A stacked month
Seven gems to take you into Snowdown fun and games

Big Richard plays the ACT two nights: Jan. 16-17.
Greetings, dear readers! A fresh dusting of powder to you and yours. Here’s a look at some of our town’s musical events this January. These gems will take you right into the Snowdown roll of the dice. May you only “pass go” this year and not land on too many high-rent properties with hotels. Big shout out to the good folks at Community Compassion Outreach’s Emergency Warming Center striving to keep all of our unhoused neighbors warm and alive in these sub-freezing temps. Be thankful for what you’ve got, and see you on the dance floor!
• Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Safety Meeting, Animas City Theatre, Thurs., Jan. 9, 8 p.m. - Acclaimed keyboardist and member of The String Cheese Incident, Kyle Hollingsworth touches down in Durango this month amidst a flurry of mid-winter Colorado dates with his ripping solo project. Hollingsworth has been at the top of his game for decades as the harmonic and melodic glue for Colorado’s most successful Gen-X jam band, and unlike so many jamalama greats, his solo project is nothing to scoff at. Opening the show are some of Durango’s most talented musicians under the banner of Safety Meeting – a jazzy, funked-out, pop power trio of Eli Emmett, Chuck Hank and Alec Mayes.
• The Motet, Animas City Theatre, Sun., Jan. 12, 8 p.m. - Over the last 20 years, this Front Range-based funk band has shifted its lineup and sound meandering from heady West African rhythms to a more Daptone-esque, soulful sound. If you were lucky enough to catch The Motet rock the Transit Center for this year’s July 4th party, you know that this band is the real deal. All of the pieces are finally clicking for The Motet, and thanks to local promoter Eugene Salaaz, we’re lucky to catch them in their prime.
• Big Richard, Animas City Theatre, Fri.-Sat., Jan. 16-17, 7 p.m. – You may have missed this virtuosic, all-female bluegrass band last year when they sold out the ACT seemingly in a matter of minutes. Their meteoric rise in the bluegrass world is a testament to their incredible live stage presence and string-based wizardry. Durango has been endowed with not one, but two nights of Big Richard energy, to help you bridge the gap between holiday merriment and Snowdown antics. What a treat it is to have Telluride Bluegrass main stage-level talent drop in during our coldest winter nights to keep our collective fire burning.
• CollabWest, Black Heron Lounge, Wed., Jan. 15, 7 p.m. - Somewhere between an open mic and structured jam, CollabWest is the brainchild of local bass boss Wade Campbell. It’s a weekly creative space for musicians, DJs, MCs, visual artists and promoters to come and make connections. Wade and fellow collaborators like Yope’s Tyler Kelley lay down high-level improvisational funk, hip hop and jazz-adjacent tunes for your enjoyment and edification.
• Mixed in Mancos Album Release Party: Farmington Hill & Little Wilderness, Mancos Brewing Co., Sat., Jan. 25, 5 p.m. - The 2024 edition of Mixed in Mancos, brought to you by the Mancos Creative District, was an event last March featuring the musical stylings of local indie-garage rock demigods Farmington Hill, Little Wilderness and The Crags. The event was held at the Mancos Opera House, where it was recorded, mixed and mastered for vinyl and CD by local engineering legend Jeff Jones. The wax has been pressed, the CDs tucked away in their jewel cases featuring art from Jody Chapel of Mancos Common Press, and now it’s time to party. Come celebrate this important project and show some love to our beer-brewing neighbors in Montezuma County.
• Snowdown Dance Parties, Black Heron Lounge, Fri.-Sat., Jan. 31 - Feb. 1., 7 p.m. - In a matter of two months, the Black Heron has become an indispensable gathering space for lovers of dance music. It is finally making space in Durango for all of our town’s electronic subgenres to play nice in the sonic sandbox. Friday night after the Snowdown Parade features a proper seven-hour dance party with Kevin Callison, a longtime Denver house DJ, Bad Goat and Spark Madden.
Saturday night will be the launch party for Varsity Crew Productions, a brand-new event team that features a stacked line up of Durango’s most beloved house and techno players. The theme is “Jumanji,” and the Heron will be transformed with art and lighting to help Durango tap into its wild side. Think Dirtybird’s or Desert Hearts’ first party years ago. This is that moment for the Varsity Crew family. Don’t miss it, and be sure to visit www.varsitycrewproductions.com for tickets. ?
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