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Widespread Panic rocks Snow King on July 19, 2006. (Jim Stanford photo)
THE LOWDOWN ON THE MUSIC SCENE
For a small, remote community in the mountains of western Wyoming, Jackson Hole manages to land an incredible amount of great music. The lineups are particularly strong in summer and during the height of the ski season (February and March).
You can hear all types: rock, funk, jazz, classical, country and folk. Nearby Teton Valley, Idaho, is fast becoming a musical mecca of its own.
Here are some of the venues where the hottest bands perform:
Galactic brings the swelter of New Orleans to the Moose in July 2005.
(Jim Stanford photo)
• Mangy Moose Saloon — the Tipitina’s or Irving Plaza of Jackson Hole. Located in Teton Village at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. In the winter it’s packed with tourists for apres-ski. Click here to read a story about music at the Moose, and click here for a schedule of upcoming events.
While the Moose has been hosting live music in one form or another since its inception in 1967, in recent years the bar has made a quantum leap in the caliber of the entertainment, to the point where Mangy Moose is being mentioned in the same breath as some of the hippest clubs in America. Fans can see bands like the New Orleans funk ensemble Galactic or classic rockers Little Feat – groups that play to amphitheaters elsewhere – in a homey, two-story log cabin that holds slightly more than 300.
“This, to me, is right up there with House of Blues in New Orleans or any bar on Sixth Street in Austin,” says Dan Caruso, a Mangy Moose bartender and well-traveled music fan. “If you want to see music, I can’t think of a better place. You’re up close and personal with the music.”
Dirty Dozen Brass Band closes with “I’ll Fly Away” at the Knotty Pine in July 2006.
(Jim Stanford photo)
• Knotty Pine — Ye olde supper club, just over the pass in Victor, Idaho, is the coolest place to see music in a 300-mile radius of the Tetons. The Knotty knows ambience. A recent renovation has preserved the quality of the experience while allowing for a little more room to boogie. Phone is (208) 787-2866. Click here for a schedule of shows.
For the Rebirth Brass Band, rolling into Victor, Idaho, was an adventurous foray into the middle of nowhere.
First, after an all-day drive from Colorado, the New Orleans musicians passed the sign on the outskirts of town that reads “Victor, pop. 390.” Then the band arrived at the Knotty Pine for its scheduled gig, and only a couple of cowboys were reclining at the bar.
Understandably, the musicians feared they were in for a rude reception or perhaps none at all. The sleepy cow town seemed an unlikely place to find many funk fans.
“Don’t worry — we’ll put some chicken wire here to keep the bottles from flying at you,” joked Knotty Pine owner Brice Nelson.
By 10 p.m. the cowboys had returned to their ranches, and — much to Rebirth’s relief — the tiny lodgepole tavern was packed with funk fans, many of whom had driven over Teton Pass from Jackson Hole. The band put on a raucous performance, with patrons dancing only inches from the brass instruments.
• Center for the Arts — downtown Jackson’s newest venue for theater, dance and music. Every seat is a great seat in the center’s acoustically rich, 500-capacity theater. Tickets tend to be expensive, however. On the slate for summer 2008: Neville Brothers, Del McCoury and Blues Traveler. Click here for a schedule and tickets.
The Dawg gets down with Sam Bush during an all-star jam at Bluegrass Fest ‘07.
(Jim Stanford photo)
• Grand Targhee — The tiny ski resort on the west side of the Tetons, located at 8,000 feet, hosts two of the best little summer music festivals nobody has ever heard of. Targhee Fest, held July 18-20, will feature Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and others.
In August, the 21st annual Targhee Bluegrass Fest welcomes back Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, Tony Trischka, and Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Béla Fleck. The resort’s intimate Trap Bar hosts apres-ski music and some of the late-night jams the music festivals are famous for.
• Music on Main — In two short summers, Geordie Gillett and his Teton Valley Foundation have transformed the sleepy hamlet of Driggs, Idaho, into one of the most unlikely venues for hip summer music. The free concert series on Thursday nights has drawn as many as 3,500 people. Los Lobos, James McMurtry, Jerry Joseph and Greg Brown were among the performers to appear last summer.
• Snow King concerts — Since 2002, Bravo Entertainment of Boise, Idaho, has been putting on outdoor concerts at the base of Snow King Mountain in Jackson and the nearby indoor Snow King Center ice rink. Featuring the likes of the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, the concerts generally have been fantastic, but locals continue to grumble about the Idaho promoter’s tendency to shift outdoor shows into the dungeonesque ice rink without warning. Widespread is rumored to be returning for summer 2008.
• Out-of-town events — When the snow begins to melt and the resorts close, head south to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, simply the best music fest in America. Jazz Fest is held the last weekend in April and first weekend in May every year, coinciding with the dead of off-season in Jackson Hole. The Wyoming flag can be found flying high above the crowd at the New Orleans Fairgrounds, where 10 outdoor stages host hundreds of musicians from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jazz Fest Grids has the schedules of all the night shows around the city. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
