Absylom Rising, Panic Tribute at the Moon GROOVIEW

TELLURIDE – The lazy days of summer just keep rolling along, and while some may celebrate the ritual of the Nothing Festival in Telluride, there’s plenty going on around town and beyond, as a feast of sumptuous musical treats awaits music lovers of all tastes this weekend.

The Sheridan Arts Foundation's Summer Concert Series brings several fine offerings to the mid-summer banquet, and the Historic Sheridan Opera House will rock tonight with the tremendous Josh Ritter & Band.

Ritter is on a roll, having kicked off 2008 with an appearance on the Letterman

Show followed by a sold-out performance with the Boston Pops, and will hit the

Denver Mile High Festival following his Telluride gig tonight. He’s also slated to appear at the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest in Lyons next month.

Yes, Ritter is a busy guy, and the success comes as the Idaho musician sees the fruition of years of fastidious work. His latest effort, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, finds the multi-faceted artist hitting his stride, with a rollicking stream of consciousness style that is simultaneously thought provoking and irresistibly humorous.

“Those voices can be pretty confusing," jokes Ritter on his website. "But there is no doubt that if you follow your 2 a.m. voices you’ll end up someplace fairly extraordinary."

An understatement, Ritter is terrific and his band kicks it down hard to drive his infectious grooves into the pocket. The lyrics in his tune “Rumors” give a nod to the monster players in his band, and well describes the wall-of-sound style arrangements.

“My orchestra is gigantic. This thing could sink the Titanic 
and the string section¹s screaming. 
Like horses in a barn burning up.”

Ritter has been wowing audiences at major engagements across the country, including the gig with The Boston Pops last month, which prompted The Boston Phoenix to name him “Idaho's All Time Best Solo Artist” in their 50 Bands/50 States list.

A contemporary gem, be sure to catch the amazing Ritter and his heavy-hitting band tonight at the Opera House.

Saturday night, the SAF presents something completely different, with The Colorado Symphony set to perform their Western Slope debut at the Michael D. Palm Theatre.

Established in 1989, the CSO is based in Denver under the direction of Jeffrey Kahane, and performs masterworks, pops and special concerts throughout the year. This performance will include modern and classic works, including Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, Copland's Suite from the Tender Land and Kevin Puts’s Two Mountain Scenes.

Get a taste of culture, with The Colorado Symphony, Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Palm.

Sunday night, the SAF wraps the weekend in perfect harmony with the incredible Leo Kottke, who returns to Telluride for a solo show at the Sheridan Opera House.

Widely known for his distinctive fingerpicking style, Kottke amazes, with his uncanny ability to sound like multiple guitarist, and his finesse at running the musical gauntlet, drawing on influences from classical to folk, blues, jazz, and good old rock and roll. The prolific Kottke often sprinkles his shows with humorous anecdotes, and mixes it up with his unconventional tuning on both the six- and 12-string guitars.

In the early 1980s, Kottke began applying classical technique to his already incredible style, largely due to tendonitis, and the changes pushed Kottke to venture into the New Age realm. Still, the virtuoso guitarist defies labels, and in 2002 he collaborated with Phish's bass player Mike Gordon on the terrific Clone CD, which the pair followed with the widely acclaimed Sixty Six Steps.

Kottke's collaborative work is well known, including with his mentor John Fahey. He's also played with everyone from Chet Atkins to Ricky Lee Jones and Lyle Lovett, and fans of A Prairie Home Companion know his improvisational skills are unsurpassed.

A long-time friend of Telluride, welcome the unparalleled Leo Kottke back to town this Sunday night at the Opera House. He’s mind-blowing!

At the Fly Me to the Moon Saloon this weekend, get ready to rock, when Absylom Rising returns to the downtown club on Saturday night. The band was formed in Oxford, Miss., and soon began their ever-expanding concentric circles on the road, now playing some 200 shows a year. Absylom Rising continues to broaden their fan base due to their relentless touring, and has garnered national attention for their funky infusion of jam, rock and deep delta blues.

The band's latest release, Under The Radar, contained the tremendous title track and the single “Make It Through,” both of which are receiving airplay on college stations across the country.

No strangers to Telluride audiences, AR's Heath Mason says the band is in Colorado for a whirl. "We're in the middle of a short summer tour, hitting Denver, Steamboat Springs, Keystone, Trinidad, Santa Fe, Durango, and Telluride," he explains, and adds that the band is having a blast. "This is our first time to play Colorado in the summer and it is incredible. We've played Telluride two or three times, most recently during our spring tour in March, but I'm looking forward to seeing it without all the snow. The Fly Me to the Moon is truly one of our favorite joints!”

The powerhouse rocks hard, and lays down thick and tasty funk grooves tinged with their Mississippi delta roots. Mason adds that there’s a new addition to the group. “This tour features our friend Jeremy Ward on percussion. He has played with and led multiple bands from the southeast, most notably The Ward from Starkville, Miss., and he brings the thunder. Everyone should come check him out!”

Mason also notes that the band will be hanging through the weekend. “We’re presenting a new thing at the Moon on Sunday called ‘Bowl for the Dog: A Tribute to Widespread Panic.’ This will be a full night of Panic music, so come on out and jam with us!”

Oh, by the way, the Moon is closed tonight, but the legendary underground club will make up for it when they bring the sensational Salvador Santana back to town next Wednesday. Look for this to be a mid-week rager at the Moon!

Down the block, The Last Dollar Saloon will rock this weekend, when the all-girl band Riveter rolls in for a show on Saturday night. Based in Grand Junction, Riveter formed in 2004, and as the pink-glitter Daisy Rock guitar-slinging Robin Dearing says, the girls have been rocking ever since.

"We recorded a full-length CD Whatever in 2005. In 2007, we put out two EPs, which we will have for sale at the show. We are currently working on a new EP which we expect to have out by the end of summer.”

The girls are gaining attention across the country, including playing the famed Austin, Texas, South by Southwest Festival for the second year in a row, and Dearing says Riveter hits it hard, with classic rock flavored with punk/alt influences. “We put on a fun, high-energy, kick-ass show, and we can't wait to rock the pants off Telluride!”

Look for Riveter to wow ya, Saturday night at The Buck.

At the Bubble Lounge this weekend, jazz is the word, with BluOrbit hovering for a gig tonight. The funky jazz trio features the prolific Mike Pale on guitar, and the band will groove you, tonight at the O2 bar.

Saturday night at the Bubble, it’s Top Shelf Jazz, the moveable feast of Montrose musicians, including band organizer John Phillips on trumpet and keys, Chris Tarman on bass, Rick Mainiero on drums, and Alan Vigil on guitar. “We like to take a lot of older stuff, like Miles Davis and jazz it up with funk grooves,” says Vigil. “We really are all about getting people up and dancing. After three years, it feels like we’re starting to find our feet.”

Get more at topshelfjazz.com, and find your feet and boogie down with Top Shelf, Saturday night at the O2 bar.

Sunday night, chill with the cool sounds of The Lizard Head Jazz Club at the Bubble Lounge, starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening.

In Ridgway this weekend, catch the Voles for a show at the Sherbino Theatre on Saturday night. Guitarist Lane Rider has a couple of side projects in the works, including his band High Plains, which will open the show, starting at 8 p.m. this Saturday night.

Next week, brace your feet with the alt-folk-rocker Carrie Rodriguez hitting the Sunset Concert Series stage in Mountain Village on Wednesday. Also, Kent Burnside and The New Generation are rolling into Telluride for a couple of gigs of gigs next weekend, and Cajun Fest is right around the corner with Buckwheat Zydeco on Aug. 1.

Happy feasting!