First-Class Music, Libations at 17th Annual Wine & Music Festival

Lake City’s Uncorked Wine & Music Festival, sponsored by Downtown Improvement & Revitalization Team (DIRT), pops its cork next Saturday, September 16, as the 17th annual music festival gets underway with an eclectic mix of acclaimed regional musicians and comprehensive array of sparkling beverage.
With the promise of bright blue skies, moderate temperatures and steadily expanding fall colors on the horizon, the benefit festival gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday when gates open at Lake City Town Park, and volunteer wine servers begin their task at noon.
Local resident Phil Virden will serve as this year’s Master of Ceremonies. $60 per-person tickets allow a sampling of both wine and music throughout the day, while $40 tickets are for music only.
Music will begin at 11 a.m. with The BGST Band (Baxter, Goss, Speake and Turnbull) from Creede kicking it off. The band represents a blending of musical styles with Steve Baxter (guitar, mandolin, bass and vocals) bringing church and country flavors of Tennessee, John Goss (guitar, harmonica and vocals) bringing melody and harmony and citing The Beatles are his major musical influence, Tommy Speake (bass, guitar, mandolin) infusing a blues flavor and Jim Turnbull (drums, percussion) providing a solid background rhythm.
The non-stop flow of music following BGST brings Beth Wood to the stage. Wood has been described as a modern-day troubadour and a crafty songwriter. Her commanding stage presence has been winning over American audiences for nearly 20 years and her music is described as “soulful, organic, intelligent, bare-foot, high-energy communication of joy.” (Source:www.sonicbids.com/band/bethwood).
Santa Fe-based duo Round Mountain take the stage next, blending “dusty American grit with a worldly amalgam of global influences, presenting a singular take on folk music that is both foreign and familiar.”
The multi-instrumentalist band of brothers has travelled the globe absorbing bits and pieces of musical cultures, returning to filter them through their own “sepia-toned” Americana framework. (Source:www.roundmountainmusic.com).
Next up is Blue Recluse, featuring Shawntel Royale. Music made for dancing, Blue Recluse plays a wide range of rhythm, blues and soul from as far back as the 1940s to present day. The band has been called an “electric blues lover’s dream,” combining a rhythm section with sultry vocals in the image of Etta James and Tina Turner. The band is comprised of members Ernie Mose (drums), Christopher Hudson (bass), Mike Twarogowski (guitar), Shawntel Royale (vocals) and Scott Van Loo (keys).
Back by popular demand is Lake-City crowd favorite Cash’d Out. With members Douglas Benson, Kevin Manuel, Ryan Thomas and George Bernardo, Cash’d Out is a Johnny Cash tribute band. Critics have said they are “the next best thing to Cash himself.”
Band member Benson adds that Cash producer Lou Robin has also been to several Cash’d Out shows, and claimed that if he closed his eyes, it was like “going back in time.” The only tribute band endorsed by the official Johnny Cash web page, JohnnyCash.com, Cash’d Out has played to over a million fans since forming in 2005. Fans continually tell the group how grateful they are that Cash’d Out continues to bring back memories of loved ones who once raised them on the music of Johnny Cash.
Knight Groove closes out the 17th annual Lake City Uncorked Wine & Music Festival, bringing its heavy back beat and “old school” grooves. The soulful voice of Mahlon Knight, drummer and vocalist, leads the group through a wide range of funk, blues and improvisational adventures. Knight Groove is a 5-piece band that plays its own unique style of funky originals and diverse covers. Heavily influenced by James Brown, the Allman Brothers, The Meters, Led Zeppelin and countless blues artists, Knight Groove brings its groovy style to the lineup. (Source:reverberation.com/knightgroove)
Music between acts will be provided by Bruce Hayes who plays a fusion of the musical styles that combine acoustic and electric instruments with elements of rock, bluegrass, celtic, and R&B. Collaborating with The String Cheese Incident and Acoustic Junction, Hayes helped define the acoustic jam band sound. He continues this tradition performing original songs and arrangements on mandolin, guitar, dobro, foot board, and his latest creation – the Stratobassto.
The list of 80 distinctive types of wine ranging from light to dark, sweet and dry, domestic and foreign. Thanks to Darin Thorn of Republic National Distributors, the list of wines at this year’s festival, is impressive and panders to discerning palates. A complete listing of the featured wines is included in sidebar on page 14.
If flavorful brew is more to the festival-goer’s taste, they’re also in luck with a park booth featuring beers provided by San Luis Valley Brewing’s Scott Graber from Alamosa, Colorado. Featured beers at this year’s festival are six different microbrews, as well as Blue Moon and Coors Light.
Between imbibing, the flow of music, and, perhaps, an occasional dance, festival attendees might feel the urge for a bite of food or bit of merchandise
shopping.
Food booths lining the park venue will include a return of favorites such as Mountain Valley Kettle Corn from Crested Butte; our own Lake City Bakery, Haugen’s Mountain Grown Lamb from Center, Colorado and, for the first time this year, the ever-popular Kip’s Grill from Creede will be serving their famous and well-loved Tex Mex dishes. Additionally, the Delish food truck from Gunnison will be serving their gourmet, locally sourced farm-to-table fare.
Lake City ski team will sell baked goods and glowsticks outside the gates of the festival to raise money for the upcoming ski season.
In the way of shopping opportunities, festival director Kristie Borchers says there will be a total of 16 artisan and specialty vendor booths featuring photography, pottery, jewelry, clothing, hats, and baskets.
From the local angle, merchandise booths on Saturday will see a return of blown glass artisan Dave Jordan, Chuck Chetwin’s color landscape photography and Craig Palmer’s From the High Country.
Local artist and designer of this year’s festival poster, Taylor Long, will have a booth offering his original artwork, and local school children ages middle school through high school will again return with their “Young Artists” booth highlighting the students’ artwork.
Other vendors will include HJ’s Hats from Crested Butte who will be peddling a vast array of head wear; Rocky Mountain Outback Hats; Jeansonne’s Fine Designs from Delta, with one-of-a-kind wire-wrapped jewelry pieces, local favorite Queen Beads, Bee Key Pottery from Grand Junction, Verde Creations Jewelry and Prevuli (formerly House of Ruth), owned and operated by former local Lake City resident Emma Anderson, will offer soaps and lotions.
Silver wares will be for sale by silversmith Peter Emerson; Pepper Mills of Distinction will also be on hand, offering one-of-a-kind pepper mills, as well as Pinon Wood Ranch Fibers with hand-knit hats, scarves, ear warmers, socks, shawls and fingerless gloves.
Commemorative sale items, which are eagerly collected at each festival, include limited edition Wine & Music wine glasses. The glasses sell for $20 and are hand-painted by Lake Fork Club resident Julie Reel. Clean Canteen beer mugs are $10, and an array of hoodies and long and short-sleeve t-shirts emblazoned with this year’s festival artwork cost $15/$20 for short/long-sleeve t-shirts; hoodies, $40. Limited edition Wine & Music posters are $10.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lakecityfestival.org.