22 Apr Telluride Bluegrass 2025: Water Tower Debuts On Main Stage 6/20!
The 52nd annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival takes place June 19 – June 22.
Passes/tickets and camping still available. Go here to secure your reservation.
Learn more about Planet Bluegrass at www.bluegrass.com.
Go here for more about the history of Telluride Bluegrass. (Back to 2009.)
And scroll down to listen to Telluride Inside…and Out (TIO)’s podcast featuring Water Tower founder Kenny Feinstein.
Water Tower: A tall structure holding a large water tank meant to store and distribute potable water to communities.
Or potable sounds if the community in question is comprised of Festavarians.
Water Tower, the high-energy, modern bluegrass band with a punk-rock edge, is scheduled to debut on the Main Stage of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival on Friday, June 20.
Water Tower image, courtesy Leslie Campbell.
Water Tower’s current lineup includes Kenny Feinstein on lead vocals, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin; Tommy Drinkard – banjo, guitar, vocals (2019–present); Jesse Blue Eads – banjo, electric bass, vocals (2020–present); Taylor Estes – bass, mandolin, vocals (2020–present); and John Seltzer – mandolin, vocals (2024-present).That said, every member of the band plays multiple instruments and participates in different side projects in addition to Water Tower, a fact of life that leads Drinkard to described the group as “a kind of music collective” that shares a “mutual fan base.”
Some have said the outfit is rewriting the rules of bluegrass and punk and its live performances as a call-to-arms for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. In short, a celebration of the wild, untamed spirit that lives in all of us.
“Water Tower is this wonderful band that is made up of ‘’the lost boys’.. it’s like a soup kitchen for those in need of belonging and family who have been through some of the experiences they have over come,” raved Grand Ole Country Bunker.
And the critical consensus? “Raw energy, technical brilliance, and unbridled passion.”
Frontman Kenny Feinstein spent well over a decade curating the band into what it is today – a rising phenom. In 2005, he began performing and recording with the Water Tower Bucket Boys, then tweaked members and style into what evolved into the Water Tower String Band. In 2018, Kenny uprooted himself from Portland, relocating to Los Angeles where a new iteration of the outfit known simply and now affectionately as Water Tower gots its start.
Kenny counts punk bands like Black Flag and Rancid as among his earliest musical inspirations. In fact, Water Tower was asked to open for the punk band, Against Me!, in 2012 and to play the Punk Rock Bowling Festival along with bands like T.S.O.L., Steve Soto, and Wanda Jackson in 2013.
The band’s live performances feature fast playing and at times, moshing (or controlled chaos) commonly associated with genres like punk rock, hardcore punk, and heavy metal.
At the same time, Water Tower remains loyal to its bluegrass and old-time roots. After all, the band started out just trying to recreate traditional music as faithfully as possible as a Foghorn String band cover act, before delving into modern bluegrass, eventually evolving to have its own unique, punk-influenced take on the genre.
In the latter context, Water Tower’s main bluegrass influences (besides The Foghorn String Band) are Clarence White and Tony Rice.
“If Earl Scruggs was a skater from Portland, who had a passion for the free-spirited thrash of NOFX and fell in love with the community and earnest nature of bluegrass, you would have Water Tower,” according to an article published in Bluegrass Unlimited.
Grace Barrett of Planet Bluegrass raps up: “I really appreciate Water Tower because they are incredible instrumentalists, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. They play to have fun and genuinely enjoy connecting with the crowd. Their performances always have great energy and spunk. I think Festivarians will enjoy their punk-forward style!
For more, check out Kenny Feinstein’s conversation with TIO.
About Telluride Bluegrass Festival:
Occurring annually during the summer solstice, Telluride Bluegrass has been inviting music fans to the historic mining town in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado for four days of adventurous acoustic music in the stunning Telluride box canyon for over 50 years.
The festival’s long-standing tradition of collaboration, both on and off stage, creates a unique environment that allows music lovers to experience rare performances and intimate moments, making it a must-see event for anyone passionate about bluegrass and Americana music.
The unique genre of “Telluride Bluegrass” has embraced a diverse family of artists including Sam Bush, Robert Plant, Mumford & Sons, Janelle Monae, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Jason Mraz, Emmylou Harris, and many of the world’s most virtuosic acoustic instrumentalists – the majority of whom have returned to the festival for 25+ years.
With music on the Main Stage, intimate workshop performances at Elks Park, late-night indoor NightGrass concerts, and pickin’ in campgrounds and condos ‘til dawn, Telluride Bluegrass is the “granddaddy of the modern festival circuit” (Relix). Telluride Bluegrass is presented and produced by Planet Bluegrass.
About Planet Bluegrass:
For decades, Planet Bluegrass has been redefining the musical festival by creating exceptional experiences that protect the planet through environmental leadership and a strong community.
Fiercely and decidedly independent, its three festivals make a unique musical mark: each takes place in breathtaking natural Colorado environments; each features the world’s finest musicians and songwriters; and each embraces a “Leave No Trace” ethic that defines Planet Bluegrass as a leader in Sustainable Festivation.
Planet Bluegrass presents Telluride Bluegrass, Rockygrass, and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and is invested in the next generation of songwriters and musicians as evidenced by its Rockygrass Academy and Song School programs.
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