Culture

[click "Play" to hear Maria Bachmann's conversation with Susan]

TMF2010 final:highres Blame it on the the Russians. Telluride Musicfest's Maria Bachmann came to the States when her parents were forced to flee their homeland in 1956 after the revolution in her home country, Hungary, failed and the Red Menace tightened its grip. Eva and Tibor Bachmann's grit and self-sacrifice in their adopted country paid off. Son Peter became a dean of math and science at a college outside Philadelphia. And Maria grew up to be a world-renowned violinist, hailed recently (May 25) by The Philadelphia Inquirer for her:


"...near boundless expressive freedom...violinist Maria Bachmann projected the music's emotionalism, and dazzlingly attenuated the final movement in a mounting cauldron of rhythm."
[click "Play", James Vilona speaks about how he came to his art]

IMG_6131 Who'd a-thunk it? Telluride Inside... and Out and Donald Trump have something in common: we both own work by sculptor James Vilona. Only we don't own as much as The Donald, a major collector. (Two of Vilona's metal tables are on display in Trump Towers in New York and Chicago.)

James Vilona is in town over the Telluride Wine Festival weekend, June 24 – June 27, where he is the featured artist at Dolce Jewels, 226 West Colorado.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival may be over, but the beat goes on at Telluride's five-star Wilkinson Public Library. Monday, June 21, 6 p.m. Back for an encore performance, Raina Rose. This young vivacious songwriter from Austin will be performing original songs that speak to life, love and the human condition. 

Tuesday, June 22, 6 p.m.,The Telluride Music Lover’s Film Festival brings a feature and a short. Rachel Liebling, a student of Ken Burns, created a classic of Americana: “High Lonesome”  the Story of Bluegrass  (95 minutes). The music is perfectly synced with its images as in Bill Monroe's seamless walk from concert stage to his old front porch. Ralph Stanley singing "Man of Constant Sorrow". A young Alison Krauss at about the time she won the national fiddling contest. The film is not a complete compendium, a chronological survey, or a definitive look at Bill Monroe, or any of the individual artists, but it is an impassioned portrait of a true American musical art form.

[click "Play" to hear Peter Rowan's conversation with Susan]

Prowan This iconic performer is about to join the ranks of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's 30-something club, an elite fraternity that includes among its members The King, Sam Bush, dobro king Jerry Douglas, and Grammy winner Tim O' Brien. He is Telluride Bluegrass veteran Peter Rowan.

Peter Rowan performs at the 37th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival Friday, June 18, 2:30 p.m., in Peter Rowan and Crucial Country with Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas. The event marks a reunion of musical titans.
[click "Play" to listen to Tim O'Brien's conversation with Susan]

Tim O'Brien 2010 Telluride is on a first-name basis Tim O'Brien. He's been here for so many Telluride Bluegrass Festivals, so many nights at the Sheridan Opera House as well. We all know by now, Tim O'Brien is an entire rhythm section unto himself. And a bandleader, songwriter, vocalist and mentor to boot. We know Tim's sound by heart, a hybrid of country, folk, bluegrass and swing often described simply as "Americana." Music with a comfortable, comforting old slipper feel. But with Tim as the filter, everything old comes out new again.

It's no big secret Telluride's on again, he's off again 30-year relationship with Tim is not exclusive: the Grammy (Traditional Folk Category) Tim won in 2005, not to mention countless nods from organizations such as the International Bluegrass Music Awards, is proof, positive his peers and the rest of the world love him too.
[click "Play" to hear Bryan Simpson talk about Cadillac Sky]

Cadillac Sky 2010 Promotional Photo Listen: Cadillac Sky comes straight from red dirt country to the Main Stage of the 37th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, on a high from the heat their brand spanking new CD, "Letters in the Deep," is generating.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival's marketing guru Brian Eyster described "Letters in the Deep" as "one of the coolest bluegrass albums of the year."  He raves about Cadillac Sky's great songs, virtuosic picking (the band includes national champions on fiddle and banjo), and no-holds-barred delivery. Their stage setup includes lots of effect pedals (for distortion and other tricks of the trade), as well as a small drum kit one band member or another might sit at "when the energy needs to go to 11."

Sexandthecity2_smallposter Shrekforeverafter_smallposter The Nugget Theatre in the heart of beautiful downtown Telluride is showing two films for the week of Friday, June 18-Thursday, June 24, plus a Telluride Film Festival presentation of "City Island" on Thursday.

"Shrek" is back in another version of the old "be careful of what you wish for" we've heard all of our lives. Shrek is tired, tired of being king, so when he is offered a deal to just be an ogre again, well... How was he to know that history is about to be re-written? Rated PG.

If you can accept the concept of our four favorite New York friends striding across the desert in the United Arab Emirates in their Manolos, "Sex and the City 2" (rated R) may be for you. Hard to say, but make mine Manhattan.

Cityisland_smallposter "City Island" has one big secret: Everyone has secrets. Andy Garcia's Vince Rizzo is a corrections officer with a yen to be an actor. He would rather have his wife believe he is having an affair than admit he is taking acting classes. Audiences have loved the movie. This Telluride Film Festival presentation is rated PG-13.

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

Telluride local Jared David Paul is known for a variety of artistic explorations. His "Back of Beyond" is currently on display in the Daniel Tucker Gallery at Telluride's Ah Haa School for the Arts.Jared David Paul was trained in traditional Chinese painting in...

[click "Play" and listen to Nora Jane Struthers speak about her music and career]

Struthers01 When Nora Jane Struthers hits Telluride to compete in both the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's Troubadour and Band contests, she'll be doing it in style – vintage style.

She loves vintage threads. Just last week, Nora Jane visited vintage outlets in her hometown of Nashville, where she made a video of herself playing a couple of songs and chose vintages togs fans and fellow vintage addicts can sign up to win. (The videos are live on her website.)