This weekend, the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown will celebrate 20 years of giving perhaps the most “traditional bluegrass” festival in the state.
You won’t find a drum set in any of the venues. And while the bands remain diverse – ranging from traditional to old time along with bands playing a more progressive style of the music – they all remain true to the genre.
The festival boasts some of the best and up-and-coming acts in the bluegrass world. Headlining this year’s festival are Blue Highway, The Earl Brothers and Town Mountain.
Like the Meltdown, Blue Highway is celebrating 20 years as a band. It last played the Meltdown in 1996.
Local bands also will represent. Durango proudly boasts numerous local bands that will perform on Meltdown stages, including The Badly Bent, Six Dollar String Band, The Clods, Loose Change and more. Longtime rock band Lawn Chair Kings, which is capable of playing any genre of music, also will make its Meltdown debut with an acoustic set.
Fans also anticipate the return of former local Benny “Burle” Galloway. Galloway may best be known for writing numerous songs covered by many bands, including Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band. He has been bouncing back and forth between Georgia and Colorado; his set here will be with mandolin player Jordan Ramsey and guitar player Robin Davis. Davis and Galloway have played together in different configurations for years. Ramsey and Galloway met when Galloway’s former band “The Wayword Sons” was playing at a festival where Ramsey was performing.
“I first became aware of him about six years ago when he was playing in the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Band,” Galloway said in March. “I was told to go watch him play by a truck driver and his wife. About three years after that, I wound up doing a gig with him and said, ‘You’re the kid from East Tennessee State University!’”
Since then, Galloway has become both a fan and bandmate of Ramsey, performing with him in the Front Range bluegrass band Grant Farm in addition to doing duo sets. Instead of focusing on instrumentals and picking wizardry, they’ll spotlight Galloway’s songwriting.
“We’re interested in having the song come to the top and let it be the focus. Not so much the fancy picking, although Jordan can handle all that,” Galloway said. “I’ve played in all these big band situations and played my tunes under all kinds of circumstances, but to hear them all trimmed down and soft and slow and sweet is a whole other take on what I do. That’s where we decided to pool our resources, to give the song the advantage of just being the song.”
The Meltdown runs through Sunday, and will also be the subject of a documentary being shot throughout the weekend. The film will debut in the fall.
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Today-Sunday: 20th Annual Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, music at the Henry Strater Theatre, Durango Arts Center, Wild Horse Saloon (Saturday only). Weekend pass $70, Saturday only $50, Sunday only $30, www.durangomeltdown.com. See schedule on Page 2C.
Saturday: Bacon plays funk music, 6 p.m. No cover. Moe’s, 937 Main Ave., 259-9018.
