It’s feast or famine for local entertainment options.
One weekend music fans, promoters and writers are dying for at least one thing to see, host or peck words about. Other weekends there’s not enough space on the page or airtime to accommodate everyone, let alone hours in the day to catch everything.
Offerings this weekend include two outdoor festivals, along with a local band performing at El Rancho and a six-piece group performing the music of one of the biggest classic rock acts of all time at the Community Concert Hall.
We all know it’s not October yet, but that’s not going to stop Durango’s two-day Oktoberfest celebration outside the Transit Center, featuring a weekend of beer and German fare. Saturday’s musical offerings will include German oompah band The Alpiners, Irish drinking band Big’ns, local funk band Bacon and afro-beat band Atomga. Sunday’s lineup will feature more German music with Alte Kamaraden, bluegrass music with JRPT, funk rock and reggae band Elder Grown, and headliners, bluegrass band Mountain Standard Time.
The Fort Lewis College Cycling Team and Durango Daybreak Rotary are hosting the Durango Bikes and Band Bash on Saturday on the plaza outside the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College. Held in conjunction with The Fall Blaze Bicycle Tour, the day will feature cycling events, a vintage bike show and music by local soulful crooner Robby Overfield, garage stomp band Papa Otis and the 88’s and Montezuma country rock band The Moetones.
Led Zeppelin remains arguably the greatest in the canon of what is now the first wave of huge rock bands, serving as the gateway for almost anyone who is now into obscure blues, metal, jam and rock. Despite songs like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Black Dog” being beaten to death by commercial radio, Led Zeppelin is a band with a catalogue that is as vast and deep as it is diverse.
While Plant and Page were writing songs that can hang in metal circles, they were also adept at crafting haunting folk like “Battle of Evermore” and hook-filled pop like “Fool in the Rain.” Tribute band Get the Led Out’s take on Zeppelin recreates their loud and layered studio sound. Their performances are dead-on takes of songs the world is familiar with, along with lesser known cuts. They play tonight in the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
SkyPilot, a local band made up of drummer Aaron Lombardo, bass player Jim Belcher, keyboardist Ryan McCurry, and guitar player Chad MacCluskey, will perform Saturday at the Ranch. This is a rock outfit of seasoned players. They’re ripe for the festival circuit, with a sound dubbed by Lombardo as “electro-fusion-jam-funk.”
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Saturday: Beer, Bike and Band Bash Fundraiser for the Fort Lewis College Cycling Club, 12 p.m., $10, Fort Lewis College outside of the Community Concert Hall, 1000 Rim Drive, www.fortlewis.edu/cycling.
Saturday: Jazz, fusion, rock and improvisation with SkyPilot, 9:30 p.m., no cover, El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave., 259-8111.
