The festival flood
Musical CFS cranks up with reggae, bluegrass & everything in between

Greetings, dear readers! As promised in the last forecast, we’re kicking into spring festival season at a rapid rate. Expect the musical CFS to rise rather precipitously this month as promoters, production companies, volunteers and support personnel work diligently to bring you wonderful options to gather, lift your hands in the air and celebrate life one head nod or dance move at a time. The multi-day festivals this month are the iAM Music Festival in downtown Durango and the rather new Rise and Vibes and Bluegrass festivals, both at Tico Time. The single-day sleepers you might not have considered are the Dandelion Festival and the annual Mancos Bloom. Both of these are free and fun for the whole family.

As you hopefully find yourself at a festival this month, consider the question, “What makes a great festival great?” Is it the caliber of art and music? The headiness index of vendors from around the region selling their ice-dyed shirts and wares? Perhaps it’s the weather. I’d like to suggest what makes a festival great is nothing more than you. Your presence, openness and respect for the art as well as the physical spaces and beings around you. Go forth, dear reader, raise your freak flag if you like, and be the best you that you can be this festy season. Hands in the air, see you on the dancefloor!

• iAM Music Festival: Stillhouse Junkies, ORA, Mojo Birds, Desiderata and more, May 2-4 - Cutting straight to the chase. We are very lucky to have this festival in town. With more than 20 incredibly unique bookings spanning African funk, vibey psych-rock, and hometown heroes such as the Stillhouse Junkies and Mojo Birds, the iAM Festival is leveling up in 2024. In the absence of events like Taste of Durango, theiAM Ffestival has quickly become the space to hang out and groove with your neighbors but with more of an emphasis on world-class music and less on rowdy consumption. Bonus: the passes are incredibly affordable and buying them helps get instruments in the hands of young people who don’t otherwise have the means. Check the website for the lineup details because there’s just way too dang much to cover here: www.iammusic.us

• Dandelion Festival: Salamander Collective, Six Dollar String Band and more, Rotary Park, Sat., May 4, 1-9 p.m. - Gather round the Maypole, ye turtles and fellow enthusiasts of organic land stewardship! The dandelions hath been plucked, the beer brewed, and the mycelium in the ground beckons us to dance! On Saturday, Rotary Park will be filled with merriment for all. The Dandelion Festival is a free music and art festival hosted by our local heroes at Turtle Lake Refuge to celebrate organic land stewardship and the arrival of spring. It’s truly a not-to-miss Durango event. More information can be found at: www.dandelionfestivaldurango.org

• Mancos Bloom: Lawn Chair Kings, Mount Lookout Grange, Mancos, Sun., May 5, 1 p.m. - This one’s for the folks in the M.C. The Lawn Chair Kings touch down for a nice Sunday afternoon of dirt-drenched garage rock at the annual Mancos Bloom. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own cups and plates to enjoy food being served during the event.

• March Fourth & High Step Society, Animas City Theatre, Thurs., May 9, 7 p.m. – The beloved March Fourth band returns for a high-energy, “kaleidoscopic” performance it’s known for, both in terms of genre and costume. You can count on March Fourth shaking any vestiges of winter right off the seedling in your soul that has just broken ground. Find out more at: www.animascitytheatre.com

• Rise and Vibes Festival, Tico Time, May 10-12 - Tico Time season kicks into high gear with their annual reggae music festival. (No, I will not make that pun.) Believe it or not, young reader, Durango used to have quite the reggae music scene. Shoutout to A-Dub Rock Band alumni who read this and local promoter Eugene Salaz who ran more than his fair share of errands trying to appease international touring reggae bands as they passed through Durango. This year’s lineup at Rise and Vibes is punching well above the belt with legends Steel Pulse joining headliners Tribal Seeds, the Elovaters and more for three full days of bass that will move your soul. More info. can be found at: www.riseandvibes.com

• Tico Time Bluegrass Festival, Fri-Sat., May 17-19 - Damn, y’all! This festival is shaping up to be a major player in the region for years to come. Let’s keep our flat-picking fingers crossed that this festival only continues to gather momentum. Railroad Earth, Elephant Revival, The Kitchen Dwellers, The Lil’ Smokies, Larry Keel, and Sticks & Thorns are bringing big headliner energy to this three-day festival interspersed with some of our favorite local acts like Alex Graff, High Country Hustle, Liver Down the River, and others. Find out more at: www.ticotimebluegrass.com

• The Polish Ambassador, Animas City Theatre, Wed.-Thurs., May 22-23, 7 p.m. - Durango’s monthly dose of legit dance music returns to the Animas City Theatre for not one, but two nights with The Polish Ambassador. Expect but both nights to sell out. TPA is one of the funkier DJs to come out of San Francisco in the last couple of decades. His sets incorporate a healthy amount of rhythms from around the world blended with what I dare say is a tasteful approach to EDM (rather than just straight house or techno). Find out more at: www.animascitytheatre.com ?