Get into the groove this Saturday with some live funk, blues, and gypsy-style bluegrass at the Dolores River Festival in Joe Rowell Park.
The 12th annual summer kickoff party celebrates live music you can move to, free raft rides on the Dolores River, circus performers for the kids, and great beer and food.
"We've got great variety of acts and activities," said festival director Ryan Robison. "It will be all-day music on two stages. Nine bands for $20, you can't beat that."
New this year is the Salida Circus, a contingent of professional acrobats, performers and magicians to entertain kids and parents. Performers will show off their skills on a trapeze and offer lessons to anyone who wants to give it a swing.
There will be a beer garden, and food vendors selling Chicago dogs, pizza, Philly steaks, vegetarian fare, and more.
The festival is put on by Greater Dolores Action, a community group that works to maintain healthy ecosystems and fund projects that add recreational value.
The festival nabbed some national acts this year as well as local bands. Organizers take pride in a diverse line-up, with an emphasis on rock, funk, and world music.
"We want to give Dolores its own identity by offering music performers that are different from all the other festivals," Robison said.
The music line-up in order of appearance:
Carute Roma, an upbeat troupe of ten Bohemian musicians from Durango. They specialize in traditional Roma music from Eastern Europe and Russia, along with modern Gypsy songs from around the world.
The Afrobeatniks draw their inspiration from the source: the popular, folkloric and spiritual music of Africa. The ancient rhythms that have traveled through time and space have now morphed into the grooves and melodies that these performers provide. The band has a passion for the complex West African, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Latin Jazz music.
The Porter Draw is an Alt-Country, Americana band from Albuquerque. They have been key contributors to a flourishing New Mexico roots music movement since 2007 and have shared the stage with such greats as Greensky Bluegrass, Reverend Horton Heat, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Cadillac Sky. Fitting in at country honky-tonks and rock 'n' roll clubs alike,
Porter Draw has built a reputation for high energy, sweat-drenched shows coupled with tight harmonies of wistfully delicate lyrics of longing, heartbreak, and the American experience. According to its website, "They'll sing high lonesome with the bluegrass boys, command the stage like The Boss, and surprise you with raucous vocals you haven't heard since your older sister made you listen to The Clash."
Cold River City originates from the Boulder-Denver area. Described as the love child of funky soul and dirty blues, this six-piece music group gets psychedelic, and is not afraid of improvisation. For their debut LP, "Let Me Shine," the band collaborated with Joel Scanlon of Euforquestra and the Motet.
"Simply put, our music comes from the heart and it comes from the mind," states their website. "When we get together, we find a groove, tap into it with all our energy and we try playing to the sounds that we have been influenced by throughout our entire lives, hopefully stumbling across some new ones along the way."
Pimps of Joytime is a soul-funk band from Brooklyn and New Orleans, and the festival headliner. Their live events and recordings have captivated fans across the country. Bandleader Brian J is a charismatic and soulful visionary, whose well-crafted songs invite the listener to enter a world of infectious dance grooves and indelible melodies.
The five-piece band's diverse sound and spirited attitude are strongly influenced by the Brooklyn DJ culture and live music scene from which they emerge. Recent collaborations with legendary artists Cyril and Art Neville of the Neville Brothers and Roy Ayers have helped vitalize the band's connection to its roots.
Sign up for free raft rides at the festival booth. The run is from Riverside Park to the take-out beach. Experienced guides will maneuver through several fun rapids including Library, Swimming Rock, Seventh Street, and Hells Hole.
This year their will be a commemorative concert poster for sale featuring a dory by Andy Hutchinson. It was designed by Robison, photographer Kate Thompson, and graphic artist Chris Vest.
