This coming First Friday, Steve’s Guitars will host its 25th annual Mount Sopris Music Festival. This event has continually highlighted local artists with a mix of styles and beats, while also engaging the community and fostering connection.
“I had the idea to have a music festival in downtown Carbondale that highlighted only local musicians,” explained Steve Standiford, the founder and owner of Steve’s Guitars. “Mountain Fair had just started to feature musicians and really only had out-of-town acts, so I thought we should have a festival that out-of-town acts can’t play!”
Former trustee Marty Silverstein is also a key organizer, and Steve’s Guitar’s sound-guru, Ralph Pitt, will make sure all of the acts sound as good as they are, even from all the way in the back.
From this basic idea, the first Mount Sopris Music Festival came together. A few things have changed over the years, the biggest being that of a rather recent effort to pay the bands, thanks in no small part to a grant from the Town of Carbondale. When the festival began, it was purely for the love of the town and exposure for the artists. However, despite 25 years of growing with the times, that desire to showcase local bands within the community they hail from has remained consistent.
In the spirit of that sentiment, each of the bands playing at this year’s festival are rooted in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys — from Aspen to Silt. This showcase will take place at Chacos Park (4th and Main Street) and will feature Aggie Flores, Mitt Spicy & The Blues Bandits, Dan Sheridan and at eight o’clock headliner Hell Roaring String Band will take the stage.
Other upcoming Steve’s Guitars’ sponsored events include two shows making up it’s Summer Concert Series held at Sopris Park. Each will last around four hours, beginning at 4pm. The first of which, on July 20, has been affectionately titled “The Birds and The Bees” and will feature The Queen Bees and Birds of Play. This event will be a sort of bluegrass-Americana blend.
The second will take place on Aug. 10, and features both the Taylor Scott Band and Peach Street Revival. The self-described “mountain funk” energy from Taylor Scott alongside the female-fronted rock’n’roll outfit Peach Street Revival will give this show a high-octane stadium vibe. All three of these events promise to be fun and family-friendly, as well as a continuation of all that Steve’s Guitars strives for: connecting local and regional musicians with local audiences.
Let’s boogie, Carbondale!
The 25th Annual Mount Sopris Music Festival kicks off at Chacos Park on First Friday, July 4 at 5pm. The Summer Concert Series shows take place at Sopris Park on July 20 and Aug. 10, both at 4pm.