A day in the life.....of Old North State

The first morning I was in Durango, I was sitting 

in the hotel lobby having a little breakfast and I picked

up the local paper and was pleasantly surprised to find 

in the Arts and Entertainment section a photo of Dillon and Jantzen

 with this caption.

Ready for a Meltdown!

Jantzen Wray and his brother Dillon of Old North State

are local boys who originally hail from Asheville, NC and

describe their style as "rambunctious bluegrass".  They will

play at the Wild Horse Saloon for the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown

which runs today through Sunday in town.

That was a fun way to start the day.  The first thing we did was

head out to the boys "home" and deliver the paper.

The Road Ranger is home sweet home for this nomadic duo.

When in Durango, they are parked on a friend's farm.

It's very pretty here.  I loved this old barn.

  Time to head into town and get ready for the big show.

Notice the name of their band on the lineup. :)

Avery County is also from Asheville.

It was interesting for this Mormon girl to spend so much time here

but it was pretty mellow considering it was an early show and

I stuck to my drink of choice - water.

I enjoyed watching them get everything set up.

Stop.  Gotta get a picture with mom.

Okay.  Time to hit the stage.

It was so much fun!!! 

I tried to get a video, but the lighting was not working

 with my camera.  Here is a better recording of

them playing one of the songs they did in the show.

 It's a rambunctious bluegrass cover of a

Destiny's Child song. I kid you not.

And here is an interview they did at a radio station

in October, where they played one of their original songs.

When mom and dad are in town, you take a break to have

a nice dinner

at the Mahogany Grill. This dessert is in the book

"1000 Things To Do Before You Die".

(You didn't really think I could make it through a post without a

picture of food, did you?)

This is called a Chocolate Avalanche.  It's a chocolate brownie,

chocolate ice cream, strawberries and mascarpone cream stacked

high and drizzled with chocolate sauce. 

We shared it and it was amazing!

In the Strater Hotel, ( a really cool, historic, hotel)

 musicians were gathering everywhere to start up

a jam session.

I loved listening to the old timers play,

and the young folks too.

It was fun watching musicians just pick up their 

instruments and join in.

Old North State and friends eventually had to disband because

they drew such a crowd, they clogged up the walkway to the

restaurant.  It was fun while it lasted.

These boys are working their hearts out to make a go

with their music.  I'm proud of their tenacity because

it's not easy.  I wish them the very best and I'm sure

I'm one of their biggest fans - because I'm the mom

and I think they're awesome!  Love you boys!

*Goal # 28 - Visit Dillon and Jantzen in Colorado.