By Katherine Weadley

Redstone Review News Editor

LYONS – The outdoor musical events at the Wildflower Pavilion are a sure sign of spring. Planet Bluegrass in Lyons just announced its concert series, which is to be held on the ranch. The Wildflower nourishes its roots with a return to the more pure sounds of bluegrass this spring with: Chatham County Line and Milk Drive (March 27), Long Road Home and Flexigrass (April 9), Head for the Hills and Town Mountain (April 16), and Anne and Pete Sibley (May 14^th).

Three of the four shows feature bands that have won the RockyGrass band contest. RockyGrass is a multi-day multi-purpose bluegrass extravaganza held every summer on the Planet Bluegrass ranch. These coveted awards are earned by up-and-coming talents and afterwards the bands have gone on to successful national touring careers. The three contest winners performing this spring are: Chatham County Line, Long Road Home, and Town Mountain. Anne and Pete Sibley are winners of the National Public Radio Prairie Home Companion’s “Great American Duet Sing-Off.”

Although both Lyons-based concert promoters High Street Concerts and Planet Bluegrass have actively recruited the band Chatham County Line, this will be its first non-festival concert in Colorado since the band won the 2004 RockyGrass award. Publicist Brian Eyster of Planet Bluegrass says that lead-singer/songwriter Dave Wilson is one of the finest songwriters in bluegrass. The band flew to Norway recently where they were nominees at the Norwegian Grammys (known as the Spellemann Awards) for their collaboration with Norwegian legend Jonas Field. Eyster said “They didn’t win the award but apparently they sell out huge auditoriums in Norway. We can’t let Norway beat Lyons now, can we?”

Chatham County Line played at RockyGrass in 2008. After earning a standing ovation and encore on the main stage the band performed an encore mini-set next to the entrance of the festival, much to the delight of the crowd. The hipster web site Pitchfork describes Chatham County Line as “expert but never sterile or clichéd.”

The next band in the spring lineup features bluegrass veteran Pete Wernick, often known as Dr. Banjo. Wernick is a regular member of the bluegrass band Long Road Home, which is a traditional bluegrass quintet, as well as his unusual sextet of Flexigrass. The sextet consists of the clarinet, vibraphone, drums, bass, bocals/guitar and banjo). Flexigrass is a style of bluegrass that uniquely blends traditional jazz and rootsier folk and bluegrass. Musician Bela Fleck says,  “I love the way Flexigrass blends bluegrass banjo into an early jazz band. A very appealing combination.” Wernick is also known for his band Hot Rize and for mentoring comedian Steve Martin on the banjo.

Spring Wildflower Concerts are still fairly new to Planet Bluegrass but growing quickly in popularity. Eyster says that people drive from Wyoming and Colorado Springs to attend Wildflower concerts and the word is getting out. The Wildflower seats about 300 people and is known for its intimate setting and great acoustics.

“Our biggest hurdle for the spring concerts is reminding folks that the pavilion is completely enclosed and heated during the colder nights. We start the bonfire at 7 p.m., so folks can set things down on their seats inside, grab beer or wine at the indoor bar, then enjoy the bonfire along the St. Vrain River,” said Eyster.

This summer Planet Bluegrass also features its RockyGrass Festival and Folks Festival. The 38^th Annual RockyGrass (July 23 to 25) features Doc Watson, Patty Loveless, Tony Rice Unite, Sam Bush Bluegrass Band, and many more. The 20^th Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival (Aug. 13 to 15) includes in its almost-complete line-up John Prine, Ani DiFranco, Academy Award winners the Swell Season, Richard Thompson, Marc Cohn, Jenny Lewis and many more. “There is unprecedented demand for tickets this year and it is likely that tickets will be sold out by mid-May. It is best to get tickets early,” warns Eyster.

Discount tickets for Lyons locals will be available from Thursday, April 1 thru Friday, April 16 exclusively at the Stone Cup. Three-day RockyGrass festival passes will be discounted to $115 ($15 discount) and single-day tickets will be discounted to $45, (a discount of $5). Tickets are available only at the Stone Cup Café (303-823-2345). No phone or internet orders will be accepted.  A local ID or proof of residency in the 80540 zip code is required, and this offer is limited to two tickets per person.

Katherine Weadley is a freelance writer and was part of the Boulder Daily Camera newsroom staff for four years. She has a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Denver and used to work at the University of Colorado as a social sciences and humanities reference librarian. She lives in Lyons with her husband, two sons and her dog Winter, and Wolfy, a new puppy.

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