The Live from Mt. CB music series returns for the summer of 2009 with an exciting lineup of amazing musicians.  Join us every Wednesday between July 8th and August 26th for an evening of music at the base of Mt. Crested Butte.

July 8
Sweet Sunny South

Sweet Sunny South is an acoustic old-timey string band that plays a unique blend of new and traditional music. Based in Paonia, Colorado, the band has been making a name for itself at festivals and theatres throughout the region for the past 8 years and received invitations to perform an official showcase band for the IMBA and the Folks Alliance in 2006. Audiences can expect a highly entertaining stage show featuring rollicking fiddle tunes, soulful ballads, tight vocal harmonies and an exceptional array of original songs combined with a heavy dose of humor that keeps the crowd smiling.

www.sweetsunnysouth.com 

July 15
The Elders

Since forming in 1998, The Elders have brought their musical mix of powerful vocals, amped-up roots rock, blazing instrumentals and first-rate songwriting to festivals, pubs and theaters throughout the United States and Ireland.
 
The band creates original music that transcends the stereotypical notion of Celtic music and delivers it with passion and fire. Their songs are funny, political and cultural, with themes of poverty, civil war, family bonds, spirituality, love and friendship. They weave stories of people, places and events; some distant, some recent, some real and some imagined.
 
The Elders are fronted by charismatic Irishman, Ian Byrne from County Wicklow, Ireland, and backed by a group of Kansas City musicians, including guitarist Steve Phillips, bassist Norm Dahlor, violinist Brent Hoad, drummer Tommy Sutherland and keyboardist Joe Miquelon. All are well-known veteran musicians having played in numerous bands before forming The Elders.

www.eldersmusic.com

July 22
Carrie Rodriguez 

Not yet 30 years old and with a critically-acclaimed solo record and several well-received duet records in her wake, Carrie Rodriguez is a classically trained fiddle-toting, mandoguitar-slinging Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter just beginning to flex her artistic muscles with a new CD, She Ain't Me (August 2008 on Manhattan/EMI).

Recent awards include Folk Songwriter of the Year - NPR World Café Feature December 16th and Folk Songwriter of the Year in the 2008 Roots Music Awards presented by the Roots Music Association. MOJO Magazine says Carrie is "hot and steamy one minute and pure Nashville the next."

www.carrierodriguez.com

July 29
Radney Foster

Radney Foster is one of the most recognizable American country music artists today. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd. Between then and 1990, the duo recorded three studio albums for RCA Records and charted nine singles on the country charts.

Foster began his solo career in 1992 when he signed to Arista Records, Although his first release for the label produced four consecutive Top 40 hits, Foster saw his commercial success waning with the release of his second and third albums (1995's Labor of Love and 1999's See What You Want to See, respectively), and by 1999 he had exited Arista's roster. He then signed to the independent Dualtone Records label, for which he has recorded three more albums to date: 2001's Are You Ready for the Big Show?, 2002's Another Way to Go and 2006's This World We Live In.

Overall, Foster has charted thirteen singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the Top Ten hits "Just Call Me Lonesome" (#10, 1992) and "Nobody Wins" (#2, 1993). In addition, he has written singles for other country artists, including Sara Evans, Keith Urban and Jack Ingram.

www.radneyfoster.com


August 5
The Band of Heathens

The immensely popular Austin-based quintet, The Band of Heathens, have made quite a national debut this year, with the release of their first studio album, The Band of Heathens. A relentless breakout performance at the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival, hitting #1 on the Americana Radio Chart, and lauded appearances on Mountain Stage, Woodsongs Radio Hour, and XM Radio are just a few indicators of what the Heathens’ rabid fan-base has been going on about since the band’s “accidental” formation a couple years ago.

The Band of Heathens have drawn comparisons to Little Feat, the Band, Gram Parsons, and the Black Crowes, and are considered by some to be the ambassadors of Austin’s thriving music scene. They don’t bring a setlist, they don’t have a front man, but they bring their Country hued Roots Rock ‘n’ Soul Revival to 240+ shows and festivals a year, from Austin to NYC, to Chicago, to Atlanta, to Denver and beyond.

www.bandofheathens.com 


August 12
Kort McCumber Band 

Kort McCumber weaves a rich and diverse tapestry of musical experience, skill and energy into each and every one ofhis many musical endeavors. A classically trained pianist & cellist, today Kort plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, piano, bouzouki, cello, bass, and more. He just released a brand new cd, “Ain’t The
Same As Before,” featuring drummer Russ Lawton of Trey Anastasio & Mike Gordon. Not quite as country as the last record - a little more back to his folk roots. Live and in person or through the magic of recording technology, you gotta check out this hard driving and hard driven musician.

www.kortmusic.com


August 19
Mango fan Django 

Listening to MANGO fan DJANGO is like sitting at a pre-WWII bistro in Paris and hearing the new music of day -- Hot Swing and Jazz! However, they're also much more than that. MANGO fan DJANGO's wide-ranging influences include Django Reinhardt, Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Nat King Cole, great 50s calypso artists and contemporary European Gyspy jazz musicians. Mango fan Django plays listening, toe-tapping, and dance music all rolled into one. "We like to play at places where people can sit back and really enjoy the music," said Archtop Eddy. "We think we have something for them to hear, and we like it when they can be a part of that experience."


August 26
Panjea

The powerful groove and socially conscious message of Panjea has its roots in the ghettos of Zimbabwe, where Chris Berry learned to play the Mbira and began commingling hip-hop and dancehall beats with traditional African rhythms. The music features lyrics that challenge the listener. It speaks of personal power, the ability to change one’s own life and the world for the better and admonitions to those who would try to keep people from realizing their potential.

Chris Berry along with the mandolin/vocalist Michael Kang of the String Cheese Incident, Zimbabwean guitarist Zivani Masango, Patrice Blanchard on bass, and the Panjea horns (Danny Sears, Trumpet; Chris Cuzme, saxophone) Panjea combine the best elements of African and American music into a tightly knit, compelling music that challenges the head and heart and moves the body. Featuring virtuosic musicianship, and an incredibly eclectic blend of cultures this is a show not to be missed.

www.panjeamusic.com