Thursday, July 15th
Gates Opens at 6:00pm | Music Starts at 6:15pm | Event Ends at 10:00pm
HEAD FOR THE HILLS
8:45PM TO 10:00PM
Head for the Hills - Adam Kinghorn, Joe Lessard, Matt Loewen--come out swinging and invigorated with fresh sounds on their latest EP, Say Your Mind (out March 22). Recorded at Swingfingers Studios in Fort Collins (Colorado), the band brought a larger band than ever before, including drummer Darren Garvey of Elephant Revival, Vocalist Kim Dawson, Dobroist Todd Livingston, a horn section and more. The material reflects both the turbulent social rhythms of our current era and more timeless moments of joy, growth, and change—think #MeToo, the current body politic, and inequality, but also relationships, fatherhood and growing up.
Like a painter that starts in acrylic and graduates to oils, Head for the Hills is deeper and richer in their 15th year as a band, with a wider palette of sonic textures at their disposal. Dorm room jam sessions have turned into a decade plus on the road--from humble coffee shops to theaters, festivals, roadhouses and clubs all across the country. Over time those sounds and influences have crept more and more into the bluegrass beginnings of the band, morphing into the seasoned eclecticism of Say Your Mind. The new songs are quintessential Head for the Hills; genre-straddling, lyrically deep, and danceable, with a crew of collaborators bringing the best of Colorado acoustic, roots, and soul music together.
Head for the Hills numerous festival appearances include notables Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, South by Southwest, FloydFest, RockyGrass, DelFest, Summer Camp Music Festival, WinterWonderGrass Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Northwest String Summit, Strawberry Music Festival, Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, Folk Alliance, Grandoozy and many more. The band charted on the CMJ Top 200 twice, has been featured on NPR Ideastream and eTown, and was awarded Best Bluegrass in Colorado four times via Denver’s Westword Magazine.
Wood Belly
7:30PM TO 8:30PM
Something downright mystical is happening on Colorado’s Front Range. The very roots of traditional acoustic music seem to sprout from the dirt, shaking their dust into the winds of change, to be breathed in and become the soul of musicians who craft their songs here.
Such is the music of Wood Belly, a musical collective of Chris Weist (mandolin), Tom Knowlton (guitar), Chris Zink (dobro), Aaron McCloskey (banjo) and Taylor Shuck (bass). A Wood Belly song has its own lyrical persona and masterful arrangement; rooted in bluegrass tradition and planted solidly in contemporary innovation.
The band has been garnering attention since the release of their 2018 debut album Solid Ground, which was followed by a win at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition (earning them a main stage performance slot at the 2019 festival), as well as an IBMA Momentum Band of the Year nomination.
Wood Belly released it’s second album, Man on the Radio in January of 2020 capping an impressive stretch of writing and releases. The new 13-track collection was recorded at Swingfingers Studio in Fort Collins, CO with Grammy winning producer Sally Van Meter and engineer Aaron Youngberg, and features special guest fiddler Jeremy Garrett of The Infamous Stringdusters on several tracks.
The band first started to get together in 2015 and the music fell into place immediately. The instrumentation and rhythmic drive of the band is like a tree trunk centered in bluegrass with branches that uninhibitedly reach out in many directions. There is a powerful focus on songwriting, with influences from multiple genres. Wood Belly, like other bands in the Newgrass or Grassicana realm, is rooted in tradition but refuses to be confined. Their sound is authentic, passionate and always entertaining.
Whether it’s a hard driving bluegrass song, a multi-layered instrumental, a pop-oriented hook-laden tune, or a poetic waltz— each song has something to say. There’s an identity, a message in every song, delivered in a characteristic Wood Belly style that is warm and true, occasionally haunting and the next moment light and uplifting. The timbre of voice and strings is solid, confident, honest and playful. Every member sings and vocals are a significant part of the Wood Belly sound.
Since its formation, the band has played an ever-expanding list of great venues including the Mishawaka amphitheater, the Boulder Theater, Wildflower Pavilion (Planet Bluegrass), The Fox Theater (Boulder), The Oriental Theater (Denver) and Cervantes’ (Denver). Their festival resume includes the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Winter WonderGrass, Northwest String Summit, Palisade Bluegrass and Roots, the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, The Ogden Music Festival, Rhythms on the Rio, Campout for the Cause, the Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival, Rapidgrass, and more.
Winning the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition in 2018 has opened doors and created opportunities. The fest is part of the fiber of Wood Belly’s fabric, making the win even sweeter. Each member has a story to tell about attending the festival throughout the years and how it influenced music and inspired songwriting.
SOME LOCAL FOLKS
6:15PM TO 7:15PM
"Some Local Folks" is a graduated merging of 4 bands, past or present, composed of folks who were born and raised in McCall, or have been around for a long time. Their music will span genres. The original trio with Kristin, Whale, and Bob, were all members of the "Kristin Burns Band" and/or "The Yurt Brothers". They will be joined by Patrick from the "Giant Leprechauns", with Patrick, Kristin, and Bob as members. The set will close out with the addition of Dan and Scott, who along with Kristin, are members of "Innocent Man". They are truly a unique set of musicians. Please enjoy yourself and the music.