Tenth Mountain Division Takes Over Cervantes’ Winter String Fling Campaign: Leads Charge to Victory

The Winter String Fling took place at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and Cervantes Other Side in Denver on January 14 & 15, 2022.  Tenth Mountain Division was supported by Fireside Collective, while Bottlerocket Hurricane, Clay Street Unit, Taylor Scott Band, Hickabee, Kind Hearted Strangers and The Vegabonds all played on The Other Side.  

Tenth Mountain Division is playing in Boulder, CO at the Fox Theater on January 22.  Find Tickets

The Winter String Fling is a new Denver tradition at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom.  It typically marks the first January outing for many, after a brief post-new years rest, and is a great reunion with plenty of music to celebrate.

This year’s String Fling was scheduled to be headlined by the Bluegrass Generals – a changing lineup of fantastic pickers curated by Andy Hall and Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters.  The full Bluegrass Generals lineup for 2022 also included Paul Hoffmann (Greensky Bluegrass), Michael Travis (String Cheese Incident), and Andrew Altman (Railroad Earth).

Alas, 2022 has not yet turned out to be the promised land we all hoped for after the hands we were dealt throughout ’20 and ’21, and the Bluegrass Generals fell pray to the current trend of Covid cancellations.  With The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, and Railroad Earth all about to embark on Nationwide tours, it was decided by the Generals that this mission was not worth the risk.

So, Cervantes reached out to another trusted battalion of pickin’ soldiers to carry out the original mission, and Colorado’s Tenth Mountain Division stepped up to carry the flag and lead the charge.  With less than a week to prepare, Tenth Mountain Division was asked to put together 2 nights of music, and assemble an all-star cast of Denver pickers to assist them.

“We feel very appreciative that Cervantes called on us to fill these very big shoes,” says Tenth Mountain Division’s Winston Huega.  “We’re super grateful to have this amazing community in the Denver music scene to reach out to and help make this such a great party!”

For two evenings at Cervantes, Tenth Mountain Division, along with their friends, rocked Denver, and completed the mission to a blazing success.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday, TMD was joined onstage by some of Colorado’s best, including Patrick Harvey (Cycles) and Jacob Moss (Part and Parcel), saxophonist Kevin Supina (Envy ALO), fiddler player Dan Andree (Chain Station), Andrew Gordon (Pick & Howl), Luke Hinder (Deer Creek Sharpshooters), Jack Cloonan, (Jack Cloonan Band) and Patty Storen (Liver Down The River).  Members of Fireside Collective – who really impressed with their opening sets – also sat in throughout.  At one point, all of the fellow local powerhouse Kind Hearted Strangers managed to squeeze onto the stage as well.

With so many pickers hopping on and off the stage all weekend, it would be easy for things to get, well, messy.  (We’ve all seen those all-star jams and know that the potential for cringe-worthiness is always there.)  But these shows flowed seamlessly, and TMD held it all together beautifully – something made even more impressive upon learning that there was never a chance for rehearsal with any of these guests prior to the show.

Tenth Mountain Division did a masterful job of incorporating each of the guests, weaving a setlist of original TMD tunes and well-chosen covers that suited all of the performers onstage.   From favorites by Widespread Panic, Leftover Salmon, Jeff Austin and Danny Barnes to a set heavily influenced by John Hartford, the band showed off their full range, and never missed a beat.

Reflecting on the weekend, Huega says, “It meant a lot to us to learn that we could pull that off!”

Sometimes, in battle, plans and strategies can change with the wind.  Luckily, in the great campaign of the 2022 Winter String Fling, when the original Generals were unable to carry out the mission, the Tenth Mountain Division was able to lead the calvary and carry the flag to a glorious victory!

There are a ton of amazing artists residing in and around Denver.  Icons like the members of Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass and Railroad Earth are certainly at the forefront.  What Tenth Mountain Division and friends made evident at the Winter String Fling, however, is that there is yet another generation of amazing artists blooming on the Front Range, and Tenth Mountain Division is leading their charge. 

You can catch Tenth Mountain Division, along with Flash Mountain Flood, at the Fox Theater in Boulder, CO on Saturday, January 22, 2022.  Get Tickets