Summer Ends/Fall 09

T'was quite a summer with a nice balance of work and play.
We combined the two on the tail end of our Black Hills vacation in July at the Bighorn Mountain Festival in Buffalo where I was privledged to be among the MC's. Thanks to Paul Jarvis, Gene Sturlin and volunteers for a great festival.
Heard some great music from many bands including Special Consensus,Steeldrivers, Anne & Pete Sibley and The Greencards. Saw the Wiyos from Brooklyn for the first time and really enjoyed their set and workshop. They have a lot of knowledge about many of the performers from the early to mid 20th century playing vaudeville, blues, swing and jazz. One of the highlights of the festival was Pete Wernick's set and his recognition of our men and women serving in the armed forces. He asked all the Veteran's to stand and we thanked them for their service with a big round of applause.

The unofficial end of summer weekend brought 30 bands on 3 different stages to Laramie for the first Snowy Range Music Festival. Enjoyed all the bands I saw, especially Derek Trucks, Carl Weathersby and Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers.
There was a lot of good feedback from those attending. Thanks to Laramie native Carl Gustafson, his crew and Blind Dog Smokin' for staging the event. Hope to do it again next year.

There's been plenty of great new music coming in over the summer and into the fall season. Check out Morning Music weekdays from 9 to Noon for Mark Knopfler, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Wilco, Michelle Shocked and more.
Requests always welcome via e-mail: onair@uwyo.edu

Summer of '09

Summer brings welcome warmth and a wealth of live music to the region.
You can find a list with links to many of the music festivals on the Morning Music page under Concert Calendar. Feel free to submit any music events via e-mail or blog. We're looking forward to attending the Big Horn Mountain Festival in
Buffalo the weekend of July 10. It sounds like Ranch Breakfast host Tom Wilhelm may be able to make it too. Can't wait to catch up with the winners of the Prairie Home Companion, Great American Duet Sing-Off, Anne & Pete Sibley from Jackson. They've recently released a fine new CD "Coming Home." Other performers at the Bighorn Fest include The Greencards, Special Consensus and Bill Evans.

James McMurtry returns to Wyoming with performances at three different venues in July and Brian Wilson is back for a return engagement at the Jackson Hole Music Festival in August. This summer marks the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock so be on the lookout for old hippies coming out of the woods. Ten Sleep, Wyoming hosts another
NoWoodStock Festival the weekend of August 7th with Chuck Pyle, Palmer Divide and hometown boy Jalan Crossland among others.

We're featuring plenty of great new releases on Morning Music as usual. Favorites include Diane Birch, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Sara Jarosz, Levon Helm, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women and Roman Candle. We're also playing music from Cary Judd, a California guy who recently relocated to Moose, Wyoming. His "Aha Song" is doing very well across the country. Requests and feedback always welcome. It's great to hear from folks in Wyoming and our online listeners around the country.

Hope you're enjoying the fruits, vegetables, warmth and music of summer.
Thanks for reading and listening.

Grady