The 6 Ski Towns With the Best Local Music Scenes

What does one do when the lifts have stopped spinning for the day, however you have accomplished all of the après you possibly can? The lengthy reply is that it relies upon, however the brief reply is to seek out some reside music! Imagine it or not, there are ski cities which can be additionally hubs for reside music, regardless of being type of distant. Whether or not you are a type of die-hard bluegrass-loving skiers otherwise you want a aspect of bass music together with your après, a variety of ski cities have nice venues and appeal to each big-name acts, in addition to nice native expertise. Listed here are a number of the ski cities with the liveliest music scenes to take a look at all 12 months spherical. As at all times, this is not an exhaustive checklist of ski cities with good music scenes. There are cities not on right here, like Breckenridge and Bozeman, which have a few legendary venues that commonly appeal to nice acts. There are additionally a variety of native ski city bands which can be completely improbable and effectively price going to see, like Durango’s Liver Down the River, however most of those are a little bit extra area of interest and require native information. We have tossed in some that we all know and love, however in the event you’re hanging out in a ski city, ask some people on the carry about their favourite native bands since you’re sure to discover a new one. 

1. Aspen, CO

Aspen might be the crown jewel of ski city music scenes for one purpose alone, and that purpose is the Stomach Up. The Stomach Up is likely one of the most legendary music venues round, even exterior ski cities. Named one of many “Greatest Golf equipment in America” by Rolling Stone Journal, the Stomach Up is a 450-person venue that is hosted a number of the most well-known bands and musicians through the years. The venue initially opened through the 2005 X-Video games and has welcomed everybody from B.B. King to Snoop Dogg to The Flaming Lips to Outdated Crow Medication Present to Chromo to play reveals. For those who’re taking a visit to Aspen, put seeing a present on the Stomach Up in your checklist, and you will not remorse it. 

2. Jackson Gap, WY/ Teton Valley, ID

Regardless of being type of in the course of nowhere, Jackson, Wyoming, has an extremely vibrant music scene. The Mangy Moose in Teton Village has lengthy held it down as an intimate and typically rowdy music venue, not simply through the ski season however into the summer time as effectively. Acts like Fruition, the Sponges, Rayland Baxter, and Galactic have all performed the Moose. Throughout the summer time, JHMR additionally has a free Live performance on the Commons sequence that takes place a couple of Sunday afternoons through the season in Teton Village. Whereas the city continues to be mourning the lack of the Pink Garter Theater as an incredible in-town live performance venue, an epic new venue within the Tetons has nearly crammed that void. During the last three summers, Snow King Mountain has established a live performance sequence on prime of the mountain, making for one of many coolest out of doors live performance venues that rivals even locations like Purple Rocks Amphitheater. Dwell music with a sundown over the Tetons? Say much less. Since its inception, bands like Trampled by Turtles, Darkish Star Orchestra, the Motet, Cypress Hill, and Souls of Mischief have all performed atop Snow King. The opposite aspect of Teton Cross additionally has a vigorous music scene, particularly in the summertime. Proper in downtown Victor, the Knotty Pine Supper Membership has been identified to host unimaginable music acts and make for one more intimate and enjoyable venue. Bluegrass bands just like the Kitchen Dwellers usually make a yearly cease on the Knotty over the winter. In the summertime, you will discover weekly free live shows at Victor’s metropolis park for Music on Foremost. Each Thursday night time, a lot of the city (and about half of Jackson) makes the pilgrimage to take pleasure in reside tunes on the garden. Late in the summertime is Grand Targhee’s  Bluegrass Pageant, which was just lately revived after a hiatus. Targhee Bluegrass is three days of tenting and biking and contains a number of the largest names in bluegrass like Greensky Bluegrass, the String Cheese Incident, and Del McCoury. Though the Tetons draw huge names, there’s additionally an awesome native music scene. Particularly, a band that began as Scorching Pocket and has been by means of iterations as Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons and Sghetti has been a longtime native favourite that performs bops like “I Prefer to Dance, I Prefer to Ski.”

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3. Steamboat Springs, CO

Steamboat is sort of as synonymous with bluegrass as it’s snowboarding. Whereas there are a number of music venues in downtown Steamboat that host a wide range of music, there’s a variety of bluegrass in that city. Outdated City Pub is a reasonably good first place to look in the event you’re attempting to catch some reside music in Steamboat. They’ve hosted small native bands in addition to larger acts like Goose in a quintessential ski city bar venue.Schmiggity’s is normally the go-to for digital music (or salsa dancing classes!) and, like OTP, has had everybody from Maddy O’Neal to Boombox play. In the summertime, Steamboat places on a free live performance sequence on the base of Howelsen Hill with month-to-month live shows. Dubbed the “city assembly” by locals as a result of nearly everybody and their brother reveals up, these reveals are improbable staples of summer time and normally have fairly big-name artists taking part in, just like the Wooden Brothers and Billy Strings.Maybe Steamboat’s affinity for bluegrass is smart as it is also the house of the WinterWonderGrass pageant. For 3 days over the winter, the resort’s Meadows car parking zone is remodeled right into a pageant venue full with a number of phases and a beer-tasting tent. The pageant boasts three days of snowboarding, beer, and bluegrass, and is a improbable time for locals and guests. 

4. Lake Tahoe, CA

The Lake Tahoe space is a type of spots with a sneaky good music scene as effectively. The identical WinterWonderGrass pageant that graces Steamboat Springs additionally makes a cease in Tahoe for one more three days of snowboarding, bluegrass, and beer. Whereas there’s some overlap within the pageant lineup, WWG Tahoe is its personal pageant with its personal lineup of music and craft beer. The Tahoe Dwell pageant additionally takes place over the winter on the base of Palisades Tahoe. Tahoe Dwell is a full-on, high-production, EDM pageant with big-name DJs like RL Grime and Diplo taking part in. Lil Wayne was even slated to headline the occasion in 2024, however ended up cancelling. In the summertime, the Caesar’s Republic Lodge and On line casino in South Lake Tahoe has a live performance sequence that takes place of their 4,000-person out of doors amphitheater. Previously, artists like Paul Simon, Woman Gaga, and the Who’ve all carried out. There are additionally a number of smaller native venues within the Tahoe space, like RMU Truckee, Moody’s Bistro Bar, and Beats and Alibi Ale Works, the place you possibly can commonly discover reside music. 

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5. Bend, OR

For arguments sake, we’re gonna name Bend, Oregon a ski city, and for a ski city, it is received an awesome music scene. On the prime of the checklist for Bend music is Hayden Properties Amphitheater, a venue proper in Bend’s Outdated Mill District on the Deschutes River. The out of doors venue holds 8,000 folks and has lovely views of the river and Outdated Mill because the solar units. Hayden Properties attracts an excellent numerous lineup of big-name artists every year, comparable to Mt. Pleasure, LCD Soundsystem, Tyler Childers, Khruangbin, and the Seashore Boys. Bend additionally has a number of smaller indoor venues on the town. The Volcanic Theater hosts not only a handful of nice music acts but additionally reveals movies and has occasions every now and then. Midtown Ballroom is, effectively, proper in midtown and has two venue areas, the Ballroom and the Domino Room, that every host nice acts all 12 months spherical. Huge names throughout genres just like the California Honey Drops have performed the Ballroom, in addition to smaller bands within the extra intimate Domino Room. Mt. Bachelor additionally hosts an annual free music pageant on the mountain’s base known as RendezVan. The ski space opens up its car parking zone to people tenting in vans and trailers and has free reside music all through the weekend. 

6. Salt Lake Metropolis, UT

Once more, for argument’s sake, we’ll name Salt Lake Metropolis a ski city. In spite of everything, a number of the finest snowboarding on the planet is simply up the street within the Wasatch. Salt Lake is a giant metropolis with tons of reside music. There are a number of massive, amphitheater-style venues within the space, and music acts from throughout play in Salt Lake commonly. Nevertheless, one piece of the Salt Lake Metropolis music scene stands out specifically for skiers, and it is the band Pixie and the PartyGrass Boys. One other staple within the inexplicable hyperlink between snowboarding and bluegrass, Pixie and the PartyGrass Boys began as a band of ski bums taking part in home events in Cottonwood Canyon and has since blown up right into a nationally identified touring bluegrass band. With songs like “Ski and Get together,” PatPGB is likely one of the most enjoyable, energetic bluegrass reveals you possibly can see, so in the event you’re in SLC and occur to listen to of a present, put it on the checklist. 

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