rochester; and Friday at the Balcony.

Truckstop Honeymoon returns to town, this time for an extra good cause. The Lawrence-by-way-of-New Orleans duo performs a benefit concert for the Craig & Stephanie Harris family from 5:30-7 p.m. tonight (Thurs., July 23) at the Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden. Durango Acoustic Music and KDUR are footing the bill, with all proceeds going straight to the Harris clan, whose 8-year-old daughter, Chloe, is recovering from chemotherapy as she battles leukemia. It’s a free show, but donations ($10+ suggested) will be collected at the door. As someone who has benefitted from these sorts of fundraisers, drop on by, dump a few sawbucks into the till, listen to some great music and welcome Chloe home!

The Truckstop Honeymoon saga is one of true love and overcoming life’s hardships. Street buskers Katie Euliss and Mike West met in the French Quarter, quickly fell in love and married. They spent their first night of wedded bliss at a truck stop between Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Swamp. The name stuck. Their 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor served as both home and recording studio, but was washed away during Hurricane Katrina. After a few months of living out of their van, they relocated to Lawrence, Kans., where they rebuilt their studio, raised their kids (who they still pack along on the road) and even started the first (and only) Mardi Gras parade in Kansas. Sentimental odes to home – be it the reality of the High Plains or the nostalgia of their Crescent City past – echo throughout their catalog. In addition to their Harris Family fundraiser, they’ll also play at the Balcony on Friday afternoon.

Drag the River, one of the seminal Colorado alt-country bands of the past 20 years, plays the Balcony Backstage at 9 p.m. Saturday. Led by original members Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price, the Fort Collins outfit has deep roots in Durango, having played here many times since its inception. If you like a pint of twang chased by punk influences, this show’s a no-brainer for you.

Purgatory hosts the inaugural Blues, Brews & BBQ festival from 11 a.m. ‘til 8 p.m. Saturday. Your ticket gets you a couple of Steamworks pints, BBQ from Purgy’s and live music from six top local acts: Bacon, Elder Grown, Durango Funk Allstars, Kirk James Blues Band, Soul What and Stoner Blues Band.

Want to win a chainsaw? Show up to the Billy Goat Saloon in downtown Gem Village Saturday night, where the Goat, Ska Brewing and Southwest Ag are teaming up to give away a big ol’ log cutter. Every time you drink a Mexican Logger, you’ll get a ticket. The Crags will rock the joint from 8 ‘til midnight, with the drawing at 9:30. You must be present – and not face-down in the dirt, I presume – to win.

Bacon plays the free concert in Buckley Park from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight. Known for its dynamic funk, soul and ska, Bacon sizzles with horn-heavy grooves on both originals and covers by acts like Maceo Parker and Liquid Soul.

The Stillwater All Stars Band – comprised of 13 advanced students age 13-17 working alongside five Stillwater faculty members – plays the Durango Arts Center at 6 p.m. Sunday. The fundraiser helps them raise money to travel to the prestigious Telluride Jazz Festival the following weekend, where they’ll perform Saturday and Sunday, the latter of which opens the day’s tunes on the main stage.

Moe’s slate this week includes a Funked Up Friday twin-bill with Little Wilderness at 7 and DJ Kaztro at 10. Kaztro encores at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Of note: Kirk James goes solo on the Dalton Ranch patio from 5-8 p.m. tonight and brings his blues band to the Balcony at 6 p.m. Saturday; the Black Velvet Duo works 6512 at 6 p.m. Friday and the Animas River Café at 5 p.m. Saturday; the Arizona band Decker plays El Rancho on Saturday and the Balcony on Sunday; the Miserabillies bring country music to the Office Spiritorium at 7 p.m. Monday; the Six Dollar String Band offers up its weekly serving of old-time fiddle and banjo music at Yardbird Eatery’s patio at 7 p.m. Tuesday; and The Assortment does the Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden from 4:30-7 p.m. Wednesday in a benefit for the Southwest Center for Independence.

In honor of Drag the River, this week’s Top Shelf list acknowledges a dozen of my favorite Colorado alt-country acts, past and present:

1. Beautiful Loser Society: Chuck Barry needs to strap on a Fender over here soon – very soon.

2. The Billy Pilgrims: Aaron & Erin Youngberg needed a creative outlet in between their time in Hit & Run and Finnders & Youngberg … And their lone 2007 album was the perfect release.

3. Cowboy Dave Band: Up-and-comers on the Front Range scene.

4. Drag the River: Fort Collins’ favorite sons!

5. Ethyl & the Regulars: High-octane, vintage twang. Too bad it’s been six years since their one and only album.

6. Farmington Hill: Long live local twang!

7. Paul Galaxy & the Galactix: They were regional rockabilly and surf legends before their time.

8. Honky Tonk Hangovers: It’s a shame these guys broke up. Their 2004 record, “Giant Country,” is worth seeking out in used CD bins and online.

9. The Railbenders: Denver’s hard-country heroes.

10. 16 Horsepower: Lest we forget the greatness that was. I saw these guys open for Mojo Nixon in their heyday.

11. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Gothic country in all its weird glory.

12. Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams: Quite frankly, the best honky-tonk in the land.

Three tattoos and bowling shoes? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.