New This Year: Top Three Bands will Play Targhee Music Festival

Based on the success of the first Targhee Music Festival Battle of the Bands Competition last summer, Grand Targhee Resort again invites local and regional bands to compete for an opportunity to play the main stage at the 7^th Annual Targhee Music Festival July 15-17, 2011.

Interested bands are asked to submit band information on www.targheemusic.com by Tuesday, March 22, 2011.  The link to the band entry page is: http://targheemusic.com/battle-of-the-bands-registration.

A team of internal music experts will narrow down the entries to 20 bands and on March 25 the bands will be posted online for a public voting period.  The public will vote on their favorite band through April 15.  The top five bands identified during the public online voting period will be invited to play at a Battle of the Bands Showdown during the kick off of the summer season at Grand Targhee Resort on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

A second round of voting during the Battle of the Bands Showdown on June 25 will determine who will have an opportunity to play during the 7th Annual Targhee Music Festival on Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17, 2011.  New this year, the top three bands will each receive an opening slot during the three-day festival.

“We’re excited to continue this successful new tradition, allowing local, regional and up-and-coming talent the opportunity to play in front of thousands of music lovers during the annual Targhee Music Festival,” said Andy Williams, special events manager at Grand Targhee Resort.

A partial line up, pricing and ticket information for the 7^th Annual Targhee Music Festival will be announced on Thursday, March 3, 2011.

Grand Targhee Resort is a year round mountain resort situated on the western slope of the Tetons in Alta, Wyoming, accessible only through Teton Valley, Idaho.   Tucked among spectacular Teton views and national forest land, Grand Targhee is an intimate summer getaway for adventure-seekers, with miles of lift-accessed hiking, running and mountain biking trails, renowned music festivals and a variety of activities in a pristine high alpine environment. During the winter, our abundance of light powder snow (more than 500 inches annually) and virtual lack of lift lines creates an uncrowded skier and snowboarder paradise, continually recognized for great snow, genuine western hospitality, scenic beauty and excellent value.  A leader in environmental resort practices, Grand Targhee Resort was honored with the prestigious 2009 Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence.  For more information, please visit our website at www.grandtarghee.com.

The second week of August really ramps up the tunes with a barrage of exciting bands and culminating in the Targhee Bluegrass Festival! We here at Targhee Music agree, the second week of August is going to be the best week to be a Teton-Valley-ite with nearly half a week of solid musical performances.

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So far we’ve been thrilled with all the musical options and entertainment Teton Valley has offered this summer. Not to disappoint, the “Summer of Music” continues through August! There’s a lot going on next month so we thought we would get a handle on it early. Here’s the roundup, and as always, if we’ve missed anything, please let us know in the comments section. All these events will be available in the calendar as well!

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With Targhee Fest 2010 still fresh in everyone’s mind up here, we’d like to recap for those who missed out…and boy did they miss out (we’re sorry to rub it in…)!

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As this weekend approaches, we thought we’d shed some light on one of the most important areas of music festival survival…food. We hope you’ve been chowing down your wraps, salads and all manner of healthy food in preparation for this weekend’s delights because Targhee Fest is going to be an all out foodcation! We’re talking BBQ, Pizza and Mexican with plenty of beer to wash everything down. Losen those belts, here’s the schedule:

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Heading to Teton Valley for Big Head Todd or the Rhthym Devils shows at the Spud Drive-In?  We’ve got a sweet package deal that includes lodging, comp lift tickets, free breakfast, access to our outdoor pool & hot tub, hiking, biking, horseback rides and concert tickets.  We will also be coordinating group shuttles for an additional fee:

Located just 13 miles from the world famous Spud Drive In, your stay at Grand Targhee Resort includes slopeside lodging, your concert tickets, free Continental PLUS breakfast, two complimentary adult chairlift tickets, and access to our outdoor swimming pool, hiking and biking.  Valid July 23 through July 26.  Starts at just $58 per person for one concert, and $116 per person for both shows, based on maximum occupancy (4 ppl) in Teewinot Lodge.  Prices subject to taxes and fees.  Some restrictions apply.  Other lodging options available, prices vary.  Valid July 23 through July 26, 2010 only.

CALL 1-800-TARGHEE to speak to a reservationist!

For those Targhee festivarians who want to power on through to the wee hours of the morn, the Trap Bar will host two fantastic bands apres-fest on Saturday and Sunday nights.

McCall, Idaho based Equal Eyes, a four man band with an eclectic blend of rock, funk and blues with a psychedelic twist, will take the stage at the Trap on Saturday, July 17 for a 10:30 pm show.  Tickets are $10 at the door.  Their new CD Heartbeat is available at all of their live shows and will be available digitally soon.

The second place finisher in our Battle of the Bands concert (a difference of just 5 votes), Jackson’s Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit will close the 6th Annual Targhee Fest with a 9:00 pm show at the Trap on Sunday, July 18.  Tickets are $5 at the door.  For those that missed their excellent performance at the Battle of the Bands, JBNFU is an all instrumental trio consisting of acoustic and electric mandolin player Tim Farris, bass player Brad Corbin, and drummer Scotty Barrett. Their original songs, though absent of lyrics, intend instead to create visuals through musical melodies. Song names like Senior Badgers Wild Ride, Funky Tractor in a Cornfield Hoedown, The Search for Optimus Prime, Sneakin Marie through the Prairie, and Cold Rain on a Hot Tin Roof evoke images and set up the listeners’ ear for a musical story. Songs are written with multiple parts and cues so they can change quickly from one hook to the next while still leaving room for improvisation.  Their first album, “Brownchickenbrowncow” was released this spring.

With all the music around the valley this summer, it’s going to be hard to stay afloat. That’s why we here at TargheeMusic decided to write up our own little music festival survival guide.

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The competition was fierce in our first Targhee Bluegrass Poster Contest, with local and regional designers submitting impressive interpretations  of the festival.

Kathleen Hanson, of Hanson Illustration, is our first winner!

(read on to hear more about her design inspiration, and see all of the poster entries!)

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The Waybacks featuring Jens Kruger will close the 23rd Annual Targhee Bluegrass Festival on Sunday, August 15, 2010.

” … few bands have produced instrumental virtuosos who can follow the lead of newgrass icons like Sam Bush, Tony Rice and David Grisman … The Waybacks, on the other hand, feature hot pickers who are destined to become revered new-acousticians, thanks to their individual solo styles and the band’s novel and irreverent tenor.”
— Scott Nygaard, ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

From their website:
They draw freely from the old school and the old world, but The Waybacks are no throwback. They’ve been erroneously pigeonholed as a bluegrass band and celebrated as purveyors of “acoustic mayhem.” They are as uninhibited and unpredictable as the eclectic San Francisco Bay area that claims them, and for nearly a decade, their experiments have always proven sharp-witted and musically dazzling. They’re living proof that in music anyway, evolution and intelligent design are entirely compatible. “The whole spirit of improvisation – that’s always been the cornerstone of this band for me,” says founding singer, songwriter and guitarist James Nash. “Through all the stylistic changes and regardless of the instruments we’re playing, to me the fun of this band has always been that in some ways I can do whatever I feel like doing at any moment.”