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New festival, age-old tradition
  
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By Chris Michlewicz
The sweet sound of a finger-picked mandolin emanates through the air as five bearded men belt out pastoral harmonies that echo through the rafters.
It is bluegrass music at its finest, and Castle Rock stands at the precipice of an annual event that could draw tens of thousands of people to celebrate the southern backwoods genre. With the overwhelming success of the first annual All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival at the Douglas County Events Center in May, there are already early-stage plans to turn the event into something that could one day rival the immensely popular Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
The demand for a local festival has grown in recent years, and Castle Rock is seen as the perfect location for a large gathering because it sits in the center of a strong bluegrass fan base and is a short drive down the highway for most people. The town also boasts a venue – the events center at the Douglas County Fairgrounds - that enables festival-goers to camp for up to three nights.
Walter Josey, a Larkspur resident for nine years, threw the May jam-boree together on a whim, knowing that there was the chance to bring in a wealth of untapped talent from Colorado Springs, Denver and the north metro area. He pulled it off.
“We all sensed something special was happening,” Josey said. “You have thoughts and dreams and ideas on how things will turn out and the enthusiasm just picked up and was reflected in the patrons and how the bands performed.”
While many often associate bluegrass music with its Appalachian roots, the style has caught on in other parts of the country, and Colorado players have put their own unique twist on it, Josey said.
Businesses and town officials embraced the All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival with open arms. It is being viewed as an attraction that could quickly gain a loyal following and potentially bring an early-summer economic boon to local shops and restaurants.
Buzz surrounding next year’s festival has town residents excited and optimistic about its long term success. Jesse Kucinski, who has lived in Castle Rock for nearly five years, said it is “mind-boggling” that no one has yet established a local bluegrass festival. The events center is the perfect place to host indoor and outdoor shows for a large audience, she said.
“It’s a great place to go. It’s big and there is lots of room for campers,” said Kucinski, an amateur mountain and hammer dulcimer player who attends shows throughout the Front Range. “I would definitely go every year.”
The lead-up to the next festival - scheduled for May 15, 2010 - actually begins at 7 p.m. July 17 with a small show featuring two bands, one being BluegrassXpression, for which Josey plays the mandolin. Monthly bluegrass concerts are planned at the Java Guru through next May, and each gig will include at least one band that will play at the larger festival.
Josey is hoping to build a strong word-of-mouth campaign to draw crowds to the big festival. Luckily, the bluegrass community is extremely supportive, and producers and consumers of the music will likely travel from all over the state to descend on Castle Rock next May. It will be their chance to hear Colorado’s latest celebration of an age-old tradition and glimpse the newest showcase for local talent.
For more information about the concerts or the 2010 All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival, visit www.allcobluegrass.com or e-mail allcobg@hotmail.com.
“We all sensed something special was happening.” -Walter Josey, founder of All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival, on first annual event
It is bluegrass music at its finest, and Castle Rock stands at the precipice of an annual event that could draw tens of thousands of people to celebrate the southern backwoods genre. With the overwhelming success of the first annual All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival at the Douglas County Events Center in May, there are already early-stage plans to turn the event into something that could one day rival the immensely popular Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
The demand for a local festival has grown in recent years, and Castle Rock is seen as the perfect location for a large gathering because it sits in the center of a strong bluegrass fan base and is a short drive down the highway for most people. The town also boasts a venue – the events center at the Douglas County Fairgrounds - that enables festival-goers to camp for up to three nights.
Walter Josey, a Larkspur resident for nine years, threw the May jam-boree together on a whim, knowing that there was the chance to bring in a wealth of untapped talent from Colorado Springs, Denver and the north metro area. He pulled it off.
“We all sensed something special was happening,” Josey said. “You have thoughts and dreams and ideas on how things will turn out and the enthusiasm just picked up and was reflected in the patrons and how the bands performed.”
While many often associate bluegrass music with its Appalachian roots, the style has caught on in other parts of the country, and Colorado players have put their own unique twist on it, Josey said.
Businesses and town officials embraced the All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival with open arms. It is being viewed as an attraction that could quickly gain a loyal following and potentially bring an early-summer economic boon to local shops and restaurants.
Buzz surrounding next year’s festival has town residents excited and optimistic about its long term success. Jesse Kucinski, who has lived in Castle Rock for nearly five years, said it is “mind-boggling” that no one has yet established a local bluegrass festival. The events center is the perfect place to host indoor and outdoor shows for a large audience, she said.
“It’s a great place to go. It’s big and there is lots of room for campers,” said Kucinski, an amateur mountain and hammer dulcimer player who attends shows throughout the Front Range. “I would definitely go every year.”
The lead-up to the next festival - scheduled for May 15, 2010 - actually begins at 7 p.m. July 17 with a small show featuring two bands, one being BluegrassXpression, for which Josey plays the mandolin. Monthly bluegrass concerts are planned at the Java Guru through next May, and each gig will include at least one band that will play at the larger festival.
Josey is hoping to build a strong word-of-mouth campaign to draw crowds to the big festival. Luckily, the bluegrass community is extremely supportive, and producers and consumers of the music will likely travel from all over the state to descend on Castle Rock next May. It will be their chance to hear Colorado’s latest celebration of an age-old tradition and glimpse the newest showcase for local talent.
For more information about the concerts or the 2010 All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival, visit www.allcobluegrass.com or e-mail allcobg@hotmail.com.
“We all sensed something special was happening.” -Walter Josey, founder of All Colorado Bluegrass Music Festival, on first annual event
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