State Bridge Amphitheater opens for the season Sunday
cschnell@vaildaily.com
If you go ...
Who: Caribou Mountain Collective kick off opening day at State Bridge. Bongo Love Experience plays at 2 p.m. and Kronen plays at 5 p.m.
Where: State Bridge Amphitheater, 127 Trough Road, Bond.
When: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: Free.
More information: Visit statebridge.com.
BOND — There’s a little-known abandoned mining town outside of Nederland, Colo. that inspired the name of a fast-rising bluegrass band performing at State Bridge Amphitheater Sunday, as part of the venue’s opening weekend festivities. The town is called Caribou, and the band is Caribou Mountain Collective.
“There’s still a few old broken buildings up there and it is one of my favorite places to go play music,” said band member Miles Perry, who plays guitar, sings and writes the songs. “There is something about sitting in those old buildings that sparks a lot of inspiration for songwriting for me.”
The four-man group is relatively new on the scene, having started in 2012, but already collecting notable accolades, like winning the 2014 RockyGrass competition. More on that in a bit.
The band’s original repertoire channels both Appalachia and Colorado bluegrass. For those unfamiliar with the difference, fiddle player Etienne Cremieux explained:
“I guess Colorado bluegrass is more accepting of different sounds being infused with acoustic music,” said Cremieux, who is joined by Allen Crooke on dobro and Curly Collins on bass. “To play old-timey or Appalachian music there is a tradition which has to be represented. I hear more influence from elecric guitars, jam music, jazz, and other genres in Colorado bluegrass.”
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Perry took the time to answer a few questions for the Vail Daily.
Vail Daily: You guys performed at WinterWonderGrass in Avon in February. How did that go?
Miles Perry: It was really fun! We played a couple sets during the day in one of the beer tents, and then a late night show in town. They all were packed, which is always fun! That festival is something else. To think of putting on an outdoor festival in February in Colorado seems absolutely crazy, but people get after it and it’s an amazing time. It’s a really great festival that we hope to be a part of again.
VD: You guys won the 2014 RockyGrass competition. What was that honor like? Were you surprised?
MP: Winning the RockyGrass competition was a huge honor. It was just a really fun experience! Our good buddies from Trout Steak Revival and Thunder & Rain were some really stiff competition, so we felt so blessed to have walked away from that with a win. Much love to Trout Steak Revival and Thunder & Rain!
VD: You’re kicking off the summer season at State Bridge. Is that a venue you’ve performed at before? Do you enjoy it?
MP: We have played a couple “Bluegrass and Bloodies” shows there. I think it’s one of the most beautiful and unique venues in the country. I’m all about stages right next to rivers!
VD: Will you be checking out or taking part in Campout for the Cause, taking place this weekend at Rancho Del Rio, up the road from State Bridge?
MP: We might try to get up there on Saturday night to wander around the campground and do some pickin!
VD: Tell us about your second album. Are you still in the midst of production for it? When will be released?
MP: We’ve been working really hard on our sophomore album. It is going to be called “Went Down with the Sun.” We recored 12 original tunes down in Boulder at Coupe Studios. We had the pleasure of working with Nick Forster from Hot Rize on a couple of the songs. It was a great experience working with him and John Mcvey, who was the sound engineer. We are planning to have it ready just before we head out for our summer tour in just a couple weeks.
VD: What is on the band’s agenda for this summer?
MP: We’ve got a big summer planned that we are really excited about! At the end of June we are heading to Kentucky to play at ROMP. This will be my first time at that festival and I can’t wait. After that we are doing a couple weeks up the East Coast until we get to Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in New York. Then we make our way back to Colorado for RockyGrass, Keystone Bluegrass, YarmonyGrass and NedFest.
High Life Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at cschnell@vaildaily.com or @caramieschnell.