A glimpse at Telluride's diverse music scene

Music has always been a big part of my life and Telluride is one of the best places to experience a wide array of musical talent. But, I never knew how diverse the music scene was in Telluride till the other night... I had become spoiled this summer seeing legends such as Bob Dylan, Sam Bush, Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes, Jerry Douglas, and many others during Telluride's numerous festivals. I thought I had seen it all...

Then I stumbled upon the Ying Yang Twins last Wednesday night at the Telluride Conference Center. Needless to say, it was quite a culture shock for the small town of Mountain Village with a population of just over 1,000. The Conference Center's elegant interior finishes and stunning "boardroom" décor was quickly transformed into a scene from Spring Break on MTV. College students from Arizona, Illinois, and Iowa were spending their remaining days in Telluride on Christmas vacation and the Ying Yang Twins were a perfect finale to an historic week of skiing. The hip-hop group quickly awakened the quiet little town with hits such as "Salt Shaker", "Get Low", and a Hall & Oats sampling "Dangerous".

Ying Yang Twins

Less than two weeks before, John Oats had graced his presence in Telluride at the New Sheridan Opera House during the Holiday Concert Series featuring an all-star line up with Otis Taylor and Smokey Robinson. John Oats played with "one of the most in-demand blues/rock guitarists in the world", G.E. Smith, who played lead guitar with Hall & Oates from 1979 to 1985 and went on to front the Saturday Night Live Band. The Holiday Concert Series helped raise money for the Sheridan Arts Foundation and its ability to continue providing artistic programs for local youth (Young People's Theater) and for the Boys & Girls Clubs/Big Brothers of America, for inner city and Native American children.

Who would have ever thought you could use John Oats and Ying Yang Twins in the same sentence?

I can't wait to see who plays next here in Telluride...

» Telluride's blog
» login or register to post comments