Free two-night festival brings national headliners, hometown musicians and a street full of rhythm to Main and Convent
By Roger M. Rael
The Raton Range
TRINIDAD — The blues are coming home, and the price of admission is exactly what a late-summer weekend should cost: nothing.
After a three-year absence, the Trinidaddio Blues Fest returns Friday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Aug. 29, turning the intersection of Main and Convent streets into an outdoor celebration of blues, soul, rock and hometown pride.
Admission is completely free, and all ages are welcome.
Music runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, giving visitors two evenings to settle into historic downtown Trinidad, grab something to eat from nearby restaurants, and let the guitars, harmonicas, horns, and voices take over the street.
Friday belongs to hometown guitar fire. Trinidad native Zakk DeBono and The Broken Circle headline from 6:45 to 9 p.m., bringing the modern blues-rock sound that has carried DeBono from southern Colorado to stages including the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood. His music combines hard-driving guitar with the feel of vintage rock, making Friday night a homecoming performance built for a downtown crowd.
Saturday closes with Vanessa Collier from 6:45 to 9 p.m. Collier is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for powerful vocals, commanding saxophone work, and a sound rooted in blues, Memphis soul, funk, and rhythm and blues. Her performance should give Trinidad a finale with enough brass, groove and energy to keep Main Street moving until the final note.
The weekend lineup reaches well beyond the two headliners.
Selwyn Birchwood brings a hard-charging mixture of electric blues, Southern soul, funk, rock and lap-steel guitar. Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport represents a rising generation of blues musicians, moving between guitar, harmonica and vocals with the confidence of a performer far beyond his years.
Chicago blues guitarist Dave Specter arrives with more than three decades of recording and touring experience. Pianist, organist and vocalist Ken Saydak returns to a festival he first played in 1999, while the Delta Sonics featuring Al Chesis bring Chicago blues seasoned with swing, Delta blues, New Orleans rhythm and blues and early rock ’n’ roll.
Blues-Americana singer Allison August adds soul, jazz, country and funk to the mix. Trinidad favorites Christa Russell and Todd Franks will open the festival with acoustic guitar, soulful vocals and handcrafted percussion, placing local music at the front of a weekend filled with nationally recognized talent.
Trinidaddio has brought music fans to Trinidad for more than two decades. Its return follows renewed support from the City of Trinidad and festival organizers who worked to bring the free downtown tradition back after its hiatus.
The setting has always been part of the attraction. Historic buildings, local restaurants, bars and shops surround the outdoor stage, allowing visitors to make an entire evening of the festival while supporting downtown businesses.
Festivalgoers should bring a photo ID, sunscreen, a low-back lawn chair, and a clear backpack or purse. The festival will continue rain or shine, so ponchos and raincoats are recommended if clouds build over the mountains. Umbrellas, outside food and drinks, weapons, and professional recording equipment are not permitted.
There is no designated festival parking lot, so visitors should use available legal parking throughout Trinidad. A paid shuttle is planned from participating hotels and Trinidad Lake, with the event-day telephone number to be announced by organizers.
For longtime blues fans, Trinidaddio is the return of a southern Colorado tradition. For everyone else, it is an invitation to discover what happens when great music, a historic downtown and an entire community meet beneath the same summer sky.
Bring a chair. Bring the family. Bring somebody who needs a good weekend.
The blues will handle the rest.
