Jackson Hole Underground

(Ed. note: This is the second in a series of posts from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Click on photos to enlarge.)

Jackson Hole is to natural beauty what New Orleans is to soul.

Down here, we subsist on music as much as oxygen. So when I arrived sleep deprived and feeling nearly dead, I decided to head out to the Fairgrounds to catch the last few hours of the festival. Sunday service would be celebrated by the Rev. Al Green.

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Despite the cold, wind and snow outside, I’m holding out faith for the skies to clear and calm by the time Michael Franti and Spearhead take the stage this evening at Teton Village. If not, we’ll be dancing in the storm.

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Every time Galactic plays the Mangy Moose they make us feel like we’re at Tipitina’s in New Orleans, hot and sweaty.

But when they bring along rapper Chali 2na of Jurassic Five, the place gets nuttier than the Audubon Zoo.

Standing 6-foot-6 with a smile as wide as the Mississippi River, the J-5 singer had the joint jumping last night. He was commanding and smooth, busting out rhymes with a positive vibe.

Apparently, the promise of hip-hop meets psychedelic funk gets the testosterone pumping. By my rough estimation, the density of the crowd measured 10 dpsi — dudes per square inch. I’ve done Bikram yoga in cooler conditions.

Guys were charging toward the stage like it was the Tower Three Chute. Fellas, the front row ought to be reserved for the ladies (and the occasional photographer).

The dance floor was a mosh pit, and the crowding a chafe for much of the night. But Galactic was able to churn up enough energy to let us do as they do in New Orleans: roll with it.

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A blizzard is raging outside, so it seems odd to be writing about searing heat, round-the-clock music and spicy Cajun eats. Then again, it’s never too early to begin planning spring break.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has released its preliminary music schedule, and whether you’re rolling with the Spread Heads, Parrot Heads, Fish Heads or ‘Fess Head, the lineup is stacked.

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I awoke to –15 degrees this morning. Saw a reading of –22 at Jackson Hole Airport the other night (via the Mountain Weather Web site).

Spring will be here soon, no?

Already anticipation is running high for the free Michael Franti and Spearhead concert at Teton Village on March 29. Only two months to go.

The excitement level ratcheted up another notch here this week with the discovery that The Radiators will open the show.

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