Stewy's Labor Day Festival forecast

Pop quiz:

John Fogerty is

a. the cranky, former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman who had a few decent solo albums a long time ago.

b. the scary mobster from the film, “A History of Violence”

c. the epitome of the well-preserved, 60-something rock star

True of false: You saw Bob Dylan at the 2002 Labor Day Festival, couldn’t even recognize “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and so have no need to see him perform again.

Jerry Douglas’ main instrument is:

a. oboe

b. dobro

c. guitjo

d. kazoo

Which of the following is worth schlepping your butt away from the Main Stage?

a. Big Daddy Lee & the Kingbees

b. the beer line

c. those Indian naan bread thingies — any flavor, really, but ask for the veggie combo of eggplant and spinach — that for some reason can only be made at a festival food booth

d. the Stanton Moore Trio

e. all of the above

Define: Tift Merritt

Admit it, you didn’t do very well on the exam. Probably didn’t study very hard either. All is not lost, of course; I failed my share of exams and still ended up with a semirespectable life and job.

Still, I can’t help thinking my life wouldn’t be a tad better had I spent the evening before my Calculus 202 exam studying calculus, rather than wasting six dollars trying to get the high score on Galaxian. (I did!) Probably wouldn’t be having those anxiety dreams about not being able to find the right classroom for the exam.

Fortunately, you don’t need to study an entire semester — or even cram one night — to be prepared for the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival. Ten minutes with Profess ... — make that Dr. Stewy —is all you need to get the most out of these five days of music. I’ve ranked the main-stage acts in descending order of appeal, and added some bonus notes on side-stage and late-night sets.

And yes, this will be on the exam.

1. Bob Dylan, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.

So, what has Mr. Dylan been up to since his last appearance in the valley? How about entering full-bore into the latest — and one of the greater — incarnations of Bob? Over the last six years, Dylan has published the first volume of his memoirs, the startlingly upbeat and open-hearted “Chronicles”; sat for interviews on “60 Minutes” and for the outstanding Martin Scorsese documentary “No Direction Home”; became host of the Bob Dylan Radio Hour on Sirius radio; and gave his approval to the excellent, quasi-biographical film, “I’m Not There.” He also released the 2006 album “Modern Times,” which earned two Grammy Awards. (Including one for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance; take that, all you who say the man can’t sing.)

Dylan the Transparent continues rolling, with this fall’s publication of “Hollywood Foto-Rhetoric: The Lost Manuscript,” a collection of poems Dylan wrote in the mid-’60s to accompany photographs by Barry Feinstein; “Tell Tale Signs,” the eighth volume of the “Bootleg Series” of recordings; and the anticipated second volume of “Chronicles.”

2. Widespread Panic, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.

Listen to this year’s “Free Somehow,” and you’d think Widespread Panic had sunk toward mediocrity. And they have — in the recording studio. Which should have no impact on their standing as a killer live act. Their three-headed rhythm section of bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance and percussionist Sunny Ortiz lays down huge grooves; John Bell is as good a singer the jam-band world has produced. The band has even been infused with semifresh blood; since their last Jazz Aspen shows three years ago, replacing George McConnell with Jimmy Herring in the lead guitar slot. Expect even those studio clunkers to come to life.

Note: Based on past experience, the Thursday night Widespread show should be more fan-friendly than Friday’s. However, Jazz Aspen has taken steps this year to make the big-draw shows more manageable, with reduced capacity, bigger space, strolling food vendors, and more toilet facilities.

3. Dwight Yoakam,at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.

I can’t say I’ve been much of a Dwight Yoakam fan; never seen him play. But I badly want to be a fan. I like the idea of Yoakam — the hat pulled down over the eyes thing; the ability to be both popular and alternative in the country world; his performances — not just token appearances — in three excellent movies, “Sling Blade,” “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” and “Red Rock West.” On the purely musical side, my colleague Naomi swears that Yoakam’s last Aspen gig, two years ago at Belly Up Aspen, was probably one of her five favorite concerts ever. Naomi can be tough to win over.

4. John Fogerty, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.

Fogerty picked up a reputation for being bitter over a dispute with his record company. In concert, you could forget about the Creedence; Fogerty wouldn’t play anything owned by his nemeses at Fantasy Records. But three years ago, in his Jazz Aspen debut, he was in shockingly good spirits, bounding around the stage like a kid and ripping through virtually every CCR hit. A few weeks later, it was revealed that he had reached a settlement concerning his catalog. This time holds the potential to be even better; “Revival,” Fogerty’s 2007 album, is a worthy throwback to his old swamp-rock.

5. Jerry Douglas, at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1.

The answer is dobro, and Douglas is not only the best ever on his instrument, but ranks with pickers like banjoist Béla Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer and fiddler Mark O’Connor in terms of redefining his instrument. In fact, he was in a band with Fleck, Meyer and O’Connor, the sensational strings supergroup, Strength in Numbers. At his Belly Up appearance several years ago, Douglas emerged for his encore with a solo take on the Allman Brothers’ “Little Martha,” and it remains vivid in my memory. Douglas performs more such crossover feats on his new CD, “Glide.”

6. Ziggy Marley, at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.

Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers stand as the only two-time winner of the Stewy Award for best show of the year. But be warned: This is not the Melody Makers, which featured three of Ziggy’s siblings. Without the Melody Makers, Marley can be on the overly mellow side, though his performance last year at the Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest saw him coming into his own as a solo act.

7. Xavier Rudd, at 5 p.m.Friday, Aug. 29.

Xavier Rudd generally performs with only his percussionist, Dave Tolley, accompanying him. But the Australian multi-instrumentalist seems to have no trouble generating plenty of sound, as he plays his multiple instruments — slide guitar, didgeridoo, drums and more — all at once. On his new CD, “Dark Shades of Blue,” Rudd cranks up the volume and heavier aspects.

8. Widespread Panic, at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29.

On the other hand, Panic has been off for most of the month, and takes a respite from the road again after their second night in Snowmass. So maybe, in their annual end-of-summer, two-night Colorado stand, they’ll make sure to use up all their energy and leave nothing on the stage. So probably the best course is to see both shows. Being a jam band, you won’t get a repeat of the same songs.

9. Tift Merritt, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.

Tift Merritt: A North Carolina-based singer-songwriter whose sound veers between alt-country and folk-soul, and whose popularity has not yet caught up with the critical response, especially to her 2002 debut, “Bramble Rose.” “Another Country,” Merritt’s 2007 album, deserves a listen. And then another.

10. Yonder Mountain String Band, at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1.

For years I considered Yonder Mountain String Band as something like the opposite of Tift Merritt — a band whose fan base seemed to exceed their artistic accomplishments. But in their last Aspen gigs, two years ago at the Wheeler Opera House, the Colorado quartet had finally found a way to make a unique sound that married the drive of rock with the sound of bluegrass instruments. Their latest release, volume five of their live “Mountain Tracks” series, showed they also have become not-bad as a bluegrassy band.

11. Global Noize, at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.

The potential surprise hit of the festival, Global Noize is a new funk/hip-hop/jazz fusion outfit headed by DJ Logic and keyboardist Jason Miles. Miles, best known as a producer of tributes to Weather Report and Marvin Gaye, also played with that other Miles — Davis. Global Noize might best be judged by the company they keep: The sidemen for this tour include keyboardist Bernie Worrell of P-Funk and drummer Mike Clark of the Headhunters. The band’s debut CD features contributions from Karl Denson, John Popper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Vernon Reid. The Labor Day show marks the first appearance by Global Noize.

12. Ollabelle, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.

A New York City-based folk-gospel group, Ollabelle made the rare jump from side stage at last year’s festival to main stage this year. Named for the late Appalachian singer Ola Belle Reed, the quintet features singer Amy Helm, daughter of the Band’s Levon Helm.

13. Nikka Costa, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.

Nikka Costa spent a chunk of her childhood watching her father, Don Costa, produce albums for the likes of Frank Sinatra. Now 36 and a soul singer, Nikka tries to capitalize on her popular 1996 debut, “Butterfly Rocket,” with “Pebble to a Pearl,” due for release this fall on the Stax label.

14. Otis Taylor, at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1.

The Denver-based Taylor is beloved in blues circles — Guitar Player magazine called him “arguably the most relevant blues artist of our time” — but isn’t confined to the blues. His latest album, “Recapturing the Banjo,” has him exploring the real roots of the instrument. (Spoiler: It goes back further than bluegrass.)

15. The New Mastersounds, at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29.

Despite their often uncanny sonic resemblance to the Meters, the New Mastersounds are not from New Orleans. Not even the same continent. The groove quartet hails from England.

Away from the main stage, but on the festival grounds, the don’t-miss act is the Stanton Moore Trio, playing Friday, Aug. 29 at the Outside Music Lounge. Moore, played the main stage last year, in his regular gig as drummer for New Orleans groove band Galactic. He also appeared at a JAS After Dark show at Belly Up, as a member of Garage a Trois. This time through, he leads a combo featuring Robert Walter, keyboardist of the Greyboy Allstars, and guitarist Will Bernard.

There’s nothing too new at Belly Up for the Labor Day weekend, just some old familiar faces. Rose Hill Drive is set for Thursday, Aug. 28; the Boulder trio expands its take on ’70s-inspired hard rock on its new CD, “Moon Is the New Earth.” DJ Z-Trip returns on Friday, Aug. 29. Cash’d Out returns on Saturday, Aug. 30 to pay tribute to Johnny Cash. DJ Rahzel, known for his membership in the Roots and for his beat-box skills, performs Sunday, Aug. 31.

And the incomparable Warren Haynes makes it an official tradition by appearing at Belly Up for the third Labor Day weekend in a row. Two years ago, it was a rare small-club gig for his band, Gov’t Mule. Last year, Haynes flexed his muscle, playing festival sets with the Allman Brothers Band, on Sunday, and Gov’t Mule, on Monday (as well as sitting in on a few songs with Michael Franti), before doing a solo acoustic show Monday night. This time he takes the easy way out, with a pair of solo shows, Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 1-2. Personally, I won’t be surprised if that’s not all we see of Haynes over the weekend.

stewart@aspentimes.com