Meltdown must-sees, Zulu rhythms & big band

The 22nd annual Durango Bluegrass Meltdown rolls into town this weekend, so be forewarned. A lot of dire-looking folks carrying banjos and fiddles will wander up and down Main from one venue to another. Don’t worry, they’re friendly.

The Meltdown is a true labor of love. Calling it grassroots would be cliché. Founded in 1995 by a bunch of pickers, grinners and all-around bluegrass nuts, it’s served as a vehicle to showcase local and regional talent as much as a chance to bring Grammy-nominated national acts to town. With more than 50 volunteers and a board of directors that never stops working (trust me, they’re already planning the 2017 festival), it’s a nonprofit that brings hundreds of out-of-towners in for the weekend to wine, dine, stomp and holler.

Like in past Meltdowns, expect a mix of national headliners and regional bands as well as locals who ply their craft at music halls and downtown bars, and therein lies the beauty. What’s best is that the lines get blurred on this year’s bill. Songs of the Fall, for example, features the husband-and-wife duo of Stetson Adkisson and Cia Cherryholmes. He grew up in Pagosa Springs; she toured the country with her namesake family band, garnering five Grammy nominations along the way. Or Robin Davis, a longtime Durango musician (perhaps the best guitarist in town for a decade) who recently moved up to the Front Range to chase his bluegrass dream. Or Spring Fever Bluegrass Band, a recently assembled Colorado supergroup whose members are strewn up and down I-25 from Longmont to Colorado Springs … folks who seem to make an appearance at nearly every Meltdown.

Chapel Hill’s Mipso, one of the many highlights of this weekend’s Bluegrass Meltdown.

The top acts on the bill include Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (Ickes is one of the world’s true dobro masters, showcasing his talents in Blue Highway for decades); Mipso (a Chapel Hill quartet that captures all of the musical magic of North Carolina); Chris Henry & Hardcore Grass (he’s known as one of the best Bill Monroe-style mandolin players around); Foghorn Stringband (a Portland old-time outfit that returns to the Meltdown for the first time in a decade); Wood & Wire (a band that’s captured the hearts of the discerning Austin, Texas, audience); and Sideline (a group of young bucks who originally formed as a side project before realizing crowds longed for their mid-1980s style of bluegrass).

And then there are the locals: the Badly Bent, Running Out of Road, Six Dollar String Band, Last Nickel, Blue Moon Ramblers, Lawn Chair Kings and many others that are veterans of past Meltdowns and regulars on the local scene.

One group deserving extra special attention this weekend is La La Bones – a quintet that enlists the talents of Tommy Frederico (banjo), Jimi Giles (bass), Kathy Hilimire (fiddle), Scott Roberts (mandolin) and Kyle Siesser (guitar). They’ll hold a CD release party at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Balcony Backstage, in addition to playing Saturday and Sunday at the Meltdown. I picked up the album this past Sunday and haven’t put it down yet. What sets it apart from other local bluegrass recordings is the sheer beauty of the vocals (all five members sing), akin to the nonconformist Americana  produced by the likes of Elephant Revival, the Railsplitters and Finnders & Youngberg – more heartfelt and less jam. La La Bones is fresh, elegant and a welcome addition to the bevy of solid local recordings. Each member contributed original tunes to the record, which captures simple, everyday occurrences and feelings. It doesn’t hurt that many of the best tunes come from the pens of Hilimire and Giles. The music biz has been male-dominated for what seems like forever. Fortunately, these two women and their three male counterparts are bucking that trend.

Johnny Clegg, a national treasure in his native South Africa, returns to the Community Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Best known for his 1980s bands Jaluka and Savuka, Clegg blends Western pop music with Zulu rhythms. His son, alternative rocker Jesse Clegg, opens.

The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra brings the big band sound of the 1930s and 1940s to the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. tonight (Thurs., April 14).

This week’s Top Shelf list is a must-see checklist for Meltdown:

1. Free sets, 5-7 p.m. Friday, Powerhouse. Colorado College Bluegrass Ensemble and Running Out of Road perform. No festival pass required!

2. Old-time barn dance, 7:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Durango Elks’ Lodge. Get old-timey with the Six Dollar String Band and Foghorn Stringband.

3. Grant Farm, 8-10 p.m. Saturday, Durango Arts Center. Stretch beyond bluegrass with this quartet fronted by Tyler Grant, a former member of the Emmitt-Nershi Band and one of the best flatpickers around.

4. Super Jam, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Henry Strater Theatre. All the best musicians from the weekend share the stage, often performing in once-in-a-lifetime ensembles with folks they just met backstage.

5. Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, four sets Saturday & Sunday, DAC & Hank. Ickes & Hensley nearly won a Grammy a few months ago.

6. Mipso, three sets split between Saturday and Sunday at the three main venues. This North Carolina quartet is tearing up NPR with its mix of Americana and bluegrass.

7. Burle & the No Brainers, two sets Sunday at the DAC and Wild Horse. Benny “Burle” Galloway is a former Durango resident who was a longtime wordsmith for Yonder Mountain String Band. He’ll bring a band of ringers with him.

8. Spring Fever Bluegrass Band’s gospel set, noon Sunday at the DAC. Fronted by ex-Uncle Earl multi-instrumentalist K.C. Groves and an actual reverend, Greg Blake, Spring Fever is the newest “big thing” on the Colorado bluegrass scene.

9. Wood & Wire, four sets spread across Saturday & Sunday. This Austin, Texas, quartet lists former Peter Rowan band member Billy Bright among its membership. Expect bluegrass with a twist.

10. Picking in the Strater lobby. A Meltdown tradition, sometimes seeing national artists jamming with fans over a stiff drink.

I haven’t seen you drink a drop? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.