Twangin’ In Telluride

Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and Kasey Chambers join festival veterans Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Yonder Mountain String Band and dozens of other practitioners of acoustic roots music at the 36th annual , taking place June 18-21 in Colorado.

Photo: John Davisson
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, San Francisco.

Sam Bush, considered the “King of Telluride,” has performed at Telluride for all but one of its incarnations. Dobro guitar virtuoso Douglas will mark his 25th consecutive spring solstice in the southern Colorado Rockies, while Yonder Mountain String Band marks its 10th consecutive year at the fest.

Other Telluride regulars returning for another spring in the Rockies include , Peter Rowan, Tim O’Brien and Bela Fleck.

Photo: Melissa J. Bond

There will be no shortage of Telluride newbies worth seeing, either. This year, Douglas will team with Costello for an all-star acoustic set of bluegrass-influenced music. With several musical collaborations under their belts, expect Harris to join Costello for a tune or two.

Railroad Earth, Todd Snider, Zac Brown Band and Mike Farris are just a few of the other artists confirmed for Telluride. Many more will be announced in the weeks ahead.

For four days each spring, the population of Telluride expands about five-fold with 10,000 festivalgoers from across the globe flocking to the picturesque former mining town. The site of late-night “nightgrass” concerts and jam sessions indoors as well as at the campgrounds, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is a must-see event for fans of American roots music.

Tickets for shows and camping can be purchased at shop.bluegrass.com and more information about the festival and other Telluride events can be found at planetbluegrass.com.