Ten years on and The Ride Festival is alive and kicking. It’s not easy in a town saturated with music events and a host of other summer shindigs, but Ride producer Todd Creel is nothing if not determined to keep his rock ’n’ roll throwdown thriving. And thriving it is. This weekend, with two days of music already under its belt, music fans will be treated to top-flight acts in intimate venues. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Creel, as the new kid on the block festival-wise, has kept his head down and his options open as he nurtures his rock ’n’ roll vision into maturity. His 2020 story was like everything else — canceled by COVID. Last year, he shifted gears and moved from the Town Park stage to a series of concerts — all indoor, save for the Transfer Warehouse — spread across two weekends. This year’s format is similar — his artists will take the stages over a total of five days at the historic Sheridan Opera House, The Moon at O’Bannon’s, Transfer Warehouse and Creel’s newly opened Ride Lounge on Main Street.
Keeping the festival rooted locally has always been important for Creel.
“My vision has always been to do like something that’s authentically Telluride,” he said. “It’s a Telluride local experience, steeped in rock ’n’ roll, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that. Our staff, a lot of our vendors, everybody in the whole network, 90 percent of them are local. There are some things you have to bring from out of town, but everything that we could source locally we have and in the park, I feel like you get that vibe. You kind of get that sense of like, this is Telluride. It’s special, you know, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have some pretty good acts roll through it.”
When it comes to “pretty good acts,” this year will blow your hair back like the man in the Maxell cassette tape ads. And, best of all, the shows for each day are staggered so attendance is possible at all three performances.
Friday at 5 p.m. the Ride Lounge continues its first come, first served free shows at the 100-person capacity space with singer-songwriter James McMurtry. This formidable storyteller has garnered praise from another acclaimed spinner of yarns, author Stephen King. “The simple fact is that James McMurtry may be the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation,” King said. Doors are at 4 p.m.
Afterwards, there’s time to grab a bite before heading over to the Sheridan Opera House for the 8 p.m. show featuring Black Pistol Fire. This no-holds-barred duo is Kevin McKeown on guitar and lead vocals and Eric Owen on drums. Their live performances have been described as “untamed,” which is the very definition of rock ’n’ roll.
Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown’s blues-inflected rock will fill The Moon at O’Bannon’s for a 10 p.m. show. Musical chops, solid songwriting and highway-cruising energy will all be on display.
Saturday you can plan your Ride day the same way as Friday. The Ride Lounge free show at 5 p.m. features Danielle Ponder. Influenced by blues and gospel, Ponder left a career in law to pursue music. Her voice wraps around songs of both love and social consciousness with warmth and bottomless emotion.
Craft your Saturday night buzz with two great nighttime shows in mind. Creel has long been a fan of supergroup Arc Angels, an Austin-based collective whose story is as captivating as its Texas-infused, intense rock ’n’ roll. According to the band’s official bio, that story began in 1992 after the devastating loss of their friend and fellow musician Stevie Ray Vaughan. The miracle that came from that loss was the unique sound of four musicians aptly named — The Arc Angels: drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon (the veteran rhythm section of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble) coupled with musical wonders Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II sharing lead vocal and lead guitar duties. Their opera house show is at 8 p.m.
If Arc Angels didn’t completely tap your energy, make your way to The Moon (OB’s) for Big Something. Since their first Telluride gig, locals have been mad for this North Carolina-based funky-jammy-improv six piece. They’ve gotten to be a fixture on the festival circuit and regularly sell out headlining gigs, so that they’re at the cozy, subterranean Moon — just wow.
Sunday, in rock world, is not a day of rest, though sleeping in is completely acceptable. The schedule is a little different, but it starts with the same intimate, free Ride Lounge performance, this time, Big Something in an acoustic iteration. Doors at 4 p.m., show at 5 p.m., first come, first served.
You and Big Something will then head over to the Transfer Warehouse for a 6 p.m. show. Danielle Ponder will open for the electrified version of Big Something.
Black Pistol Fire will bring the Ride home at the opera house at 8 p.m.
For tickets and a schedule, go to ridefestival.com. Tickets are also available at the door of each venue, or at the Ride Lounge from 5-7 p.m.
