Telluride Blues and Brews

Blues and Brews: Day 2

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Sophie

IPA, Red Ale, Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Wheat, Stout, Porter... Take your pick or have one of each! It was another beautiful day at Town Park yesterday, full of great beer and awesome shows. The beer tasting was a fantastic success; breweries from all over the state showed up to show off their best brews. I met some Pagosa Brewing Company devotees who swore by the brewery's Stout (it was very good!), and Telluride Brewing Company's line was the longest; I was stoked to see so many locals supporting their local brews. After a couple hours of handing out thousands of free telluride.com flair in the form of stickers and buttons, I sat myself down in the grass and enjoyed a cold Sierra Nevada.

Day 2 of music started out with MarchFourth Marching Band leading a parade down Main Street. I was amazed at the energy of these performers: they started the weekend with a free concert in Mountain Village on Thursday night, a show Friday night, a parade on Saturday morning, and finally their main stage performance on Saturday afternoon. These guys were as much fun to watch as to listen to and I enjoyed every minute of their performances.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue -- Who didn't love these guys? Their combination of classic James Brown favorites, modern funk, and a little contemporary R&B had the crowd absolutely bumpin'. Their sound reminded me a lot of the collaboration album, Wake Up!, by John Legend and the Roots with a few extra brass instruments. I was blown away by each of the musicians' talent and kept trying to get closer to the front of the crowd so I could watch the intricacies of their playing. And then they all switched instruments. Wow. The performance was energetic, sexy, fun, and their musical prowess undeniably shone the brightest. Definitely my favorite act of the day.

"If you're not going anywhere, neither are we." Warren Haynes, lead guitarist and vocalist of Gov't Mule, was loving the crowd as much as they were loving Gov't Mule. So they played. And played. Long after their set was scheduled to be over. Now that is an artist that loves their craft. These guys put on the amazing show that was promised, and the crowd loved it. I stood front and center for most of the show and it felt like they were playing just for me. I know that the rest of the crowd felt the same way from the way they were organically moving with the music.

Blues and Brews: Day 1

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Sophie

What a day at Blues and Brews yesterday! Perfect weather, delicious Sierra Nevada beer, bumpin' tunes... What more could a festival-goer have asked for? My day started out with Little Hurricane, and they killed it. The duo produces an unbelieveable amount of sound and it is so clear that they love every minute of their time on stage. I love chicks that rock and this girl, Celeste "C.C." Spina, really rocks.

Speaking of chicks that rock, Heartless Bastards' lead singer Erika Wennerstrom has some pipes. I mean, that girl can sing. Their sound is reminiscient of the Black Keys, especially with the emphasis on heavy bass drumming, but their combination of upbeat and down tempo sounds is truly unique. These guys have an awesome stage presence and were so much fun to watch!

My favorite of the day, without question, was Robert Randolph & the Family Band. This is truly a musician's band. Their talent as musicians is unmistakable, and their natural and energetic stage presence captured the audience. These guys had the audience on their feet, clapping their hands, and shaking their things. I couldn't even get close enough to the stage to get a picture! I couldn't help but smile during the entire show. Robert Randolph & the Family Band is my next iTunes download.

I rode home on the Gondola last night with a couple who had been to Little Feat shows in the '70s and they said that these guys rocked it out as much as they did back then. I was not alive in the '70s, but I did enjoy the jam band feel. Little Feat was the perfect sunset sound and matched the audience's need to take a littler breather before the main event, the B-52s.

There were beehive wigs with Christmas lights, women (and men!) in sequins, cat glasses, and platform shoes running around Town Park yesterday -- All in preparation for the B-52s. And these guys really put on a fun show. Their whole set led up to "Love Shack" and the encore, "Rock Lobster", where they transported us to 'Telluride Beach' and let loose hundreds of shiny lobster balloons into the crowd. I will always have respect for a man who can rock a neon orange blazer.

Today should be another awesome day! I rode down on the Gondola this morning from Mountain Village with a couple members of the MarchFourth Marching Band who are stoked to be playing their third full set today in Town Park after their musical jaunt down Main Street this morning. So dance along with the super fun MarchFourth Marching Band at 2:40 pm, and have a fun, safe afternoon!

tags: B-52s, brews and blues festival, Heartless bastards, Little Hurricane, Robert Randolph, telluride, Telluride Blues and Brews, Telluride Festivals

Settin' Up

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Sophie

The Blues and Brews campers have arrived and laid claim to their plots near the stage! The sun is shining, the roadies are setting up the stage, now all we need are some tunes! Get psyched for this year's epic Blues and Blues weekend!

tags: Blues and brews, camping, festival camping, telluride, Telluride Blues and Brews, Telluride Blues and Brews Festival

Stash and Go Sweepstakes

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Hart

Love Colorado? Love beer? Love music? Of course you do. We've teamed up with Horny Toad, Paste Magazine and Telluride Blues and Brews to bring you the most mac daddy sweepstakes around. Kick it in Telluride for the 19th Annual Blues & Brews Festival, September 14th-16th, and get VIP status in Town Park to see Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov't Mule, Little Feat, Robert Randolph and many, many more. Grand prize winner gets: