The Bluebird Music Festival made its Fort Collins, Colorado, debut on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024. Opening night festivities, with Daniel Rodriguez providing the musical entertainment, were held at the Odell Brewing Company Winery. On Friday evening, October 4th, the musical magic moved to Washington’s, the expansive state-of-the-art music venue in downtown Fort Collins. Entertainment was provided by Josh Ritter and his band, Daniel Rodriguez, and The Wildwoods.
On Saturday afternoon, October 5th, the festival's energy shifted to The Fort Collins Armory, a cherished gem in downtown Fort Collins. This intimate venue hosted the Strings & Stories event featuring John Craigie, Jade Bird, Alysia Kraft, and Tyree Woods. The audience was abuzz with excitement for this unplugged-style segment of the festivities, eager to experience their favorite artists up close and personal. With its comfortable seating and cool, laid-back atmosphere, The Armory truly stands as one of Fort Collins' most treasured venues.
Later that same evening, pulling double duty, John Craigie and his band, along with Jade Bird, also played at Washington's and were joined by Viv & Riley for their first appearance of the festival. Wow, what a wonderful array of talent playing at three different Fort Collins venues and for a remarkable cause. Not only was the weekend filled with good vibes, great artists, and performances, it was also filled with love and respect for local communities and natural resources. This festival benefits the Future Arts Foundation. Local students will receive musical instruments with festival proceeds. The foundation will also team up with Odell Brewing Company for a Poudre River clean-up.
John Craigie headlined the Strings & Stories portion of the festival. His quick-witted humor intertwined with his poetic lyrics left the audience slapping their knees with laughter and tapping their feet with joy. Effortlessly combining Americana, folk, and comedic storytelling, his style was unique and wildly entertaining. Noticing the audience singing along with him made me realize that his metamorphosis as an artist has picked up passengers along the way, and they are here to stay.
Craigie’s Woody Guthrie vibe, Dylanesque delivery, and multi-instrumentalist abilities land him in a category that is beyond definition. He played guitar beautifully; his harmonica chops were bluesy and melodic, all while remembering and discovering clever hooks, punchlines, and whatever else seemed to suit the storyline of the song in the moment. It felt like he was writing the words as he sang them, and if that is even modestly true, this guy has special powers that cannot be challenged or explained. That was part of his mystique and mystery, and for this first-timer seeing him, I liked it that way.
Jade Bird from the United Kingdom is a guitar player and singer-songwriter powerhouse. Her unassuming stature and girl-next-door look was quite the opposite when she took the stage. Bird’s ferocity didn’t appear right away; she played it cool for a few songs, showing her diverse vocal abilities and range. Adhering to indie, rock, folk rock, country, and alt-country, she obviously has been influenced by some great artists and musical styles. Her modern approach to traditional styles was explosive and raw. Her robust, gravelly tone in her voice was hitting every corner of the room with complete clarity and pinpoint accuracy.
Towards the end of her set, she warned the audience that she was going to yell at them a bit with the next number, and she wasn’t kidding. Her words were rolling off her tongue with fiery purpose and point-driven enthusiasm. Her overall vibe was exquisitely delivered, with emotional truths packed with punk-rock attitude and ambition. I bet Bird has some Patti Smith records in her collection.
Hometown hero Alysia Kraft is no stranger to bringing smiles to audiences everywhere she plays. Typically, Kraft fronts her rock band The Patti Fiasco and other musical projects, but yesterday it was just her, her words, and her six-string guitar. Kraft is a powerful live performer with amazing songwriting skills, extreme stage athleticism, and the desire to rock your soul. So seeing her stand still yesterday and express her deepest thoughts, desires, and life’s highs and lows through song was simply heartwarming and inspiring.
Kraft played recently written songs that she had not yet played to a live audience, and a few from different eras of her musical journey. Her forward momentum as an artist is propelled by the people around her, past and present. She sang songs about her childhood and her early introduction to Elvis Presley’s music from a neighbor of hers in Wyoming. She sang about past and present relationships and everything else that comes along on her adventure of life. Her voice was strong, her heart was an open book, and you could feel her passion and zest for life with every word she sang.
Opening the show was Tyree Woods, who set a wonderful mood for the afternoon audience. His presence was powerfully beautiful, making everyone in the room feel very comfortable and relaxed. This guy can rock out too, as I have seen when he’s played with a full band. Yesterday, it was just him, his stories, and eagerly awaiting ears to hear them. Woods is a veteran of music and the Armed Forces. He told a story of fallen soldiers and everything he did to save their lives; some were saved and others were not. To be able to express the kind of heartache he has endured was simply courageous and generous.
Woods' voice was smooth and strong, and his guitar rang out from the stage with intimacy that filled the hearts of the guests. Talk about bringing the people into the musical conversation: he was certainly up for the task and succeeded with flying colors. Not knowing much about him personally, it was easy to see and hear his storytelling abilities, and in just minutes he felt like a new friend. What a wonderful heart and gracious musician.
All photos and recap are from the Fort Collins Armory Strings & Stories segment of the festival. Thanks to The Bluebird Music Festival, the sponsors, all of the artists, production crews, and guests.
