COOLEST CAMPSITE CHALLENGE

Campers, we have a special treat for you this year. We are premiering the first ever Telluride Blues & Brews Coolest Campsite Challenge! Anyone that is camping at the festival this year has the opportunity to win some amazing prizes just by having creative campsites. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED!!! The campsites will be judged on their creativity, originality, and quality. 3 judges will roam the campgrounds in search of the coolest campsite throughout the festival and the winners will be announced Sunday after the Gospel hour. There are some rules that should be abided by to have a chance of winning.

COOLEST CAMPSITE CHALLENGE RULES

1. The site must have a particular theme (Please keep PG Rated, families will be camping in the campgrounds). Remember, BE ORIGINAL!!!

2. Please post your campsite name for judging purposes (For example, if your theme is paradise, a name could be "Tropic Blues")

GRAND PRIZES

1st Place Winner - Two 3-Day passes to the 2009 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

2nd Place Winner - Two campground passes for the 2009 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

3rd Place Winner - Two t-shirts from the 2008 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival


SEE YOU AT THE CAMPGROUNDS!!!

FRESH NEW ARTIST FEATURE CONTINUED

For the final day of our fresh new artist feature, we are spotlighting the John Butler Trio as well as Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band.

John Butler Trio

John Butler is many things to many people. To John's family he is a much loved husband, father, brother, and son. To his ever growing fan base it is purely about the musical journey, the groove of the Trio, the soul of the guitar and the honesty and integrity of John's lyrics. To emerging independent artists John is an inspiration and patron to young acts struggling to establish themselves in an increasingly difficult and diluted marketplace. For guitar players John has reignited interest in open tunings, slide-playing and down-home tone, and like his heroes singer/songwriter and slide great Jeff Lang and multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Bob Brozman, John has provided the motivation for many players to pick up the guitar, practice and get deep. To people everywhere who believe in social equity, justice and the human spirit John's words and actions have provided an audible, considered, independent voice and energy to many legitimate and universal concerns. For John however, the importance and focus has always been at the source, his family, his commitment, a voice, a guitar, a song, and the path they walk together. John Butler was born in California and at age eleven swapped one West Coast lifestyle for a vastly different one when his family moved to Pinjarra in Western Australia. By age sixteen John was learning guitar alongside other family members, but he quickly found his affinity with the instrument and his own inspiration to excel, appreciating the cathartic and therapeutic nature that writing and singing his own songs brought to his life in a small country town. This early dedication to the instrument was rewarded soon after as John demonstrated enough discipline to inherit his grandfather's 1930s Dobro. This was a defining moment, now armed with a sense of linage and total commitment John began to define his own voice on the instrument via experimentation with open tunings and a gumbo of musical influences from Celtic folk to Indian ragas and from blues to reggae. John absorbed all of these until he was able to translate them through his own instrumental voice and he began to perform his own music busking in front of large crowds at the Fremantle markets. John continued to work hard on both performing and developing the next part of his musical palette, a merger between his instrumental voice and singing voice. Inspired by pivotal moments along the way such as a Jeff Lang or a Tony McManus concert, John's vocals and lyrics became further inter-locked with his guitar and songwriting completing the puzzle and revealing an inspired and energetic picture. John has recorded many albums since 1998. Many songs have reached Platinum status Australia.

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

"Rousing, hyper, and authentic brand of blues that sounds like what might come out of that secret meth lab nestled deep in the backwaters of the Mississippi Delta." - Mike Breen, Cincinnati City Beat

"They made a woman who was wheel chair bound for 20 years get up and dance." - Kara Luger, Colorado Springs Independent.

"Gifted at guitar/dobro, writing and singing, the Reverend Peyton is a triple threat." -Tim Richards, Blues News International.

"They sound like Robert Johnson on crack... they get one hell of a sound." - Steve Hammer, Nuvo Newsweekly, Indianapolis, IN.

THE REVEREND PEYTON'S BIG DAMN BAND actually isn't that big. It's kinda like your husky pal everyone calls "Tiny." The young, modest three-piece from Indianapolis makes up for its size deficiency with a high-energy sound steeped in classic Blues tradition. With just acoustic guitar, the occasional dobro, a minimal drum kit and the always reliable washboard, the trio concocts a rousing, hyper and authentic brand of Blues that sounds like what might come out of that secret meth lab nestled deep in the backwaters of the Mississippi delta. But the pumping adrenaline doesn't take anything away from the trio's virtuosic grasp on the genre. The Rev. Peyton has a stirring voice dripping with the hallowed, life-worn distinctiveness of the masters, while brother Jayme Peyton (drums) and The Rev's wife, "Washboard" Breezy, stir up a tornadic rhythmic whirl (the Rev's acoustic guitar work is as equally frenetic and skilled). See, size doesn't matter, especially when it comes to from-the-soul, gutbucket Blues music. - MIKE BREEN, Cincinnati CityBeat.

JOIN WARREN HAYNES FOR THE ULTIMATE BLUES & BREWS EXPERIENCE

The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is excited to announce a very special solo performance by

WARREN HAYNES

at the Telluride Conference Center Juke Joint

Saturday Evening, September 13, 2008

If you've ever witnessed a Warren Haynes show,

you know a one-of-a-kind performance is ahead of you


***VERY IMPORTANT***

Due to this unique rare performance a $10.00 upgrade MUST be purchased for all Saturday Juke Joint ticket holders and VIP ticket holders wishing to attend this show.

- If you have already purchased a Saturday Night Juke Joint Pass a $10.00 upgrade MUST be purchased at the Box Office on Saturday, September 13, at 9am.

- VIP Passholders MUST purchase a $10.00 upgrade at the Box Office on Saturday, September 13, at 9am.

- Saturday Juke Joint tickets may still be purchased on-line, however this does not guarantee entry to this show. All Juke Joint ticket holders MUST purchase this upgrade at the Box Office on Saturday, September 13, at 9am, in order to attend this show

- Tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Upgrades are not available online or over the phone.

*If you do not wish to attend this show, no upgrade is necessary for other Juke Joint shows.

*Warren will be replacing the John Butler Trio and G. Love & Special Sauce who are unable to play the Saturday night Juke Joint due to unforeseen circumstances. John and G.Love will still be appearing on the main stage.

FRESH NEW ARTIST FEATURE CONTINUED

For the third day of our fresh new artist feature, we are spotlighting Bryan Lee & The Blues Power Band, Canned Heat, and Tijerina.


Bryan Lee & The Blues Power Band

During the ’80s and ‘90s, the only blues band that visitors to New Orleans would hear was Bryan Lee’s Jump Street Five Band at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street. Blues veteran Bryan Lee, blind since childhood, became a true New Orleans blues institution and kept on delivering his own fiery brand of blues power long after the Old Absinthe House was gone. This was a gig that went a long way to establish New Orleans as a blues town despite the fact that Lee’s style never really departed from his mid-west demeanor, making him the most Chicago-sounding band on the strip. Born in 1943 on March 16, Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Lee lost his eyesight at the age of eight. His avid interest in early rock and blues was fostered through the 1950s with late night listening sessions via the Nashville-based radio station WLAC-AM, where he first encountered the sounds of the three Kings, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker and other influential bluesmen. By his late teens, he was playing rhythm guitar in a regional band called The Glaciers that covered Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry material. Through the ‘60s, Lee’s interest turned to Chicago blues and he soon found himself gigging in blues clubs throughout the Midwest. In January of 1982 (in the midst of a particularly cold Wisconsin winter), Lee relocated to New Orleans and for the next 14 years held down a steady gig playing five nights a week at the Old Absinthe House in the heart of the French Quarter. He subsequently went to the Opera House and 544 Club and remains one of the most crowd-pleasing acts on Bourbon Street to this day. Lee debuted on Justin Time in 1991 with The Blues Is and has since released a string of powerful outings on the label, including 1993’s Memphis Bound, 1995’s Braille Blues Daddy, 1997’s Live at the Old Absinthe House Bar and 2000’s Crawfish Lady. His dynamic Blues Power Band was captured in concert at The Spectrum in Montreal on the recent Justin Time DVD, Live & Dangerous. Today Bryan Lee is going stronger than ever, touring across the US, Canada and Europe playing the blues with his Blues Power Band as well as guesting on other artists’ shows. In March 2007 Lee took part in highly successful whirlwind legends' tour featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s blues documentary 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, with his hit song “Tina Marie.” As Bryan puts it, this collaboration granted him “the distinct honor and pleasure” of being on stage with Pine Top Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Flett, and Willie Big Eye Smith. As the 2008 festival season unfolds, Bryan is primed and ready to take his own band on tour in the wake of his latest Justin Time release, Katrina Was Her Name, produced by guitar great Duke Robillard.

Canned Heat

Canned Heat rose to fame because their knowledge and love of blues music was both wide and deep. Emerging in 1966, Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. Drawing on an encyclopedic knowledge of all phases of the genre, the group specialized in updating obscure old blues recordings. Applying this bold approach, the band attained two worldwide hits, “On The Road Again” in 1968 and “Going Up The Country” in 1969. These were inspired interpretations of the late 1920s blues recordings by Floyd Jones and Henry Thomas. Canned Heat gained international attention and secured their niche in the pages of rock ‘n roll history with their performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969. Alan Wilson was already renowned for his distinctive harmonica work when he accompanied veteran bluesman, Son House, on his rediscovery album, “Father of the Delta Blues.” Hite took the name Canned Heat from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson. They were joined by Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine, another ardent record collector and former member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, capable of fretboard fireworks at a moment’s notice. Rounding out the band in 1967 were Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass, an experienced session musician who had played with Jerry Lee Lewis and The Monkees and Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra on drums who had played in two of the biggest Latin American bands, Los Sinners and Los Hooligans and then with The Platters, The Shirelles, T-Bone Walker and Etta James.Canned Heat’s unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie has earned them a loyal following and influenced many aspiring guitarists and bands during the past four decades. Their Top-40 country-blues-rock songs, “On The Road Again,” “Let’s Work Together,” and “Going Up The Country,” became rock anthems throughout the world with the latter being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock. Their cover version of Wilbert Harrison’s “Let’s Work Together” was actually their biggest hit as it rose to #1 in 31 different countries around the world.Much of Canned Heat’s legacy stems from these three, classic, early recordings, which featured two unique talents, both of whom died young: Alan Wilson (b. July 4, 1943, Boston, Massachusetts; d. September 3, 1970, Topanga, California), a gifted slide guitarist, harmonica player, songwriter and vocalist with a high tenor reminiscent of blues great Skip James; and Bob Hite (b. February 26, 1945, Torrance, California; d. April 6, 1981, Venice, California), a blues shouter whose massive physique earned him the nickname “The Bear.” His size was matched only by his equally massive knowledge of blues music.

Tijerina

Todd Tijerina (Tee-her-ee-na) is one of the few individuals possessing the right amounts of talent and determination to make a successful living playing music. And like most career musicians his passion started early. "A friend lent me a bass guitar when I was nine years old and I began teaching myself some simple lines," he recalls. "Shortly thereafter, a teenaged neighbor who knew I wanted to play guitar told me he just happened to have one for sale, a K-Mart electric going for five bucks. Within minutes I was back on his doorstep with a handful of coins and two singles. Man, I was so excited! My first real guitar!" Todd began teaching himself songs from his favorite albums and quickly realized what he wanted to be when he grew up: a professional musician. Todd was born and raised in the working class suburbs of Chicago. "My family was poor, so when the rent was raised or money was tighter than usual we would move someplace more affordable. I feel that having lived in so many places as a kid made me aware of differences and helped broaden my perspectives. And I feel this has helped me as a songwriter. Always being the new kid on the block made me feel a real need to prove and express myself to the other kids, so they would know me as someone worth knowing. Music became the perfect avenue." Although Todd grew up in the blues capital of the world, it wasn't until moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico in his late teens that he was exposed to the art form. "Some friends of mine and my older sister had turned me on to Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Their styles were new and really grabbed me, like nothing I had heard before." Through the music of Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Todd was led to other blues greats like B.B., Albert, and Freddie King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and others who would become major influences for him in his playing, singing and song writing. He immersed himself in the guitar, practicing every minute he could. And he began listening to contemporaries such as Smokin' Joe Kubek, Duke Robillard, Tab Benoit, Robben Ford, Luther Alison and others. "I also began really taking notes on the vocal stylings of different artists like Robert Cray and B.B. King. Those are two of my favorite singers." Of his mentors Tijerina says, "Man if I own their album, they're an influence." Though his music is categorized as blues-rock, you can hear jazz and funk influences in his song writing and playing. One can also detect a bit of southwestern blues flavor, not surprisingly as that is the region where Tijerina has spent most of his musical career touring from New Mexico to Texas, Colorado and Arizona making a living playing his unique brand of high octane and yet lowdown blues. Just as the fertile soil we all walk upon was once something different, a myriad of rocks, plants, ancient animal carcasses and hard mineral deposits, Todd has intertwined his introverted and passionate personality with his influences to create something that is new and potent. "I live to play", says Tijerina of his obsession "I've always loved music, but the blues is my first real and lasting sweetheart." His soulful style rolls from lyrical and sweet to harsh and howling. His voice, like his guitar, is at times smooth as silk, and at other times hard and demanding, yet always clear and direct. Truly a fiery and captivating performer.

FRESH NEW ARTIST FEATURE CONTINUED

For the second day of the fresh new artist feature, we are spotlighting Back Door Slam, John Hiatt & The Ageless Beauties, and Moreland & Arbuckle.

Back Door Slam

"I heard the spirit of Jimi Hendrix coming from the open, streetside windows of a joint called B.D. Riley's. It was ‘Red House,' executed superbly by a surprisingly young trio called Back Door Slam.” – Patrick MacDonald on Back Door Slam at SXSW in the Seattle Times Almost everyone, if pressed, can recall some key point in their life when a single event caused them to suddenly and dramatically alter course. To have had such a revelation at age 11 and to have made good on it—turning a spontaneous passion into a serious profession that demands lifelong commitment—now that's a little out of the ordinary. “I was in a car with my dad, and he put on Dire Straits' ‘Sultans of Swing,'” explains Davy Knowles, 20-year-old guitarist, singer and principal songwriter of the blues-rock trio Back Door Slam. “I just fell in love with the music then and there. That track changed my life, and I realized, ‘I really want to be able to do that.' ” The inspirational moment occurred on the Isle of Man, the tiny kingdom stuck in the middle of the Irish Sea (roughly equidistant from Belfast to the west and Liverpool to the east), where the teenaged trio coalesced—with this particular lineup in 2006. Knowles and drummer Ross Doyle, 20, had played together in a prior version; bassist Adam Jones, 19, was the most recent to join. Taking its name from a song popularized by early inspiration Robert Cray, Back Door Slam, has, however, acted rather swiftly on its intention to make good. Under the guidance of the same IOM-based management team that launched multi-platinum Grammy-nominated Corinne Bailey Rae last year, they have already issued a pair of EPs and a full concert DVD, wowed audiences at the U.S.'s taste-making South by Southwest conference, supported name acts as diverse as Don McLean and Elvin Bishop, and prepared an audaciously impressive debut album, ROLL AWAY, issued by independent Blix Street Records, best known for the catalogue of recordings by the late Eva Cassidy. That release was preceded by the band's first full American tour. If conventional wisdom has it that the most popular activity of the young is rebelling against everything that preceded them, it's wisdom that is in need of some reevaluation. Both the general tradition of the blues and the specific experience of Back Door Slam refute it, in ways that support the linkage of all good music across any expanse of time or space. “Sultans of Swing” got Knowles started on guitar (“I nicked my dad's acoustic and figured the song out by ear. I must've played it for a year.”) and led him to his father's record collection. “That's where I found people like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers,” Knowles recalls with obvious fondness, “and, from there, I got into Eric Clapton and Peter Green in the early Fleetwood Mac, and [late Irish axe-man] Rory Gallagher, who I just love. Then I began reading guitar-player magazines and started seeing who the people I was influenced by had listened to, which is how I learned about Blind Willie Johnson and Robert Johnson.” As much as the band enjoyed recording its debut long-player "Roll Away", playing live is “definitely where it's at,” says Knowles. “It's all I ever wanted to do: go on tour and keep playing.” Which is what Back Door Slam did throughout the spring and summer of 2007. On their Austin stop at SXSW, the musicians ran into a fellow artist with Isle of Man connections. “We got to meet Pete Townshend,” Knowles enthuses. “He was really nice and took time to speak with us. He went to school on the Isle of Man for a bit, and I think he's still got relatives there.” The hook-up with the Who man further underscores just how far the young trio has come in such a short time. At the end of May, Back Door Slam performed on the same bill with The Who, as featured guests at the Isle's first annual Peel Bay Festival. It's not at all unlikely that their performance on that stage, and on the 11 tracks that comprise the ROLL AWAY album, will wind up affecting music fans just as deeply as “Sultans of Swing” touched Davy Knowles. A tradition continues.

John Hiatt & The Ageless Beauties

John Hiatt's career has spanned more than 30 years and his songs have been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, and BB King to Iggy Pop, Three Dog Night and The Neville Brothers. John Hiatt began his solo career with the 1974 album Hangin' Around the Observatory. Hiatt's landmark 1987 release Bring The Family received critical praise and was his first album to chart in the U.S. In 1993, Rhino Records released Love Gets Strange: The Songs of John Hiatt, which collected many of the cover versions of his songs that were recorded during the 80s and 90s. 2000's Crossing Muddy Waters was released on the independent imprint Vanguard Records to critical acclaim and called “The most natural and relaxed John Hiatt album in years…” by All Music Guide. On May 27, New West Records released John Hiatt's new full length album Same Old Man, his first album since 2005's critically acclaimed Master of Disaster, of which The Washington Post declared “Hiatt has written some of the best melodies of his career,” and Time Out New York proclaimed “...his most vibrant and soulful album in years.” Same Old Man will also be available as a Limited Edition 180 gram vinyl record. Same Old Man was recorded at Highway 61 Recordings and produced by John Hiatt. Appearing on the album are Kenneth Blevins on drums, Patrick O'Hearn on bass and Luther Dickinson on guitar, mandolin and national resonator. John's daughter, Lilly Hiatt, sings harmony on the songs “Love You Again” and “What Love Can Do.”

Moreland & Arbuckle

Myth-making and myth-busting is what the blues has always been about. For example: There are intersections where roads cross in the rural South, but there is no “crossroads.” The roots of the blues originate in Africa, but the music did not exist until the African and Anglo traditions met and commingled in post-Civil War America. The death of the blues gets predicted with numbing repetition, but then is regularly “reborn” for an audience hungry for spiritual nourishment. The great state of Kansas is best known for producing “Dorothy” and a bombastic rock band in the 1970s. Until now. Enter Moreland & Arbuckle fresh from the heartland with their hair-raising mix of stomping Mississippi Hill Country, Delta and rural blues. Reaching the finals at the 2005 International Blues Competition in Memphis allowed them to bust out of their regional confines after performing together for only three years, and since then the dynamic duo have taken their emotionally searing music around the world. Guitarist Aaron “Chainsaw” Moreland was born on December 16, 1974 in Emporia, Kansas. His father played and his son's earliest memories are of hearing 8-track tapes of Kiss and Led Zeppelin records. As he grew, Moreland felt compelled to become a musician as his only option and began playing guitar at 15, serving his apprenticeship in rock bands until hearing Son House seven years later. His total immersion in the rawest prewar blues even extends to his choice of instruments that include a fretless, four-string “cigar box” guitar that contains a bass string, a National Steel and a funky old parlor guitar. Singer and harp blower Dustin Arbuckle was born in Wichita, Kansas on December 25, 1981 and experienced a parallel upbringing with his musician father and singing from a very early age. He also followed his muse to play at 15 after hearing Elmore James and B.B. King, though the blues harp lessons would become his vocation. Prior to their current incarnation, Arbuckle and Moreland also had an electric quartet called the King Snakes that was reduced to an acoustic duo after shedding bassists once too often. Rare are the young contemporary blues cats that can convincingly evoke primal country blues without being mere dilettantes. Perhaps Aaron Moreland explains it best when he describes what he and Dustin Arbuckle express as, “Life experiences, emotive musical overtones and rhythms, honest and heartfelt music…raw, stripped down, primal and sincere.”

FRESH NEW ARTIST FEATURE

Each day this week we are going to feature some of the artists that are debuting at the festival this year. Today we have Big Sam's Funky Nation, Etta James & The Roots Band, Mama's Cookin, Ryan McGarvey, and Trampled Under Foot. ENJOY!!!

Big Sam's Funky Nation

Presiding over his Funky Nation is Big Sam, formerly the trombonist for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who blows the funk out of his trombone and refuses to let the audience sit still. Between solos and trombone riffs, Big Sam second-lines (a uniquely New Orleans style of street-dance) and gets the crowd going both in movement and in replies to his call-and-response MC-style. A talented group of jazz-trained musicians makes up the Funky Nation, bringing with them the improv-style associated with jazz and the horn-heavy front section that's the hallmark of big band funk. Theirs, and Big Sam's, exuberant dancing and playing, afford them a rare opportunity to let loose. Big Sam's Funky Nation has undeniable personality, as well as masterful chops.

Etta James & The Roots Band

Etta James has seen it all: in a life lived to the full, she has experienced all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the joy, the pain and then, rejuvenation, reinvention and renewal. With a range of material that would render most singers helpless, the truly legendary Etta James – a three-time Grammy award winner, NARAS Lifetime Achievement, Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer awardee and W.C. Handy Blues Foundation honoree, who rightfully has her own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame - shows that when it comes to music that speaks to the soul, she is virtually peerless. After all, who else could tackle Leonard Bernstein’s classic “Somewhere” in the space of one record and then give "Holding Back The Years" the kind of world-weary workout that makes you say, "Simply who?" in a reference to the song’s originator, Simply Red. In much the way she is a musical storyteller, Etta relishes the opportunity to talk about her choices for ALL THE WAY: “The title track? Well, I’ve been hearing that song since I was a child growing up. My mother was a jazz fanatic and she wanted me to play the piano so I could play jazz tunes. I wish I had learned but I was too busy running out there, getting into trouble! I do remember she always told me, ‘even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it.’ I’d like to think I did that with this standard…” Perhaps best known as a key album cut by ‘70s band Rufus as well as a Top 5 R&B 1974 hit for its writer, Bobby Womack, the funky “Stop On By” is Etta’s way of paying tribute to the soul man who she’s known for many years: “This song is a real R&B kind of tune just like Bobby Womack who is always very real both with his music and as a person.” In a truly respectful way, Etta pays tribute to another of R&B’s legendary pioneers, the late Johnny Guitar Watson via “Strung Out Over You”. Her soulful, bluesy treatment of the song is one of the many standout cuts on ALL THE WAY, Etta giving the classic tune the kind of down home, honest reading which has been her trademark for a remarkable five decades of recording. “Johnny Guitar…just one of my favorite singers of all time,” she sighs. “I first met him when we were both on the road with (renowned bandleader) Johnny Otis in the ‘50s when I was a teenager. We traveled the country in a car together so I would hear him sing every night. His singing style was the one I took on when I was 17 – people used to call me the ‘female’ Johnny Guitar Watson and him the male ‘Etta James’. This is the first of his songs I’ve ever recorded, although I used to do his ‘I Want To Ta-Ta You Baby’ in my show. He knew what the blues was all about…”

Mama's Cookin

Hip-hop beats and dirty Delta blues anchor the sound of Mama’s Cookin’. The band creates music that could only come from the modern age. The rock-solid drumming of Mike Adamo and resonant bass work of Steve LaBella build a foundation for Mama’s Cookin’. The ultimate front man, Zebuel Early is both charismatic and articulate. Hailing from the musical center of America’s Southern Delta, Zeb came by his blues guitar work honestly. Songs of true beauty and deep intention, crafted with unique and timely lyrics, leave a lasting impression. In 2007 Mama’s Cookin’ chose New York City to record their new album. The team that created the self-titled project features award-winning producer Chuck Zwicky (Prince/Jeff Beck) along with special guests Maya Azucena (Stephen Marley), and producer Pete Miser (Dido). As one reviewer put it "This album hits like a ton of bricks wrapped in velvet." Mama's Cookin's sole objective is to create music that moves: Songs that are inspirational both in the headphones and on the dance floor. 2008 started with a Hawaiian New Year’s celebration that introduced Mama’s Cookin’ to a diverse audience. Locals and travelers alike took in a band for the first time and the rumble of Mama’s Cookin’ swept through the islands. Returning to the mainland, the band exploded on to ESPN’s Winter X Games stage in Aspen, Colorado. Extreme sports fans discovered a band blasting on to the national scene. As soon as their 30-minute set was over they ordered a bottle of Grey Goose and decimated the backstage supply of Red Bull and Budweiser while hitting on your girlfriend. Thereafter they set out to make full use of the free ski passes as Colorado experienced a huge winter.

Ryan McGarvey

"Ryan's playing has the passion and exuberance of youth, but its further lifted by a deep dedication to his craft. His technique is awe-inspiring, but its the dawning subtleties and emotional range that hints of the greatest possibilities--"
- Ian Moore

"Look for this young lion in the future because he's looking for his own sound and what
I've heard so far; I like it."
- Chris Duarte

At age 21, Albuquerque, New Mexico native Ryan McGarvey has in a relatively short amount of time not only gained a national, and international fan base, but admiration from his personal idols as well. In the past few years of Ryan's career he has had the honor, and the pleasure of sharing the bill with such top name act's as Blue Oyster Cult, Shemekia Copeland, Shannon Curfman, Chris Duarte, Ian Moore, John Hammond Jr., Joe Bonamassa, Back Door Slam, Gov't Mule, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and many more. His debut CD release "Forward In Reverse" recently reached the top 20 (out of over 200,000 Artist's Cd's) on the best sellers list on CDBaby.com (The worlds largest online independent distributor). With rave reviews complimenting everything from his fiery guitar chops, which range from everything from delta slide to heavy rock, his unique vocals, or mature songwriting skills, Ryan McGarvey's live shows will leave you breathless and wanting more. Absorbing influences from everything from early delta blues, to classic hard rock, to more contemporary blues/rock artist's of today. In 2006 Ryan was named Guitar Center's "Guitarmaggeddon: Next King Of The Blues" champion of New Mexico. In 2007 & 2008 he was named "Blues Act Of The Year" in The Weekly Alibi's Annual Readers Poll. In 2007 Ryan took home the New Mexico Music Award for "Blues Song Of The Year" for his song "Cryin' Over You", and was nominated for "Mainstream Rock Song Of The Year" for his song "The One That Got Away". Most recently Ryan was named one of very few guitar players to impress the editors of Guitar Player Magazine at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. With a solid rhythm section backing him, Ryan McGarvey and his band are embarking on bigger and better things...

Trampled Under Foot

When was the last time you saw a three piece family blues band with two left handed guitarists? Let alone a blues band with strong lead vocals, both female and male? Trampled Under Foot, winners of the 2008 International Blues Challenge, is like no other blues band you will ever see. Danielle is an amazing blues singer and an excellent bassist. Kris fires right in the pocket on the drums and sings as well. Nick is a strong singer and an accomplished guitarist, winning the 2008 Albert King Award from the IBC. TUF books venues and festivals world wide, having performed at numerous national and international blues festivals.

MR. BUSDRIVER

Having trouble figuring out a way to get to the festival this year? Worry no more! Mr. Busdriver is teaming up with BnB to help bring fans to Telluride! To find out more information, check out Mr. Busdriver's website: http://mrbusdriver.com/telluridebluesbrews.html.

G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE TO PLAY SATURDAY NIGHT JUKE JOINT

Due to unforeseen travel cirumstances the John Butler Trio will be unable to perform at the Telluride Conference Center for one of the Saturday Night Juke Joints. In their replacement, we are happy to inform you that G. Love & Special Sauce will be performing! The ticket prices as well as the start time of the show will remain the same. SEE YOU THERE!!!

BAL DE MAISON and FAIS DO DO

Get your tickets for the Bal de Maison and the Fais Do Do performances.

BAL DE MAISON
Thursday, Sept. 8th @ 10:00PM
Back Door Slam performing at the Fly Me To The Moon Saloon
- $20

FAIS DO DO
Sunday, Sept. 14 @ 9:00PM
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Chris Thomas King Band, and Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band performing at the Sheridan Opera House
- $35