Anders Osborne, Karl Denson in Telluride for KOTO’s Halloween Bash

17 Oct Anders Osborne, Karl Denson in Telluride for KOTO’s Halloween Bash

Anders Osborne must like performing in Telluride big time. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist was in town in mid-September for his third appearance at Telluride Blues & Brews, where, according to KOTO’s Janice Zink, he  – once again – “Killed it.”

Anders returns for his encore at KOTOfm’s 36th annual Halloween Bash, where he joins another Telluride regular, Karl Denson (of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, KDTU). At this very special concert, Karl and Anders on lead vocals and their guests perform the Rolling Stones’ landmark album, “Sticky Fingers,” from start to finish, including chestnuts such as “Wild Horses” and “Brown Sugar.” The must-see event takes place in the Hanley Pavilion in Town Park, Saturday, October 29. Doors are at 8 p.m. Showtime is  9 p.m.

“Anders is an amazing all-around talent.,” says Karl. “He’s someone I’ve admired for years and I’m super excited to break musical bread with him.”

The Swedish-born Anders Osborne left home at the age of 16 to begin a musical odyssey that eventually landed him in 1985 in The BIg Easy, where he developed a deep understanding of the blues, rock and New Orleans funk. From his adopted hometown, he produced hits for the likes of Keb’ Mo and Tim McGraw.

Anders’ newest release, “American Patchwork,” (Alligator Records), a soul-baring collection of rock, blues and ballads, is simply the latest in a string of acclaimed albums featuring the artist’s signature slide guitar work, fluid finger picking, and, per Paste Magazine, his “impossibly great soulful voice and the songs to match.”

“This is the healing, the patching back together, of a man scattered to the wind, broken and in pieces,” Anders says of the record. “The rebuilding of my home, a city under water and in ruins, friends lost, my community in disarray, all carefully patched and made whole again by the power of my America, an endless source of inspiration to me. This is my American patchwork.”

As Telluride locals know, live, Anders is a force of nature. In wildly energetic, physical performances he rips notes out of his guitar like a hungry animal on a carcass, forces out riveting steel-on-steel slide solos, and sings from the inner reaches of his soul.

A very proud immigrant, Anders has often said he’s living in the promised land.

At age seven, Anders and his family moved from Uddevalla, Sweden, to the Island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea a place known for its artist-friendly atmosphere, ancient architecture and a serene landscape, made famous by resident and famed movie director Ingmar Bergman. Anders’ father, a professional drummer who toured northern Europe with various jazz and popular rock bands throughout the 1960s, would bring home early reel-to-reel bootleg recordings of contemporaries such as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, “Cannonball” Adderley, Bobby Womack and the Valentinos, John Coltrane, Jimmy Smith and Charlie Parker. Listening to all of this music paved the way for Anders, an aspiring young artist. He began his career playing drums, piano, guitar, and singing in local groups, performing his own compositions, as well as songs by singer-songwriters of the time, including Van Morrison, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

And now, The Rolling Stones.

To learn more, click the “play” button and listen to my interview with Anders.