Two shows will finish up 2017 at the Community Concert Hall. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a swinging band that might appeal to some young people if they're dragged along by their parents.
Jay and Silent Bob is not recommended for young viewers, so Mom and Dad should get a sitter and enjoy date night.
Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are set to return to Durango, bringing their unique "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" stage show to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. As the duo notes, "Every saga has a middle age, and this is what happens when Jay and Silent Bob get old."
As discussion of sex and drugs, and use of profanity are part of the comedic and sometimes sentimental show, it is not recommended for children.
A New Jersey born and bred actor, Jason Mewes burst onto cinema screens in 1994 playing the grass-smoking, fast-talking, foul-mouthed and over-sexed - but very likeable - Jay in director Kevin Smith's classic indie comedy Clerks. The off-beat and philosophical drug dealing characters of Jay and Silent Bob, created by Mewes and Smith, were reprised in additional films including, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks 2.
The "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" stage show was originally launched by Smith as a podcast recorded live in front of an audience as a weekly intervention for Mewes (now clean and sober), whose drug addiction had spiraled out of control. The podcasts proved widely popular and the Jay and Silent Bob tour followed.
Smith and Mewes have gone on to perform hundreds of "Get Old" shows across the country, and no two performances are alike. Listen to the podcasts of "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" at www.smodcast.com, ranked #1 on iTunes comedy podcasts.
Tickets for "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" are $29, $35 and $39.
Jumpin', jivin' swing renaissance band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy returns to Durango Tuesday with its "Wild & Swingin' Holiday Party," a "live" version of BBVD's perennial popular album, "Everything You Want for Christmas."
Contributing architects of this generation's swing music revitalization, the zoot-suit clad band has delivered a series of contemporary recordings and super-sizzling live performances, fashioned from the swinging days of the '40s and '50s.
BBVD's sound is a successful fusion of classic jazz, swing, Dixieland and big band music. Songs have passed into the classic American songbook, playing alongside pop standard songs in film and television, including reality competitions such as "Dancing With the Stars."
Formed originally in Los Angeles in 1992, BBVD had by 1993 established a legendary residency at Los Angeles' Brown Derby nightclub and gained mainstream popularity with the breakthrough performance in the movie "Swingers."
Today, BBVD has endured as one of the most popular touring bands on the road, carrying on the tradition of the legendary big bands and orchestras. BBVD has performed to sell-out audiences and at world class events, including Super Bowl XXXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan.
The band's name dates back to 1989 when bandleader Scotty Morris enjoyed an auspicious meeting with blues guitar legend Albert Collins. Morris, who had just launched a three-piece jazz, blues and swing combo, asked Collins to autograph a promotional concert poster, and he signed it "To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy." The name stuck.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's all original core line-up includes Scotty Morris (lead vocals and guitar), Kurt Sodergren (drums), Dirk Shumaker (double bass and vocals), Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone and vocals), Glen "The Kid" Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (saxophones and clarinet) and Joshua Levy (piano and arranger).
This year BBVD released its 11th studio album - Louie, Louie, Louie - a salute to the music of Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Louis Prima, which chronicles the evolution of swing, jazz and popular music through the songs and personalities of these giants of American culture. The group looks forward to celebrating 25 years in 2018.
View an interview with Scotty Morris and clips from a past show actually performed at the Community Concert Hall at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COYPlkPzX6U.
Tickets for the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are $44 and $54.
Tickets for both shows are available online at www.durangoconcerts.com, or call 247-7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at Eighth Street and Main Avenue in downtown Durango. Ticket office hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. All sales are final.
