Alamosa Live Music Association

Bruce Hayes

Rhythm & Celtgrass is what Bruce Hayes calls his music – a fusion of musical styles that combines acoustic and electric instrumentation with elements of Rock, Bluegrass, Celtic, and R&B music. The Alamosa Live Music Association (ALMA) presents Hayes in their annual member appreciation concert, Wed., May 19, 7:30pm, at the Bistro Rialto on Main St. between San Juan Ave. and Edison Ave. in Alamosa.

The concert is free for members of ALMA and memberships will be available at the door. Otherwise, tickets are $8, $5 for students and seniors. Recent transplant to Alamosa Emily Robinson will open the show, evoking vocalists like Nancy Griffith, Emmylou Harris and Iris Dement while singing acoustic roots music.

Emily Robinson will open the show

On stage Hayes’ presence is electrifying. He taps his feet on an amplified floorboard, slaps accents on his guitar and cheeks, wails on the harmonica and sings charismatically. His fingers dance around the strings with incredible fluidity creating rich harmonic textures and rapid-fire riffs. Collaborating with The String Cheese Incident and Acoustic Junction, Hayes helped define the acoustic jam band sound. He continues this tradition performing original songs and arrangements on mandolin, guitar, Dobro and more.

Hayes’ music is fresh and original but steeped in tradition; borrowing from blues, bluegrass, Celtic, world beat, folk, rock and jazz, it “could be loosely termed ‘Mountain Music,” …but Bruce’s mountains reach from the Andes to the Smokies and back to his home range in Colorado,” according to Aspen Daily News reviewer Larry Good.

“The Jimi Hendrix of the mandolin,” is how the Crested Butte Chronicle & Pilot described Hayes. “Definitely not some New Age dork. Man, he really cuts loose!” is what Tom Robbins, author of “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,” among other novels, said about him. You can visit his website or check out his music on MySpace.

They say laughter is good for your health, so attending the Alamosa Rotary Club’s “3rd Annual Brew Ha Ha,” not only benefits worthy causes, but also would be good for yourself. Comedian Sam Adams will entertain, and the San Luis Valley Brewing Co. will provide a fabulous dinner, dessert and a brew, all for only $35 a person, Sun., April 25, 6:30 pm, at the SLV Brew Pub on the corner of San Juan Ave. and Main St. in Alamosa. The brewery will donate $1 back for other brews consumed as well.

The Alamosa Live Music Assoc. (ALMA) is helping put the show on with the Alamosa Rotary Club which will direct proceeds to the Reach Out and Read program  - in which valley doctors encourage parents to read to there kids and provide age-appropriate books to them – and the Alamosa High School forensics team to assist with travel expenses in attending speech meets.

The whole family will enjoy the comedy from Sam Adams, a winner at the 2009 Great American Comedy Festival. Adams has performed all across the country – as a headliner and featured act in comedy clubs, guest speaker and master of ceremonies at corporate events.

Adams has shared stages as an emcee and leadoff act for touring headline comedians and national recording music artists– an eclectic list of entertainers ranging from comedians Mike Epps and Frank Caliendo to music’s David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Rick Springfield and The Guess Who.

Adams also is an award-winning sports journalist who has reported sports on a local and national level since 1986, with appearances on ESPN, Fox Sports Net and the NFL Network. In 2003 he received the “Print Journalist of the Year” award from the Colorado Association of Black Journalists.  He has covered numerous major championship sporting events – most notable four Super Bowls, two Olympics, two NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours, one Stanley Cup Finals and one World Series.

Advance tickets are available at the Narrow Gauge Newsstand in Alamosa, San Luis Valley Federal Bank in Monte Vista, or from any Alamosa Rotarian.