From Massachusetts to Mancos: A New Englander's Colorado Concert Tour Diary

On a hot July day, just inside the northern border of New Mexico, I got ready to say goodbye to some of the most inspiring musicians I've known as we loaded up our van for the last time after our two-week tour through the West. We were on our way back to Durango, which had been our base for a string of shows, and from there we would head to our respective homes. Part of what made this tour so special was that those homes span a good chunk of the globe, and our community had grown with surprising speed during our time in southwestern Colorado.

Our unit comprised three acts that shared bills and backing musicians: Ava Swan, a Montana native now based out of Nashville who creates groovy, uplifting tunes of self-discovery; Rachel Angel, a country musician from Asheville, North Carolina, with a timeless twang and flawless songwriting; and Nelleke, a once-in-a-generation vocalist who'd come all the way from Rotterdam, Netherlands, and whose rich, introspective songs inspire awe in listeners wherever she goes. Along with New York City guitarist and producer Brandon Rosiar, Nashville-based drummer Evan Kesel and producer/guitarist Christian Dias of São Paulo, Brazil, I performed in the rhythm section for these three amazing artists. We were joined for a few of the shows by exuberant songwriter Alex McCue and Elder Grown, an eclectic veteran band out of Durango.

Most of the musicians in our group had studied at the Berklee College of Music's branch in Valencia, Spain, and it was there that we met Sam Kelly, the saxophonist of Elder Grown. A native of Dolores, Colorado, he served as our guide and booker on this tour. He made sure we had places to stay and a sound system to use, and generally kept things together. In addition to playing in Elder Grown, Kelly teaches at iAM Music Institute in Durango.
Sadly, my flight from New York to Denver was pushed back three days because of bad weather on both ends of the trip, so I missed the first show of the tour, which took place at Durango Hot Springs, but luckily we had another show there the following week. Instead, I joined the group at the iAM Music Fest in Mancos, a half-hour west of Durango, at Fenceline Cider. From the moment I arrived, I enjoyed the hackneyed charm of being an uptight Northeasterner dipping into the relaxed, pleasant vibes of the rural West. Everyone from the food truck workers to the sound guy had a welcoming energy that made this stop a real pleasure, and the energy brought by local acts like the Sugar Thieves and Haro in the Dark only made things better.

This festival is put on by iAM Music Institute, and it quickly became clear that iAM is at the heart of southwest Colorado's music scene. Not only does the organization put on this fest as well as other concerts in the area, but it has a great school for burgeoning musicians. At every turn, the people from iAM were kind and supportive, showing admirable passion and commitment to their work. They displayed this from the first set at the festival through a show at their in-house performance space, the Indigo Room, the following week. Co-founder Jesse Ogle even hopped in to sub for me on bass for the early shows I missed, and iAM staffers regularly perform in Haro in the Dark and other bands.

We got to hear some of them when we had a few days off following the festival. We spent our downtime in Durango, hopping in the Animas River and enjoying the live music that was surprisingly ubiquitous in a relatively small town. It seemed like any time of day, you could hear a band playing in Buckley Park or a bluegrass player at 11th Street Station. Spots like the Station and Lola’s Place were perfect spots for our large group to gather since they have a variety of food trucks and lots of outdoor seating.

After a few days of respite, the tour started back up with a show at the Nugget Mountain Bar, which sits on Route 550, in perfect view of Mount Eolus. Again, our cohort found kind and helpful staffers, great food and drink, and an audience that seemed excited to have a different flavor of music that night. The next day we went up to Silverton, and as our van crossed between Kendall and Sultan mountains and rounded the bend into the mountain town, everyone was floored by the serene alpine beauty before us. Our awe only grew as the van stopped at the Silverton Powerhouse Collective, an artist space at the northern edge of town that hosts concerts and exhibitions with a focus on bolstering the arts community of the Silverton area. We quickly connected with members of this friendly, supportive group; one Collective member served mocktails named after the performers' songs, and a few  even followed us to our show the next night.

That stop marked the group's return to Durango Hot Springs Resort, which included a surprise appearance by NYC singer-songwriter Sharon Is Karen. As a musician, I cannot overstate the wonder of finishing an amazing set and then soaking in a hot spring with an incredible view of the San Juan Mountains. Sam Kelly was our sound guy for this show, and he mixed it on an iPad while taking a soak himself, which summed up the relaxed, I-can’t-believe-we’re-here feeling of the gig. Locals and visitors alike chatted with an ease that once again took this New Englander by pleasant surprise.

The next night we were at the Indigo Room with our friends from iAM, and we finished the night with some two-stepping (another novelty for me) at a local bar.

For the last stop of the tour, we crossed into New Mexico for a set on the big stage of Tico Time River RV resort in Aztec. Elder Grown headlined the show, and the beach was packed with ardent supporters. Elder Grown invited musicians from our group on stage to join the set, and the sense of an artistic community was stronger than at any other point on the tour. It served as the perfect swan song for our time in the West, and afterward, we kicked off our shoes and enjoyed a night under crystal-clear stars.

Even though everyone was exhausted and ready to see their own beds in different cities and countries, we were still sad to see this two-week jaunt come to an end. We'd experienced a deep fulfillment of our artistry and made a lot of friends along the way. One of the driving forces behind my love of music is that it can bring me to new places and experiences, and this show delivered completely. I'll be back.

Johnny Nicholl was a Westword music intern in 2016 and 2017.