Author - The Durango Herald

Black Violin breaking musical stereotypes

Kevin Sylvester, aka “Kev Marcus,” and Wilner Baptiste, aka “Wil B,” are out to dismantle musical stereotypes. The classically trained, Florida-based musicians behind the band Bl...

DATE: Jan 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

The New Deal ‘very positive, very upbeat’

People bag on DJ and electronic music culture. Some harsher music fans and armchair critics can’t accept the fact that it does take some talent to make music from pre-existing melodies using...

DATE: Jan 9, 2020 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Pat Dressen happy to keep music local

If you’ve paid attention to the Durango music scene, you’ve likely seen a band or been at an event local musician Pat Dressen has had a hand in. He helped found The Durango Blueg...

DATE: Jan 2, 2020 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Records of the Year Nos. 5 to 1

This week’s column continues from last week, listing the remaining five of what are the top-10 records that came across my desk, turntable and digital music device in 2019. It’s ...

DATE: Dec 26, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Records of 2019: Part I – Nos. 10 to 6

People put a lot of trust in critics. Movies, records, food – a lot of faith is put in writers you have no relationship or little in common with, with the exception of perhaps agreeing with ...

DATE: Dec 19, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

People We Know release new album

It’s not rare for informal jam sessions to give rise to a band. You have a loose configuration of people who get together to play music in a no-pressure environment with no concr...

DATE: Dec 12, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

J.P. Harris and The Tough Choices bringing honky-tonk country to Dolores

J.P. Harris isn’t afraid of the back roads. A lot of bands on tour stick to the interstates, hitting Salt Lake City, Denver, Lawrence, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Philadelphia in...

DATE: Dec 5, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

The Hive to be a hub of creativity, fun

Do-it-yourself culture has long moved past its punk-rock roots. What started as a musical movement in punk-rock scenes decades ago has gained a strong foothold in all areas of creativity, an...

DATE: Nov 28, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Ukuleles a Durango mainstay

A ukulele is not a toy. A large part of the world may think otherwise, casting the instrument off as nothing more than a four-stringed novelty worthy of the toy chest, yet a few minutes of k...

DATE: Nov 21, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Brendan Shafer launches Kickstarter campaign

On paper, Brendan Shafer is a musician. A banjo and fiddle player who does time in two different bands: The Six-Dollar String Band, Durango’s old-time outfit that explores acoustic music tha...

DATE: Nov 14, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Ronny Cox: ‘Nothing cuts to the heart like music does’

Ronny Cox will be remembered as having a part of one of the greatest musical scenes in one of the greatest films ever made. The 1972 film “Deliverance,” featured Cox playing guitar with a yo...

DATE: Nov 7, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Genuine Cowhide brings nitro twang

Nitro twang should be sweeping the musical indie-underground nation. Part cosmic country and spaghetti Western, garage-punk and all rock ’n’ roll, it’s a genre brewed and fermented in Montez...

DATE: Oct 31, 2019 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown