Shady Lady: Then and now

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

By Aaron Davis

Snow King Resort was built back in 1976, touting the new Shady Lady Saloon as a place that would grow to be known for their live music and daily drink specials and would become a place where locals and hotel guests could come together and enjoy what the room had to offer.

This past December, the resort decided to change the name to The Lounge at Snow King. Transitioning over the last year from popular live music room to hotel guest lounge left some locals reflecting on memories during the Shady reign, some questioning it’s future.

The multi-level lounge has always been an oddity in design, but as musician Derrik Hufsmith put it, “One of the prerequisites of a good room [for music] is that it’s not set up well. The Shady was never a good setup.”

The late ‘70s, and especially the ‘80s, was a happening time for local and regional live music in the valley and at the Shady Lady.

At the time, the Shady was managed by Peggy Douglas and would host bands for five or six night runs, similar to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar today. Bands like Lucy, The Bell Hops, Pinto Bennett and the Famous Motel Cowboys, Kip Attaway, The Relics, Bruce Hauser and Sawmill Creek, Tar Water, and Cowjazz were among the local bands that frequented the watering hole.

“The Shady was a really great time in those days and always packed with people of like minds,” Hufsmith, who was a member of The Bell Hops, said. “That was one of the better bands I’ve been associated with over the years. We’d play contemporary ‘80s music of that time. The Shady rivaled the Moose in terms of local bands, so did the Rancher Bar.”

Hufsmith and several of the other musicians interviewed for this story commented on the support and value of live music during that era, and more importantly, how some of that has been lost over the years. Lead guitarist Gerry Sylvy, of rock band Lucy, agreed with Hufsmith.

“People appreciated the music and took care of us,” Sylvy said, who now claims to live in Venezuela. “Now I think the whole town’s gone to hell. Rich people have taken over.”
Lucy was a band of songwriters and considered by some to be one of the most rocking bands of the day – bassist/pianist Chris Pallaferro, rhythm guitarist Joey Holland, drummer Dan Billings, and Sylvy, playing almost entirely original music and dressing like a cross between Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones (i.e. yellow spandex, Beatle boots, etc.)

“There are lots of crazy stories from those days,” began Sylvy, who says he still dresses the same. “We’d play six nights in a row and have a vile of LSD-25 for the week. We’d have to double up the dose every night. Back then we had roadies, so after the gig we’d cut out of the bar and hike up into the Tetons faster than you’ve ever seen, eye-shadow running down my face and all.”

Sylvy’s stories could be a book of their own, having this listener in a constant chuckle from stories about onstage band breakups, cussing at hotel owners, throwing TVs out of hotel windows, and memorable nights with special guests like guitarist Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“My favorite band was Pinto Bennett and the Famous Motel Cowboys because they took no requests and no prisoners,” Sylvy said. “They would play all original music and were just great. Little Women was great too.”

Reggae rockers Little Women, led by Jerry Joseph, was another popular group during the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Local musician Judd Grossman’s best memories were dancing to Little Women.

 “We used to do all kinds of crazy things at the Shady,” Grossman said. “Some of my friends and I were always up for dressing up funny and going out. We were obsessed with performance art, but we usually sucked at it.

Little Women seemed like the coolest band … Jerry Joseph playing barefoot with a cigarette stuck in the headstock strings of his guitar.  He was a rock star. Derrik Hufsmith has always been a funky, high energy hero too.”

In preparation for this story, I would occasionally mention the name change during conversation to see what sort of reaction would ensue. Not often did I get a positive response. Much like Mary’s Nipple at Grand Targhee Resort changed to “Mary’s,” or a uniquely named amphitheatre giving in to corporate money becomes the “Verizon-something Amphitheatre,” the Shady Lady will never die in the minds of some locals.

But in the eyes of Justin Smith, who has hosted Joe’s Garage Open Mic in the Shady for the past six years, it’s time to rebuild and revamp. Joe’s Garage is the lone entertainment evening left in the Lounge, and is now held 8 p.m. - midnight every Thursday (formerly on Friday nights).

“Change is the only constant,” said Smith. “If you can’t roll with change you get rolled over. The way I look at it is that the owners of the Hotel can do whatever they want. So they want to upgrade the Shady, great! It still feels like the good ole Shady Lady.”

From the late ‘90s to mid-2006, during which Eric Jillian was the bar manager, the Shady would host Wednesday night live music, dance music with Four4 Productions every Tuesday and open mic night. Popular bands during this time were Warsaw, Pat Green, Barnyard Stomp, DEEP, Global Review, Furthermore, Mandatory Air, Creekside, The Ones Who Got Away, Funk Missile, Sister Smith, Grass and many others.

According to Snow King Resort General Manager Dana Ahrensberg, the Lounge is in the midst of a transition, and the name change is a part of turning the room towards hotel guest’s expectations.

“Music has gotten more expensive over the years,” said Ahrensberg, “and with capacity limits and other competition in town you can only make so much money. The town is too small to compete for music [audiences], so we gave up.”

It’s the end of an era for the Shady Lady Saloon, and in my opinion, consistent with Kip Attaway’s tune about Jackson, “Locals Don’t Live Here No More.”

Having played the stage countless times myself, it’s a bummer to see the transition away from a local dive.

And most importantly, the edgiest bar name in town is done for.

But being an optimist and realizing that all bars go through phases, the future is always uncertain. Cheers to the lady!
PERMALINK:
Shady Lady: Then and now | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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