The Vibe, sustained

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

By Aaron Davis

I know what to expect from a Grand Targhee Resort festival, and I like it. The mountainside layout, the single stage, friendly staff, the wealth of talent, prime camping, the family-friendly vibe—its all there, every time, and the term “resort” disintegrates into the pines.

Like a secret fishing spot, the realization of this locals’ treasure is not something you want the world to know about and exploit. The beauty of a Targhee festival is that the experience is equal to the music. No mammoth Bonnaroo, Telluride, or Merlefest scene, just mountain-style simplicity, intimacy and spatial goodness—exactly a skiers experience in the winter.

What began as a one-day concert in 2005, Targhee Fest was created as a complimentary event to the already successful Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival (now in its 22nd year). Genre sketches like “blues fest,” “jam fest” and “rock fest” were purposefully left out of the name, preparing for a heterogeneous melting pot of bands that are widely influenced from American roots—folk, rock, country, jazz and blues.

“I don’t like to put a tag on festivals, even ‘bluegrass,’” said Tom Garnsey of Vootie Productions, talent buyer for the festival. “I’m a nut for looking through liner notes to find a common thread among performers … trying to build a platform for the unexpected.”

Thematic Fest
This weekend’s 5th Annual Targhee Fest has many underlying themes and potential surprises: Jackie Greene and Warren Haynes played together in Phil Lesh and Friends; Grace Potter has been opening for and sitting in with Gov’t Mule; Haynes is a big fan of Sonny Landreth who will be playing Saturday night. There are also a few offspring of famous fathers — Lucas Nelson is Willie Nelson’s son, Jakob Dylan is Bob Dylan’s son, and James McMurtry is the son of novelist Larry McMurtry.

It’s no secret that festivals across the country have suffered from the times, some of them disappearing all together. Not at Targhee. Owner George “Geordie” N. Gillett III has remained committed to not only two music festivals at the resort, but also Driggs’ free outdoor summer concert series, Music on Main.

“It really is a testament to Geordie’s commitment,” Garnsey said in earnest. “He could have said in January, ‘This is too weird of a year.’ We’ve paced ourselves over the years, the American Way, instead of finding some corporation to come in and make a seven-stage mess out of the place.”

Here’s what the 5th Annual Targhee Fest has to offer this weekend…

Warren Haynes
Friday’s lineup is the most anticipated day: With headliner Gov’t Mule’s marathon three-hour show, it will be a full evening supported by Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Jackie Greene and Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real.

The name Warren Haynes conjures up a number of kick-ass bands—and some of the most respected improvisational-rock outfits of the day--The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends and The Dead. In addition to his solo work and Gov’t Mule, Haynes is easily one of the hardest working musicians in the biz. And from the word on the street, he’s one of the most open and friendly, making sit-in appearances second nature to everyone involved.

“Musicians are students for life,” Haynes said from a hotel room in Wisconsin. “My approach [to improvisation] changes depending on who I’m on stage with.”
At Targhee, Haynes will be onstage with drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis, and bassist Jorgen Carlsson, nearly 15 years after forming the band with Abts and late bassist Allen Woody as a power trio. The quartet’s southern rock edge has been liked to the Allmans, but with a psychedelic tint - Haynes’ focused exploration into the sophisticated side of the jam style. 

“The absolute best you can play is to forget that you are playing at all,” Haynes said. “Luckily, there have been many moments in my life where I’ve had an out-of-body experience, for lack of better terms—then I realize I’m standing on stage in front of a bunch of people. We had one of those moments the other night with The Dead for about five minutes during ‘Viola Lee Blues.’”

Friday
Gates open at 2 p.m. on Friday for you early birds, giving you plenty of time to stake out a spot for Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real beginning at 4 p.m.
Nelson performed at the Trap Bar and Knotty Pine just months ago and locals made sure to relay his talents to the powers that be. Nelson’s psychedelic blues-rock quartet is raw and energized, colored by the stage art of Lukas’ brother, Micah Nelson.

Jackie Greene’s latest album Giving Up the Ghost was in my top three favorite albums of 2008, and I had barely heard of him before that. He has a great backlog of tunes and put on a hell of a show last August at Music on Main. Greene is one of those cats that has all the goods—the voice, the songwriting, guitar chops, and the added bonus of Hammond B3 organ skills.

Grace Potter? Well, she’s played around the Tetons enough in the past couple of years that you’ve either seen or heard about her powerful stage presence. This is easily one of best up-and-coming rock bands on the fringe of mainstream radar. GP & The Nocturnals will roll into town with a fresh lineup—the departure of bassist Bryan Dondero opened the door for former Ryan Adams & The Cardinals bassist Catherine Popper, and the addition of rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco. They sold-out Jackson’s Pink Garter Theater last fall, and well, kick ass…in a balls-to-the-wall kind of way.

Saturday
Looking at Saturday’s lineup—Tift Merritt, Vedera, James McMurtry, Sonny Landreth, The Wallflowers, Jonny Lang—there’s something for every music fan. Tift Merritt received the Best of 2008 award from JH Weekly for Best Live Concert That You Missed. She headlined last year’s Women of Jackson show as a soloist. A true, from-the-heart songwriter, Merritt will kick-off the day at noon with her band.
Currently touring with The Wallflowers and later in the summer with The Fray, Kansas City’s indie-pop rockers Vedera are defined by Kristen May’s artsy, whispery vocals. Formerly known as Veda, the quartet will have a lot to live up to being sandwiched between two more established bands.    

James McMurtry’s trio played this fest back in 2006, and brings dirty-edged grit matched with poetically honest and politically charged lyrics. The moody Texas Americana-rocker has a cult following and delivers a good show full of alternate tunings and thought-provoking, powerful songs.

 Sonny Landreth is really in the stratosphere of guitarists. Guitar Player Magazine’s reader poll named him Best Slide Guitarist for a reason, and as Eric Clapton puts it, Landreth is “probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced.” He was also Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2005.

Like many contemporary and great slide players throughout history, Landreth hails from the South, born in Canton, Mississippi and currently residing in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. The regional influence and respect of this culture is fully embraced by the 58-year-old axe ace.

“I’ve been blessed to be raised here, the culture is so rich and it has a uniquely soulful element that’s really special,” Landreth said. “My songwriting heroes all had songs full of characters that told a story, with instruments used to enrich the storyline. That has pushed me to explore different areas on the guitar.”

With an unorthodox guitar style in which he simultaneously frets notes and chords in front of a glass slide on the fret board, Landreth has been John Hiatt’s lead guitarist in his backup group The Goners when Hiatt was at the height of his critical acclaim in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He also recorded and toured with Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Buffet and John Mayall.

He returns to Targhee’s stage after performing in 2007, and will once again bring a trio. For him, outdoor festivals have a lot to offer.

“I finally get to hear some of the newer groups and see friends that I wouldn’t normally get to see,” Landreth said. “There’s also a ‘walk on the wild side’ element because there’s no soundcheck per say, so you just have to make the most of it in the heat of the moment.”

Grammy-award winning rockers The Wallflowers have come a long way since forming 20 years ago. Dylan remains the lone founding member, taking mainstream by storm in the mid-90s with a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sensibility and a rock-star progeny that fit well on MTV. Their last studio album was Rebel, Sweetheart (Interscope/2005) and just released a greatest hits, Collected: 1996-2005 (Interscope/2009).

Blues artist Jonny Lang was a professional musician at age twelve and released his first album, Smokin’, at the age of 15 under the name Kid Jonny Lang and The Big Band. And just in case you haven’t kept up with the blues vocalist and guitarist  since his 1997 multi-platinum album Lie to Me (A&M), there’s a lot to tell. Lang was 17 when that album hit the airwaves, and the average listener would easily have mistake him for a 40-year- old bluesman.

Ten years on the road and a few albums later, the recent Grammy winner is touring in support of his album Turn Around (A&M), an album that divulges more of a Prince/Stevie Wonder pop sound than his deep blues roots.

Sunday
Keb’ Mo’, Bettye Lavette, Chuck Prophet, and Carrie Rodriguez are sure to make Sunday an eclectic affair. Rodriguez makes her second Targhee appearance, and recently performed on Austin City Limits. Her new sophomore release, “She Ain’t Me” (Manhattan) reached No. 2 on the Americana charts, and she was honored with Songwriter of the Year award in the Folk Category by The Roots Music Association this year.
Chuck Prophet tours with his Mission Express band, which includes wife Stephie Finch on Vox organ, Kevin White on bass, Todd roper on drums, and guitarist James Deprato. Their album Soap and Water (Yep Roc/2008) has influences from ’80s pop to British rock, Americana and contemporary folk.

“Bettye Lavette is the secret weapon for Sunday,” Garnsey said of the intense soul singer who performed Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Going to Come” with Jon Bon Jovi for Obama’s inauguration celebration. Combining elements of soul, blues, rock, funk, gospel, and country, Lavette was recognized with a Blues Music Award for Best Contemporary Female Blues Singer last year.

A living link to the seminal Delta blues, singer-songwriter-guitarist Keb’ Mo’ will headline on Sunday. Well versed in multiple eras of the American songbook and one who has developed a voice of his own since his first album in 1994, the three-time Grammy Award winning artist is known for being an excellent performer. Foot-stomping acoustic finger-style playing and funky shuffles will close a stellar weekend of talent. JHW


A free shuttle will run from Teton Valley to the Fest.
The Trap Bar at Grand Targhee will also have entertainment at 10 p.m. on Saturday, with performers TBA. Keep in mind that you must have a festival pass to enter the resort at anytime during the weekend.

Courtesy photo
Wayne Haynes

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