Louisville's Downtown Street Faire

Louisville, Colorado
Louisville’s Steinbaugh Pavilion during the Street Faire.

Friends, Family, Community and the Magic of Live Music

“For three or four hours, nine summertime Friday evenings, life is just like it should be. Babies don’t cry, dogs don’t bark, and wise elders feel nineteen again. The Muse visits the musicians pretty much every night and dances when the spirit moves her. We don’t know why this all happens here, we’re just glad it does.”

— From the Louisville DBA’s Downtown Street Faire page

The Steinbaugh Pavilion and stage. The black & white photo (in the upper right corner of the stage backdrop) is the Steinbaugh blacksmith shop which previously occupied the site.
The New Riders of the Purple Sage, including original members David Nelson and Buddy Cage, played the Louisville Downtown Street Faire 07/13/2012. Definitely one of the best acts to play the Faire. Highlights included ‘Deep Elem Blues,’ ‘Fifteen Days Under the Hood,’ ‘Six of One,’ ‘Dirty Business,’ ‘Higher,’ ‘Panama Red,’ and ‘Friend of the Devil.’ Encores were Bob Dylan’s ‘Rainy Day Women’ (Everybody Must Get Stoned) and ‘Ripple.’
Samantha Fish and her band first played the Street Faire 07/26/2013. They returned again in 2014, 2015, and 2016. This shot is from her 2014 performance, where she is playing her ‘oilcan’ guitar.

From Kansas City MO, she’s a singer-songwriter in her early 20’s who plays one mean guitar. Her sound has been described as a groove-oriented amalgamation of different blues styles, with a rock & roll edge. Highlights of her 2013 performance included “Money to Burn,” “Soft and Slow,” and “Wait a Minute,” along with B.B. King’s “Something on Your Mind.” During the two-song encore, she invited the audience to join her on the stage to dance. It didn’t take long before the stage was full. A truly outstanding performance by one of the most amazing female guitarists you’re ever likely to hear. Her first album was Runaway, her second is called Black Wind Howlin’, her third is Wild Heart.

Video: — Jamming with Buddy Guy — “Lay It Down” official music video — “Black Wind Howlin’ ” promo video
Reviews: — Kansas City Star, 2012 — American Blues Scene — Kansas City Star, 2015 — Blues Underground Network — Twangville
Promo for Samantha Fish’s second appearance at the Street Faire, 08/08/2014. Short and to the point, it said everything that needed to be said.
Samantha’s first performance at the Faire, 07/26/2013.
Samantha Fish's drummer took this photo of the crowd inside (and outside) the Steinbaugh Pavilion. She posted it on her Facebook page the next day.
The BNSF railroad tracks run immediately behind the stage, so a few people invariably stray onto the tracks to escape the crowd.
Tab Benoit at the Faire, 08/02/2013.
Tab Benoit’s tour bus, with the railroad just behind it.
Los Lobos played the Street Faire 07/11/2014. Highlights were “Oye Como Va” and “La Bamba/Good Lovin’.” La Bamba and Good Lovin’ are surprisingly similar songs. They played them as their second encore, interwoven like they were one song. Their repertoire ran from Mexican polka, to the blues, to smokin’ hot rock and roll. Los Lobos’ show brought out one of the largest crowds yet for a Street Faire — the weather was warm and humid, there were bicycles parked everywhere, and it was a full moon. Wikipedia article
The Subdudes were the last act of 2014, on the 15th of August.
John Breaux’s statue waving to the crowd.
Part of the audience on the last weekend of the 2014 Faire.
The following two paragraphs are from an article in Denver’s Westword weekly newspaper, concerning the role Louisville’s Waterloo Restaurant played engineering the Street Faire’s booking of Los Lobos:

… While the folks who bring in national acts for these weekly events have booked such artists as the BoDeans, the MarchFourth Marching Band, Chuck Prophet and the Iguanas, they needed a little help connecting with Los Lobos, who will play on Friday, July 11. That’s where some of Louis's former music contacts — and the fact that he’s been friends with the band for decades — came in handy.

“Some of his connections are still there, which is how we were able to help with Los Lobos, because some of the people he used to work with are still in management or production companies,” says Josh.

[Note: Josh is the owner of Louisville’s Waterloo Restaurant. His father Louis, formerly the owner of Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas, is the one with the music industry connections.]