2010 Wildflower Schedule

Rich, inspiring, and fresh music will again fill the Wildflower Pavilion this year. With the addition of our new doors, the Pavilion is now a comfortable all-season venue. Look for music in the Pavilion; beer, wine, and other drinks at the bar; and (weather-permitting) bonfires by the river. Be sure you're signed up for the Wildflower email newsletter for all the latest news. Order your tickets at shop.bluegrass.com or 303-823-0848.

Chatham County Line
MilkDrive
Bluegrass accented by alt-country and the ghost of rock past...
Chatham County Line
with Special Guests MilkDrive
  • Saturday, March 27, 2010
  • 8pm show, 7pm doors
  • Wildflower Pavilion @ Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, CO
  • All-Ages / General admission
  • Tickets: $15 advance Purchase Now
"They’ve used bluegrass as a jumping off point, a vernacular through which to access all that is roots music, be that gospel, country, rock or pop.” (Chris Stamey) Chatham County Line's most recent album, IV, was one of our favorite bluegrass records of 2008. Like their previous three, it is filled with great stories wrapped in great original songs sung with undeniable conviction and energy. But the North Carolina quartet brings something fresh to their acoustic bluegrass; No Depression describes it as “an intangible at work, or maybe a specter – the ghost of rock past, an alt-country phantom sitting in as fifth member...” Rather than a bluegrass label, their albums are released on the indie/alt-country label Yep Roc - their acoustic instruments (banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and bass) making them rebels in an already rebellious scene. As they sway around a single microphone, feeling the deeper pulse in the music and its roots, this band is utterly captivating. Indie tastemaker Pitchfork puts it: "their playing is expert but never sterile or clichéd."
In RockyGrass contest lore, no story looms larger than Chatham County Line's 2004 contest finals: breaking a string at the beginning of their final song, guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Dave Wilson replaced the string on-stage without missing an impassioned lyric, only to finish the song with a perfectly tuned (and timed) G-run. The following year the newly crowned RockyGrass winners capped a triumphant main stage set and a jam-packed set in the Wildflower with a rocking bluegrass cover of Wilco's "End of the Century." Two years ago after earning another standing ovation and encore on the RockyGrass main stage, the band headed out into the crowd for an encore mini-set next to the festival entrance. We've seen them kick up some tunes at Hatch Show Print in Nashville, as adopted sons in Norway with the legendary Jonas Fjeld, and now we dedicate the first evening of music on Planet Bluegrass in 2010 to them in the Wildflower Pavilion. Just four musicians gathered around a single microphone. You don't want to miss this one. Top
Chatham County Line | MilkDrive | facebook event
Flexigrass
Long Road Home
Dr. Banjo explores bluegrass and beyond...
Pete Wernick & Flexigrass
Long Road Home
  • Friday, April 9, 2010
  • 8pm show, 7pm doors
  • Wildflower Pavilion @ Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, CO
  • All-Ages / General admission
  • Tickets: $15 advance / $17 door Purchase Now
"I love the way Flexigrass blends bluegrass banjo into an early jazz band. A very appealing combination" (Béla Fleck). The all-star group blazes new trails everywhere they play as vibraphone master Greg Harris and hot clarinetist Bill Pontarelli trade licks with Grammy-nominated Pete Wernick. Joan Wernick's sparkling vocals range from soulful bluegrass to stylish jazz and Kris Ditson (drums) and Roger Johns (bass) provide a strong pulse that doesn't overpower, but pops and sizzles. The monster players of Flexigrass have treated audiences around the world - from Carolina to California to Ireland - to music that is fundamentally futuristic, beguiling, fantastic.

When Long Road Home formed in 2005 some described it as a "teenage super group." The band won the prestigious Rockygrass Band Contest and quickly became a regional mainstay. With the departure of three members, founding members Justin Hoffenberg (fiddle) and Martin Gilmore (vocals and guitar) seized the opportunity to make the jump from "good kid band" to a world-class act. Now joined by two-time Grammy winning bassist Gene Libbea, Colorado and Wyoming mandolin champion Jordan Ramsey, and bluegrass banjo legend Pete Wernick, Long Road Home is cementing their place in the bluegrass pantheon. Top
Long Road Home | Flexigrass | facebook event
Head for the Hills
Town Mountain
Progressive bluegrass to outlaw country...
Head for the Hills
with Special Guests Town Mountain
  • Friday, April 16, 2010
  • 8pm show, 7pm doors
  • Wildflower Pavilion @ Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, CO
  • All-Ages / General admission
  • Tickets: $12 advance / $15 door Purchase Now
"Head for the Hills is a talented group of musicians on the cutting edge. Listeners will fully enjoy this unique sound" (Drew Emmitt). Rooted in the tradition of bluegrass, the music of Head for the Hills is a vibrant mixture of homegrown compositions, traditional harmonies, and an innovative approach to improvisation. The Fort Collins, CO-based quartet were the named winners of Yonder Mt. String Band’s 2007 Northwest String Summit Band Completion held at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, OR. Since then Head for the Hills has been invited to share stages with David Grisman, Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon, and Railroad Earth among many others. In the studio, Head for the Hills has joined forces with the talented Grammy-winning producer/performer Sally Van Meter (for their debut) and jamgrass pioneer Drew Emmitt (who recorded the band's second album in Bill Nershi's Sleeping Giant Studios). Drawing significant inspiration from the sounds of the bluegrass forefathers such as John Hartford and Bill Monroe, Head for the Hills appeals to anybody who enjoys experiencing the excitement, innovation, or element of youth that is incorporated into each and every performance.

Occupying the common ground between traditional bluegrass, outlaw country, and pure old time mountain music Town Mountain harnesses the frantic energy of the modern punk string band, while remaining respectfully rooted in the tradition of Bill Monroe. The Asheville, NC-based quintet won the 2005 RockyGrass band contest with a no-nonsense blend of slammin’ bluegrass balanced by just enough slower country crooning. Just enough outlaw swagger to give it a honkytonk edge. Just enough contemporary, alt-whatever elements to make it equally appealing to non-bluegrass fans. Top
Head for the Hills | Town Mountain | facebook event
Anne & Pete Sibley

A sweet & soulful marriage of harmonies...
Anne & Pete Sibley
with very Special Guests
  • Friday, May 14, 2010
  • 8pm show, 7pm doors
  • Wildflower Pavilion @ Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, CO
  • All-Ages / General admission
  • Tickets: $15 advance / $17 door Purchase Now
“One of the sweetest, most soulful and hauntingly beautiful duets in the business” (Bluegrass Now Magazine). For Anne and Pete Sibley, it is the simplicity of the music: the words, the vocals, the harmonies. The storytelling and intimate nature of their original songs has drawn fans and encouraged the husband and wife duo to keep delivering. They aren’t afraid of making music that is personal, paring it down, staying true to their instincts. Raised in New England singing in choirs, studying all types of music except folk and bluegrass, Anne and Pete stumbled upon their true calling when they moved west to Jackson Hole. In April 2009, the Sibleys took top honors in the ‘Great American Duet Sing-Off’ on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. Last summer Anne & Pete made their Planet Bluegrass festival debut with a set that was heralded as one of the festival's most wonderful surprises.
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Anne & Pete Sibley | facebook event

Previous 2009 Concerts

The 2008 Wildflower Concert Season

The Inaugural 2007 Wildflower Concert Series

View photos from these special evenings on Planet Bluegrass.