Just got back from Telluride, went to attend the bluegrass festival. I saw SO many wonderful old friends while I was there, from my days living in that mountain town in the 70’s and 80’s as well as various pals within my current musical community:
For example, Hot Rize (in the photo L to R: Peter Wernick, Nick Forster, Tim O’Brien and Bryan Sutton) played to rave reviews, 
as did The Punch Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Sam Bush (pictured here backstage with Nick) and tons more.
Its always a pleasure coming back to Telluride where I spent my young adult formative years! And seeing the festival evolve and change is cool, too.
Here’s a photo, too, of Nick in his summer cowboy hat, standing in the M & M Mercantile in Placerville, Colorado, a tiny town (couple hundred people maybe?) I lived in for several years. It’s a 15-minute drive or so from Telluride, kind of out in the boonies.
The Mercantile was – and still is – the only store in town. It’s the place you bought a loaf of bread or a carton of milk, some thread or a birthday card, it had a little bit of everything when I lived there. Everyone called it Mary’s store, for its owner who ran it for decades – I met Mary when she was in her late 70’s probably; and I knew her well into her 80’s, until I moved to Boulder in 1987. She was a salt-of-the-earth, crusty but kind Colorado woman, a no-nonsense gal with a heart of gold.
It was nostalgic indeed to revisit Mary’s store with Nick; It brought back so many memories! I went there hundreds of times to shop over the years. It was the neighborhood spot; and I enjoyed countless conversations with Mary and the other seniors who hung out there each day. She’s a legendary character who was a wise and wonderful addition to my world back then.
Speaking of legendary, eTown returns to quite possibly the most legendary music venue on the planet – Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado – for a first time visit with North Carolina-based indie performer Sam Beam (aka as Iron & Wine). What a brilliant writer/musician. I am totally a fan now. Any ‘guy with a guitar’ who single-handedly can hold the rapt attention of 9,000 people at Red Rocks has my complete respect. He’s also a really insightful man (be sure to check out his conversation backstage with Nick; I love their exchange about being dads of daughters).
Also with us this week: Our young friends from the Northwest, The Head and The Heart, return to eTown for their second visit, treating us to one of their signature high-energy performances.
Join us for good music and insightful conversation, coming to you from eTown via Red Rocks!