May music madness
From festivals to punk shows, concert season kicks into high gear

Greetings, dear reader! May is here, and Durango’s music calendar is doing what it does best: swerving between punk shows, dance music, mountains of bluegrass and the floodgates of full-blown festival season opening up. There are three major festivals this month alone at Tico Time, each with talent and production that feels significantly leveled up from last year. Of special note is the addition of the four-day electronic music festival Hydrophonic. Shout out to Austin, Colton, Matti and the rest of the team making it happen! Bottom line, there’s a lot to choose from and not much of an excuse to stay home. So let’s get it going. As always, see you on the dance floor!

• Hydrophonic Festival, Thurs.–Sun., May 7–10, Tico Time River Resort – Tico Time opens the May festival floodgates with Hydrophonic, a brand-new boutique electronic music and arts gathering on our beloved Colorado–New Mexico border. For those of us who have been waiting to see more dance-focused programming in the Four Corners, this feels like a big deal. River, camping, art, house, techno, disco, bass, community and four days of immaculate vibes just south of Durango. This one has the potential to mark a real shift in what festival season can look like around here.

• Skasby, Lo Cash Ninjas, Never Don’ts, Bad Fix, Fri., May 8, 7 p.m., The Swarm at The Hive – The Swarm continues to be one of the most important rooms in town for loud, local and touring guitar-based sounds, and this one looks like a proper Friday night ripper. Bill Skasby, Lo Cash Ninjas, Never Don’ts and Bad Fix should make for a stacked night of punk-adjacent chaos, community and probably a few ringing ears. Support our small rooms, Durango!

• Sunday Record Brunch Club, Sun., May 10, 12 noon, 11th Street Station – Sunday Record Brunch Club at 11th Street Station is a new offering and a perfect low-pressure hang for music heads, brunch fans, vinyl nerds and anyone who wants a softer landing after the weekend. Grab food, post up and let the records do what records do. 

• ARSONNICK and Disco Dolly, Fri., May 15, 7 p.m., The Swarm at The Hive – Dance music keeps finding its way into The Swarm, and that feels like something worth mentioning. Following in the footsteps of local legends like DJ Beeso, local DJs ARSONNICK and Disco Dolly step up for another all-ages, sober-space party built around movement, community and keeping the local dance floor alive.

• Tico Time Bluegrass Festival, Fri.–Sun., May 15–17, Tico Time River Resort – And here comes the blue wave, folks. No, not midterms – it’s Tico Time Bluegrass returns for its sixth year with some seriously heavyweight bookings, including Old Crow Medicine Show, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller & The Keels, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Big Richard, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, Darrell Scott, Rob Ickes and a deep bench of regional and local favorites. Between the river, the campground picking, the beach-stage energy and a lineup that would make any string-band fan do a double take, this one is a major statement for our little corner of the world. 

• Forest Thump and One Heart Orchestra, Fri., May 22, 6 p.m., Buckley Park – Forest Thump and One Heart Orchestra land in Buckley Park for the Iron Horse kickoff and Faceplant Beer release, which is peak Durango-in-May energy. Bikes, beer and tunes? Yes, please. Roll through, celebrate the start of Iron Horse weekend and enjoy some of Durango’s most eclectic musical experiences.

• Dead Floyd, Fri.–Sat., May 22–23, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre – Dead Floyd returns to Animas City Theatre for a two-night run, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know. This Colorado tribute powerhouse has built a loyal following by blending the songbooks of the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd into one big cosmic jam vehicle. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when “Dark Star” energy meets Live at Pompeii, this is for you, friend.

• Durango Bluegrass Train, Thurs., May 28, 6 p.m., Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad – Bluegrass on the train?! Come on. That’s almost too Durango to be real. This year’s lineup includes some extremely heavy-hitting talent, including The Fretliners, Alex Graf Duo featuring Eli Emmitt, Lightweight Travelers, High Country Hustle, Humbletown Duo, and The Brothers Santos.

• Rise and Vibes Festival, Fri.–Sun., May 29–31, Tico Time River Resort – Festival season keeps rolling with Rise and Vibes at Tico Time, bringing Thievery Corporation, Collie Buddz, The Hip Abduction and a whole lot more to the river. These are huge, huge bookings for our area.