From a local's point of view, this is one of the best weekends of the entire year. You just can't beat spending time in this box canyon with a rockin parade on Main St, the fireman's bbq in Town Park, unbelievable fireworks, sunshine, live music, good friends, and much more! Did I mention the unbelievable firework show? The firework pictures below are a first hand view of how you really see them in Town Park. No lie, the fireworks literally burst right over your head and rumbles the entire town. Check out these July 4th pics!

Fireworks in Town Park

People lining up on Main St. for the parade

Kids dress up for the parade

Fireman's bbq in Town Park

Surfing the San Miguel!

Fishing is Prime time!

Happy 4th of July!

The Red, White & Blues concert is the official kick off to a fun filled July 4th weekend with parades, bbq, fireworks, american pride and more! The July 4th weekend event is free to the public and includes not only phenomenal music, but also family-friendly activities beginning at 2pm, such as the bungee trampoline, jumping castle, x-box games, face painting, and TASP's ice cream fundraiser.

"One of the most soulful new bands around", says legendary Bonnie Raitt. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals were once the up-and-coming darlings of the modern jazz and blues scene, receiving comparisons to Norah Jones and Lucinda Williams. I've seen Grace Potter and Nocturnals live at the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival and it was truly one of the best acts of the entire festival, if not the summer. Bring your family and friends, a blanket, and get ready to hear some good ol' American Rock & Roll to kick off the July 4th weekend!

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

"One of the most scenic music festivals in the country, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival takes place every September in Telluride, Colorado, a world-famous resort town in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The festival is a three day celebration of music and microbrews, held in Telluride Town Park , an outdoor music venue with breathtaking mountain peaks for a backdrop. By day, experience live blues, rock, funk, gospel, and soul, the best micro brews from over 50 micro breweries during Saturday's Grand Tasting, a wide variety of food and craft vendors, children's activities, and more - all on the festival grounds. By night, follow the festival as it flows into the town of Telluride and Mountain Village, with late night juke joints and after-hours jams".

Check out more information at: www.tellurideblues.com

Blues and Brews Festival

Local residents, wine conasuirs, and thirsty tourists all enjoyed samples of different wine and spirits from all around the nation while touring local liquor stores, restaurants, and bars. The weather was beautiful, with a couple afternoon showers, that cleared up just in time for a live performance from Citizen Cope in Town Park. Hundreds of people showed up for the show and he rocked the 28th annual Wine Festival in style and ended another great weekend here in Telluride!

Check out some pictures from Citizen Cope's performance:

Citizen Cope

Sunset

Citizen Cope crowd

Kate Bradley with Clarence, a.k.a. Citizen Cope

It's summer here in Telluride - Sunshine, occasional showers, festivals, live music, hiking, golf, jeep trips, horseback riding, climbing, fishing, and much more! Here are a couple pictures from all around town while we celebrate the summer here in Telluride!

Ajax Mountain

Bridal Veil Falls - Colorado's largest waterfall

Main Street

Gondola from Telluride to Mountain Village

Imogene Jeep Tours with Telluride Outside

Mt. Wilson - Fourteener right outside our back door!

Telluride Golf Club - Doesn't matter if you're good, the views are amazing

Click the link below to listen to Railroad Earth's live performance during NightGrass at the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Railroad Earth played a couple unbelievable sets during the Bluegrass festival and now you get to listen to their sold out show for free!

http://www.archive.org/details/rre2009-06-18.flac16

Telluride Wine Festival offers food and wine enthusiasts an unforgettable four-day event with an opportunity to meet winemakers, celebrity chefs; 4-days of cooking demonstrations, dinners, luncheons, and cooking seminars and much more! Citizen Cope will also perform live on Telluride's Town Park Main Stage on Saturday night the 27th.

Coming from a local, this is one of my favorite weekend's of the summer. Long summer days, sunshine, and 13,000 foot peaks set the perfect ambiance in town park for a day of wine & spirits tasting and live music. And if you havn't heard Citizen Cope, his mix of hip-hop beats with mellow piano melodies and new-school blues makes him a perfect easy-listen pop show in Town Park. Check out free samples of his music at: http://www.myspace.com/citizencope

Come check out the Telluride Wine Festival this weekend! For more information and complete schedule check out: http://www.telluridewinefestival.com/

Main Street during the Telluride Wine Festival

We are officially "Tweeting" these days - Check us out and follow, TellurideAlpine, on Twitter for your most up-to-date events, lodging specials, and more! Click the link below to check us out:

https://twitter.com/TellurideAlpine

Drew Emmitt is pretty much a local around these parts. After playing for many years at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival with Leftover Salmon, The Drew Emmitt Band will play a FREE concert from 6-8pm in Mountain Village on the Sunset Series stage this Wednesday the 24th.

Emmitt is well known in the bluegrass community for his mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and occasional flutist skills - He most recently has teamed up with Bill Nershi of the String Cheese Incident and the Town of Mountain Village brings him here on Wednesday night for FREE!

Check out free song samples of The Drew Emmitt Band at: http://www.myspace.com/drewemmitt

Drew Emmitt

Bluegrass Festival in Town Park

David Byrne from Talking Heads

Ben Nye and Katie Lewandowski, Bluegrass Festivarians, enjoying the sun

Sam Bush playing with Yonder Mountain String Band

Yonder Mountain String Band playing Nightgrass at the Sheridan Opera House

Yonder Mountain String Band unplugs at the Sheridan Opera House

The Yonder boys rock out at the Sheridan Opera House

Main Stage in Town Park

Sunset on Ajax

Best show I've ever seen in Town Park!

Thanks to Ben Nye and Brienne Brown for the pics!

Bluegrass kicked off the summer festival season here in Telluride last weekend and now we prepare for the Telluride Wine Festival and Citizen Cope in concert in Town Park this up coming weekend! The 28th Annual Telluride Wine Festival offers food and wine enthusiasts an unforgettable four-day event with a rare opportunity to meet winemakers, celebrity chefs, and sommeliers for an unparalleled educational and epicurean experience. For more information about the Wine Festival check out: http://www.telluridewinefestival.com/

Wednesday the 24th, kicks off the FREE Sunset Concert Series in Mountain Village with the Drew Emmitt Band, lead singer and mandolin player from Leftover Salmon.  
Drew Emmitt from Leftover Salmon

Saturday the 27th, Citizen Cope will be in concert in Town Park as part of the Telluride Wine Festival. Tickets and information at: http://www.telluridewinefestival.com/   With a mix of hip-hop, folk, and blues - Citizen Cope is sure to bring a great show while surrounded by the 13,000 peaks around Telluride Town Park.

Citizen Cope 

When the free Firstgrass concert kicked off Bluegrass on Wednesday night, it looked to be a long weekend of music, friends, and sunshine. You know how the saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun", well this weekend FLEW by and was one of the best Bluegrass festival's I can remember.

We were graced by the presence of David Byrne, who put on an amazing show Thursday night that had everyone saying Friday "Could you believe that show last night?" or "I want to be a back up dancer for David Byrne!". Yonder Mountain String Band and Sam Bush are pretty much Telluride locals and will always bring people back to the festival for years to come. The big surprise of the weekend was Gaelic Storm, who closed Saturday night out in Town Park. This celtic rock band had the crowd jumping up and down and shouting Irish chants till they literally pulled the plug at 12:30am.

Thank you Bluegrass for a great weekend of musical talent, great festival food, beautiful weather, great friendships, delicious New Belgium beer, meeting strangers, laughing, and now crying that this wonderful weekend is over. Bluegrass pictures are on the way!

For now... Check out this Daivd Byrne slide show on youtube from Telluride Bluegrass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzBbTceN2Nk

The weekend is here and the Bluegrass festival has already wowed all festivarians in attendance!  David Byrne "burned down the house" last night and the lineup is only getting better! Tonight, festival favorite and Bluegrass veteran, Bela Fleck, takes the stage with a classic, finger pickin set. Elvis Costello will add a Pop/Rock show to keep your feet moving and Railroad Earth will close the night out with an acoustic-string bluegrass set . Then over to the sold out show at the Sheridan Opera House for Yonder Mountain String Band! Listen to a LIVE stream from Town Park at www.koto.org

Friday, June 19
9:00am — Gates Open
10:30 - 11:30am — Blue Canyon Boys
11:45 - 12:45pm — Crooked Still
1:00 - 2:15pm — The Greencards
2:45 - 4:00pm — John Cowan Band
4:30 - 5:45pm — Jenny Lewis
6:15 - 7:30pm — Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabaté
8:00 - 9:30pm — Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes
10:00 - 11:30pm — Railroad Earth

Saturday, June 20
9:00am — Gates Open
10:00 - 11:00am — Band Contest Finals
11:15 - 12:15pm — Greensky Bluegrass
12:30 - 1:45pm — Punch Brothers Play & Sing Bluegrass
2:15 - 3:30pm — Jerry Douglas Band
4:00 - 5:30pm — Yonder Mountain String Band
5:45 - 6:00pm — Telluride Troubadour
6:15 - 7:30pm — Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
8:00 - 10:00pm — Sam Bush Band
10:30pm - Midnight — Gaelic Storm 

Sunday, June 21 (The Summer Solstice)
10:00am — Gates Open
10:30 - 12:00am — Mike Farris & The Roseland Rhythm Revue
12:30 - 1:45pm — Works Progress Administration
2:00 - 3:15pm — The Steeldrivers
3:45 - 5:00pm — Todd Snider
5:30 - 6:45pm — Tim O'Brien Band
7:15 - 8:30pm — Emmylou Harris 
9:00 - 11:00pm — Telluride House Band

Four words...David Byrne absolutley rocks. Everything about his show is amazing. The back up dancers, the white suits, the non-stop energy - I'll have to say one of the best shows I've ever seen in Town Park. The entire crowd was having a blast and it's only the beginning!

David Byrne

David Byrne from Talking Heads

So it's finally here... Ever since the lineup was announced months ago, the talk of the town has been David Byrne - Musician, artist, writer, legend. Tonight will be one for the records as Byrne takes stage in front of thousands and rocks this tiny box canyon.

David Byrne

With a couple hundred people packed into the Conference Center in Mountain Village, the vibe and anticipation couldn't have been higher as we prepared for one of the biggest festivals of the summer. Everyone was feeling it. As the Yonder boys rocked out, the floor didn't stop shaking until they pulled the plug at 1 am. People had made the journey from all over - a couple from New York, two brothers from North Carolina, college roommates from Pheonix - all waiting to see one of the best bluegrass shows you'll ever see, YMSB!

What an amazing way to kick off the weekend! Much more to come....

Tickets can be bought today on shop.bluegrass.com or 800-624-2422. After today, tickets will only be available in-person at the box office at the Telluride town park. It's not too late to come to this amazing weekend in Telluride. Give us a call to find last minute deals on lodging, 888-728-1950.

Bluegrass festivarians

FirstGrass, a free concert at the Sunset Series stage, will feature The Lovell Sisters and the Greencards and will officially kickoff the much anticipated Bluegrass weekend.

Check out more about the bands at:

www.thegreencards.com

The Greencards

www.lovellsistersband.com

The Lovell Sisters

Tickets, Camping, and Lodging are still available to spend the summer solstice with us at the 36th Telluride Bluegrass Festival (June 18-21). David Byrne, Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes, 3 Girls & Their Buddy (Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin & Buddy Miller), Sam Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Conor Oberst, Kasey Chambers, Jenny Lewis, Punch Brothers, and many others will be spending the summer solstice with us in the San Juan Mountains. Order your tickets and camping now at shop.bluegrass.com or 800-624-2422.

Check out the music line up at: http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html

Here are some pictures from 2008 Telluride Bluegrass Festival!

Alpine Glow at Bluegrass

Yonder Mountain String Band playing at Bluegrass

Gondola into town

The San Miguel, Dolores, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison are among some of the finest trout streams in the Rocky Mountains - all very accessible from the Telluride region. Sunday, we geared up with perfect conditions and headed to the Lower Dolores River for a full day fishing adventure. Accompanied by three guides from Telluride Outside, I was excited to check out the much talked about Lower "D", for the first time. We fished all day long and pulled out some beautiful Brown and Rainbow trout. Check out the pics!

Cameron Barker pulling out a big Brown

 Brown TroutCheck out Telluride Outside at: http://www.tellurideoutside.com/

Call us at 1-888-353-5473 to book a half or full day fly fishing trip!

If you havn't been to Bluegrass, do yourself a favor... get some friends together, buy a weekend ticket, let us find you that perfect place to stay and get ready for one of the best weekends of your life! You will thank me while you're enjoying great music, drinking a beer, and watching the alpine glow set on this magical box canyon. Festival tickets are still available at: http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/tickets.html

Oh yea, did I mention the unbelievable Bluegrass lineup? Click here for more information about  the artists performing this year: http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html

Thursday, June 18
10:00am — Gates Open
11:00 - 12:00pm — Jerry Douglas & Tim O'Brien
12:15 - 1:30pm — The Lovell Sisters
1:45 - 3:00pm — Zac Brown Band
3:30 - 4:45pm — Peter Rowan
5:15 - 6:30pm — Three Girls & Their Buddy
7:00 - 8:30pm — Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
9:00 - 10:30pm — David Byrne

Friday, June 19
9:00am — Gates Open
10:30 - 11:30am — Blue Canyon Boys
11:45 - 12:45pm — Crooked Still
1:00 - 2:15pm — The Greencards
2:45 - 4:00pm — John Cowan Band
4:30 - 5:45pm — Jenny Lewis
6:15 - 7:30pm — Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabaté
8:00 - 9:30pm — Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes
10:00 - 11:30pm — Railroad Earth

Saturday, June 20
9:00am — Gates Open
10:00 - 11:00am — Band Contest Finals
11:15 - 12:15pm — Greensky Bluegrass
12:30 - 1:45pm — Punch Brothers Play & Sing Bluegrass
2:15 - 3:30pm — Jerry Douglas Band
4:00 - 5:30pm — Yonder Mountain String Band
5:45 - 6:00pm — Telluride Troubadour
6:15 - 7:30pm — Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
8:00 - 10:00pm — Sam Bush Band
10:30pm - Midnight — Gaelic Storm 

Sunday, June 21 (The Summer Solstice)
10:00am — Gates Open
10:30 - 12:00am — Mike Farris & The Roseland Rhythm Revue
12:30 - 1:45pm — Works Progress Administration
2:00 - 3:15pm — The Steeldrivers
3:45 - 5:00pm — Todd Snider
5:30 - 6:45pm — Tim O'Brien Band
7:15 - 8:30pm — Emmylou Harris 
9:00 - 11:00pm — Telluride House Band

Little Corn Island, Nicaragua

Ozomatli kicked the weekend off with a non-stop, 'shake yo hips' set that eventually brought the whole band off the stage and into the crowd, Benevento/Russo Duo brought a progressive jazz set with an eclectic mix of synthesizer and drums, Lizz Wright serenaded the crowd with her angel-like voice, Guest of Honor - Bill Frisell proved to many why he is one of the most influential and creative artists of our time and well deserving of a Grammy and many many more great shows! It was a great kick off to Telluride's unbelievable summer festival season. Thank you Jazz for a wonderful weekend and we always look forward to next year's celebration!

Check out photos and video highlights at: www.telluridejazz.org

Jazz Celebration

Celebrating 33 years of jazz, funk, and the love of music; this year's lineup is:

"Guest of Honor" Bill Frisell Trio
Ozomatli reunited with Chali 2na
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Jimmy Herring | Donald Harrison Quintet
Lizz Wright | Christian Scott Quartet
Benevento/Russo Duo | Rebirth Brass Band
Kenny Walker Sextet | ON THE ONE | Young Razcalzz Jazz Project

Here are a couple Must See's...

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe -  a mix of horns, keyboard, and non stop energy. Karl puts on an amazing show!

Benevento/Russo Duo - mix of drums and beats, the Duo will keep you dancing all night long!

Jimmy Herring - Jimmy can rip up an electric guitar! Most know him from his recent tour with Widespread Panic, Herring will be one of the best shows this weekend.

Jazz Celebration!

JOE COCKER ** BUDDY GUY ** BONNIE RAITT

TAJ MAHAL & THE PHANTOM BLUES BAND * JACKIE GREENE * UMPHREYS'S MCGEE
XAVIER RUDD * OTIS TAYLOR'S AFRICAN ORCHESTRA * RYAN SHAW * RUTHIE FOSTER
JASON RICCI & NEW BLOOD * THE LEE BOYS * SUPER CHIKAN AND THE FIGHTING COCKS
SAINT JUDE * CAROLYN WONDERLAND * JP SOARS & THE RED HOTS * LUBRIPHONIC
LUKAS NELSON & PROMISES OF THE REAL * AFTERGRASS
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

"One of the most scenic music festivals in the country, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival takes place every September in Telluride, Colorado, a world-famous resort town in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The festival is a three day celebration of music and microbrews, held in Telluride Town Park , an outdoor music venue with breathtaking mountain peaks for a backdrop. By day, experience live blues, rock, funk, gospel, and soul, the best micro brews from over 50 micro breweries during Saturday's Grand Tasting, a wide variety of food and craft vendors, children's activities, and more - all on the festival grounds. By night, follow the festival as it flows into the town of Telluride and Mountain Village, with late night juke joints and after-hours jams". ~Tellurideblues.com

More info at: http://www.tellurideblues.com/

Here's the line-up:

* 06/24: The Drew Emmitt Band
* 07/01: Carbon Leaf  
* 07/08: John Lee Hooker, Jr.
* 07/15: Old 97's
* 07/22: James McMurtry
* 07/29: Coco Montoya
* 08/05: Trombone Shorty
* 08/12: Dirty Dozen Brass Band 
* 08/19: The Avett Brothers 
* 08/26: Delta Spirit 
* 09/02: Hill Country Revue

Sunset Concert Series

My favorite film of the weekend was, 'Big River Man'. This film followed, Martin Strel, a professional endurance swimmer who holds the records for 'longest swim' after swimming the Mississippi river, Danube, Yangtze, and now the Amazon River. This tale follows Martin through the good and bad times of his 75 day swim, starting in Peru and ending in Brazil. Everything from severe sun burn to dementia are among the challenges Martin faces in his longest swim yet. This film was inspiring, exciting, funny, and at times, sad; all the elements for a great flick and a great weekend. For more information about Martin Strel and his adventures, visit: http://www.martinstrel.com/main.php

Thank you Mountainfilm for another amazing weekend of films, adventures and fascinating people! Can't wait til next year!