By Jim Stanford on March 8, 2007
… you know the band is rocking.
Jalan Crossland and friends had the joint jumpin’ last night in the second of two sold-out shows at the rustic Moose bar.
While Dornan’s mostly is known as a great venue for listening to music, it’s not often you see people folding up chairs and clearing room for a hoedown.
But that’s what happened, as a few fans couldn’t sit still for the rollicking bluegrass and resorted to hippie shimmying wherever they found room. And Tuesday night’s shindig reportedly was wilder.
Crossland and his band romped through two sets stacked with new tunes from their album Trailer Park Fire & Other Tragedies. Mandolinist Ben Winship drove over from Victor, Idaho, to jam with the group, providing some of the evening’s highlights.
On Tuesday, Jackson’s Anne and Pete Sibley joined the party, with Anne singing “Little Iron Cross” — a song she recorded with Crossland on Trailer Park Fire — and Pete strumming a banjo.
Having a backing band allows Crossland to cut loose with his picking and, as he joked, “covers up all my mistakes.”
Looking like the saloon entertainer from a Clint Eastwood Western in his black hat and scruffy cowboy shirt, he cackled and raced through ribald tales of hobos and trailer life, with self-deprecating humor and nimble grace. Occasional bits of poetry (”eyes as cold as creek stones”) or the downy-soft ballad “Alabama Sweetly” kept the levity grounded.
Himself a trailer resident in Ten Sleep, Crossland showed once again that his music is quintessentially Wyoming. This is a band worth watching, hopefully returning soon for one of the summer festivals.
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Located in Grand Teton National Park with a sweeping panorama of the Snake River and Teton peaks, Dornan’s is unique among American bars. A must destination after a long hike, ride or ski in the park.
Dornan’s also is known for its wine selection and periodically hosts events helping amateurs become epicures.
The next Wine Tasting on a Budget is Sunday, April 1. Taste 10 wines for $10, and get a coupon for $5 off a bottle of one of the wines. Tasting runs from 6 to 8 p.m.
There also will be a wine dinner this Saturday, March 10. Cost is $65 per person, which includes tax and gratuity.
Click here for more details on these and other wine events.
Posted under bluegrass, entertainment, music
