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Having the great good fortune to be asked by TIO CEOs Susan and Clint Viebrock to cover this year’s Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, I decided to start with the kickoff event on Thursday – a Sunset Blues Concert at the Mountain Village Plaza,...

17 September, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with George Thorogood]

3520 Steve Gumble's 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival takes place September 17 – September 19 on the Main Stage in Town Park.

So what do you picture when you hear the word "blues?"

Do you imagine a slump-shouldered vagabond scuffling down a dusty Delta road? Or perhaps someone up there on stage with his band in a smokey Chicago club shouting over the noise of the crowd until the crowd stops making noise and listens? Do you imagine the hard-rocking sound, Chicago-style blues sound of George Thorogood and the Destroyers?

17 September, 2010 /


Happy birthday and long live the King. Riley B. King – B.B. to his friends – turns 85 on September 16, just two days before he closes out the 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in high style.

King's expressive signature style of fluid string bending and elegant vibrato has influenced every electric blues guitarist  and singer who followed in his long shadow. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is ranked #3 on Rolling Stone's list of the " 100 greatest guitarists of all time." (Behind Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman.)
16 September, 2010 /
[Susan speaks with Petter Ericson Stakee of Alberta Cross, click "Play"]

"Roots-rock grit meets Brit-pop grandeur," Rolling Stone



AC01BW_credEricRyanAnderson Alberta Cross is part of the line-up for the 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, keeping good company with the likes of B.B. King, George Thorogood, Jimmie Vaughan, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.

Alberta Cross is a New York-based band known for a British spin on Southern rock. Its dramatic sound has been compared to Kings of Leon, The Band, Neil Young, The Raconteurs and other blues-influenced rockers, salt and peppered with the dark riffs of bands like Pink Floyd.
15 September, 2010 /
[click "Play" for Susan's interview with Galactic's Jeff Raines]

Sm_galactic_4261[4] MAIN The New Orleans progressive funk band Galactic returns to Telluride for the 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, September 17 – September 19 in Town Park. Galactic's unique sound is a robust, edgy and highly improvisatory variation on Big Easy funk, including hip hop, electronica, fusion and jazz. Booty shaking sounds.

It’s shaping up to be a stellar year for Galactic. In February, the band released its groundbreaking new album "Ya-Ka-May," a gumbo of New Orleans sounds from jazz to brass band, funk and beyond. With this release, the five-man group comprised of drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonist/harmonica player Ben Ellman, keyboardist Richard Vogel, and guitarist Jeff Raines – reaffirms their status as the quintessential modern day New Orleans band and one of the funkiest outfits in the known universe.

15 September, 2010 /


"Artist To Watch... a raw howling take on Southern rock..." - Rolling Stone

The alt-country/grunge rock quintet, the Dead Confederate, is alive and well at the 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, September 17 – September 19.

The Dead Confederate – Hardy Morris (vocals, guitar), Walker Howle (Guitar), John Watkins (keyboards), Brantley Senn (bass) and Jason Scarboro (drums) – came together in high school in Augusta, Georgia, as the Redbelly. Shape-shifting into the Dead Confederate, they appeared on the Athens music scene in 2006. The band's first self-titled release plus an appearance at the South by Southwest Fest in Austin, Texas, gave the Dead Confederate its start. "Wrecking Ball" followed in 2008, with its hit single, "The Rat."
15 September, 2010 /

Takers_smallposter4 Thelastairbender_smallposter Telluride's Nugget Theatre has three films on tap for the week of September 17-22, Friday through Wednesday, with a Telluride Film Festival presentation of "The Kids Are All Right" for two showings on Thursday, September 23. See below for showtimes, and the Nugget website for trailers and reviews.

"The Last Airbender" posits a war fomented by the Fire Nation against Air, Earth and Water. The movie is aimed at the younger set, is rated PG, and is based on a popular TV series. Many viewers and reviewers suggested it should have been done as an animated feature instead of live action.

Guy gets out of prison, talks his buddies into one big heist. Lots of gunfire, a big car chase: sounds familiar? That's much of the story in "Takers", rated PG-13.

15 September, 2010 /
[click "Play" for Cedric and Malcolm's interview with Susan]

Cedricandmalcolm When the dynamic duo of Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm performs on the Main Stage of the 17th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, expect a mixed bag of traditional to modern Mississippi hills Delta blues, funk, rock and Americana. Expect to be blown away by the heart, soul and passion of a sound deeply embedded in the roots of drum and fife and North Mississippi hill country.

Cedric, born in 1978 and raised in Holly Springs, Mississippi, is the grandson of the late, legendary R.L. Burnside and son the drummer Calvin Jackson. He is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in the world today. Growing up at his grandfather’s side, he began touring at age 13, playing drums for “Big Daddy” on stages around the globe. In 2006, Cedric was featured in the critically acclaimed feature, "Blue Snake Mountain," a tribute to Burnside, playing drums alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
14 September, 2010 /
[click "Play" for Susan's conversation with Matt Schofield]

Matt19(small) copy British blues guitarist Matt Schofield is on his way to the Telluride region for a FREE Telluride Blues & Brews pre-show, with still a few months left to go on a tour that brought him across the pond in June. The not-to-be-missed concert takes place Thursday, June 16, 5 – 7 p.m., Sunset Plaza, Mountain Village. Schofield's set on Friday, opens the Blues & Brews weekend.

Matt Schofield may not be a household name in the U.S –  yet – but the musician is clearly on his way. Over a relatively short career, Schofield’s prowess as a stringbender has taken him to 12 countries; seen him play with iconic guitarists such as Robben Ford; and brought him high praise in the Penguin Book of Blues Recordings as one of only two living British artists in recording history to gain the top four-star rating. "In Schofield, the UK has produced the best blues guitarist from any country in decades,"  raved the LA Daily News.

14 September, 2010 /