Stick around Colorado long enough, and you’re bound to take in a festival or two.
These weekend-long musical outings offer much: the obvious music, as well as food, little sleep and lots of beer.
While the music offerings at times might be as predictable and repetitive as an episode of “Three’s Company,” these festivals offer the opportunity to discover new artists, be it an up-and-comer or someone who’s been around the block yet his or her sounds are new to you.
Every festival has a sleeper – the unassuming band or songwriter sandwiched in the lineup in the middle of the day who turns out to be the highlight of your weekend.
Slaid Cleaves is my sleeper pick for this weekend’s Four Corners Folk Festival, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday in Pagosa Springs. The Texas-based singer-songwriter is making his second appearance at this annual Labor Day Weekend festival and just released his 13th album, “Still Fighting the War.”
Branding yourself a Texas singer-songwriter means you’ve got to follow in the shoes worn by the likes of Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark and Steve Earle, and Cleaves is up to the task. But cracking the music scene in Austin with so many established musicians and even more also trying to break in was harder than he thought.
“I was too young and naïve to be intimidated to move there. But once I got there, I sure got my butt kicked,” Cleaves said. “I had been in Portland (Maine) ... and I thought, ‘Well, OK, I’m ready for the big time, I’m going to move to Austin and it will only take a year or two to break into this scene. But it took about eight years. It was a struggle. I realized I had a lot more work to do on my craft. Luckily, it was the right decision.”
Cleaves weaves homages to musical heroes, tales of PTSD and even vivid family memories into the storytelling tales of his music. Most importantly, it’s genuine. He admires the music of his parents’ record collection that was chock-full of Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Hank Williams.
But Cleaves was drawn toward music that lyrically had something important to say, beyond “Tutti Frutti.” His heroes are the ones who wrote honest music, true reflections of the good, bad and beautiful of day-to-day life, be it rock, folk or punk.
“I was blessed to have a household where there was lots of great music as I grew up. As a teenager, when I started trying to do music myself, my heroes were people like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and The Clash,” Cleaves said. “Those are people who write songs that are not trivial. I was geared toward writing songs that mean something, that have a message – that says something and says it eloquently and powerfully. Those are the guideposts I’ve aspired to all my life.”
The festival also will feature sets by Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams, Darrell Scott, John Hiatt, Travis Book and Sarah Siskind, Jimmy Lafave, Elephant Revival and more.
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s Best
Today: The Scrugglers will play bluegrass, 6 p.m., no cover, The Schank House at Vallecito, 17460 County Road 501, 884-9150.
Today through Sunday: Four Corners Folk Festival with John Hiatt, Darrell Scott and more. Begins at noon today. Daily $40/$50, weekend pass $110, camping additional. Reservoir Hill in Pagosa Springs; (877) 472-4672.
