What makes Colorado bluegrass different from bluegrass in the Appalachian Mountains states?
Colorado bluegrass is kind of progressive and experimental. It’s not plain, traditional bluegrass. It’s a lot more improvisational. Yonder Mountain String Band is a prime example. You can’t find a better bluegrass band. They add things that aren’t traditional, and they’re reaching audiences that you’d think bluegrass would never reach. Q: How would you describe Colorado’s bluegrass scene? A: Well, I would say that in Colorado, bluegrass music is pretty well entrenched as part of the musical culture of this state. Maybe more so now than in the past. It’s interesting music for young people to hear and play. It used to be hard to get people to Rocky- Grass, and now that festival sells out months in advance. And every Tuesday night in Lyons, the pickin’ sessions at Oskar Blues are packed with people who’ve been waiting a week to play bluegrass again. Q: I guess that explains why Rocky- Grass sells out every year before the Telluride Bluegrass Festival even starts. A: It used to be hard to
