Erik Nordstrom is an organizer.
The frontman for local bands Lawn Chair Kings and Farmington Hill has always been a champion of the local music scene, supporting not only his own bands but the scores of musicians who call the Southwest region home. Whether it’s a club show or an informal picking party at a festival, he’s just into musicians getting out there and playing.
He was an early organizer of KDUR Cover Nights, and has since taken those efforts to Montezuma County, where he now hosts “Mixed in Mancos.” It’s an annual concert that showcases three regional bands whose sets get recorded and then released as an album.
If you go
WHAT: Mixed in Mancos, featuring Mean Irene, Stillhouse Junkies, Genuine Cowhide
WHEN: 5 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Mancos Opera House, 136 W. Grand Ave., Mancos
TICKETS: $30 plus fees
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.mancoscreativedistrict.com/events
The third annual Mixed in Mancos, organized by Nordstrom and the rest of the Mancos Creative District, will take place Saturday at the Mancos Opera House.
“Mixed in Mancos is celebrating original music and songwriting, which I love as a songwriter,” Nordstrom said. “We’ll record the event, and then we make a vinyl record and CD from the show. So it’s a little bit different than cover nights, but similar in a sense that you have different bands up there.”
Performing this year is the folk-Americana band Mean Irene, bluegrass-roots band Stillhouse Junkies, and cosmic country and nitro-twang band Genuine Cowhide. Friday before the concert will also feature a songwriting panel with numerous songwriters from the region.
For Stillhouse Junkie’s Fred Kosak, this is an event that gives back to the local music scene, a scene that supported his national touring band from Day One.
“These kind of once-a-year jamborees are a kind of rally point for the local scene. Much like KDUR’s Cover Night, the Meltdown and other annual events, they are an opportunity for bands like us to network and hang out with other local musicians, reconnect with fans, and make a statement about our commitment to playing locally and supporting these kinds of events amid a busy national touring schedule that doesn’t see us playing in the area more than a few times a year typically,” he said. “Also, there are so many badass musicians in the area, many of whom perform only occasionally, and any opportunity to showcase the incredible variety of musical talent in Durango, Mancos, Cortez, Dolores and beyond will only help diversify and strengthen the local scene. Bands and venues can’t survive without the ongoing support of enthusiastic audiences, and these kinds of shows are absolutely a reminder that we all need to pitch in and do our part to keep the wheels turning.”
Those turning wheels are what builds and maintains a music scene. These are bands not competing for attention, but bands that build each other up through music.
“I love the camaraderie of the event, just seeing the three bands kind of gel more and more. And as well, you know, now going through the years, there’s now ‘Mixed in Mancos’ alumni,” Nordstrom said. “I just feel like it’s just so cool to see a community yet again being formed in a unique way.”
It also puts to bed the myth that music scenes have to be in a major market. The talent pool of musicians in this area continues to get deeper and deeper, and “Mixed in Mancos” is a celebration of that talent.
“I’m always amazed at how many musicians live here, in spite of it not being really accessible to major airports or whatnot, a lot of people just love making music here,” Nordstrom said. “And so I think it’s great that we can archive this music and make a recording out of the original music being made here in the Four Corners.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
