Yarmony Music Festival 6.28 & 6.29.24

Rancho Del Rio
Bond, CO

Words by J. Picard

Photos by Scott Seifert

Gratitude and appreciation have been the foundation of our time at Yarmony Music Festival (formerly, YarmonyGrass). Gratitude for the beauty of the space, Rancho Del Rio, and the mighty Colorado River that flows through it. Appreciation for the experiences, friendships and memories created. Over the span of the fourteen years that we've attended, we have seen firsthand a bonding of a core group of people who have become great friends, characters in each others' stories and in some cases, life partners. Following the incredible energy of the 2019 festival it was announced that Yarmony would be put to rest, to the dismay of many pirates. Though times got strange and folks were pushed apart, there was still a low, slow, pulse beating in the background. We did what we could to keep the spirit of the memory alive until one unsuspecting day, a long five years later, promoter Andrew McConathy announced that from its restful slumber would emerge the once dormant boutique festival!

In a climate of events and venues vanishing into the ether and big corporate conglomerates overhauling many of the initial beautiful models for pure profit at the cost of the heart of the experience, it is almost never that we see a festival return. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of its former glory, Yarmony Music Festival returned to the banks of the Colorado River for a year of rebuilding, revelry and reunions! With tickets and credentials secured, cars and motorhomes packed and cash in had for BBQ at the "Center of The Universe," we headed west on I-70 on a beautiful Colorado bluebird sky day. We turned past Wolcott and the all but forgotten State Bridge towards Rancho Del Rio, home of Yarmony, the Colorado River Center & KK's BBQ!

It felt surreal pulling onto the site. Our excitement and anticipation was through the roof, as we were greeted warmly and directed from the front entrance and general store to the festival box office. We were welcomed by a little bit of confusion and disorganization as the somewhat flustered, though very friendly box office issued our bracelets and tried to locate a parking space for our friends' Jenny & Jesse's motorhome. It was their first music festival, though they had attended Burning Man with us multiple times in the past. They too were excited for the experience. I transferred one of my tickets to Murray at the box office and we parked and unpacked. From the moment of our arrival on-site, we hugged friends and folks that we hadn't seen since the last Yarmony, a half a decade prior. It felt like a family reunion, plain and simple. Andrew McConathy stopped by to say hello and seemed to have a lot on his plate, as the stage, which was supposed to be on site the previous evening at 7:00 PM, rescheduled for the following day at noon, had yet to arrive as the clock approached 1:00 PM day of show. With sets scheduled to start at 4:00 PM, it was clear that the day's set times would be pushed back. 

We set up our camp on the edge of Motorhome/RV and family camping, as we knew we had outgrown the 4:00 AM camp ragers, in exchange for restfulness and the ability for our aging bodies to recover and make it through the weekend. Upon our first pass of the site, the stage had just arrived and the team was putting the final touches on the festival grounds. Jesse and I stopped by the put in at the far end of the site to find the river ready for us, though the water was cold and high! I began to consume cannabis rapidly as Jesse took out and began flying a really amazing kite that he brought. It sored through the air, dipping and diving at extreme angles, only to be concisely controlled to the ground then back to elevated heights! This triggered a handful of others to come out of the brush with kites in hand, inspired and ready to sail in the afternoon winds! Back at camp Joanne & Phil, who met at Yarmony in 2011, arrived and added their tents and camping chairs to the mix! We sorted a few beverages and headed over to the main stage to get a better listen of what we were hearing in the distance from camp.

We found Madeline Hawthorne and her band opening up the main stage with a decent crowd taking shape in appreciation of the band's tight, well produced sounding output! I noticed local Ace Angfer holding it down on bass. Further drawing our group of friends into her performance was a wonderful cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" following a little bit of rain. I stopped by Umami Ninja's vintage Airstream for a bowl of rice, veggies and pork with spicy peanut sauce. Though it was spendy, it hit the spot! While I was waiting for my comida, I spoke with Mama Magnolia's bass player, Zach Jackson, who was excited about his set with Daniel Rodriguez. I've always enjoyed Zach's playing and we made it a point to be at Daniel's set later that evening.

Back at camp we checked on the arrival of Yarmony veteran, Murray, and without a sign of the big guy, I wandered towards the front to check with the box office. About halfway there, I ran into an irritable Murray. "The lady up front said they didn't have my name on the list. She wouldn't let me come in and find you until I bought a ticket for Michelle..." Murray said as I gave him a big hug. "Hey Murray," a deep voice came from behind us as McConathy wandered over to hug Murray. I mentioned we were having an issue with Murray's ticket and he sent me to the box office where I found the woman from earlier with whom I had transferred Murray's ticket. She gave me his wristband, Murray introduced me to his girlfriend, Michelle, and back to camp we went ready to tackle the evening.

The group took a liking to Michelle from the get go and it was wonderful to see my favorite dude bring such a wonderful person into our mix of friends. We took over the unmanned pavilion adjacent to our camp and as we sat drinking, laughing and telling stories one of our favorites, Lori dropped in with mushrooms and a smile! Murray put on his blue hat that I brought and that we found at a thrift store in Evergreen in 2010 before our first Yarmony. That hat has come to every Yarmony and a couple of Burning Mans. Behind him, as if on cue, a rainbow stretched across the sky and he smiled and took a swig of his screwdriver. From our camp, Tenth Mountain Division could be heard ripping and peaking. It was a great soundtrack for our hotdog cookout at camp. There is something special about the grand collision of jam and bluegrass that oozes out of the Rocky Mountains. 

With the evening drawing later and the temperatures dropping, out came the mosquitos, something we weren't used to dealing with, as Yarmony is typically held in August, long after the bugs claim their reign. Off and the Deet appeared as we layered up and made our way back to catch Liver Down The River. Their energy was great and the deck was packed for their short second of three sets for the evening at the Yarmony Saloon. They got a great reception from the crowd as they wrapped up! Folks made their way to the main stage or back to camp to add layers in preparation for the darkness. It's a darkness unexperienced in any sort of proximity to the Front Range cities and most of the hoity toity mountains towns. Though the festival site was dotted with spotlights and campfires, the expanse of the Milky Way and beyond stretched across the night sky in an awe inspiring display that seemed to dull any sort of earthly anxieties. Shooting star after shooting star shot across the sky begging for wishes, in a moment where all of our dreams were unfolding. There we were at our favorite festival with our favorite people.

On our way to see Daniel Rodriguez's set,we stopped at Lori's camp where she offered Jäger Bombs and a combination of shrimp and crab marked "$10.00" from her cooler. Phil and Jesse obliged the shots of Jägermeister and Red Bull.

Daniel's set was mellow and sweet. His band perfectly complimented the vibe of his songs and writing style. Zach's back up vocals and harmonies were a perfect fit. Out in the crowd, Michelle twirled as if she either had formal training as a ballerina or a hippy. Murray smiled and closed his eyes and Jesse leaned over inquisitively looking for context for bands and musicians in which he was unfamiliar. I took an appreciation for being able to provide that context for a scene I care for so deeply and it meant a lot to me to have some of our best friends engaging in the music. The set welcomed an array of guests including Mimi Naja (Fruition), Billy Failing (Billy Strings), Jack Cloonan and Silas Herman! The visuals in the crowd were courtesy of Murray and his green light up Frisbee, which seemed to be everywhere!

Drinking all day had a wonderful effect on our group as Murray, Jesse and Phil continued down the rabbit hole with whiskey. Then of course more beers and drinks back at the venue. The Fretliners tore it up and as the hour grew late and sets got pushed back, my acceptance of impending sleep crept in. At one point Phil was really digging the music and took off running into the darkness. It was the last that I saw of him that evening. I said goodnight to everyone and sauntered back to camp feeling immense gratitude and love for the present moment. Back at camp I found Jo and Carly gearing up to head back to the venue and I gave them my best. Into our Kodiak tent I went and onto the air mattress I landed fully clothed as the world faded around me...

The next morning I awoke with memories of pirate calls and hooting and hollerin' in the night. Shockingly I was well rested. I emerged from our tent with a nostalgic zipping sound and the feeling of a slight breeze on my face. Carly stayed in bed as I brewed coffee and cleaned up camp. To my absolute amazement Phil popped up next, laughing about what he recalled from the previous evening. We cracked up as he pointed out to me that he was starting the day with a few thousands steps already logged on his pedometer. Following a couple of tall cups of coffee and several bowls of purple cannabis, I finally felt a sense of normalcy. We made breakfast burritos for the group and some nearby campers including Cody Russell, formerly of the Drunken Hearts. He brought some fruit to the mix and a great breakfast was had to kick off a day that I had been waiting a long five years for.

Nourished and craving the river we headed to the far end of the site. At the put in there was a line, not dissimilar to what I imagined the line to summit Everest would be like at peak season. There was a lot of bantering as we grabbed our PFDs (personal floatation devices/life jackets), hopped into the river, acclimated and circled in the eddy. The sun shined down on us as setup for the days' "floating stage," made it clear that the sets would be on land due to the river's high and swift conditions. Just next to the eddy, the mighty Colorado picked up its pace and sent folks on down the river whether they were ready or not.

We drank and floated down river towards the beach at the far end of the site that houses the Colorado River Center. It was 10:55 AM, so Jesse and I made our way over to KK's to meet Murray at 11:00 AM, per his request. We found KK smiling and well and upon hearing the news of "Murray From Jersey's" impending arrival, she rang the bell wildly! She was on fire as we went through the day's specials which included cheese steaks and a triple cherry pie, in addition to an already incredible menu that features a footlong buffalo and pork brat called the "Home Wrecker." For me, there is the always classic "4K," a hot Italian brat split open on top of a cheese burger with jalapenos and for dessert the delightfully delectable, "Orgasmatron." In addition there are typically an assortment of pickled items which I avoid at all costs. With no Murray in sight, I jumped over to the General store and purchased as many tall Twisted Teas as I could carry, returning to the group and passing them out as they played bags and hula hooped.

A short time later, the legendary Danimal rolled into our camp with his girl, and they were of course greeted with teas, which had become the official drink of our camp. We communed for a bit before he asked if anyone else was supposed to meet Murray at the Center of the Universe, to which I nodded and he smiled. While the group headed off to float, we returned to KK's to find Murray and assume our positions at the beautiful aged, well maintained wooden bar. For me, there is no place more enjoyable than bellying up to KK's BBQ with Murray on my left and whoever else finds themselves in the nonsensical right place at the right time. I lead off with an appetizer cheese steak, which Murray put on his tab, laughing as he exclaimed it was in exchange for me buying his Yarmony ticket. 

Murray lead off with a 4K and Danimal and his girl, the cheese steaks. Next, I went with the 4K and exclaimed getting up that I needed to go and purchase a Twisted Tea, to which Michelle insisted I sat down and off she went in the direction of the General Store, returning with a tall tea. I was super grateful as the Italian sausage was uncharacteristically red hot! The rest of the group showed up after catching The Fretliners at the eddy. I bought Jesse a cheese steak and it was gone as quickly as it came. The service was oddly fast on that fateful Saturday in June.

KK was cooking, playing host and basically headlining the festival all at the same time as folks stopped by to greet her, hug her or talk shit. It was clear that she was the queen of the Center of the Universe and we were all just hungry river hippies. She rang the bell wildly and exclaimed, "Come and get it!" I finished with an Orgasmatron, as one does, which was a brownie topped with homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles that were some brand she went on and on about. Murray and I got the last two and he called her on the cookies being from Costco, causing her to snap back with a smile. A family of four children wandered up and ordered. "There goes the college fund," Murray said smiling and looking at me sideways. I died laughing and KK turned and threatened him playfully. Towards the end of their meal KK confessed to the family that "the BBQ stand is typically adults only, but since you kids were so well-mannered, grab a couple of cookies." Murray and I wondered if she added those to their bill.

Towards the end of our experience, Justin Gerber came over and played a few songs solo, which we enjoyed very much. We could have stayed there all day, but off we went to load up on drinks for another extended round of circling in the eddy, this time while Drunken Hearts and friends that featured former members of the band picked atop the hill. Murray was not pleased to find that he and Michelle would be floating on a beautiful multicolored peacock float. He begrudgingly carried it barefoot through the camp and then across the rock parking lot getting compliments along the way and causing him to smile, just a little. We tied together most of our rafts and circled under the mid-day sun for what felt like forever drinking, avoiding pirates and living the good life. At one point they called for Silas to come up and pick one, but alas, he was floating out in front of the stage. He circled back in the Eddy, made his way to shore and picked up his mandolin! A peak moment came as McConathy and friends dove into the Yonder Mountain String Band classic, "No Expectations," for Jeff Austin. I had goosebumps as gratitude poured from my soul as Rancho del Rio was the last place I spoke with Jeff at length. The river took us into it's directional grip as the set concluded.

We dried off and headed over to the main stage for the second half of the Bonnie & Taylor Sims Band set. They sounded great and fit the afternoon feel perfectly. Back at camp it was another round of hotdogs and hamburgers on the day and why not, as we were cramming a lot of camping into just a day and a half. The Jon Stickley Trio, which was actually just a duo until they were joined by Billy Failing on banjo, hit the stage with a ferocity. Their performance was masterful and a clear festival highlight. At the Saloon stage, Violet Pilot, lead by the ever-so-animated Michael Kirkpatrick, plowed through a half hour set that included classics like Led Zeppelin's "Over The Hills And Far Away." The deck swayed as if we were on a pirate ship, with Kirkpatrick at the helm. Though the raid was brief, it was bountiful. Throughout that set we saw the river pirates from earlier that morning, rushing into the venue with multiple Jolly Roger pirate flags in tow that they had taken from the camps.

Lindsay Lou and her band took the stage for their headlining set as the field in front of the main stage filled in. The set featured Mimi and welcomed special guest, Billy Failing. Lindsay's voice was beautiful and the harmonies flowed over the surrounding mountains. At camp, we pre-gamed for the set that I was most looking forward to. I hadn't seen the Drunken Hearts in some time and was unfamiliar with their newest incarnation of the line-up. Again, whiskey started pouring and I packed bowl after bowl of cannabis. At one point a couple of folks who never smoke took a hit off of the ol' bowlski, surprising us and further affirming the effect of the elevated experience of such an incredible space like Rancho.

We wandered under the stars to the main stage just in time for the Drunken Hearts first couple of notes. They sounded rehearsed, produced and very directional, like a train ripping through a mountain canyon. James Dunn's guitar playing mimicked as close to a pedal steel as I've ever heard played on a conventional electric guitar. Highlights of the set included a guest appearance by Lindsay Lou on the Drunken Hearts single, "Forever Highway," from their newest album Reckless Ways of Living,  as well as guest performances from former members of the band, Rob Eaton Jr. and Alex Johnson on what was a truly incredible version of the Allman Brothers' classic, "Jessica." Jenny turned to me after "Jessica," I had goosebumps and she said, "That was one of the best songs I've ever seen live," to which I smiled. 

During the set Jesse saw one of the pirates run by in a celebratory fashion with Lori's glowing green Frisbee and swiftly snagged the Frisbee from him without the wook seeing it coming. The kid was so disappointed, unlike Lori who danced wildly upon the return of her disc! Jesse returned tot he group with a smile.

Following a blistering set from the Drunken Hearts we nestled up around the fire for an unplugged session with The Fretliners. What I could hear sounded good, but slowly we faded further from the fire and into the darkness. Back at camp we fired up the propane firepit, talked shit and told stories until the night turned to morning and we crawled into our tents for one last little bit of sleep along the river.

Morning came and I was in shockingly good condition. Coffee, cannabis and packing, which is usually the unpleasant part of a festival, didn't seem to bother me. I was fulfilled. Yarmony was back and I felt like I had been cleansed and reborn in the river of life! The stories from that weekend would be added to the list of lore that we would tell in the most traditional and outrageous of circumstances while consuming somewhere down the road, or the river as it may be. Carly hopped into Jenny and Jesse's motorhome and headed west to Reno, NV to surprise her family, while I hoped into my pickup truck for a short ride home to Evergreen. In the days that followed, in the moments of reflection, I smiled. Repeatedly. Sure, great times were had, but in the grander scheme of things, Yarmony was back!

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