Steins and suds
Oompah bands, bratwurst, stein-toting crowds and of course, beer. OK, it does happen to still be September. But Saturday and Sunday, Oktoberfest Durango will fill the Transit Center parking lot downtown with a full-on fall celebration. Along with the new location, the event, which is being organized by Durango’s Business Improvement District, will feature more breweries than ever and a new emphasis on kids activities. “This year, it’s been important to us to make this a truly family friendly event,” said Tim Walsworth, BID’s executive director. Not that there will be a lack of things for us grown-up kids to do. Nine breweries – including local outfits Brew Pub & Kitchen, Carver Brewing Co. and Durango Brewing Co. – will be pouring beer for the crowds, while local restaurants will be supplying food. On the music side, the lineup is too long to list here. But expect Durango bands, some German polka, a little bit of chicken dancing, and headliners Atomga (Saturday) and Mountain Standard Time (Sunday). “We have some pretty dang good musical acts,” Walsworth said. Add exploding pumpkins, apple bobbing, art vendors and a strider track, and you have what Walsworth describes as a uniquely Durango version of the traditional festival. Oktoberfest will be held from 12 to 5:30 Saturday and 12 to 4:30 Sunday.
Playing for change
Durango band Hello Dollface and several guests will be playing for change on Saturday – literally and figuratively. The concert, which will take place at 8 p.m. at the Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave., is a fundraiser for iAM Music, the nonprofit community-based music education center founded by Dollface musicians Ashley Edwards and Jesse Ogle. The show is a way for the band to highlight the organization and celebrate its recent nonprofit status, and raise money for operating costs. That’s where the other side of the change comes in: the band will be accepting loose change for iAM music’s scholarship fund bucket. iAM music offers private instruction, coaching, community outreach and education in local schools. “We call it holistic music education,” Ogle said. “It’s music education tailored to the individual.” The show will feature opener Delaney Davis and local musicians like Rebecca Favero, Doug Clay and Rusty Charpentier. Tickets are $15.
Sister act
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango’s 2014-15 Recital Series will start today with a sister act. Flutist Kathryn Shaffer and pianist Kristen Chen will perform an evening of music from the 19th and 20th centuries – including pieces by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Philippe Guabert. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children and students.
Whole Lotta [Led Zeppelin] Love
I know it’s easy to be skeptical when it comes to tribute bands. But from what I can tell, Get the Led Out: The American Led Zeppelin, is a legit band of musicians who do justice to the genius of Led Zeppelin’s raw blues, dark-magic ballads and folk romps. The six-piece band from Philadelphia, whose two-hour sets span the career of the legendary UK band, will come to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College today. We’re talking violin bow guitar solos, we’re talking wailing long-haired lead man, we’re talking massive John-Bonham style drum solos, “Heartbreaker,” “Your Time is Gonna Come, and “All of My Love.” The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29, www.durangoconcerts.com.
