Culture

Sunday flag I’ve been a fan of the Telluride Blues & Brews Festivals for years. I’ve actually watched the event morph from a few tasting tents on Colorado Avenue to a full-blown, internationally renowned music festival with some of the best musicians on the planet, fabulous microbrews and a venue that simply blows the socks off most other blues festivals - outside of New Orleans, that is. And the 2010 TB&BF was no exception. It was, in fact, one of the best ever.

  Graced with magnificent, cerulean blue skies, mountainsides of glowing, golden aspen and temperatures in the 80’s, the stage was set for a weekend of stellar performance, outrageous weather and ecstatic experience.  Thursday evening opened the festivities with a free sunset concert at the Mountain Village Plaza featuring the Gold Kings – a talented local band of “brothers” – followed by on-the-rise British blues guitarist Matt Schofield – wow!

Theotherguys_smallteaser Theamerican_smallposter Autumn has come to Telluride, Festival season has about ended, the days are shorter- a perfect time to head to the Nugget Theatre for an evening's entertainment.

George Clooney is "The American" (rated R), an assassin taking a little time off in a village in Italy. His quiet time is interrupted by people who seem to want to do him in. What's love got to do with it?

"The Other Guys" (rated PG13) hit the streets, mismatched cops thrown together by circumstance. Expect some violence, some comedy from Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the inept duo.

See below for movietimes and the Nugget website for trailers and reviews.

by Lauren Metzger
Ah Haa School for the Arts

Massage  Pardon the pun but I could not resist. Yes. The 500 Hour Massage Therapy Certification program is back at the Ah Haa School for the Arts this fall. The Connecting Point School of Massage will be starting this unsurpassed hands-on experience October 18th and it will run through April 6th. What a great way to spend your winter!

Comprised of Swedish and advanced massage techniques, anatomy and physiology, business and ethics, the program offers a variety of healing modalities, such as Reiki, Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Spa Therapies. The objective of this 500-Hour Massage Therapy Certificate Program is to teach students how to become dynamic, effective and successful massage therapists. Which all of us massage lovers will thank you for. Listen to Susan Viebrock's interview with the Connecting Point's Caycee Ames for more details on this program, which is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork for entrance to the national exam for massage certification.

[click "Play" for the continuation of Eric Moore's conversation about the Festival]

Knc The list of Year #1 participants in Eric Moore's brand new Telluride Photo Festival is impressive: The International League of Conservation Photographers is represented along with National Parks Magazine, Sigma Pro's Dave FitzSimmons, APhotoEditor.com's Rob Haggart, also former director of photography for Men's Journal and Outside. Ace Kvale, Bill Ellzey, Gordon Wiltsie, Kathleen Norris Cook, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Tim Kemple, and Tom Till, are also displaying their work.

[click "Play" to listen to Eric Moore's conversation with Susan]

Unknown Telluride is a nonstop photo op: every moment a Kodak moment. The region is also a stone's throw away from four National Parks, several national monuments and state parks (Hovenweep, Dead Horse Point, and the Black Canyon.) And when it's not a world-class ski resort, Telluride is a festival town, where different tribes gather to celebrate all kinds of music, mushrooms, fine art, film, and the natural world. A Telluride Photo Festival? The event that was a giant "Duh!" is an idea whose time has finally come thanks to a young entrepreneur, Eric Moore, with support from Telluride's Ah Haa School for the Arts.

It’s Saturday at Blues & Brews. Thursday was a cool jumpstart and Friday was awesome – honestly some of the best blues guitar playing I’ve ever heard. From smooth opener Matt Schofield to "bad boy" George Thorogood’s  closing act – and I can’t forget Dana...

[click "Play", David Oyster speaks about Martin Scorsese]

9-20 TFF Scorsese Telluride Film Festival Cinematheque proves the adage about the best things in life: The film club offers free movies, food and food for thought in the form of lively discussions. The fully packed evening is a great vehicle for cinephiles, who jones for the art of the cinema year 'round, not just over the Telluride Film Festival weekend.

Programmed by Film Fest co-director Gary Meyer, the Fall 2010 series opens Monday, September 20, 5:30 p.m., at Telluride's five-star Wilkinson Public Library, which partners with the Film Fest on this program. The Fall focus is the career of  legendary director Martin Scorsese, whose popular films include "Mean Streets, " "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," "Casino," "The Departed," and "Shutter Island."

The first film of the four-part Cinematheque Scorsese event is "A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies."

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,...

[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?