Erik Nordstrom is a champion of the regional music scene. He’s played scores of shows around the area as a member of bands Lawn Chair Kings and Farmington Hill, and if he’s not playing with his own bands, he’s supporting other local acts or championing the scene by attending shows at local venues.
His latest venture is that of promoter, as he’s hosting “Mixed in Mancos,” a three-band bill taking place Saturday at the Mancos Opera House, featuring local bands The Crags, Farmington Hill and Little Wilderness.
Nordstrom was an early organizer of KDUR Cover Nights, an event where local musicians cover the music of a selected artist. He sees “Mixed in Mancos” as a similar venture, an annual showcase of local talent.
If you go
WHAT: “Mixed in Mancos” featuring The Crags, Farmington Hill, Little Wilderness.
WHEN: Doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Mancos Opera House, 136 W. Grand Ave., Mancos.
TICKETS: $20.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.mancoscreativedistrict.com.
“My hope is that this will be the first of a tradition, perhaps the following year it might be two nights,” he said. “And sort of similar to the KDUR Cover Nights where the local bands are sharing one stage, this will be another situation where the local bands can share the same stage, but in this situation, it will be original music that’s featured, not covering an artist.”
Nordstrom is a unifier of musicians; a lover of many genres, he wants this to be an inclusive event where various bands of different genres are booked, ultimately strengthening the music scene.
“I’ve always been about uniting the local music community through cover night and different things like that; but that’s how I see this, tying the region together,” he said. “I look at this as a regional celebration of music that we’re going to have every year. Get them recorded, get their music out there, and hopefully, we can all bond as local musicians here in Southwest Colorado.”
This event is a vehicle of the Mancos Creative District, of which Nordstrom is a board member. It’s an organization created to strengthen the growing number of artists who are moving to Montezuma County, and Mancos in particular.
“We’re a nonprofit. Our mission is to really bring life to the arts culture of Mancos and support the community socially and economically through the arts,” said Chelsea Lunders, the organization’s executive director. “We really see Mancos as a great little arts hub of the Southwest; we’re at this intersection of arts and agriculture and adventure, so we really try to use the arts to bring visibility to the unique character of our community.”
At the center of “Mixed in Mancos” is the venue: The Mancos Opera House, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1910, and in its 114-year existence, it has served as a community gathering space and venue for performing arts. While any building over a century old certainly will have its age-induced issues, owners Philip and Linda Walters have been restoring it and stabilizing it structurally.
It’s a great space for a great event that ultimately will be available in your local record store: Each set will be recorded, resulting in a CD, LP or streamable product dropped by Flak Records, a label based in Austin, Texas.
“It’s exciting that this event and this album will be recorded live in the Opera House; it’s bringing new energy into what really is a historic gem sitting right in the middle of the creative district,” Lunders said. “We’re really at this pivotal, exciting place now we get to move into this area of really activating this Opera House and shaping it into something that will really serve our community today.”
A killer venue willing to host shows is also how you promote local music.
“We’re strengthening the music scene in Mancos,” Lunders said. “We’re excited to do that.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
