Master craftsman, Lonely Boys and epic opera

by Chris Aaland

I’ve never understood dreams, but I’m fascinated by them. Last week was a particularly sleep-deprived one as I battled the late-winter flu bug that’s been ravaging town while soldiering through a fund drive that got me up before 6 a.m. and in bed around 11 each night. When my head hit the pillow, I’d toss and turn thinking about details for the next day. The dreams kept startling me awake.

Strangely, they all seemed to end with every car I’ve ever owned parked conveniently downtown. My first was a ’72 Chevy Malibu with a big block engine. That beast could easily break 5 hours, 15 minutes when driving from Durango to Denver as it hit 100 MPH no problem. I spent weekends tricking out its stereo, trying to have the biggest, baddest amp for cruising Colfax. A string of family hand-me-downs included a well-used Suburban and Jeep Cherokee. I left them both in ruins. Somewhere in between was a reliable $500 ’76 Toyota Corolla. After getting my first “real job” in the early ‘90s, I upgraded to a brand-new, ’92 Ford Bronco. It was a turd from the start. My ride for the last decade has been an ’06 Tundra. Why they all came back in dream is beyond me. I recall running errands for KSUT downtown, picking up donated gift certificates, dropping prizes off, meeting with people who had pledged during the week. For whatever reason, I needed transportation between these meetings and there was always an old ride of mine parked nearby.

All I can think about lately is how much I miss that damn Malibu and cruising down Colfax.

Bruce Cockburn, filling the ’80s void. He takes the Concert Hall stage Thursday night.

For the generation whose parents were weaned on Dylan and Lennon, Bruce Cockburn filled a void in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A master craftsman whose words cut politically and personally, he was equally adept at dissecting international issues as well as internal ones. He’s also a critically acclaimed guitarist who employs subtlety and grace in his fretwork. Cockburn rarely forays into our part of the world – twice a decade, if we’re lucky. Tonight (Thurs., March 24) finds him all alone at the Community Concert Hall. No artist has a longer history with that venue. Cockburn played the first-ever concert there in the spring of ’97. I remember it well. That sold-out show was booked by the old Durango Society for Performing Arts (now DAM). I was a new board member at the time, and my still somewhat athletic 29-year-old build was perfect for loading amps before the show.

Los Lonely Boys return to the Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. This is a group that’s grown on me in recent years. The brothers Garza (Henry on guitar, JoJo on bass and Ringo on drums) are a Tex-Mex, rock & roll trio that scored a No. 1 hit right out of the gate in 2004 with “Heaven.” That song featured beautiful brotherly harmonies and seemed to be ob the radio every time you turned it on. I kind of wrote them off as a one-trick pony at the time. Deep listening to their string of albums through the years, though, finds a group weaned on Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana and Willie Nelson. Blues, Latin and outlaw country are just three of their influences.

A familiar opera will be screened at 10:55 a.m. Saturday in FLC’s Vallecito Room for the latest installment of The Met: Live in HD. Fresh from their star performances in “Manon Lescaut,” Kristine Opolais and Roberto Alagna reunite in Anthony Minghella’s stunningly beautiful production of one of Puccini’s most popular operas: “Madama Butterfly.” The epic takes place in the Japanese port city of Nagasaki at the turn of the last century, at a time of expanding American international presence. Japan was hesitantly defining its global role, and Nagasaki was one of the country’s few ports open to foreign ships. This one runs for just over three hours.

If you weren’t listening to KSUT last week during the spring membership drive, you probably missed the announcement of the station’s 40^th anniversary party. Michael Franti & Spearhead will headline the station’s Aug. 6 fiesta at Three Springs. Within the first 24 hours, more than 100 tickets sold through michaelfranti.com. Nearly 400 people have since bought their tickets. The last time Franti brought his mix of reggae, hip-hop and folk to Three Springs, nearly 2,000 people turned out for the feel-good dance fest. Indie pop artist Zella Day, who hails from tiny Pinetop, Ariz., is also on the bill as the opener for all of Franti’s summer tour dates.

Elsewhere: DJ I-Cite spins at Moe’s at 9 p.m. Friday; Black Velvet duo plays the Diamond Belle Saloon at 5:30 p.m. Saturday; and DJ Noonz is back at Moe’s at 9 p.m. Saturday.

This week’s Top Shelf list recalls my favorite Bruce Cockburn tunes.

1. “Wondering Where the Lions Are,” from “Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws,” 1979. Cockburn’s commercial breakthrough.

2. “If I Had a Rocket Launcher,” from “Stealing Fire,” 1984. Pure anger spawned from Cockburn’s trip to a Guatemalan refugee camp in southern Mexico one year prior to its becoming an MTV hit.

3. “Lovers in a Dangerous Time,” from “Stealing Fire,” 1984. The Yin to “Rocket Launcher’s” Yang.

4. “Call It Democracy,” from “World of Wonders,” 1986. The mid-80s were a time of political unrest, particularly south of Canada’s border.

5. “Stolen Land,” from “Waiting for a Miracle,” 1987. An acoustic version recorded live in Ignacio 10 years later was immortalized on KSUT’s first “Roots & Rhythms” CD.

6. “A Dream like Mine,” from “Nothing but a Burning Light,” 1991. The lead track from the first Cockburn album I ever owned!

7. “Tie Me at the Crossroads,” from “Dart to the Heart,” 1994. T Bone Burnett’s production on the entire album is spectacular, particularly on this rocker.

8. “Pacing the Cage,” from “The Charity of Night,” 1996. Doubt and regret play no small roles in a good love song.

9. “Birmingham Shadows,” from “The Charity of Night,” 1996. A sprawling, beautiful, spooky masterpiece highlighted by Gary Burton’s vibes and Cockburn’s own resophonic guitar.

10. “Last Night of the World,” from “Breakfast in New Orleans Dinner in Timbuktu,” 1999. Perfection.

Stir up eddies in the dust of rage? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.