JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Times are tough in Teton Valley, making it all the more admirable that Knotty Pine owner Brice Nelson is sticking to his commitment to hosting live music.

The Knotty once again boasts the best slate of artists over the next month, starting with tonight’s visit from Anthony B. The Jamaican reggae singer drew high praise for his performance in Victor last year from no less of an authority than Christian Senf, host of the Friday evening reggae show on Jackson Hole Community Radio.

Upcoming at the most irie of Teton music venues: free-form rock and jazz improvisation by Willie Waldman Project on Feb. 5; hip-hopper Lyrics Born on Feb. 14; and funk powerhouse Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on Feb. 25. More than half the tickets for the Karl Denson show ($22) already have been sold, so don’t wait till the last minute. Tickets for Lyrics Born are $15 in advance.

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Posted under Music

Tags: knotty pine, reggae, teton valley

The day’s first rays color the mountain the Shoshones call Damuh Bahvee, or “Our Elder Brother.” Welcome sunshine, after all the recent recent snowstorms.

It was a fine day to be out among the peaks, schussing in hoar-frosted powder that glittered like diamonds.

From an Indian prayer:

Mountain Spirit, leader of the Mountain Spirits, your body is holy.
By means of it, make him well again.
Make his body like your own.
Make him strong again.

Posted under Environment, Sports

Tags: backcountry, grand teton national park, native americans, photography, skiing

Grace Potter is coming back for another vacation in the Tetons — this time a ski vacation. The lovely lyricist and her band, the Nocturnals, are going to play a free concert March 27 at the Jackson Hole Mountain Festival in Teton Village. The show is posted on Potter’s tour page.

This marks her fifth trip to western Wyoming in little more than two years, since bursting out of Vermont as one of the rising stars in rock and roll. The keyboardist, singer and guitarist has roots in Jackson Hole, as her sister Charlotte, an artist, has lived here on and off.

Last summer at Targhee, in an interview with JH Underground, Potter said the gig felt more like a vacation than work. She has played Targhee Fest twice, as well as the Pink Garter in Jackson and Mangy Moose in Teton Village.

Mountain Fest is the culmination of ski season at JHMR. Past headliners have included Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ozomatli and Blues Traveler.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will perform at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and also have a new album due out this spring.

The fluttering you’re hearing is the sound of my egg shaking.

(Photo by David Stubbs)

Posted under Music, Ski Resorts

Tags: david stubbs, festivals, grace potter, jackson hole mountain resort, rock, teton village

The Jackson City Council bent the rules in advance (via the controversial PMUD) to allow more building on this site, and then bent the rules retroactively to allow what were supposed to have been residential units to be short-term rentals.

All this, in the so-called downtown “historic district,” so we can have on a prime corner … another real estate office.

To her credit, Melissa Turley was the only councilor who voted against changing the rules retroactively to bail out a developer.

Town as Heart, “vibrant mix of residential and retail,” flexibility for creative housing — all laudable goals, but too often what we end up having to show for community benefit is … another real estate office.

Posted under Economy, Politics, Town Government

Tags: conservation, development, mark barron

Tonight President Obama challenged Republicans to stop saying no to everything and instead show some leadership in solving America’s problems.

After his State of the Union Address, he reached out and shook the hand of U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a gesture visible on TV.

Will Barrasso and U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., rise to the challenge?

Will Barrasso and Enzi support a fee on bailed-out banks to recoup taxpayer losses, as well as other financial reforms designed to limit the risks taken by and size of so-called “too big to fail” institutions? Enzi is in prime position to rein in banks, sitting on the Senate Finance and Budget committees.

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Posted under Democratic Party, Economy, Politics, Republican Party

Tags: barack obama, john barrasso

Worked. Who isn’t, after a weekend of the deepest powder this season?

It’s still snowing in the mountains, but as of yesterday the Tetons had received four feet in five days, including back-to-back dumps of 17 inches. Grand Targhee reported 33 inches in 24 hours Sunday. We’re well on our way to five feet of snow in the last week.

Top to bottom, left to right, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort offered exceptional skiing throughout the weekend, despite the frenzied powder-day crowds. Lift lines were minimal, there were fresh tracks in bounds all day, and hike-to runs like the Headwall were about as deep as one can possibly ski.

This was the Super Bowl of powder skiing, a consolation for those of us whose favorite NFL team was eliminated. Might as well make like Braylon Edwards on the slopes.

Photographer David Stubbs shot this video yesterday in the snorkel-deep Teton backcountry. The skier is a bit of a yahoo, but the exuberance of both captures the feeling of the weekend.

Posted under Sports, Weather

Tags: backcountry, david stubbs, powder, skiing, snowboarding