INTERVIEW: This one's all about the iconic Telluride Bluegrass Festival and why it's worth checking out

[00:00:09] Welcome to a special edition of The OutThere Colorado Podcast where we are sitting down with Zach Tucker who is the Vice President of Planet Bluegrass. If you haven't heard of Planet Bluegrass, it is the company that is behind the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, one of the most iconic festivals in Colorado. Tickets for this festival typically sell out in minutes and a ton of people absolutely rave about this experience. So yeah, sitting down with Zach today to just kind of chat about what we're going to do.

[00:00:39] His role with Planet Bluegrass, his role with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and what that means to him and then also just chatting about Telluride. So hopefully you enjoy this conversation. Yeah, welcome to the podcast, Zach. Zach Tucker- Thanks. I'm super glad to be here.

[00:00:56] Zach Tucker- Yeah. So mentioned it already. You're the Vice President of Planet Bluegrass. Would you mind giving a little bit of an intro about yourself just saying kind of like what brought you to that role and you know, how long have you have, how long have you been connected to Colorado in this way? Zach Tucker- Yeah, totally. I was lucky to be born in Colorado and actually grew up in Lyons, which is the home of Planet Bluegrass. And we have a festival venue up here in Lyons where we do a couple of festivals.

[00:01:26] Zach Tucker- Aside from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. So I was really lucky to kind of have this festival mecca in my backyard growing up. And so, you know, we spent every day of the summer that we could down at these events, you know, participating and listening to music and playing in the river and seeing all that it had to offer.

[00:01:44] Zach Tucker- And then that slowly kind of transitioned into a really cool summer job and, you know, talk about such a fun experience to get to work on and, you know, a lot of hard work putting together music festivals, but really, really rewarding and really fun to be a part of kind of building such a cool experience.

[00:02:01] Zach Tucker- And then so, you know, I still remember the first year I got to go down and work in Telluride and see that whole different festival experience down there and everything it takes to build this festival operation, not in our home turf, but in a public park halfway across the state. Zach Tucker- So, you know, I feel really lucky to have gotten to be a part of a lot of that. And so I've been doing that for almost, gosh, like 15 or 16 years now. Zach Tucker- Nice.

[00:02:26] Zach Tucker- And so I left for a while, but then I just couldn't, I couldn't turn down a chance to come back. And so, you know, I was able to come back into more of a management role with the company. And I haven't looked back since it's been a blast trying to, you know, keep innovating and improving these events and also just continue operating them as the landscape for events continues to change and new challenges arise every day.

[00:02:54] Zach Tucker- Oh yeah, for sure. And I mean, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, it's been around for, was it 54 years now, I think? Zach Tucker- This year is going to be 52. Zach Tucker- 52. Okay. So yeah, it's been around for a long time. Has roots in Telluride, if I'm remembering correctly, right? Zach Tucker- Yeah, yep. And it was originally founded, I think, 73 and Planet Bluegrass kind of took it over in the early 90s. And so we've been operating it ever since then.

[00:03:23] Zach Tucker- It was a local band that founded it, correct? Zach Tucker- Yeah, the Fall Creek Band and some of the guys from that. Yeah. So it was pretty wild back in the day. Pretty low, not many rules and a lot of partying. Zach Tucker- Yeah. And I always tell people, I mean, if they're visiting Colorado, like we're in Colorado Springs. So Telluride's a bit of a drive, but I'm always saying if you're visiting Colorado, Telluride is the most beautiful part of the state, at least in my opinion.

[00:03:51] Zach Tucker- I'm right there with you. During COVID, we had to take a couple of years off. And I still remember, you know, I've been into that valley so many years and so many times a year. And that feeling when we were coming back to do our first return of a show post-COVID, I remember driving up into the valley and just the feeling when you see the waterfall and the peaks rising around, it was like, man, I knew I missed this.

[00:04:18] Zach Tucker- Oh, it's perfect. Yeah. That nice, like dead-end road, essentially, that you just come weaving into town and then get that massive view. Zach Tucker- Yeah. Zach Tucker- So you've been going to Telluride for a long time. Have you seen many changes in the town itself? Zach Tucker- Oh, yeah. And that's, you know, of course, change comes with everything. It's, I feel like, you know, I'm lucky enough to get down there many times a year.

[00:04:42] Zach Tucker- And I constantly, it's really interesting, you'll go down Main Street, and it's like, oh, there's a new building, or, you know, this is changing, this is starting. And, I mean, of course, everybody wants to be in such a beautiful place. And so the town has certainly changed. And especially if you think about it in the context of like when the Bluegrass Festival started,

[00:05:05] and how, you know, crazy and wild it could be back in the 70s and 80s, to now when we're in a very, you know, structured environment, to make sure that we can interact really well with the locals and with, you know, everybody that lives there year-round, and make sure that our impacts are minimized and that everybody's really happy. And so, you know, I'm really glad for our relationship with the town. I think it says a lot for an event to be able to be somewhere for that long

[00:05:33] and still have such a positive, you know, interaction and positive experiences with everyone there. And so, you know, of course, it's tough every year. There's new challenges to work through, new changes, new things we have to work around because the town is changing and, you know, people want different things. And I'm glad that we're able to continuously adapt and still, you know, I think have a great product and a great show, even as those changes occur around us.

[00:06:01] Yeah, and I guess so on the note of Telluride Bluegrass Festival, I know quite a bit about it already. Like I've read through like kind of that like history of it. And I think 5280 had a great article where they kind of went over the timeline of the festival and how it's developed to be what it is today. But I guess just in your words, like how do you describe the Telluride Bluegrass Festival to someone who has never heard of it before?

[00:06:24] Yeah. You know, sometimes this is going to sound a little corny, but sometimes I think that words struggle to really encapsulate that feeling because so much of it, as we talked about Telluride, you know, being the prettiest place in Colorado, it's really hard to totally paint that picture with just words, but I will try.

[00:06:48] And so one of the things that I really think sets this festival apart is that it's not just an event in a field. It's not, you know, there's not an event in a parking lot with a chain link fence around it. This is an event that sits in and integrates into this natural environment that is unmatched anywhere in the state. And so you're not just showing up to this, you know, to a spot to listen to music.

[00:07:17] You are going into the town park campground with the waterfall and the peaks around you. You're a 30 second walk from Main Street in Telluride with all of the shops and restaurants and things to enjoy about Main Street Telluride. You're you can hike up behind the stage to a waterfall up to Bear Creek Falls up behind the stage. So there's all of these these pieces that that kind of fit into the experience of just being there. And, you know, it makes it there's there's certainly challenges involved in that.

[00:07:46] It's hard. You have to it's harder to park a little bit. It's harder to find space to camp sometimes because, you know, we're having to fit into a box canyon. But that's what makes it so special and so unique. And then because of that, when you do go park, we have everyone go park up in Mountain Village. And then you get to ride the gondola down into town. So you park your car and you get on this free gondola and it's a 20 minute gondola ride up and over the mountain down into Telluride.

[00:08:11] And, you know, you get to before you've even experienced any music, you get to experience your stomach drop a little bit as the gondola rolls over the hill into town and you get that iconic view. And so that really it just all of these pieces set you up for this really unique, cool experience. And then you're in the festival. And when you're in the festival, it's I mean, I can keep hitting on the 360 degree views. But right in front of you is our is our single stage.

[00:08:36] And that is something that, you know, I think sets us apart these days because so many big events have so many stages and you have to pick between what you're going to go see. And and I think we really pride ourselves in saying, hey, the music is right here. It's right here in front of you. And we're all looking at the exact same thing and enjoying the exact same thing and sharing these kind of magical moments together. And so that's something that I I really love. And then, you know, we really try to curate.

[00:09:03] A musical experience kind of unique, especially in the in the acoustic and bluegrass music realm. And so that starts with a lot of history. And you may know Sam Bush. He's kind of our our focal point player. And he has played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival for the last 50 years straight. Wow. And yeah. So last year we celebrated his 50th 50th straight performance in Telluride. And that is a an unimaginable feat, I think, for any other artist on the planet.

[00:09:33] And so such a cool connection to history with these artists. And then you bring in a lot of the other big bluegrass names, you know, like Bela Fleck and Jerry Deblis, who are always there, you know, in these different projects and bringing a cool new take each time on on bluegrass. And then we try to bring in, you know, some some new flair, some some jam grass and with like the Green Sky guys or the String Dusters and and try to have a little bit more of that that style of bluegrass.

[00:10:02] And then we are always looking for new and upcoming names in bluegrass that we can elevate on this stage because we have, you know, we have an audience of people who are so ready to to listen to that and support them and to hear that. And so that's super cool. And then the piece that I just love is we're not afraid to sprinkle a little bit of out of genre experience. And that's gone that that's manifested in a lot of different forms.

[00:10:30] Some fun ones that kind of come to mind are we had Tenacious D play back a couple of years ago. And, you know, and it's so cool. You have the field filled with people listening to bluegrass and our house band filled with our, you know, longtime bluegrass musicians. And then here comes Tenacious D and everybody is right up and loving it and totally enjoying it.

[00:10:51] And so I think, you know, something one of the things I love so much about the event is how it gives us this chance to see what we love about bluegrass and acoustic music, but then also a little taste of something totally out of left field and something totally different. And so all that comes together, I think, to create a really cool experience. Yeah. And I think you kind of touched on it a little bit, but it's true.

[00:11:15] It's like most festivals, you know, it's like maybe go out to a giant desert and you're just kind of in the middle of nowhere and you're at the festival and, you know, you're there for the festival. But with Telluride, right, like you can fill many weekends with activities and tell you, right, and still not run out of things to do. So you can kind of pull in all these different little like, you know, outdoor recreation excursions into that mix. And yeah, no, I mean, it's a it makes a lot of sense. Perfect spot for a bluegrass festival, too, I would say.

[00:11:43] I mean, I'm a little biased, but I certainly agree with you. Yeah. Yeah, no, that's awesome. So there was something I wanted to chat with you about, too, the camping aspect of this. So you guys offer camping at the festival. Oftentimes in Colorado, a lot of mountain towns kind of come with this assumption that that lodging is going to be very expensive and very limited.

[00:12:07] But the camping really opens us up for people that kind of want to have kind of want to add that extra layer onto their experience and just, you know, spend the night under the stars. So, yeah. What what's the deal with the camping this year? Yeah. You know, Telluride is certainly not not free from the lodging challenge that most mountain towns in Colorado are facing and that, you know, there's limited supply and a heck of a lot of demand for it. And that drives the price up.

[00:12:34] And that's been one of the you know, we talk about how much the town has changed and all the mountain communities really are changing. And that's certainly been one of the biggest problems that we've been facing is how do we keep this affordable and attainable for people who who this is such an important piece of their life? And and, you know, I want I want as many people as possible to be able to experience that that experience that I just kind of tried to paint there.

[00:13:02] And so camping really is the key to this. And. I was actually really kind of thinking about this and the camping that we offer is the easiest and cheapest way to experience Telluride any time of the year. And and so the way it works is we have we have four different campgrounds that we offer as part of this event. So you can stay in Town Park, which is like right on site right next to the stage.

[00:13:30] You can some of the sites you can see the stage from your tent. You can definitely hear it. Warner Field is also right there on site. It's actually one of the baseball fields in the park. And again, you can see the stage from most of the tent sites and you can hear it even if you're hanging out at your campsite. And then we push down the valley a little bit and we have a Lawson Hill campground, which is not at the festival site, but just as beautiful. You still get your 360 degree views.

[00:13:56] It's out on the baseball fields out in Lawson Hill, which is just like four miles outside of town. And we run we run shuttles every 15 minutes. So it's not like it doesn't degrade your festival experience at all. And if you aren't interested in sitting on the shuttle, you can jump on the bike path or the valley trail. And it's a it's a four mile, you know, easy walk, hike, bike right into town. And then you get your little bit exercise for the morning. You get to cruise through town and see that. And then you're at the venue and it's a real easy cruise back at the end of the night, too. So tons.

[00:14:26] It's super accessible and cool. And then our final campground is Mary E. Ilium, and it's actually a four service campground down in the Ilium Valley, which is just like seven miles outside of town. And again, we run the shuttles to make it super easy for people to get back and forth. And this is really cool because it's it's it's in the trees and along the river. And so you're you're kind of in a whole different world that you would never associate with festival camping. You're you're in the tall trees around you.

[00:14:52] You've got the river over there and it feels like you're camping in the forest. And then you can jump on the shuttle and be be up at the park in 15 minutes and listening to music. So all of these come together to kind of depending on what experience you're looking for. Or you can you can add the camping piece and really be able to still come. And it's super cheap. And so that's one of one of our real goals. And so this year, we still actually have camping available in Lawson Hill and in Mary E.

[00:15:20] So, you know, even folks that are interested in coming to Telluride Bluegrass this year and seeing kind of what we're offering can come jump into these campsites. And, you know, a ticket to one of these campsites is cheaper than going to get a hotel in along the interstate a lot of times. And so that's been one of our, you know, biggest goals is how can we keep camping and cheap so that people can still come to do this.

[00:15:45] And and I, you know, I think it's been effective and I think it's also notable that we open these campgrounds super early before the event. And so like the Mary E. Campground, you can actually check in on Saturday before the festival starts on Thursday. So if you want, yeah, you can come and you can camp for for five nights. It's I mean, it's the same price no matter when you show up. So you can have, you know, five nights to just go explore Telluride and try out every single, you know, outdoor rec piece.

[00:16:14] You can go climb, do the via ferrata, hike, bike, all that kind of stuff from a base camp in our campground. And then you still get the festival for four days at the end of that. So, you know, that's a that's a huge opportunity. And there's nowhere there's nowhere else. There's no other way to stay that cheaply in the Telluride area and get to do all of those experiences. So that's, I think, something that maybe gets missed by a lot of people because it's not always it's not always obvious that you can really show up that early. And so even our Lawson Hill campground, you can show up on Tuesday before.

[00:16:44] So you still have two days to go explore and see everything else that Telluride has to offer before you even start attending the festival. Wow. Nice. Yeah. And I guess like on the note of affordability, how much how much is it to kind of get that if you want to do the four nights of the festival? And then also camping, like what's that? What's that cost? Yeah. So the the festival is four hundred and five dollars for a four day pass. And so that gives you unlimited access.

[00:17:13] So we have music going from nine to 10 a.m. until 11 or midnight most nights. So it's a full day worth of music. And I like to kind of think about that as you're paying close to 100 bucks a day almost to see an artist at Red Rocks. And so, you know, come down to Telluride and two to three of the artists that we have every night have their own Red Rocks shows as well.

[00:17:37] So you can you can get three three artists that would have their own Red Rocks show for that same price down in Telluride. And I think it's even more more pretty and the experience and the people in the town and make it up, make it a really nice vacation. Mm hmm. So, you know, we've we've said that we've long said that there's a lot to do in Telluride, but music may be one of the most affordable things to do.

[00:18:00] Mm hmm. And so and then the the camping tickets there, it varies depending on what campground you stay in, but they're anywhere from like 90 to 140 bucks per person. And, you know, like I said, it's it's that is the same price no matter when you show up. So you can show up right when those campgrounds open on Saturday before the festival and have a ton of time to explore. You can show up right as the festival starts.

[00:18:25] And and so I you know, I we really think that's pretty affordable and really helps people still be able to still be able to get there, even though the lodging landscape is a little a little crazy. Yeah, that's wild when you like crunch the numbers there, you know, that's like under 600 bucks per person. And you're getting to potentially spend what is that like nine days in Telluride. And yeah, I mean, that's yeah, you break that down per day and you're getting a music festival on top of that.

[00:18:51] You know, it's like if you're booking a campsite somewhere, you're going to be, you know, spending probably 400 bucks over nine days anywhere. So totally. I mean, yeah, that's that is wild to think about it when you put it when you put it that way. Yeah, that's that's impressive. And camping seems like the way to go to to be honest. I'm with you there. And especially if you think about how hard it is, like it's unfortunate how hard it's gotten to book campsites almost anywhere these days.

[00:19:16] And it's, you know, so you when we're when we don't have our large scale camping operations set up in town, there's such few. There's only like 30 sites available in town park and the Mary E campground only has a handful of sites available. So it's it's very hard to to get those. And a lot of them aren't reservations. So you can't have a guaranteed spot. And so this really makes it so much more attainable. You can you can have a reserved spot. You can have it for a long time.

[00:19:42] And and you don't have to worry about, you know, fighting or getting there on a early on a weekday to try to try to claim something. And the festival itself is June 19th, the 22nd. Correct. That's correct. So, yeah, I mean, that's a good time. Right when the wildflowers are starting to pop up and everything. All that snow should be gone by by mid June this year, I think. I was checking out the snowpack a few days ago and it's a light snow year in Colorado.

[00:20:07] But that will mean will mean all those campsites are snow free and all the all those hiking trails in the area snow free as well. One thing that I noticed this year, too, and you might have done it in past years, but I had not heard of it yet. But the nightgrass aspect of the show. Yeah. Tell me more about that, because that seems really cool. Yeah. So the nightgrass has been a part of the festival for as long as I can remember.

[00:20:32] And really, it's it's pretty much the party doesn't stop. And and even though the main stage has to go quiet around midnight, most nights, we still have a ton of cool music to show you. And we want to we want to do it in these in these venues around town. And so it all starts actually on Wednesday before the festival on the 18th. And while it's not quite night yet, it starts with our first grass concert up in the town of Mountain Village.

[00:21:00] And that's actually a free concert that anybody can come and sit on the Sunset Plaza and watch the Mountain Grass unit playing that this year. And it's usually the sun is setting right during the concert. And it's just a beautiful time to bring a little picnic picnic dinner and kind of hang out up there and see what Mountain Village has to offer. And then after that, our first of the of the of the nighttime nightgrass starts with the we call it Bluegrass Eve. And it's the concert that really highlights the start of the festival.

[00:21:29] And this year it's with the Yonder Mountain String Band who have been a part of our festival and a part of the bluegrass scene for many years now. And that's up at the Telluride Conference Center. And what's really cool is no matter where you're staying, after that show, you can jump on the gondola and ride the free gondola back down into town if that's where you're staying. You can from town jump onto our shuttles and get out to your campgrounds if that's where you're staying. So it's really easy to still, you know, stay late and see this these shows and then still get back out to wherever you're staying.

[00:21:57] And then after each night of the show, we did depending on what night it is, we have a mix of nightgrass offerings in the different venues in Telluride. So we utilized the Palm Theater, which is the theater that is part of the high school, which is a really, really cool venue. It's a beautiful, beautiful theater. The Sheridan Opera House, which is like a historic venue in Telluride. It sits right at the top of the hill as you're coming into town. And there's been just, I mean, historic performances there. We had Mumford & Sons in there back in the early teens. Nice.

[00:22:27] Just some, you know, amazing experiences for those people that got to see that. And then we've also got some shows at the Alibi, which is a local bar kind of in downtown this year that's got a real music focus to it. And so we're really excited. Almost every night there's at least two shows and sometimes three nightgrass shows that you can go see after if you still want to keep the music going. And so those are also, tickets are still available to most of them. Some of them are pretty popular and sell out instantly.

[00:22:56] And then some, you know, anybody can still get tickets to now. Don't actually require that you're attending the festival. So if you're just in town driving through, if you live in Telluride, you know, come by for a little concert if you just want a taste of some bluegrass music. Yeah, that's super cool. Yeah, and I like that you mentioned that a lot of your, a lot of the acts this year and a lot of the performances are by artists who have the Red Rocks shows on the calendar. Like, I mean, with like Green Sky Bluegrass, Jason Isbell and the 400 unit.

[00:23:25] Pretty sure both of those are on Red Rocks this year. Allison Krauss, Krauss. Yeah. Yeah, she's on there too. And yeah, I mean, that is when you break it down like that. But I mean, Red Rocks tickets can cost 200 plus nowadays. So it is a good chance to see them and in a very, I would also say a better environment in that regard, even though I love Red Rocks. Yeah, I love Red Rocks. But I mean, being in the middle of Telluride, it's that's, that's hard to beat.

[00:23:53] Well, and there's a fun piece to it too, where, you know, we try to build the days, the festival, so that they have some similarities. But then there's also some variations and some, some tastes of different music to kind of give you a different experience. So I'll give you an example on the, on the, on the day that Jason Isbell's playing. Gil and Dave are playing right before him. And that's just going to be a beautiful evening of, of music. But then right before them, we've got these sacred souls.

[00:24:21] And it's going to be a total, a total change and, and, and a chance to show, I think, a lot of fans of Jason and Gil and Dave, a totally different type of music. And, and really kind of share that experience and, and, and let the fans see each other and have that experience in the park together. And so that's one of the things that we really like about being able to add some of these wild cards.

[00:24:44] And, and it's almost like a, I think of it like this, it's like a Spotify Discover Weekly playlist, but you're experiencing it live in real time. And you, you get a little taste of a totally different band that you may not expect as part of a, of a show that you've come to see. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, Hey, that's, that sounds like incredible. I love that you only have the one main stage too, during the concert. Like you're right.

[00:25:05] You hit the, hit the nail on the head when you're talking about how most festivals, it's like, you're like, okay, do I want to walk all the way across festival to maybe catch a little bit, be in the back of the seating because you're arriving late trying to go back and forth. Yeah. I mean, I like the, I like the one stage approach. Um, you had previously mentioned, um, kind of the, how the festival environment has changed in recent years.

[00:25:32] Um, how do you, uh, how do you see that impacting kind of the, the way that people approach Telluride, Bluegrass Fest and other, other festivals that are taking place? Yeah. Yeah. You know, there's always new events and new festivals popping up. And I think of course the, how, how music has been shared on social media and things like that has really changed kind of how, how many people get to see experiences and artists and how all that music gets shared.

[00:26:00] And so I think it's been really interesting to be in the industry through this time as you see a lot of these monstrous events, uh, popping up and the prevalence of these really big stadium plays. And sometimes it makes it challenging to be, you know, a smaller, a smaller event in that. But I also think that it's a really unique and cool and important place to be because yes, it's easy to go see some of these monstrous headliners at your closest arena. Mm-hmm.

[00:26:30] But the experience that you get at a lot of these, you know, giant venues that are just, you know, hundreds of thousands of people in them, it's so different from this intimate experience that you get when you're at a festival like, like Telluride Bluegrass and, and of that size. And so, you know, I think about a lot of the people that I've, I've talked to that have been coming for years and, and for them, it's, it doesn't even matter who's playing.

[00:26:58] It doesn't even matter who, uh, the headliners are that day. Most of them will buy tickets before we even put those names out because it's not about the performers. It's about the experience. It's about seeing that festival family, um, return every year and, and kind of make this pilgrimage up to Telluride and, and, and share the, the camping and the, the enjoyment of all of that together. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Continue. Continue. Yeah. Oh yeah.

[00:27:24] So like that, that piece I think is, is so beautiful and so hard to get on a lot of these kind of monstrous events or, or, or, or one-off shows and, and, and in places that aren't as conducive to, um, just this togetherness and this harmony that, that Telluride really is. And, and that is something that I, that I think is so important and don't want to, don't want to lose as, as events continue to change and, and, um, you know, and how people consume music continues to change.

[00:27:53] I think it's really about it. Attending the event is all about us consuming this music together and sharing this experience together. And, you know, I, I know so many people who have made lifelong friends from, from someone who they just happen to sit down on the same tarp together. And that kind of thing I think is so, so special and so amazing. Yeah. And I mean, it kind of feels like it has like this summer camp vibe in a sense where it's like, if you go to a venue, you know, in the Denver area, you're going home to your hotel.

[00:28:20] You're probably not interacting with the people that are around you throughout that, that music experience. Whereas it's something like this, you know, you're there all day sitting around the same people. You're going back to the same campsites at night. You're seeing the same people at these night, night grass events. And over the course of days, you know, it is, it's like that escape just from like the hustle and bustle opposed to just going to like a single concert here and there, you know. Totally.

[00:28:45] And even to, even to take that one level deeper into the, into summer camp, a lot of the, the, these historic camps in the town park campground of folks that have been a part of this event for, for tens of years now have, have themed nights. And, you know, every night is a different, a different theme and celebration and party and music. And it, it's all pre-planned and makes for just a really, really cool homecoming and a cool experience. Yeah. Very cool. And it's kid friendly too, right? Totally.

[00:29:14] So we actually kids 12 and under are free to attend, which is, which is really cool. So it makes it pretty easy for the whole family to come check it out if they want to. We have a whole family area with face painting crafts of all kinds. We have performers.

[00:29:30] We do like a kid's parade where big clowns will walk through the, through the audience and, you know, really trying to make it a really fun experience for the kids too, because I've talked to so many people who will come up to me and say, you know, Hey, I, I remember coming to this as a, as a, as a young kid and getting older and spending time at the family tent. And now, now I'm bringing my kids here and they come to the, to the family tent and hang out. And, and I think that's such a cool legacy and, and such a cool piece of this. Yeah.

[00:29:58] And I could see where that'd be like, like a good family tradition to get into, you know, it's like, I'm from Indiana. So like our family tradition was maybe every couple of years we'd go rent a cabin at the local state park. But I'm like, man, I'm jealous of these Colorado kids that could have, could have Telluride, Telluride Bluegrass Festival added to like a family tradition scenario. Oh my gosh.

[00:30:28] How much time you've, you've spent in Telluride, you know, you've got all these people coming into Telluride for this festival. What are some of your favorite things to do in the Telluride area from like, you know, restaurants, hikes, anything? Yeah. Yeah. I wish I honestly had more time to enjoy a lot of that. Unfortunately, usually when I'm there, I'm like running around with like my, with my head chopped off, trying to make sure everything's in line for us to, we pretty much quadruple the population of the Valley for, for four days here.

[00:30:56] So I don't get to spend quite as much time enjoying all these things as I want to, but I still try to make a little bit of time in the evenings to get out when I can. And so there's definitely some, some really iconic things to go do. I think that the first one, and this is going to be pretty obvious to anyone that's been in Telluride, but you have to go hike up to the Bridal Bell Falls. I mean, that's, it's, everybody does it, but you have to do it because it's just so amazing. And it's not actually the waterfall that you see when you first drive into town.

[00:31:23] It's actually tucked up a little bit around the, around the corner and they've actually done a lot of really great trail work over the last few years to make a really great single track trail up to the falls. So you're not having to hike the road or anything like that. And a lot of times in June during the festival, it's right when it's, it's at its peak of water flow. So, you know, you can actually, it's hard to even get close to the falls because there's so much water coming off of it. So you got to do it just because it's, it's so cool.

[00:31:49] And then you get to turn and look back toward town and you get to see, depending on kind of where you're standing, you can usually see the venue and the stage. And then just a beautiful look down the valley that is, I mean, I've done it plenty of times and it still takes my breath away every time. So yeah. And for those of you not just listening to this, right. That's the waterfall. It drops 365 feet. I believe it's the tallest freestanding waterfall in Colorado, uh, known with the little powerhouse building. That's right on top of it.

[00:32:20] Uh, absolutely stunning. Absolutely stunning for sure. Totally. Yeah. And if you're, if you're looking for something a little different than I, I certainly recommend if you park in mountain village, you're going to ride the gondola down into town to get to, um, to get to the festival itself. But if you're camping in town and haven't had a chance to ride the gondola, it's the only public transportation of its kind in the United States. And it's pretty awesome. So totally free.

[00:32:47] And we have it open from 7am until 2am on every day of the festival. And so even riding it at night is pretty amazing because you see the town lit up and if the stage is going, you'll see the stage lights going. But during the daytime, you just get this beautiful ride up into mountain village. You can get off on top and you can hike out along the top of the ski resort. And so it's kind of a good way to, to cheat a little bit and get some really high mountain hiking in and some beautiful views without having to do all the work of, of getting up to, uh, it's probably about 10,000 feet up there.

[00:33:15] So the really cool way to, to kind of have that experience. And it's an experience that is, you can't get anywhere else in the U S yeah. Beautiful time of the year to do it too, with all the green, just like first emerging kind of as we, as we make our way into summer there. So yeah, that it is really a cool ride. I love it in the fall too, but you got to almost, it's one of those things you got to do every season of the year to really fully grasp it. I think. So I agree with you.

[00:33:39] I've been down there a few times in the last fall and I'm always just like, Oh my goodness, this is, this is stunning when everything turns yellow and it's unreal. For sure. Yeah. So, uh, where are you eating? Where's your favorite place to eat until you ride? Yeah, I've got a few. So we, we have a, uh, we have a few fun traditions until you ride. Um, we have been, I go there a lot, so I try to try to vary it.

[00:34:03] Um, but if you're looking for some delicious Thai food, Siam on the West side of town is a hidden gem kind of off the beaten path, but it is delicious Thai food. So definitely don't miss that one. Um, and then, uh, our, our team's kind of post festival celebration is always to go to Rustico on main street and it's this really nice, um, Italian restaurant.

[00:34:25] And that's kind of, we all go there to celebrate kind of finishing the festival and, and, um, you know, celebrate just what a, what an amazing group of people we get to work with and be a part of to, to, to do such a cool thing. And so I think that's just a, it's a really, the atmosphere is really nice in there. And then there's actually like a bunch of outdoor seating kind of under their tent. So it's good year round outdoor seating, but, um, or not year round, but whether, no matter what the weather is, you can still be out there.

[00:34:52] Um, and then, uh, the, the food and the pastas that they have is, is delicious. There we go. Yeah. Different type of Italian food, but I've always been a fan of brown dog pizza. That's, that's, uh, like the, the Detroit style kind of the crispy caramelized crust. And yeah, that's, that's always a top pick for me too. And, uh, an affordable spot too, I would say. It certainly is. And there's a, uh, there's a, um, a hot honey pizza there that I had last time. And it's so good. Oh, it's, it's incredible. Yeah.

[00:35:22] Well, uh, yeah, I, I, every time I leave, I'm like, I need, I wish there was one of these in Colorado Springs or anywhere else that wasn't a, you know, a five and a half hour drive away. But honestly, it's, it's, uh, once you get to Telluride, that drive is worth it for sure. Every time, you know, it's, it's perfect. Like it's, it's, like I said, start in this conversation. It's probably one of my favorite places in Colorado. Totally. Yeah. Totally. You know, I always, I, the morning of the drive, you're always like, all right, it's going to be a, it's going to be a long day.

[00:35:52] And then you, you kind of get into it. And for me, it really starts when I hit the Dallas divide outside of Ridgeway, you get into that valley and I'm just like, oh yeah, this is, this is all worth it. Every second of it. It's all still here. This is why. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Um, yeah. So I guess, uh, kind of as we're wrapping up this conversation, is there anything else that we should know about the, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival? And also I wanted you to maybe mention the other festivals you're running in Colorado as well.

[00:36:20] Um, because for those people that might not be able to make it out all the way to Telluride for this, they have some other opportunities to see some, see some bluegrass music live. Yeah, totally. You know, I, I would be remiss if I didn't plug a little bit for, um, for Telluride. Like I mentioned, we've got, um, plenty of camping available still at Lawson Hill and even a little bit down at Mary E. So, you know, if it's been on your bucket list, this is, this is the year to do it. And, um, I, I think the lineup is spectacular. I'm super psyched.

[00:36:49] Uh, we've got some really cool, uh, you know, historic acts, but then also some really cool new names with, with Zach Topp and the New Sacred Souls and, um, the Toy Factory Project, which is actually going to be a tribute to the Marshall Tucker Band. And so just a really cool, um, a really cool lineup this year. And so if it's been a bucket list thing, this is the year to do it. And, you know, we, we chatted about how with camping, it's actually one of the most affordable ways to, uh, see Telluride in any way at any time of the year.

[00:37:16] And so, um, you know, of course, uh, all of that information and tickets and stuff is over at, um, bluegrass.com if anyone's interested in coming to hang out with us in June. And then, um, if, if you can't make it down to Telluride, uh, we do have two other festivals up in Lyons that are a little closer, um, to the front range. Rocky Grass, which is our, is our bluegrass festival.

[00:37:37] And, and, um, very similar to Telluride in a lot of ways in terms of, uh, you know, uh, it's, it's a, it's a mecca and a lot of people plan on, plan on this every single year. And so it, it sells out super duper fast. We've got a couple of tickets that have been, um, returned as part of our, of our refund program. So you might get lucky on a couple of days here or there, if you're interested in, in seeing some bluegrass up here. Um, but then our folks festival is the two weeks later in early August. And, uh, that's a great option.

[00:38:05] Um, it's again, super family friendly, just like, uh, just like Telluride and just like Rocky Grass right on the river at our venue in Lyons. Um, there's camping available for that. You can camp right on site and I mean, roll right out of your tent and cruise over to the stage. Uh, we've got a nitty gritty dirt band headlining that. I think it's going to be one of their, it's probably going to be their last play in Colorado. So a really great chance to, to catch the nitty gritty dirt band, uh, and watch house.

[00:38:31] Um, and, uh, so yeah, that's, those are kind of our two other festivals up here in Lyons. And then if, if acoustic music and bluegrass music and folk music, isn't quite your thing, we're going back to Telluride in August, um, to present, uh, Camp Alderwild with Of The Trees. And it's going to be an electronic festival.

[00:38:53] So if you're interested in, uh, trying Telluride at a different time of year, we recommend starting with bluegrass in June and then going back down in August, um, for some electronic music at Camp Alderwild. Yeah. I just saw that electronic music concert, uh, with Of The Trees. Uh, it was just recently announced, right? Like he had kind of the vague blues on Instagram, uh, and then finally made that announcement. And that seems to be received very well by, by that audience there.

[00:39:22] Like people, people love it. Yeah. Yeah. We've been super psyched about that. It's, it's very interesting to go so far out of genre. We're definitely, uh, you know, uh, we definitely are usually bringing acoustic music and, and, and bluegrass music. And it's, it's really honestly been really a fun experience for our whole team to, um, to dive into this other, other type of music that we don't normally get to, to be a part of.

[00:39:44] And, and then, um, meet so many new people who, and new fans and, and hopefully bring them into the, the Planet Bluegrass family and, and show them what a, what an amazing place Telluride is. And, and keep sharing the music. Yeah. Very cool. Uh, well, yeah. Thank you so much for chatting Zach. Appreciate it. Um, yeah. I mean, Hey people, people listening, if you have not checked out, uh, Telluride Bluegrass Fest, you got to get down there and check it out this year for sure. We'd love to have you. Thanks for having me. Yeah, of course.