Welcome to your definitive summer 2015 music guide for Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole is known for shedding its winter layers and for getting its groove on come summer and this might just be the best music lineup this town has ever seen. It’s the kind of summer that you may very well be telling your grandchildren about, “Back in my day, the summer of 2015…music…Jackson Hole…I was there!” But before we talk about it in the past tense let’s first enjoy this historical music lineup that is about to grace this beautiful mountain town. The amount of acts making their way out to the “Hole” this summer is in a word massive, which easily could make this music guide a tome rivaling the likes of War and Peace, but obviously with a much hipper soundtrack. Don’t worry we will give you the highlights and point you to where you need to go to find out everything, so you don’t miss a single beat in what is surely going to be one epic summer in Jackson Hole.
Jackson Hole Live
Jackson’s favorite FREE outdoor concert series at the base of Snow King returns this summer for more of the same great vibes. Every year is different with a new lineup, but you can’t beat hanging out with some friends and family on a beautiful night right in town listening to live music. The series doesn’t have a set day, so you may find Wednesday suddenly your new favorite day of the week. Since the music schedule changes from gig to gig make sure you stay in the know and don’t suffer a relapse of FOMO (fear of missing out) when you show up to work and everyone is raving about last night’s ridiculous show. Don’t be that guy or girl. Here’s a highlight of some of the Jackson Hole Live schedule and to get the rest of the lineup go to jacksonholelivemusic.com.
The John Butler Trio
The series kicks off Sunday, June 21 at 5:30 pm as Jackson Hole Live hosts the 10th Annual Crawfish Boil. The John Butler Trio gets things going as the headliner with their special blend of sounds as an eclectic jam band. Unless you are in the know they may be new to you, but this band is big in Australia, from which they hail. Their last three albums have debuted at #1 in the land down under. Summer Solstice, Father’s Day, the Crawfish Boil, and Jackson Hole Live all in one day make this an amazing kickoff to summer.
Lyrics Born
Lyrics Born has been doing his own thing in the rap game for quite sometime, with eight albums under his belt he’s a mainstay in the hip hop game. If you were lucky you may have caught him at tour stops the last few years in Victor, Idaho, but on Wednesday, July 15, he’ll save you a ride over the pass. The Bay Area native is sure to get your head bobbing with his fresh freestyle flows.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Karl Denson lives on the road, with about 150 shows a year, which means you may have the chance to see him and his band somewhere else, but this is the only chance to get funky with this tight music crew in Jackson this summer. For one night on Wednesday, August 12, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is sure to turn Snow King Field into the coolest micro music festival in the country. If you like to have fun and get funky, this show is highly recommended.
Contour Music Festival
This festival makes its inaugural debut this June for “four nights and three days of music, art, and culture” on June 11-14. A killer lineup with a ton of acts including headliners, The Thievery Corporation, ensures that there is pretty much a sound for everyone. It’s also safe to say Jackson Hole has probably never hosted a festival of this magnitude before. This is going to be in a word, epic. Venues for this festival range from the main stage outdoor venue at Snow King to indoor gigs at trendy clubs and theaters all over town. There will literally be chances to hear music all day and all night. This is gonna be like the acclaimed South by Southwest Festival, but at a much higher and scenic locale. You can buy passes for the whole thing or buy for each day. For the full lineup and tickets head to contourmusicfestival.com.
Festival Highlights
- Thievery Corporation
- Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
- Deltron 3030
- Moon Taxi
- Sage Francis
- The New Mastersounds
- Orgone
- Fort Knox 5
Center for the Arts
The state of the art Center Theater located in the Center for the Arts is a great venue to see a show in Jackson. It just may make you feel like you are attending a performance in a large metropolitan city instead of scenic Jackson, that is until you walk out the doors and see those buttes and mountains. For a full list of shows and tickets head to jhcenterforthearts.org.
Center Highlights
- Annual Benefit Concert Featuring Vince Gill, August 7at 8 pm, tickets start at $150
- Shaw Colvin, August 17 at 8 pm, tickets start at $47
- John Hiatt & The Combo and Taj Mahal Trio, September 15 at 8 pm, tickets start at $87
- 1000th Hootenanny, September 21 at 7:30 pm, tickets $10
Grand Teton Music Festival
Classical music and Jackson Hole is well, a classic combination. Billed as season 54, yeah they’ve been doing it for over half a century now, the Grand Teton Music Festival is a great place to hear some classical music in the valley or anywhere else for that matter. The concert series runs from July 1 to August 15. For info on concerts and tickets go to gtmf.org
GTMF Highlights
- Festival Orchestra – The Greats, July 10-11, Walk Festival Hall, tickets start at $25
- Festival Orchestra – Triumph and Fanfare, July 17-18, Walk Festival Hall, tickets start at $25
- GTMF Presents Mark O’Connor – American Classics, July 22, tickets $25, student tickets free
- Festival Orchestra – Classical Matters, July 24-25, Walk Festival Hall, tickets start at $25
- Inside the Music – Let’s Talk Drums, August 11, Walk Festival Hall, free with ticket
Music On Main
Quite possibly the best reason to drive over the pass or better yet take the shuttle and check out the Music on Main series in the park in Victor, Idaho. The weekly Thursday music series starts June 25 and runs until August 13 from 6-10pm. Nothing quite beats sitting in the grass with some great food and listening to some free music. For more info on the musical acts this year go to tetonvalleyfoundation.org
Music on Main Highlights
- JUNE 25: TODO MUNDO w/ Mandatory Air
- JULY 2: MOTHER HIPSw/ Screen Door Porch
- JULY 9: BLITZEN TRAPPERw/ One Ton Pig
- JULY 16: YOUNG DUBLINERSw/ Brian Maw Band
- JULY 23: THE SUFFERSw/ The Canyon Kids
- JULY 30: BALLROOM THIEVESw/ Greg Creamer’s Dirt Road
- AUG. 6: STOOGES BRASS BANDw/ Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons
- AUG. 13: NICKI BLUHM & THE GRAMBLERSw/ Wyatt Lowe & the Mayhem Kings
Targhee Fest
Targhee Fest (Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, WY) – July 17-19
The 11th annual Targhee Fest runs July 17-19 at Grand Targhee Resort. This fun festival highlights national acts and this year features Bruce Hornsby as well Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. For tickets and info go to grandtarghee.com
Festival Highlights
- Gov’t Mule
- Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers
- Brandi Carlile
- Taj Mahal Trio
- The Wood Brothers
- James McMurtry
- Patty Griffin
- Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers
- Mavis Staples
- Martin Sexton
