Filed under: Arts & Culture, Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT in-studio, KSUT programming, music
Eric Bibb will join us live on KSUT this Wednesday, around 1 p.m., for live music and conversation with host Ron Fundingsland. Bibb plays Wednesday night at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. He’s touring to promote his new album “Booker’s Guitar”, a work that reinterprets the original Delta blues of the early 20th century for a new era.
Bibb, a native New Yorker with deep roots in the American blues and folk tradition, has enjoyed tremendous success throughout Europe – though he now is becoming a familiar face and voice on the U.S. acoustic folk-blues scene.
Born into a musical family, Bibb received his first steel stringed guitar at age seven, and by 16 his father, Leon Bibb, had invited him to play with the house band for his television talent show “Someone New.” At 18 he played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark’s Place in New York, and went on to study psychology and Russian at Columbia University – though he left early, moving to Europe to refocus on blues guitar.
Today, with more than a dozen releases under his belt, Bibb is, according to Taj Mahal, “… one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music.”
With his latest release “Booker’s Guitar,” Bibb has, in effect, channeled guitar master Booker White, a journey that began one night in a London hotel. Following a gig, he was approached by a fan carrying a guitar case that held a relic from the past: a 1930s vintage Resophonic National steel-body guitar that had belonged to the Delta blues legend White. Bibb found himself holding White’s guitar, and catching a brief but revealing glimpse of the stories locked within it. The encounter inspired a song, and the song became an entire album.
Stated Bibb in a press release, “Holding the guitar that Booker White had played for so many years, seeing his actual handwriting on a set list that had been taped to the side of the guitar – it all made me feel like the time was finally upon me to make a statement about my relationship with the Delta blues tradition. It was like a rite of passage, an initiation. I felt like this guitar finding its way to me was a signal that I had journeyed far enough to be able to make an honest tribute to the music of my heroes.”
Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at durangoconcerts.com.
We’re gearing up for our Winter Fund Drive and looking for phone volunteers, February 21-27, 2010. KSUT is using VolunteerSpot, a new web service, to help us get organized:
KSUT fund drives are fast paced and fun. We have great food delivered daily by our favorite restaurant underwriters. Community members, musicians and friends drop in throughout the day to make pledges or pitch on air. All and all, it’s an exciting week – and our phone volunteers help make it happen.
Thank you!
Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod, and she’s in the area to help raise funds for the San Juan Stage Race. Listen in at 3:30 pm Friday for a conversation with Libby.
First Woman to win the Iditarod
Filed under: Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT fund-drive, KSUT happenings
Don't forget your coupon!
KSUT’s third Local’s Day of the season at Durango Mountain Resort is Sunday, February 7. Lift tickets are only $39 with a portion of proceeds going to KSUT and Music in the Mountains – benefiting their MITM Goes to School Program. More than 5000 elementary, secondary and high school students from Durango, Bayfield, Pagosa Springs, Ignacio, Cortez, Dolores , Silverton and Mancos take part in a range of music programs.
New snow is expected next week to contribute to this season’s great conditions! For all the latest Purgatory information, including snow reports and event updates, please visit www.durangomountainresort.com.
Thanks for supporting KSUT and Music in the Mountains!
Filed under: Arts & Culture, Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT in-studio, music
Dynamic Canadian fiddler, singer and stepdancer April Verch will take the stage at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Thursday, at 7 p.m.
Verch, merging Celtic, bluegrass, folk and jazz influences, has established herself as a consummate performer. Raised with the rich, distinctive musical and stepdancing tradition shaped by the immigrants drawn to the lumber camps of the Ottawa Valley region of Ontario, she continues to win over audiences with her musical virtuosity, charm, humor and boundless energy on stage.
Offered a job with a leading fiddle ensemble after her high school graduation, she opted instead to attend the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. There she was exposed to, and quickly mastered, an array of musical styles. At the same time, she capped her fiddle contest career with a pair of impressive wins, earning the titles of Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion.
She left Berklee early to pursue her professional career, which proved to be the correct decision. By the turn of the century, Verch had secured her position as a vibrant performer, and signed by Rounder Records, released “Verchuosity.” This first professional release earned rave reviews and a JUNO (the Canadian Grammy) nomination.
Verch’s latest recording, “Steal the Blue,” showcases her growth as an artist as she approaches 30 years of age. Her vocals have drawn continued comparisons to Alison Krauss. In reviewing the release, “Popmatters” called Verch “a master of subtlety and precision. She doesn’t over-sing, or over-play, although it’s plain she could easily do both.”
Verch is currently touring with world-class musicians Clay Ross (guitar) and Cody Walters (upright bass and banjo). The trio will perform live on KSUT Thursday afternoon at 2:30.
Tickets available at the box office and durangoconcerts.com.
Filed under: Arts & Culture, Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT programming
Durango favorite Béla Fleck returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Tuesday evening with more than just his banjo, showcasing “The Africa Project” live.
Béla Fleck has garnered a reputation as arguably the world’s premiere banjo player, reinventing the image and the sound of the instrument through a remarkable career that has taken him all over the musical map.
“The Africa Project” is an off-spring of Fleck’s exploration of the origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to America by African slaves. In on-location collaborations with musicians in Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Fleck found common ground with artists ranging from local villagers to international stars. The Concert Hall show features an ensemble of the African musicians with whom he collaborated and the music they created during his travels.
Of Fleck’s unique collaboration the “Austin American Statesman” reported, “Together they evoke naked humanity, tears, laughter, passion, and the unalloyed bliss of making music.”
7 PM, Tuesday 2/2. Tickets available at the box office and durangoconcerts.com.
In advance of his show on Tuesday at the CCH, Béla will be featured at a community conversation/brown bag lunch, 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the hall. The casual, drop-in event is free and open to the public.
President Obama will deliver his first State of the Union Address to Congress and the American People Wednesday night at 7 local time, followed by the Republican response from Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell. KSUT will carry NPR’s anchored coverage of this event, as well as an hour-long call-in special hosted by Neal Conan beginning at 9 PM.
Filed under: Arts & Culture, Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT programming, music
As a prelude to banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck’s February performance at the Community Concert Hall, the Concert Hall will screen the film that defines Fleck’s current tour on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. The screening of the feature documentary “Throw Down Your Heart” is free to the public with no reserved seating.
On tour, Fleck is currently showcasing “The Africa Project,” a result of his exploration and musical adventures through four African countries – Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia and Mali – on his search for the origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to America by African slaves. The film is promoted as a boundary-breaking musical adventure that celebrates the beauty and complexity of Africa – an Africa that is very different from what is often seen in today’s media.
Béla Fleck will take the stage at the Community Concert Hall – with guest musicians from Africa – Tuesday, Feb. 2. Visit www.durangoconcerts.com for show information and tickets.
Filed under: Arts & Culture, Durango events, Four Corners events, KSUT event picks, KSUT programming, music
The Abbey Theatre’s Avalanche Music Festival has brought a great lineup of bands to town during this especially snowy week. Greensky Bluegrass, Band of Heathens, and Tim Reynolds among them. The fun continues Thursday night with Great American Taxi, our buddy Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon’s band. On Friday night it’s Wisebird from Salt Lake City, and newcomer Megan Burtt on Saturday. More info at abbeytheatre.com.
Filed under: KSUT news
We are very sad to report that former KSUT General Manager Carlos Sena has passed away at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Carlos was at the helm of KSUT from 1990-1999. He is fondly remembered by staff, colleagues and listeners for his commitment to KSUT, his great sense of humor, and genuine kindness. He will be greatly missed.
