Dirty Jack's

When Dirty Jack’s band was assembled in 1976, it was much like a group of blind dates. Doc Holt was tasked with melding the different talents and styles into a cohesive unit. So the early days were spent in introductions and rehearsals as Doc “felt us out” and learned what he had to work with. Some of us had never seen Jackson. So part of the gig was getting the lay of the land after hours, and getting to know our fellow musicians. The most famous of the local watering holes was the Cowboy Bar. Done up in burled and varnished wood, with saddles for barstools, the Cowboy had live music and catered to the locals, the tourists (or “turkeys”), and those of us with “seasonal reason.” Tarwater might have been the Cowboy’s favorite band. One of their near hits was “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw,” which had made it to several juke boxes around the country. One of the bartenders at the Cowboy was a musician—the pedal steel player for Tarwater: Mickey Wells. Mickey taught himself to play stee...

We recently recieved an email from Vicki Garnick (of the Garnicks who run the Jackson Hole Playhouse). They are encouraging those who appreciate horse opera, to contact the investors who are on the verge of turning the historic venue into another Ripley's, believe it or not. They are asking that we send a message to Front Street Productions, in care of Dom, Jeff, and Cutter. They are asking us to phone (307) 690-4857 or send an email to dom@frontstreetproductions.com The message: "...the Jackson Hole Playhouse has established itself as a historic family theater for the past 28 years...we ask you to withdraw your offer of sale...decades of work invested to promote fine, family entertainment...we are devoted to the longevity of this special building and keeping it a part of Jackson's history...we want the Jackson Hole Playhouse to continue it's fine tradition of entertainment." Well, it's not Dirty Jack's. In the summer of '76, I remember the Playhous...

I finally gave in and put up a MySpace site for my blues band: http://www.myspace.com/davisbluesproject There is not much there yet, but it will grow over time. I still need to find a cool skin for the site. If you are on MySpace, hook me up as one of your friends! UPDATE: Since MySpace is so easy (and free) I put up a site for Dirty Jack's Band of 1976. We are bad, baby! We are nationwide. http://www.myspace.com/dirtyjacksband Go check it out...

Thirty years ago today I had a heck of a good 4th of July in Jackson Hole. Read about it here and here . Today won’t be quite so exciting. I moved to a new condo over the weekend and my life is strewn about in boxes and cartons. All the lugging and toting made me feel my age. The 4th of July holiday was the heart of the summer season and the town was packed with families on vacation, bikers, hippies, and cowboys all crammed together. Much has changed since then: There were far fewer motor homes on the road. The bikers were gritty rebels on greasy hogs, not aging yuppies sporting new tattoos. The cowboys were genuine, and they were easily distinguished from the wannabes and wankers. Where can a young man go today to find such brilliant days of color and people with such keen edges? For that matter, where can an old man go? I have gone back to what drew me to Jackson Hole in the dazzling summer of 1976: The music. A bluegrass band has asked me to record and produce their demo a...