Bluegrass season opens in March

Colorado’s bluegrass festival season, which traditionally kicks off in mid-June, opens early this year.The Wheeler Opera House will present Beyond Bluegrass 2001 Festival of Acoustic Music, a four-night event that spans a week over late March and early April.Opening Beyond Bluegrass on March 24 is Nickel Creek, a young quartet featuring Nashville’s latest mandolin star, Chris Thiele. Also on the opening-night bill is local band Friends of Your Mother.The festival then skips to March 30, with a concert by the Sam Bush Band. There is no word yet on who will join mandolinist Bush, who first gained fame in New Grass Revival.March 31 brings a double bill, with each end of the bill featuring an O’Brien sibling. Sister Mollie O’Brien, a Colorado-based vocalist, will appear in a trio with guitarist Ross Martin and bassist Chris Engelman. Brother Tim O’Brien, a top Nashville session player, will perform in a duet with singer-guitarist Darrell Scott. O’Brien and Scott teamed on the recent “Reel Time” CD, an old-timey acoustic project. And one can expect that the O’Briens will share the stage at some point in the evening. The two occasionally performed together in the band Tim & Mollie O’Brien & the O’Boys.Closing out Beyond Bluegrass 2001 is a locals night, featuring the twosome of Jimmy Ibbotson & John McEuen, the Flying Dog Bluegrass Band, and Dan Sheridan.A ticket package for all four shows is $70; there’s also a package for any three shows for $60. Ticket packages go on sale Monday, March 5, at the Wheeler box office. Individual tickets go on sale March 12.The festival then skips to March 30, with a concert by the Sam Bush Band. There is no word yet on who will join mandolinist Bush, who first gained fame in New Grass Revival.Return to The Aspen Times or AspenAlive.com Comments about this article? Send them to mail@aspentimes.comLooking for a particular article? Search our Daily ArchivesPosted: Wednesday, February 28, 2001