Author - The Durango Herald

Favorite records of 2023

Welcome to the tradition listing off some favorite records of the year, an annual walk through a score of rock, jazz and then some that served as a favorite soundtrack of the last 12 months....

DATE: Dec 13, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Apollo Suns is a collective ‘band that jams’

They’re “kind of” a jam band. Like Frank Zappa or Return to Forever are “kind of” jam bands. But for the jam-band naysayers don’t let that descriptor dissuade you from the Canadian instrumen...

DATE: Dec 7, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Wood Belly explores new sounds

Wood Belly is band with a changing sound. Born in 2015 along Colorado’s Front Range as a bluegrass band, they traveled the traditional route many string bands have trekked, a route of open ...

DATE: Nov 29, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Holiday songs can be fun

December holiday music can be obnoxious. Especially when the canned music that scores your grocery and other shopping experiences starts flooding your ears sometime around Halloween, with ma...

DATE: Nov 22, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Southwest Civic Winds honors Mark Walters

If you studied music at Fort Lewis College chances are you took some courses with the late Dr. Mark Walters. If you’ve ever seen the Southwest Civic Winds perform, Durango’s local community ...

DATE: Nov 15, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Soul and funk with The Quarks

It’s arguably some of the hippest music around. Music from artists like Grant Green or Herbie Hancock, along with other musicians that made up the Bluenote Records roster of the mid to late1...

DATE: Nov 8, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Majik Ham: The kids are all right

They say rock ’n’ roll is a young person’s game. That’s a forever debatable opinion, as The Rolling Stones try to pull if off, succeeding in some fans’ opinions, but that success is too, deb...

DATE: Nov 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Getting down to the ‘Nitty Gritty’

Sometimes all you need to do is ask. Next thing you know, you’ve got loads of musicians saying “yes” to your question, and you’re on your way to recording one of the most influential bluegra...

DATE: Oct 25, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

It’s ‘like story time’ for Sarah Petite

Sara Petite’s music career fell into place on the quick. As a kid, she liked to sing, but never had the nerve to get on stage. Studying international relations in college meant research, and...

DATE: Oct 18, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Dan Navarro: ‘It’s all meant to be fun’

The music business is still fun for singer-songwriter Dan Navarro. That’s likely because he’s done things his own way. He had the chance to be part of the songwriting machine, and even dance...

DATE: Oct 12, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

iAM MUSIC building community

A music community builds community. That built community comes via the social contribution from its members; you’ve got a band that sits down and writes songs, ultimately playing out. Peopl...

DATE: Oct 4, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Tropidelic Reggae in Durango.

Tropidelic are road hogs. They also roll at a workaholic pace, which for any working band means write, record, tour, repeat. It’s a solid formula that works for the Cleveland-based band that...

DATE: Oct 3, 2023 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown