Selling out (in a good way)
Two nights of Brett, Celtic supergroup and covering R.E.M.

Greetings, dear readers!

RE: A fork in the road.

The Telegraph has given me a little bit of leash recently and put me in charge of “efficiencies” around here. Personally, I can’t wait to rinse and spin this whole rag through Chat GPT every week! I hope that my complete lack of editorial experience and general buffoonery are the exact tools needed to get the job done. Thank you for giving me these powers you never actually voted to give me. I’ve truly done nothing to deserve them!

That being said, here are some of Durango’s best shows coming up in the next few weeks – this time typed up from my new sofa bed in the Telegraph office. As always, see you on the [deleted].

• Brett Dennen, Julianne Marqua, Animas City Theatre, Thurs.-Fri., Feb. 13-14, 7 p.m. - You’re outdoorsy and laid-back. You dig socially conscious efforts and probably have worn a pair of Toms to either High Sierra or Telluride Bluegrass more than once. You have a soft spot for quirky, high-caliber folk pop. You… are going to see Brett Dennen for at least one night, if not two, this month!

Beloved troubadour Brett Dennen is back at the Animas City Theatre for his eighth annual two-night run in Durango, this time with local chanteuse Julianne Marqua on direct support both nights. Come prepared with your favorite songs to ask Brett to play, as he’s known to crowdsource in Durango from time to time.

• Solas, Community Concert Hall at FLC, Thurs., Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. - For my shillelaghs, Solas is the greatest Celtic act to ever visit Durango. Shoot, maybe to exist. I first caught the bug through local bandmates in Patrick Crossing, who swore upon Solas’ world-class talent and charming stage presence. The local Celtic legends weren’t lying. It’s been a minute since their last visit, and you better believe I’ll be front and center at this one.

• KDUR Cover Night: The Music of R.E.M., Animas City Theatre, Sat., Feb. 15, 6 p.m. - A long-storied tradition of the local music scene and bequeathed from the indefatigable team at KDUR, another sold-out edition of KDUR Cover Night returns to the Animas City Theatre. As is custom, local bands of all shapes, sizes and infamy will take the stage to do their best with the catalog of rock music’s finest. This time, R.E.M. is the guest of honor. Expect mysterious deep cuts and ironclad singles to be belted, reworked and inadvertently set on fire (at least once, I imagine) by the stars of Durango’s live music galaxy. This one goes out to the one I love: R.E.M.

• Cousin Curtiss and Harrison B, Cody Tinnin and Tashi T., Animas City Theatre, Thurs., Feb. 20, 7 p.m. - Cousin Curtiss and Harrison B set their Americana sights on the Animas City Theatre for a night of “blues at bluegrass speeds” and “rock with a soulful drip.” The duo will be paired with Durango’s hottest duo in recent memory (ever?) Cody Tinnin and Tashi T. Tinnin and Tashi first debuted last summer in Silverton and have been working in tandem throughout the fall and winter, playing a mix of individual originals and old-time classics.

• Maddy O’Neal, Disco Dolly, Animas City Theatre, Fri., Feb. 21, 7 p.m. - You don’t have to put that glow-in-the-dark wig back in the closet quite yet. The Front Range queen of bassy house music, Maddy O’Neal, returns to the Animas City Theatre for one more February dance party. O’Neal has clearly done her homework by inviting up-and-comer Disco Dolly to warm up the dance floor – one of my favorite new DJs in town.

• Sunsquabi, Loop Story, Squoze, Animas City Theatre, Fri.-Sat., Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 7 p.m. - Sunsquabi is the reigning MVP of Colorado’s live jamtronica scene. Based a few clicks up north in Denver, the trio has been hard at work on their latest EP and is ready to test their new batch of tunes on a handful of Colorado and Utah shows. Having toured with the likes of STS9 as far back as 2017, Sunsquabi now finds themselves as elder statesmen in a thriving ecosystem of recording and touring. Loop Story and Squoze warm up the dancefloor for both nights! ?