Time was short Sunday night as the Telluride House Band wrapped up the 36th annual TBF. I got a great seat and took lots of pics. As promised, here are some of the best:

Sam Bush leads the Telluride House Band

Jerry Douglas on Dobro

Bryan Sutton, guitar

Bela Fleck,… Continue

The Telluride House Band is about to take the stage here to wrap up the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass festival. I’ll try to get a couple of shots posted. The House Band is an all-star lineup of Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Luke Bulla and Bryan Sutton.



We’ve been consolidating and packing up parts of camp this afternoon in order to load out in the morning. In addition to blogging, I’m also a member of what was a 5 member camp- our ranks have swelled to 9 during the… Continue

Works Progress Administration just finished their set here in Telluride. They answered my first question right off the bat: their new release is now available. A 12 song self-released (WPA/Umami Records) set simply titled “Works Progress Administration- WPA.” Recorded some months ago, I’ve been trying to find out when it would be out. Turns out this is the second venue at which it’s been available. Not bad, considering that this is only about the third time that all the members of this… Continue

WOW!



A sensational Sunday morning act is taking place right now.



Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue are on stage with a gospel and soul musical act that is heavenly.



This morning is beautiful. This set could not be more appropriate.



The folks on the field are rockin' and swayin' and having a great time.



I was in the section just in front of the stage taking some pictures and… Continue

Good morning from lovely Telluride, Colorado. This marks the last day of the festival. Usually, the Sunday morning acts are a real treat. Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue is just taking the stage.

I ran tarp again this morning for our group- no incidents or accidents, hints or allegations.

Gonna go catch this set.

Happy Father's Day.

JR

Yonder Mountain String Band is playing the Talking Heads' Girlfriend is Better and the joint is jumpin'.

Yonder's fans are extremely devoted. Included in that group is Sam Bush, who has joined the group onstage with a fiddle.



Their set's just about to wrap and we've got dinner reservations in… Continue

Headline Bluegrass Band, from the Phoenix, Arizona area made their Telluride debut last Tuesday, playing at Steamboat Camp’s “Tropical Tuesday” bash in Town Park’s preserve area. No microphone, no amplifiers. A predominately young crowd pressed forward, as only about the first six or so layers of folks could hear, and enjoyed a tight, well-delivered set from the four members.



In Town Park a good band often draws a jam, so by the time the final “White Freightliner Blues” was… Continue

Elvis Costello and his six-member all-star backing band the Sugarcanes took the stage last night in Telluride. Jerry Douglas on dobro, Stuart Duncan on violin and Jim Lauderdale on guitar were parts of the musical backbone supporting Mr. Costello as he steps out in yet another musical direction in a new pair of shoes. These new shoes have some bluegrass stains, yet bear the familiar Elvis Costello logo.



The band opened with Mystery Train, followed by Stuart Duncan leading off… Continue

Welcome to Telluride on a beautiful Saturday morning. Yesterday was a bit tough for me due to sleep deprivation and some technical issues, but let’s start off today with a tarp run.



Starting ridiculously early the day before on the campground side, a line forms near the volleyball courts near Warner Field as eager (bordering on insane) festivarians vie for a spot at the very front of the line. Tomorrow's line probably has a chair or two in it now. I'm not sure when the town side line… Continue

Telluride just went to school on the West African instrument the kora. A 21 stringed instrument played by virtuoso Toumani Diabate. He was joined onstage by banjo great Bela Fleck in an entertaining and enlightening set.



To my ears, the kora sounds very much like a mandolin with slight harpsichord tendencies on the high end, a bright guitar through the mid-range and the bass end sounds like a bass.



The instrument is approximately 700 years old, made of cowskin and strung… Continue

I didn’t know what to expect when David Byrne took the stage at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Thursday night, except perhaps a band all dressed in white, having seen them recently perform one number on The Colbert Report. He could have… Continue

Patty Griffin

Emmylou Harris

Buddy Miller

Shawn Colvin





Three Girls and Their Buddy took the stage and took turns with the song honors. After the opening “Love Hurts” each performer had a featured song in turn, starting with Patty Griffin on the left and completing a round… Continue

Just after lunch time in the mountains that ol' naptime feelin' starts to creep up on you. The warm sun and general lack of oxygen conspire to convince you it's time to close your eyes for just a little bit. The Zac Brown Band chased away the sandman and had the crowd up… Continue

Dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien just kicked off the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival with a playful and varied set.



Starting out the first couple of tunes on the banjo, Mr. O’Brien switched to guitar for “If I Can’t Live Without Her, Why Am I Not Dead?,” then later to fiddle for the gospel inflected “Holy Ghost Building.”



The pairing of acoustic instruments that sparkled, in… Continue

Town Park is ready. Warner Field waits. Final preparations are on at Mary Illium campground. Since Saturday, a steady stream of campers have been setting up their temporary homes in the usually serene and peaceful campgrounds in and around Telluride.



The stage has gone from a wooden shell to a festival-ready showcase. The sound tower stands ready in the extended outfield of a baseball diamond. This morning, sound checks filled the air. The outfield of the adjacent ball field is now a… Continue

When REM wrote Can’t Get There From Here they weren’t referring to Telluride, Colorado, but they could have been. Tucked away in the southwest corner of the state on the western side of the San Juan Mountains, it’s not an easy place to get to, which is part of the allure.



Telluride is an eclectic blend of new and old, rich and not-so-rich. It’s a resort playground for the wealthy, a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, a way-station for un-rooted and unattached youth, a refuge from… Continue

As the festival draws closer, I’ve been keeping an unofficial, very informal and totally unscientific mental track of ticket availability for the last three Telluride Bluegrass Festivals. My mental track says that real ticket demand has been going up. One concern about this trend is that an increased demand will cause scalpers to get increasingly interested in our little mountain town festival. Right now, the festival is at a prime point in its growth to attract such interest. That dude outside… Continue

The official label reads Telluride Bluegrass & Country Music Festival. I have come to dislike most of the labels we mere humans try to attach to music. I know they’re necessary, but they almost always seem inadequate. We need labels to communicate, to advertise, to succinctly describe all sorts of things that we see and use everyday, to keep the tomato sauce and cream corn separate, but when it comes to many forms of music, labels are… Continue

“Most of us are on a journey. We’re looking for something, though we’re not always sure what that is. The way is foggy much of the time. I suggest you slow down and follow some of the side roads that appear suddenly in the mist.” –RealLivePreacher.com weblog, February 13, 2003



A gondola ride allows Telluride to work its magic more quickly. On a beautiful, clear summer morning it offers a birds-eye view of the town nestled in its box canyon, surrounded by mountains on three… Continue