Summer soundtrack
Bluegrass, indie rock and riverfront grooves kicks off season in Durango & beyond

Greetings, dear reader! June is here, and by God, we’ve made it this far without putting in the window AC units, haven’t we? I somehow managed to survive the heat at both the inaugural Hydrophonic Festival and the Tico Time Bluegrass Festival. And while two weeks in a row at Tico Time has surely taken a few minutes off my life, I’m happy to report that both festivals were immaculately run and the vibes were high. As gas prices rise higher and higher, Durango’s local music calendar is officially stretching its legs into peak summer. June is bringing a little something for everyone – although some of these may require a little car time, you could probably ride your bike to most if you wanted. Let’s just hope this next month brings a little rain and some calmer winds. As always, my friends, see you on the dance floor!

• Eli Emmitt, Thurs., June 4, 6 p.m., 11th Street Station – Eli Emmitt returns to 11th Street for an early June evening of music. If you haven’t met him yet, Eli is part soulful songwriter, part monster bluegrass picker and one of those players who can make a casual weeknight set feel like something worth slowing down for. Grab some dinner, post up before the tourists get there, and let the summer vibes begin.

• Square Bodies and ShadowTrapp, Fri., June 5, 6 p.m., Esoterra Arboretum – Square Bodies and ShadowTrapp head to Esoterra as part of the Mesa Verde 120th Anniversary Celebration, which is a beautiful pairing, if I do say so myself. The Arboretum is already becoming one of the more magical live music settings in the area, and with indie-rock sounds filling the evening air, this one feels like a proper community moment.

• Dolores River Festival, Sat., June 6, 10 a.m., Joe Rowell Park, Dolores – The Dolores River Festival is back with a full day of music, community, river love and that uniquely sweet Dolores energy. Compared to neighboring Telluride, this town’s humble festival packs a punch and always feels worth the drive. The lineup is stacked this year with our local psych-funk-rockers YOPE topping the bill, as well as Beastie Boys tribute band Sabotage returning from their glorious Iron Horse Steamworks performance.

• Mojo Birds, Wed., June 17, 6 p.m., The Powerhouse – Mojo Birds touches down at The Powerhouse for the summertime concert series next to the Animas River. Mojo Birds is one of the best bands in our area, blending original songwriting with infectious, groovy Latin rhythms and a whole lot of charisma on stage.

• Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Thurs.-Sun., June 18-21, Town Park, Telluride – Telluride Bluegrass Festival kicks off in Town Park, and what can really be said that Chris Aaland has not already said in years past? This is one of the crown jewels of Colorado music culture. The triumvirate of jamgrass: Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters are all taking the stage this year. I’m most excited about East Nash Grass and Dom Flemons myself.

• The Crags and Monkberries, Sat., June 20, 8 p.m., Subterrain – Desert psych rockers The Crags and Durango’s indie-dream poppers the Monkberries take over the Subterrain for what should be a loud, lively and fun night of good, old-fashioned rock and roll music. Shout out to the Subterrain for continuing to add some texture and just the right amount of weird to the local scene. They are truly one of the spaces keeping things fresh.

• YOPE Album Release Party with Hotel Draw, Fri., June 26, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre – Fresh off their Dolores throwdown earlier in the month, YOPE celebrates an album release at Animas City Theatre with Hotel Draw, and frankly, you have to see it, folks. It’s always refreshing to be able to count on Eugene booking some badass analog music at the ACT. And there’s nothing like a local album release show. These two bands are going to have their Ampegs turned up to 10, ready to rock and celebrate the release of YOPE’s “Dreaming With a Porpoise.” ■