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[click "Play" to hear Rita Coolidge speaking with Susan]

 

Rita_piano_colorized2 Just like Telluride Bluegrass regular, superstar Emmylou Harris, Rita Coolidge is ageless.

The last time Rita Coolidge showed her face in Telluride was in 2001. The legendary performer was, as always, larger than life – but on the silver screen. The film, "Christmas in the Clouds," which screened at Mountainfilm in Telluride that year, is a classic comedy of mistaken identity and romance set during the holiday season at a ski resort owned and operated by a Native American nation. "Christmas in the Clouds" featured Rita, a Cherokee by birth, in the role of the leading lady's mother. It also showcased her music.

18 July, 2011 /

 

A little stork is an avatar for Jeanne B. de Sainte Marie, one of 10 author/illustrators whose magical images will be on display at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art starting July 28 in a show entitled "From Beasts to Babar: Ten Children's Illustrators."

La cigogne de Noël (The Christmas Stork, Editions du Bastberg, France 2000) is the tale of a stork that decides not to fly south with his peers. He wants to see snow. But how will he eat and stay warm? Through his trials and triumphs, Little Stork learns the rewards of following a dream.

Just like Jeanne.

18 July, 2011 /

 


also on the bill, Mountain Man

The indie rock group Blind Pilot returns after two years to Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House for an encore concert on Monday, July 18, 8 p.m. (Doors and bar open at 7:30 p.m.)

Blind Pilot literally pedaled its way to success. The group now numbers six – Israel Nebeker (vocals, guitar), Ryan Dubrowski (drums),  Dave Jorgenson (keyboard, trumpet), Kati Claborn (dulcimer), Luke Ydstie (upright bass, vocals),banjo, vocals), Ian Krist (vibraphone), but it began as a duet between Israel and Ryan, two modern-day minstrels whose initial bike tour along the West Coast to perform was cut short when their wheels were stolen outside San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.

15 July, 2011 /

by Tracy Shaffer Day 1. Began this morning with a table reading of my script "American in Hiding". I'm feeling a little vulnerable, having just finished this version on Sunday, I haven't even had a chance to read it. The cast is spot on. I...

14 July, 2011 /
[click "Play", William Missouri Downs and Susan talk about "Forgiving John Lennon"]

 

Nako and Jennie "Forgiving John Lennon" is the featured production at  the 5th annual Telluride Playwrights Festival, July 13 – July 17, at venues around town. "Forgiving John Lennon" takes place at the historic Sheridan Opera House, Thursday, July 14 – Saturday, July 16, 8 p.m.

The Telluride Playwrights Festival opens with a Play Slam Wednesday night, 9 p.m. at the Steaming Bean, where would-be actors and writers get to strut their stuff.

Three staged readings take place over the weekend. Saturday morning, July 16, 10 a.m., the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art presents "Mrs. Prescott and Mrs. Russell" by Judy GeBauerr. Sunday morning, July 17, 10 a.m., Gallery Room,  the historic Sheridan Opera House hosts "Float," by Gary Leon Hill. (Free pastry and coffee included.) The featured play reading takes place Sunday, July 17, Sheridan Opera House. "American In Hiding" is newest work of returning playwright Tracy Shaffer, whose "(W)hole," workshopped in Telluride at the Playwrights Festival then went to on a critically acclaimed Denver run.

13 July, 2011 /
[click "Play" to hear Will Thompson's conversation with Susan]

 

Illustrations by top 10 children's book luminaries featured

Sendak drawing
image courtesy of
Animazing Gallery

How do big-time art shows happen in a small town like Telluride? Start with a visionary.

In the winter of 1985, Telluride was beginning to percolate anew: entrepreneurs starting snapping up property; among them, Will Thompson, who bought the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art space the day after he and wife Hilary arrived in town to ski.

13 July, 2011 /

[click "Play" to listen to Susan's interview with Taylor Hicks]

 

Taylor Hicks You'll find the announcement on his website, big and bold: "Taylor Hicks will perform at the 35th Telluride Jazz Celebration in Colorado on August 6, at approximately 7 p.m.!"

In case you've been living under a rock, "American Idol" is the reality TV program that showcases emerging young singing talent, with each season's winner selected by viewers. Season 5, 2006, Taylor Hicks earned the title handily with over 63.4 million votes. And he did it by singing songs people can whistle, proving the legendary producer Simon Cowell wrong – probably for the first time ever in Cowell's storied career. Just ask him. (Cowell famously said Hicks would never make to the final round. Later he had to eat his words.)

10 July, 2011 /

Buddy Guy, B&B, 2009
Buddy Guy, 2009 B & B

The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival single day tickets went on sale Friday, July 1st at 10am (MST). Every September, the bands, the fans, and the barrels of beer roll into Telluride Town Park for the annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. The Festival is a three-day celebration of live blues, funk, rock, gospel and soul performances, hosting over 20 nationally touring bands, and over 50 of the best microbreweries in the country.
 
 
The 18th Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival lineup is complete, featuring headliners Willie Nelson, The Flaming Lips, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Additional performances include The Robert Cray Band, Zappa Plays Zappa, moe., Marcia Ball, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Mavis Staples, Anders Osborne, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and many more.

10 July, 2011 /
[click "Play" to listen to Susan's conversation with Keller Williams]

 

15TH ANNUAL KOTO DOO-DAH Getting tickets to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be sketchy at times: the recent 38th annual event sold out virtually overnight. Keller Williams and The Keels performed at the 37th Telluride Bluegrass in 2010. That set breathed new life into old classics, as the trio showcased their hit release "Thief."

Missed the show? It was a doozy, but you are in luck: You get a second chance when Keller and The Keels headline the 15th annual KOTO Doo-Dah, Saturday, July 9, 2011, starting at 4 p.m.

07 July, 2011 /