Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2008

Another great year for Telluride. This year I got a last minute ticket (and thanks again David for the hat tip to get out of town for the weekend) and was just able to get to Telluride for the great music, scenery and friends I have come to love over the last 3 years.

The weekend was relaxing, something I really needed. Sit in the sun, watch some stellar musicians, read a few books, and eat yummy festival food.

Music
To me the best acts were:
Ani DiFranco Band– so glad to see her live. Still amazing, seemed very happy and chipper, to the amazement of my Ani hating friends.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals– the ‘wall of sound’ was a bit much (Wilco can pull it off, it just seemed out of play with Ryan) but a great show.
B̩la Fleck, Duos with FriendsРI am in constant awe when I see him and the best play.
Tim O’Brien– He also lead a workshop with Brett Dennen, which was really a highlight of the festival for me.
Tift Merritt– A bit too country for me, but really connected to the audience, was the perfect afternoon set.
Brett Dennen– Holy hell, how have I not heard of him before? Amazing. Must. Get. More.
The Frames– Best show of the weekend for me. Glen Hansard was magical. Lyrically the strongest band/man I have ever seen. I can imagine hundreds of hours out on the street singing his songs without anyone listening. There is a pain, a hope and a happiness in his songs that I love.
The Swell Season: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova– I could listen to these two for the rest of the year and not get board with a song. They did a workshop in Elks Park that was my favorite set I have seen at Telluride in 3 years.

Books
I was able to read two books:
The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine For some reason I love culinary books, even fine dining ones like this show the importance of apprenticeship and the length chefs can go through for perfection. Impressive and scary.
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto): Notes from a Secret Journal (Paperback) A great Edward Abbey read.

Friends
I was able to see some of my best friends in the world. Thank you everyone that was there, that was a blast.

My pictures are up on my Flickr account. Here are a few of my favorites: