(Published in Jackson Hole Weekly, additional content added)

Home-cooked crank and apple pie
You get the idea that maybe Hellbound Glory got its name from living the rugged lifestyle of a country bar band. The tune “Scumbag Country” is an indication: “Walking home at 7 a.m./One last rain on last call/Raising hell with all my rowdy friends/They are snortin’ coke in a bathroom stall.”

Right where Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard left off, lead singer/songwriter Leroy Virgil delivers honkytonk lines that classic country lovers will appreciate with a big gulp of Bud. There’s plenty of rock ‘n’ roll muscle that would have you think that they grew up on Southern rock, but these guys roll out of Reno with what they describe as “traditional as your grandma’s apple pie and as potent as your cousin’s home-cooked crank.” Add in a squirt of rockabilly, and this is bound to be a rowdy time on the west side of the Tetons before the band jumps on tour to support Kid Rock. Hellbound Glory, 9:30 p.m., Saturday Jan. 26, at the Timberline Bar in Victor. 208-787-5000.

This grass smells like da funk
Since 2007, Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit (JBNFU) have been penning tunes with multiple instrumental sections, changing quickly from one hook to the next while still leaving room for improvisation. In a record store, the well-oiled machine would fall directly between the bin of bluegrass and jamband, even sliding into “other.” Debut album, Brown Chicken Brown Cow (2010), is a ten-track

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)

Ninjas and a Pig
One Ton Pig and Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit collaborate once a year, stitching together the third Annual Black Pig Fest. Fresh from a run of regional festivals and a chance encounter to pick tunes with world-class bluegrass band The Traveling McCourys, the Pig sextet recently released its debut studio album and added a new member, fiddler Matt Herron. JBNFU plays only a handful of shows each year, and its debut album, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, is a dose of instrumental concoctions laced with fast-pickin’ wah-wah mandolin, funky slap bass and drums. Mandolin player/vocalist Tim Farris is the common thread amongst the two bands. 307 Live presents Black Pig Fest, 9:30 p.m., Friday, at Town Square Tavern. $5 at the door.

Gumbo of styles at Wort
Take a big helping of traditional cowboy music, stir in a little country honkytonk and Western swing, some southern blues and rockabilly, a bit of Louisiana Cajun, a taste of the high lonesome, add a pinch of Mexican Norteno accordion, and a spoonful of Hawaiian slack-key guitar and

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)

Oh, summer, how music junkies love thee
I love this time of year for its anticipation of the massive intake of summer concerts. Headliner bills are already taking shape, so a little sneak peak is in order. By now, you’ve heard about Teton Valley Foundation’s free Music on Main series in Victor and the lineup that it announced a few weeks ago. Thursdays starting June 28 and continuing through August 16 will feature headliners Andy Frasco and The UN, Blitzen Trapper, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, March 4th Marching Band, Stone Foxes, Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys, and Carrie Rodriguez, supported by Mandatory Air, The Shook Twins, Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit, Scott McDougall, The Alta Boys, Random Canyon Growlers, and the Bluegrass Camp Allstars.

The exciting news of masterful indie-pop artist Andrew Bird billed with the earnest rasp of singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten was confirmed last week for August 18, on the back lawn of Center for the Arts. It will likely be billed as Caldera Festival. As for the Center Theater, the only show that has been announced thus far is Robert Earl Keen for June 3, confirmed by the interim talent buyers at 307 Live.
Of course both Grand Targhee Festival lineups are always highly anticipated.

Targhee Fest (July 13-15) will feature a killer mesh of