Head for the Hills: Bluegrass band to play Microbreweries for the Environment party

Here's a great musical recipe for the weekend -- listen to some innovative bluegrass tunes, support the environment and down some tasty microbrews.

That's why locals are heading down to Friday's Microbreweries for the Environment bash at the Boulder Theater.

Colorado's Head for the Hills bluegrass band headlines the party. The local group will show off its musical and improvisational skills for this hometown show.

Adam Kinghorn plays guitar for Head for the Hills, and he talked with the Daily about his band's promising career.

Q: How did the band get started in Fort Collins?

A: We met at CSU and we used to practice in the dorms. We were all natural resource majors at CSU, so we're all passionate about environmental issues.

Fort Collins is a really great town and everyone's open to new music -- especially acoustic music. They're not afraid to hear a few twists and turns with bluegrass.

Q: How does your band put its own spin on bluegrass?

A: All of us come from different musical backgrounds and that worked for all of us. None of us were raised in a bluegrass household.

Bluegrass is an acoustic venue, so we were able to jam and write music in the dorms. We were all learning bluegrass together, and it was really fun to see where it went.

The main starting point is that we all have different influences that affect our music. The songwriting keeps it bluegrass. We're not confined to any genre, so we explore boundaries.

I'm on a jazz kick now and that's coming out in the songwriting. We're open to exploring new styles. Some songs are getting away from usual bluegrass and are more rock sounding.

Our subject matter's gone away from mountains and winds -- some songs have darker subject matter. They're getting away from what you might think is bluegrass. People are open to hearing new things.

Q: What's happening with the band's career?

A: We were invited to play a showcase at SXSW and we got to play Texas. We've been getting around.

We'll also be playing a NightGrass set at Telluride, the DellFest and the High Sierra Music Festival.

There are lots of new places for us to play.

Q: Why did your band want to play Microbreweries for the Environment?

A: This event supports local environmental issues and you get some local talent. It sounds like it will be really fun.

We all studied about the environment in college and we're passionate about environmental issues.

We'll show people some new music we've been working up. We're excited and this is going to be a high-energy show.

It's a coming home show -- it will feel really good to play a hometown show.

Q: What does Head for the Hills have planned for the rest of 2011?

A: We're going to play a lot of new festivals and expose ourselves to a lot of new audiences.

We're excited about that.

It's nice to see some rewards for the hard work we're putting in. Now our band's getting more sustainable.