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| Jerry Douglas & Elvis Costello (photo Benko Photographics) |
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We're hard at work confirming artists for the 2010 Telluride Bluegrass Festival (June 17-20). Look for a preliminary lineup announcement in the next couple weeks. 2010 festival tickets and camping go on sale on Wednesday, December 9 at 9am MST. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the 36th Telluride Bluegrass Festival. We had sun and rain; we had songs and virtuosity; and we had too many highlights to mention. If you missed out check out the reports from some of this year's festival bloggers - NoDepression, DailyCamera, TellurideInsideOut, and Jambase.
The Summer Solstice...
The 36th Annual Telluride Bluegrass coincides with the Summer Solstice and the days surrounding the full moon; the longest day of the year; the beginning of summer. It's a magical time of sun and light, when the the high country of Colorado puts away its skis and grabs hiking boots, kayaks, and a low-back festival chair to take in "Bluegrass."
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| David Byrne at TBF (photo Benko Photographics) |
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The 2009 artist lineup provided another magical four days of only-in-Telluride performances. Beloved Festival veterans and inspiring new talent. The Telluride royalty of virtuosic bluegrass superpickers, soulful songwriters, and some of the biggest stars in the rootsy Americana landscape.
Jerry Douglas celebrates his 25th year consecutive year at Telluride Bluegrass. To help him celebrate, he's invited Elvis Costello for a set of bluegrass-inspired music with an all-star acoustic band, The Sugarcanes. Several of Elvis's frequent collaborators, including Emmylou Harris and Jenny Lewis bring their own bands.
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| YMSB at the Sheridan |
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One of the defining artists of American popular music, David Byrne, makes his Telluride debut. The musician named the best songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone, Conor Oberst, joins us with his Mystic Valley Band.
Long-time friends of the festival return in 2009 for new collaborations. Three Girls & Their Buddy brings together Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller for a set of songs and stories. The new supergroup Works Progress Administration unites Glen Phillips, Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins, Luke Bulla, Greg Leisz, Benmont Tench, Pete Thomas, and Davey Faragher. Australian roots superstar Kasey Chambers returns to Telluride to collaborate with her husband Shane Nicholson.
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| Emmylou Harris at TBF 2009 (photo Benko Photographics) |
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Yonder Mountain String Band celebrates their 10th year; Railroad Earth returns for the first time since playing one of their first gigs on the Telluride stage in 2001. Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile follow-up last year's classically-influenced set with an only-in-Telluride traditional bluegrass set titled "Punch Brothers Play & Sing Bluegrass."
The festival is built around the many artists that have defined the Telluride Bluegrass sound. Tim O'Brien & Jerry Douglas open the festival on Thursday morning in a rare duet set; the festival closes with another epic set from the Telluride House Band (Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton, Luke Bulla). The weekend is sprinkled with inspired sets from Peter Rowan, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Béla Fleck (with special guest, Malian kora master Toumani Diabate), and many others.
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| Jenny Lewis (photo Tory Williams) |
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We delve deep into progressive acoustic music (Greensky Bluegrass, The Greencards, Crooked Still) and bluegrass (Steeldrivers, Blue Canyon Boys, Lovell Sisters). And take time to celebrate great songs - both celebratory (Zac Brown Band) and often hilarious (Todd Snider). Saturday night we raise our glasses to the celtic sounds of Gaelic Storm; Sunday morning we come together in spirit and joy for a special gospel set from Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue.
The Bluegrass Festival...
Performers say there is a unique thrill to performing in front of the smartest, most attentive audience in the country. Artists are encouraged to take risks in Telluride, and the Festivarian audience is regularly rewarded with unique blends of voices sharing the stage for the first time - as a new musical friendship cultivated backstage makes its debut on the Telluride stage.
With music on the main stage all day, intimate workshops on the Elks Park stage in the middle of town, prestigious band and songwriting contests, late-night Nightgrass concerts at every indoor venue in town, and jam sessions throughout the night in condos and around campgrounds, this is a week of uncommon musical riches.
Festivarians...
The voices of Telluride Bluegrass are also the voices of festivarians, many of whom have been finding their way back year after year for twenty or more years. Today, children raised on Telluride Bluegrass return to introduce their own children to the festivarian experience.
Cherished friendships, informed by music and inspiration, reunite every summer in the Town Park campground. New friendships are created as festivarians choose their tarp spot every morning to the sound of bagpipes echoing off the jagged peaks overhead.
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| Gaelic Storm late-night |
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Listen to the mayor of Town Park, Telluride Tom, talk about the festivarian experience on Colorado Matters and join the year-round community in our Festivarian Forum, where there's an active thread right now about Festivarians' favorite Telluride memories.
Telluride...
Nestled in the rugged San Juan Mountains and surrounded on three sides by the natural architecture of the Telluride Box Canyon, Telluride is arguably the most spectacular town in the American West.
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| Telluride Festivarian (photo Tory Williams) |
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Founded in 1875, the Victorian charm of the town is protected as a National Historic Landmark District. The town of Telluride (elevation 8,750') is connected to the modern resort community of Mountain Village (elevation 9,450') via a free commuter gondola.
The San Juan Mountains are the highest concentration of 14,000 mountains in the US. Activities in and around Telluride include mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, numerous hot springs, historic ghost towns, and whatever else your sense of adventure shows you. Popular hikes from town are the Bridal Veil Falls - the highest cascade in Colorado - and the 2-mile hike up to Bear Creek Falls beginning right behind the festival stage.
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