Country Joe: Forget the F. Gimme a N-U-R-S-E!

Thank the nurse that’s nursing you

For saving your life.

For saving your life.

For saving your life.

That’s the end of “Thank the Nurse,” a song by Country Joe McDonald.

Yes, that Country Joe. “Give me an F.” That’s him. He was a hit at the original Woodstock, which, apparently, millions attended, and of the film that followed, which millions saw. Joe supported nurses but especially those who served in war zones, especially Vietnam. He was considered an expert on Florence Nightingale whom he also sang about.

He died on March 7 at his home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 84.

He was reaching retirement age when he toured Wyoming in June 2002 with poet and Musician M.L. Liebler of Detroit. They met in 1997 when M.L. was teaching poetry to Vietnam vets through the Detroit Y Writer’s Voice Project. The two were touring the country promoting their CD "Crossing Borders" that combines music and poetry. They performed in a Cheyenne park and dropped in on the “Smokin’ Poets” reading at Zen’s Bistro in Cheyenne.

"This place has a nice vibe to it,” Joe told a reporter from the Cheyenne paper. “The people who come here are intelligent, sophisticated and not yuppie."

At a later reception, Joe was OK with revisiting Woodstock but really lit up when talking about nurses. He knew a lot and I told him about my grandmother, an army nurse in France during World War 1. At that time, I was only thinking about writing about her experiences. And now I have done it.

Listen to “Thank the Nurse” on Spotify or over at YouTube. I’d provide links but links don’t last. But Joe’s F-I-S-H Cheer lives on. So does this:

When the orderly is sleeping

and the physician can’t be found

no need for apprehension

the nurse is making rounds.

Thank the nurse that’s nursing you

The one that nursed you through

Coronavirus impacts the West's writers, artists and performers

Millions of Americans await federal stimulus checks or unemployment benefits during the current crisis. Artists are entrepreneurs (artrepreneurs if you prefer) and have been hit hard by social distancing and stay-at-home orders or, in Wyoming, stay-at-home-pretty-please-why-don't-ya. Galleries and museums are closed. Touring musicians are at home. Literary events (readings, book signings, spoken-word performances) don't have venues. Some artists have transitioned to an Internet presence by hosting online concerts, drawing classes and poetry workshops. But, as with most online efforts, it's sometimes difficult to make them pay. For writers, libraries and bookstores are shuttered. On the plus side, online book sales are up. Amazon is an OK resource -- it started with books -- but best to order from one of the indie stores such as Powell's in Portland or Tattered Cover in Denver. 

For writers, resources are available:

The Wyoming Arts Council is sensitive to the inherent economic challenges that are rising in relation to the CDC recommendations for social distancing. In the midst of this ever evolving situation, we will be processing grants to eligible individual artists who have lost significant income due to COVID-19. The Wyoming Arts Council believes that artists must be able to maintain their livelihood during this time in order to continue to create and contribute to the creative economy in our state. To apply visit: https://forms.gle/CPjpEif4adh7jsaY9 or contact Taylor Craig at taylor.craig@wyo.gov or 307-274-6673.

PEN America is supporting writers affected by the crisis through the Writers’ Emergency Fund, with grants of “$500 to $1,000 based on applications that demonstrate an inability to meet an acute financial need, especially one resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.” They expect to take 10 days to review and respond to applications.

Summer is an incredibly busy time for writing conferences. For obvious reasons, locales in the West are popular sites. Some, especially those scheduled for early in the summer, have been cancelled, postponed or shifted online.

The Wyoming Writers Conference, originally planned for Lander June 5-7 has been canceled. Visit the conference’s website for additional information. WWI President Kathy Bjornstad said this: "We are tentatively hoping to travel to Lander in 2021 and shift as much of our programming to that conference as possible."

The Jackson Hole Writers Conference, originally planned for June 2020, has been canceled. In response to the cancellation, starting in late April 2020, select components of the originally scheduled programming will be offered online, including workshops, panels, and manuscript critiques. Visit the conference’s website for additional information on the cancellation and on alternative online programming. 

The Squaw Valley Writers Workshops, July 6-13, have been postponed. Workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir have been canceled; the 2020 summer workshop in poetry will be offered online as the “Virtual Valley” from June 20-27. Visit the conference’s website for more info.

Summer Words set for June in Aspen has shifted online. FMI: http://www.aspenwords.org/programs/summer-words/

The Northern Colorado Writers Conference was cancelled and rescheduled for April 29-May 1, 2021, in Fort Collins. FMI: https://www.northerncoloradowriters.com/Conference

Montana's Beargrass Writers Workshop retreat set for May at Ruby Springs has been cancelled. Get updates at https://www.beargrasswriting.com/rubyspringmay

Downtown Art Alley's second mural now complete

Alert readers inform me that there is another new mural in downtown's Art Alley. It's by Laramie artist and UW grad Dan Toro and seems to represent the performing arts history of our fair city. The open space in the alley now used for summer concerts once was the site of the Paramount Theatre. A movie theatre that also held live concerts, thus the grand piano in the mural. It could also allude to the fact that the Atlas Theatre space across the street is newly renovated and a great venue to stage a concert, play, comedy show or zombie film festival. Thanks to Dan Toro and the DDA. Downtown property owners vote Tuesday on a 20 mill tax levy to fund the DDA. Read more about it in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle lead editorial. 

Capital Chorale adds a dash of humorous seasonings to a rainy Cheyenne night

By now, decades into the electronics revolution, you would think that everyone would be safely at home on a rainy Friday night playing e-games or watching a super-hero flick on their mega-widescreen TV.

That's not the case. The more electronic options available, the greater the need to get out among our fellow humans. Yes, we are an untidy and argumentative bunch. We do like to get together to enjoy the arts.

Friday night featured a variety of offerings in Cheyenne. Chris and I attended the Cheyenne Capital Chorale "Tasteful Tapestries" concert. The Cheyenne Little Theatre offered "9 to 5 -- the musical" and the LCCC Theatre featured "Anne of Green Gables." Bands performed at local bars. The Suite Bistro held its usual karaoke night, which could be considered an art form depending on who's on stage at the time. If it's me, forget it.

My daughter Annie, however, has a great voice and was performing with the Capital Chorale last night. "Tasteful Tapestries" was all about food, as am I, so it was a natural choice to attend. Because I've been homebound for a month due to knee replacement, I've had an opportunity to hear Annie rehearse her solo and the other songs on the CCC repertoire. Unlike her violin practice in the fourth grade, which set neighborhood dogs howling, Annie's singing is a joy to hear. Her solo was the classic tune from "The Sound of Music," "My Favorite Things." A tuneful little ditty that I've heard hundreds of times during screenings if Chris's favorite film. The song has plentiful references to Austrian foodstuffs -- schnitzel with noodles and strudel -- so it fit easily into the evening's program. Janet Anderson performed "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," a song by Harry McClintock about the musings of a Depression-era hobo made famous in "O Brother, Where Art Thou." The Cheyenne Capital Quartet (plus one) tackled the classic "Snap, Crackle, Pop" advertising jingle, which brought back memories of endless bowls of Rice Krispies. The trio of Paula Egan-Wright, Sarah Scott and LuWana DePorter celebrated caffeinated beverages with the "Java Jive."

After breaks to bid on silent auction items and to buy yummy pastries (pecan pie!), the chorale launched into "The Seasonings" by P.D.Q. Bach, the pen name for musician and humorist Schickele. It's been decades since I've heard P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742) performed. I forgot how clever and irreverent he can be. Songs included "Tarragon of Virtue is Full," "Bide Thy Thyme" and "To Curry Favor, Favor Curry." The pianist was accompanied by bicycle horns, triangles and some mysterious homemade instruments. The cast expanded to include a pair of cheerleaders, a chef, football players, and soothsayers.

A whopping good time was had by all. And money was raised for the 2015-2016 season.

And to think that all of this entertainment was brought to us by volunteers, our family members, friends and neighbors who are in it for the love of music.

Music and melodrama and politics mix during Cheyenne Frontier Days

We are up to our eyeballs in Cheyenne Frontier Days.

CFD is a 10-day extravaganza of parades, rodeo and nighttime concerts by big-names such as Lady Antebellum, John Mellencamp and up-and-comers Florida-Georgia Line. I read yesterday that attendance for concerts now surpasses that of the rodeo, and that the CFD folks are expanding the size of the stage and updating the electronics. In the 1970s, Johnny Cash pulled up to CFD with a pickup towing a trailer filled with mikes, amps and speakers. These days, Brad Paisley hauls his gear and people around in a caravan of buses and semis. That’s what these big arenas shows require.

Chris and I don’t plan of going to any concerts. As is the case with most Cheyennites, we do our share of volunteering during the week. Tonight we’re at the Cheyenne Old-Fashioned Melodrama, now in its 58th year at downtown’s Historic Atlas Theatre. I manage the house while Chris manages the box office. All the barkeeps and waitrons are volunteers, although they do get a few tips in the course of the night. All the players are volunteers, too, as is the backstage crew. It takes a lot of people to put on a show. But it’s fun, and it’s a tradition that brings in the crowds to see a totally locally written and produced event. The melodrama also is a major fund-raiser for the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, our community theatre which puts on a dozen productions annually.  Come on out and see the melodrama tonight, “The Merchant of Vengeance.” Another classic tale written by Rory Mack and Brooks Reeves.

Amidst all the revelry, political campaigns are raging. Primaries are Aug. 19, just a month away. Chris and I walking neighborhoods for Senate District 9 candidate Dameione Cameron. Dameione is uncontested in the primary but has a Republican challenger in the general election. The incumbent has dropped out, leaving the field wide open. We’ve had some interesting conversations, including one with a Dem who was pissed off that Pres. Obama is not taking a stronger stance with Vladimir Putin. It’s rare that anyone won’t talk at all, although we have been excused quickly by some when they learn that DC is a Democrat. DC is a local attorney and businessman --- he and his partner Troy Rumpf run the Morris House Bistro – and his support comes from an alliance of Dems, Repubs and Indies. His district is mostly urban, or as urban as we get around here, so his support is younger, more non-partisan and more ethnically diverse than one usually sees in Wyoming. His campaign manager is Jordan, a young African-American from DC’s home state of South Carolina.

Will this be a good year for Dem candidates? Could be, as we have a record number of Dems running for the legislature and two solid challengers in the statewide offices of Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction. The past few years have not been good for education in Wyoming. The legislature and Gov. Mead vs. Cindy Hill. Hill is not running again for superintendent. Instead, she has chosen to go after Mead in the Gov’s race. She sat out the recent debate, which is smart, considering she tends to say dumb things in public. The third Repub candidate, Tea Party fave Taylor Haynes, also says dumb things in public. In the debate, he said we should open Yellowstone National Park to oil and gas drilling. He later walked back those comments, but those of us paying attention know he gears most of his public utterances for the “Don’t Tread on Me” crowd. Wyoming’s economy would almost disappear if the three million summer tourists took their money to Rocky Mountain National Park or Yosemite. Casper and Cody and Lander and Evanston all bill themselves as stops along the way to Yellowstone. So does Cheyenne.

So, when Dems go to the polls on Aug. 19, we won’t find much in the way of contested races. We can check a number of D boxes and then walk away, knowing we’ve done our duty. Four years ago, Dems talked about switching party affiliation on election day and voting for a moderate such as Mead instead of wind-eyed ultra-rightists such as Ron Micheli. It was a close contest. Political pundits said that Mead owed his office to Ds in the state, as he went on to handily beat the Democratic challenger. We didn’t get much for our efforts. So no switching this time. And we really mean it. 

April 6 Bluegrass Hootenanny features Hillbenders, Blue Grama and BeatGrass

If you attended the Feb. 9 concert by the Jalan Crossland Band at Terry Bison Ranch, you know that Alicia Padilla knows how to put on a show. A great time was had by all on a snowy winter night. Alicia's Wagon Ruts Productions is staging another show at the ranch on April 6. She sent this info:

On April 6, we're having a Bluegrass Hootenanny featuring the Hillbenders with very special guests: 

Blue Grama -- the massively talented, 6-piece ensemble from Northern Colorado. Blue Grama draws from their Bluegrass heritage and breathes joy, fresh life and excitement into their amazing, rich melodies.

Wyoming's finest, BeatGrass. BeatGrass's diverse sound is an unprecedented coalescence between BlueGrass and innovative originals, jazz standards, Motown classics and covers of some of the more newfangled hits. Their impactful complexities have been packing the house (and the outdoors) since their formation in 2010 across Wyoming.

PRESENTING: From traditional roots, springs the high-octane, instrumental mastery of the HillBenders. Hailing from Springfield, Missouri, these boys have been tearing up the bluegrass circuit, leaving their audiences reeling. Winners of the Telluride BlueGrass Band Competition in 2009 and taking First in the National Single Microphone Championship in 2010, the HillBenders are a contemporary force to be reckoned with. Their latest album, Can You Hear Me?, is an eclectic, compelling rouse to the senses. The richness of their upbringings in traditional BlueGrass provides a foundation upon which they innovate a unique and unforgettable sound. Each member has a jaw-dropping mastery of their instruments, which will hoist you right out of your chair. 

The quintet consists of Nolan Lawrence (Lead-singer/ Mandolinist), cousins Jim Rea and Gary Rea (Guitar and Bass), Mark Cassidy (Banjo), and Chad "Gravy Boat" Graves (Dobro). Their meticulous arrangements ripple into a cascade of improvisational brilliance. Experiencing the bands' skilled harmonies is comparable to drawing a five of a kind Aces, every hand.

TICKETS: $15 Presale, $17 Day of show at the door. $5 for Kids under age 12. Presale tickets available in Cheyenne at Ernie November (217 W. Lincolnway); Colorado presale: Attend one of Blue Grama's March concert dates for purchase. For dates: http://www.bluegramabluegrass.com/shows.html

PRESENTING: From traditional roots, springs the high-octane, instrumental mastery of the HillBenders. Hailing from Springfield, Missouri, these boys have been tearing up the bluegrass circuit, leaving their audiences reeling. Winners of the Telluride BlueGrass Band Competition in 2009 and taking First in the National Single Microphone Championship in 2010, the HillBenders are a contemporary force to be reckoned with. Their latest album, Can You Hear Me?, is an eclectic, compelling rouse to the senses. The richness of their upbringings in traditional BlueGrass provides a foundation upon which they innovate a unique and unforgettable sound. Each member has a jaw-dropping mastery of their instruments, which will hoist you right out of your chair. 

The quintet consists of Nolan Lawrence (Lead-singer/ Mandolinist), cousins Jim Rea and Gary Rea (Guitar and Bass), Mark Cassidy (Banjo), and Chad "Gravy Boat" Graves (Dobro). Their meticulous arrangements ripple into a cascade of improvisational brilliance. Experiencing the bands' skilled harmonies is comparable to drawing a five of a kind Aces, every hand.

TICKETS: $15 Presale, $17 Day of show at the door. $5 for Kids under age 12. Presale tickets available in Cheyenne at Ernie November (217 W. Lincolnway); Colorado presale: Attend one of Blue Grama's March concert dates for purchase. For dates: http://www.bluegramabluegrass.com/shows.html 

Terry Bison will be introducing their delicious Taco Bar Buffet for a steal at $8.95, in addition to regular menu items... They're ready for the PARTY! 

The venue has been designated NON-SMOKING FOR THE EVENING! I apologize for any inconvenience, but, smokers, please come and keep me company on the porch while I puff a couple down! Stay tuned to 103.3 The Range for contests and giveaways!

Ten Sleep's "Trailer Park Troubadour" performs in Cheyenne Feb. 9

Jalan Crossland

The Jalan Crossland Band will perform in concert on Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., at the Terry Bison Ranch just off of Terry Ranch Rd. on I-25 South. Exit before you get to to the Colorado border! Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at Ernie November in downtown Cheyenne. Tickets are $12 or $15 the day of the show.

This info comes from a press release:

If you've never experienced Jalan Crossland, you're in for a jaw-dropping experience. He has won many prestigious awards, including second in the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competion and first place in the state Flatpicking Contest. He has toured multiple times with Robert Earl Keen, and toured in Europe and Australia. He has been often showcased on NPR, made multiple TV appearances and been in the New York Times. Jalan is featured in a cover story in the winter issue of Wyoming Artscapes, the quarterly magazine of the Wyoming Arts Council.

The complexities of his combination of edgy, alt-country and traditional guitar and banjo picking seem effortless as he weaves tales of heartbreak, the sometimes-dark crevices of small town America, and most of all the joy, humor and love that can be found in every rusty-lining. 

Hell froze over and his band is back together. The massively talented duo of Shaun Kelley, who plays upright and electric bass and Andy Phreaner plays trapset, wackadoo, harmonica and percussion. You want a show? Well, folks, here's something you'll never forget. And don't taze him, bro! 

Jalan Crossland will receive a 2012 Governor's Arts Award Friday, Feb. 8, at the annual GAA Awards Gala at Little America in Cheyenne. He'll be performing a few of his trademark songs to wrap up the night's festivities. If you want more, and you probably will, catch Jalan and his band the next night in concert. Tickets are still available for the Governor's Arts Awards Gala Feb. 8, 6 p.m., at Little America. Call the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742.  

Two holiday choral concerts on tap for Cheyenne

Some big holiday-oriented concerts on the Cheyenne schedule for the weeks before Christmas.

First up is the "Unto Us a Child is Born" performance on Monday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., at St. Mary's Cathedral, 2107 Capitol Ave. It's an "a capella concert with the LCCC men's and women's ensembles, Cantorei and the collegiate chorale that will showcase scared choral arrangements, ancient and modern anthems, all combined to weave a magical performance with something for everyone." Admission is free, although donations will be accepted for the Comea House, Cheyenne's homeless shelter. My daughter Annie will again be a soloist. You can see a You Tube clip of the Dec. 1 LCCC choral performance at the Cheyenne Civic Center. Yes, I am a proud pops. I'm also quite impressed by the quality of music programs at our community college. I'm equally impressed by the amount of financial aid available at LCCC. This county resident will be backing any expansion plans proposed by LCCC and will gladly do battle with any Know Nothings who oppose such plans. BTW, the poster for this concert shows the silhouette of the baby Jesus in the manger with his hands raised high to heaven. When I first  saw it, I was convinced that the babe was doing the "Spirit Fingers" routine from "Bring It On." Jesus has spirit fingers -- yeah! Maybe it's "holy spirit fingers."

On Sunday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m., the Cheyenne Capital Chorale performs "Seasons in Song" at St. Mary's. It will feature selections from Vivaldi's "Gloria" and will be filmed by Wyoming PBS for a later broadcast. Free, but donations will be accepted at the door. Go here for more info.

Music for the holidays. A great gift for yourself.

Cheyenne Chamber Singers in concert Nov. 11 at First United Methodist Church

Remember that every act of creativity stymies the Know Nothings amongst us. On Sunday, November 11, 3 p.m., Cheyenne Chamber Singers presents a concert, "Images from the Past," at downtown's First United Methodist Church. Tickets are $15 Adults/$10 seniors & students. FMI: 307-433-1141, www.cheyennechambersingers.com

Multimedia Environmental Concert in Laramie asks "What Can I Do -- to help this planet?"

Vote for Pres. Obama, for one thing.

Here's the event:

"What Can I Do?" Multimedia Environmental Concert
8 p.m., Saturday, November 3
Coal Creek Coffee Company
110 E. Grand Ave, Laramie

This is a 60-75-minute educational keynote presentation featuring the photography of renowned John Fielder, Karl Snyder and Laurie Dameron, video, information and live music. Special guest speaker Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist, City Council member in Laramie and Executive Director for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. 

FMI: www.facebook.com/WhatCanIDoSpaceshipEarth and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml4gzZthi5o

Let us now praise famous songs, and those creative types who begat them

Chris and I attended the "American Tapestry" concert this afternoon at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Cheyenne. Our daughter was singing, as she's in the Laramie County Community College Collegiate and Cantorei choirs. She does both well. You're probably not surprised to hear a proud father say that.

Several of the selections were taken from the page -- poetry, to be specific. First came three selections from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad. My accountant father gave me a copy of that book when I was still in high school. He thought it might be an encouragement to my budding poetic soul. It wasn't (I was more attuned to Jim Morrison back then), but it was still a nice gesture. Housman is still not my favorite, but his verse sounds great when set to music and sung by collegiate voices.

Robert Burns made an appearance as the Men's Ensemble sang "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose." The men, all dressed in black suits, held a rose as they gathered around the piano and intoned Burns. Very nice.

The recessional song was "The Promise of the Living" from the opera The Tender Land. Music was composed by Aaron Copland with libretto by Horace Everett, a pseudonym for dancer and choreographer Erik Johns. Copland was inspired to write the opera after viewing the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, with text by James Agee and photos by Walker Evans. The book arose from a 1936 magazine assignment Agee and Evans accepted in 1936. The goal was to document the lives of white sharecroppers in the South. The magazine article didn't pan out, but the book did, and is now one of those volumes studied for its trail-blazing blend of straight reportage, creative nonfiction, poetry and photos.  Another one of those interesting works of art to emerge from the Great Depression.

Fine concert today, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks to talented  singers, and the wonderful teachers who trained them.

Flobots at Gryphon Theatre in Laramie Nov. 2

Get your tix now

Munis memorial concert tonight at Depot Plaza will benefit Safehouse

From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

Singer Robin Munis died five years ago when her estranged husband fired a bullet from a high-powered rifle as she was performing inside Old Chicago.

But her death did not silence her wonderful voice. Friends and fans are continuing a tradition to keep her memory alive.

Area musicians will pay tribute to Munis at the fifth annual benefit concert from 4-10 p.m. Saturday [tonight] at Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 121 W. 15th St.

Four bands whose styles range from jazz to blues rock to variety will perform. They are Avenue, Jazztet, Second Opinion and Beatgrass. The musicians will donate their time.

The concert is free but donations will be accepted for Safehouse Services. Safehouse provides shelter for those people fleeing abusive situations. 

Read more here: Munis memorial concert to benefit Safehouse

"Love Can Build a Bridge" concert July 12 in Laramie, July 13 in Denver

From the Matthew Shepard Foundation:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation is proud to present Love Can Build a Bridge featuring the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus. July 12 the choruses will present a concert in Laramie, WY at the the University of Wyoming at the Fine Arts Building, 1000 E. University Ave, 8PM. You can by your tickets for that concert here. July 13 they will perform at St. Johns Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, CO, 1350 Washington Street, 7:30PM. You can buy tickets for this concert in our store. If you have any questions about tickets or the event, please call (303) 830-7400 ext 16

Note that a portion of ticket proceeds will go to Wyoming Equality, an organization that works tirelessly for LGBT equality in our state. Check out the WY Equality web site.

Gathering of the Celtic tribes this weekend in Cheyenne

Everything you need to know about this weekend's Celtic Musical Arts Festival at the Historic Depot in downtown Cheyenne: http://www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org/plaza-event/cheyennes-celtic-musical-arts-festival-7th-annual

Sample regional beers and music this weekend at Wyoming Brewers' Festival

The Wyoming Brewers' Festival in Cheyenne June 15-16 has beer and music, including Another Kind of Magick Friday night. FMI: http://www.wyobrewfest.com/

Jalan Crossland's "Portrait of a Fish" tour rolls into Cheyenne

Not a self-portrait of Jalan...

As he wrapped up last night's second set at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne, Jalan Crossland invited the audience to his hometown August hootenanny -- the NoWoodstock Festival in Ten Sleep.

"Did he say NoWoodstock?" my wife Chris asked.

I nodded. And tried to explain. NoWoodstock is not exactly the opposite of the legendary gathering. It is held outdoors, and sometimes it rains, but it's not likely to draw 500,000 retro-hippies for three days of peace and love and cause a blockbuster film and album (remember those?) to be made.

NoWoodstock is a bit like Jalan. A little bit country, a little bit folk, a little bit storytelling, with equal parts singing and picking the guitar and banjo. Throw in some food and drink, mosquitoes and sunburn, and there you have it.

But back to last night. Jalan's solo concert was arranged by the Cheyenne Guitar Society, its third event of the season. The series had a number of sponsors, including the Wyoming Arts Council and the LCCC Foundation. The performance was delayed by 20 minutes so that hotel staff could bring in more chairs. By the time Jalan took the stage, the room was packed and very warm. There was a long line at the ballroom bar.

Jalan writes and plays his own songs. Most come with a splash (sometimes a raging torrent) of humor. So when he said that this was the first time he'd played in Cheyenne outside of a couple of weddings, nobody knew if he was kidding. I didn't get to ask him, but it seems unlikely. In the past couple months, he's been to New Orleans and the annual songwriters' festival in Key West. His next stop is the Upper Meramac Flatpicking Guitar Camp & Americana Music Festival in Steelville, Mo. Then come stops in Nebraska and Iowa before a big concert June 1 at the WYO Theater in Sheridan. He arrives back in Ten Sleep August 12 for NoWoodstock. Get the full concert schedule at http://www.jalancrossland.com/concerts.htm

At the Plains, Jalan played some of his favorites, many of them shouted out from the audience. They included "Don't Taze Me Bro," "Trailer Park Fire," "The Little Girl & the Deadly Snake" and "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance, All-Night Chicken Trucker." We could almost smell the "Trailer Park Fire" -- open doors brought a whiff of wind-blown smoke from the wildland fires burning in northern Colorado. Jalan played some tunes from his new CD, "Portrait of a Fish," including a moving rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's "Don Quixote." He alternated between banjo and guitar. Some of the up-tempo numbers caused some impromptu dancing to break out at the front of the room.

The evening ended too soon. Judging by the crowd at the merchandise table, Jalan was selling a lot of T-shirts and signing scads of CDs and posters. Weddings are nice and all, but it seems odd that Jalan's public appearances in Cheyenne are so rare. But it is a long way from the wilds of Washakie County and NoWoodstock. That's not Jalan's next concert stop, but it may be ours.

Cross-posted to the Wyomingarts blog

Jalan Crossland -- from Ten Sleep to Key West to Cheyenne

Ten Sleep, Wyoming's "trailer park troubadour" Jalan Crossland will perform in concert on Wednesday, May 16, 7 p.m., at the Historic Plains Hotel ballroom in Cheyenne. Tickets are $10, $5 for students. Sponsored by the Cheyenne Guitar Society. FMI: http://cheyenneguitarsociety.com/

Jalan's on stage this week at the Better Angels Songwriters Festival in Key West..

Jalan's Dylanesque mug graced the Iowa newspapers last December when he was arrested at an Occupy protest in Des Moines during the Iowa Republican caucuses. We expect some new songs emerging from this encounter. Read more at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2012/01/planet-jackson-hole-wy-picker-causes.html

One of Colorado's top ten summer concert destinations is in Cheyenne

Merle

The Denver Post says “don't miss these 10 summer concerts.”

Colorado's legendary summer weather combined with Coloradans' renowned passion for live music creates a maelstrom of good times. And here are 10 shows we're especially looking forward in the next few months.

Some great names on the list. Mana. The Shins. The Denver Ukefest with Jake Shimabukuro, Nellie McKay and Aldrine Guerrero. Slim Cessna's Auto Club.
Number seven on the Post’s top ten list is a concert series in a neighboring state – ours. Pretty unusual choice in this usually Denvercentric Front Range universe.

7. CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS WITH ZAC BROWN BAND, BRAD PAISLEY, MERLE HAGGARD, JOURNEY: Frontier Days always features a big lineup, but this year's is especially mammoth. From country legend Haggard to megastars Brown and Paisley — along with arena rockers Journey — this is as solid a lineup as the event has in years. (July 20-28, Cheyenne Frontier Nights).

Cool.

Read more: Colorado summer music preview: From Drake to Jack White, the UMS to Folks Fest, don't miss these 10 summer concerts

BeatGrass plays at the Atlas April 28

http://facebook.com/beatgrassband