Writing

As a journalist, Aaron writes cover stories, CD reviews, adventure pieces and his weekly music column, “Music Box,” for Planet Jackson Hole Weekly. As a freelance writer, he his pieces have also been published in The Oregonian, Jambase.com, Libertarian Party News, The Statesman Journal, and Cascade Policy Institute, among others. Below, you will find the latest published pieces as well as poetry, song lyrics, ramblings, and select articles from the last several years.

• The Goods: Benyaro, Chanman Roots Band, The Lonesome Heroes, The Orbit Group 2/22/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Acoustic soul meets ski-bum reggae While some of you may have realized by now that acoustic soul-folk-pop duo Benyaro splits home time between JH and Brooklyn, it’d be hard to figure it out when they are on th...

• Music Box: Chali 2na 2/22/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - When an artist has been there and done that, its time to dig in and figure out an oblique approach to market and inspire the fan base. Chicago native and former Jurassic 5 emcee, the rapid...

• CD Review: Dr. Dog 2/21/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Be the Void Dr. Dog / 4 stars If I could join any indie band right now, it would be Dr. Dog. Good albums can shred your illusions of being bored with current listening avenues. Try Be the Void, then backtrack ...

• Music Box: Teton Americana Winter Invitational 2/16/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - Welcome to progressive Americana Week. Let’s go ahead and call it The Teton Americana Winter Invitational. By coincidence, all of these bands will be playing varying nuances of contemporary ...

• The Goods: Monophonics, Matt Flinner Trio, Great American Taxi 2/16/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Two nights of psychedelic soul Referred to as black rock, or psychedelic soul is the sound developed in the late 60s ala Curtis Mayfield. San Francisco’s Monophonics—formed in 2005—have genuinely sunken in...

• CD Review: Greensky Bluegrass 2/15/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Handguns GREENSKY BLUEGRASS There’s a lot of contemporary grass that passes by my ears without reprise. My old grassy standbys are Monroe, Old & in the Way, John Hartford, Doc Watson and Grisman. The late ...

• The Goods: Mike Dillon, Jet Black Ninjas, Yo Jimbo Funk, Shook Twins, 4ontheFloor 2/8/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Did you just say Triple-Bill? Vibraphone-whacking percussionist Mike Dillon has been described as “a brutal, yet meticulously deranged blast of raw, jazz-rock power.” Dillon’s heroes Black Sabbath, The Minu...

• CD Review: Dawes 2/8/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Nothing is Wrong DAWES **** On Nothing is Wrong, lead singer/guitarist Taylor Goldsmith channels Jackson Browne’s literalness with Neil Young’s slow-burning electric guitar grooves. All at once accessible,...

• Music Box: JH Jewish Music Festival 2/8/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - The contemporary stamp on Klezmer and Hassidic influences into mainstream genres is as dynamic as you’ll find across the over-flow of music in today’s cloud-based and mobile indulgence. Th...

• Elk Attack: A New Callaboration 2/1/12

  [iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ErTE68GbX34" height="315px" width="420px"] By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - A band’s chemistry is of mathematical intricacies. Ebbs and flows that evolve over time.  So when, r...

• CD Review: Kathleen Edwards 2/1/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Voyageur Kathleen Edwards Not a complete 180 degrees, yet Kathleen Edwards’ fourth studio release is a progression away from rootsy, folk-rock and alt-country into the Justin Vernon, a.k.a. Bon Iver, atmospher...

• Kinetix, Random Canyon Growlers, Cash'd Out 2/1/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) You know Kinetix Since establishing a yearly stop at the Mangy Moose over five years ago, Kinetix has been seriously honing their craft through hardcore touring. A piano-driven, funk-pop-rock fusion and a lively...

• Eufurorquestra: Afro Caribbean barnyard funk 1/29/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - Take a dose of euphoria and expose it to an orchestra boasting world flare and what do you get? Euforquestra (yoo • FOHR • keh • struh) —a seven-piece ensemble that spreads the cultura...

• Smooth Money Gesture, Willie Waldman/DJ Logic, Rockapella 1/29/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Not just a Smooth Gesture If any locale has developed a “regional sound” in recent years, it’s the Boulder-Nederland area of Colorado. Smooth Money Gesture leans on that happy/Colorado side of jamband and ...

• Stringdusters, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers 1/18/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-There’s a feeling in my bones, a pulsating catalyst for the upcoming string of quality shows at the Pink Garter Theater. The room itself is a breath of fresh air for which to consume music, an...

• Isbell: Bama-born alt-country 1/13/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-There’s something potent to be said about the point in an artist’s career at which you experience their creative output in a concert atmosphere. For the Grateful Dead, the 1977 tour has been...

• Jan 11-17: Brother Mule, Mollie O'Brien, griz, Allman 1/13/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Rare double-bill Jackson Hole, Wyo.-The duo of Mollie O’Brien (vocals) and her husband Rich Moore (guitar, vocals), along with the members of string band trio Brother Mule—Ben Winship (vocals, mandolin, banj...

• CD Review: Jason Isbell & the 400 unit 1/13/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Here We Rest Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit There are some powerful moments on Here We Rest, one of the more memorable albums of 2011 in the alt-country sector. Disc opener “Alabama Pines” is no less than a ...

• Top Albums of 2011 / Most anticipated for 2012 1/8/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Top 20 Albums of 2011 Without a doubt, 2011 was the strongest year of music since I began making these lists—five years ago. The female card is especially on fire. Most of the albums listed here were reviewed and...

• CD Review: Ry Cooder 1/7/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down RY COODER Strongly opinionated, often times funny, and certainly brave, listening to Ry Cooder is frequently eye opening. Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down takes the cake and smea...

• Jan 4 - Jan 10: Peace officer, Biomecca, Chuck Pyle 1/5/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) This officer wants peace Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Its Web site brings to mind The A-Team, while the music breathes live band dub-hop electronica. Peace Officer stages four emcees within a seven-member outfit from the ...

• Maceo channels godfather of soul 1/5/12

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-James Brown was right on: Maceo can blow it up. At 68-years-young, Maceo Parker is as pure of an entertainer as it gets. Beginning in 1964, Parker’s distinctive, in-the-pocket style was a b...

• New Year's Eve Music in Jackson Hole!! 12/28/11

  By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Faced with nearly 20 music options for New Years Eve (NYE) in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley—what’s your pleasure? All parties are 21+ unless noted. Sporting a multi-story atrium vie...

• MUSIC BOX: Wordly grooves, Yiddish tunes 12/9/11

  By Aaron Davis (12.08.11 for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-It goes without saying that Wyoming isn’t the most convenient of markets to get to. Winter complicates this further. So when a Grammy-winning, genre-defining ban...

• The Goods: Pert Near Sandstone, Ghost Rider, Jerry Joseph 12/9/11

  By Aaron Davis (12.08.11 for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Ghost Rider and Guerilla Jackson Hole, Wyo.-There’s a new band in town full of familiar faces. Spreading the love of outlaw country with a Johnny Cash-heavy repertoire mixed with ...

• CD Review: The Black Keys 12/7/11

  By Aaron Davis (12.08.11 for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) El Camino THE BLACK KEYS Top album lists of the year have already flooded my inbox, and despite not hitting the shelves until this week, most included El Camino. The band’s sevent...

• CD Review: Deep Blue Organ Trio 10/13/11

  Wonderful! DEEP BLUE ORGAN TRIO Jazzed-up Stevie Wonder makes perfect sense, and that’s exactly what this Chicago-based trio has done on Wonderful!, which currently occupies No. 4 on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart. While guitarist-producer Bobby Broom ...

• The Goods: Afroman Gets High at Tavern 10/13/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) If space allowed, it would be worth printing the entire lyric sheet to Afroman’s Grammy nominated track from 2002, “Because I Got High.” You may remember the hilarious stoner anthem from J...

• Cover Story: Hole Lotta Local Music 10/12/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Writing about and photographing the local music scene over the last six years has been one of the joys of my time in Jackson. It’s my beat, and I dig it whole-heartedly. ...

• CD Review: Ollabelle 10/9/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Neon Blue Bird OLLABELLE (4 of 5 stars) This album kicks ass—one of my favorites of the year and I’ve only listened to it twice. Produced by Ollabelle and recorded at Levon Helm Studi...

• Music Box: Spice for the ears 10/5/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo.-More than any other genre or lifestyle, Jamaican reggae artists tend to follow a template—spread positive vibrations for unity, be outspoken members of the Rastafari movem...

• The Goods (10.5.11 - 10.11.11) 10/5/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Oktoberfest The golden hues of autumn mean micro-brews, hard rock, and racing for the German-inspired Oktoberfest Celebration in Victor’s Pioneer Park. The Teton Valley Foundation, Grand Teto...

• Music Box: Futurebirds blowing up! 9/21/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - I had forgotten what country-grunge might sound like until I pushed play on the Futurebirds’ debut release, Hampton’s Lullaby. Definitely Southern-fried via its Ath...

• The Goods (9.21.11 - 9.27.11) 9/21/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Creamer and Wells A musical friendship that spawned in roots-rock band Bo Hog Grind, Greg Creamer (lead vocal, acoustic guitar) and Ted Wells (acoustic and electric banjos, pedal steel, voca...

• CD Review: Wilco 9/21/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) The Whole Love WILCO Preface: I own all nine Wilco albums. It’s been since 2007’s Sky Blue Sky—the sixth album—that I really felt a connection. And so I’ve largely stuck with the b...

• Mr. Acoustic Deejay Scientist 9/14/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. - As soon as Keller Williams mentioned playing at the Shady Lady Saloon, I rewound to about 1999. It was then that I first heard a mix tape of Williams, playing solo—sans ...

• THE GOODS (9.14.11 - 9.20.11) 9/14/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Mr. Fred’s revamped odyssey I’ve followed Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey since 1997, attracted to its willingness to reach into Bitches Brew-level experimentation. Perhaps best labeled as playi...

• CD Review: Jeff Bridges 9/14/11

  By Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jeff Bridges JEFF BRIDGES Yep, “the dude” made himself an album. In fact, it’s his second—a follow up to Be Here Soon that was release a decade ago. Of course, we already knew that h...

• Live Music Review: The Punch Brothers 9/1/11

  by Aaron Davis (for Jackson Hole Weekly, JHWeekly.com) Jackson Hole, Wyo. – Seeing a phenomenal band for the first time usually trumps the proceeding performances. The 2010 Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival was my first experience with The Punch Br...

• Ten Sleep trailer park troubadour 8/31/11

  By Aaron Davis for Jackson Hole Weekly (PlanetJH.com) In a blue collar, van-down-by-the-river, porch-pickin’ with John Hartford sort of way, Jalan Crossland’s down-home country style makes you wonder what’s in the water in his hometown o...

• THE GOODS 8.31.11 thru 9.6.11 8/31/11

  By Aaron Davis for Jackson Hole Weekly (PlanetJH.com) Serious Punch Flexing top-notch bluegrass chops, yet blurring lines through Americana’s finest threads, The Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile specialize in avant-garde roots music lined w...

• Music Box: One wild and crazy banjo picker 7/20/11

  By Aaron Davis Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Steve Martin is one rare individual. He’s determined, prolific. One tends to expect a laugh around every corner from him, but the off-camera, off-stage Martin is one of sheer focus. Put aside his human cannonba...

• CD Review - Tedeschi Trucks Band 7/20/11

  Revelator TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND by Aaron Davis This album’s been a long time coming. And despite its unoriginal title, the mature blend of this husband-and-wife team equals a soul stew that, perhaps for Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, is the p...

• James Blake - CD Review 7/14/11

  James Blake James Blake One part classical, one part dub-step-fused modern pop, shaped by progressive electronic sounds and various shades of keyboard magic, James Blake has a voice that is as sensitive and yearning as Justin Vernon or Tom Yor...

• The Goods (July 13-19) 7/13/11

  By Aaron Davis Dumpstaphunk and funkgrass Founded and incorporated into several years of Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk began spreading the nasty funk love to the rest of the country just a few years ago. Neville, a keyb...

• Aaron's Guide to Targhee Fest 7/13/11

  By Aaron Davis It’s often the most anticipated music weekend of the year for its eclectic lineup and ideal concert environment. Targhee Fest has grown each year to bring up-and-coming and headlining acts to an intimate concert field, showca...

• GET OUT: Phelps Lake fiasco 6/29/11

  From JH Weekly, Edition 6/29/11 Like clockwork, fly fishers spend June jonesing for the rivers to clear. And once waterways do run clean, few anglers choose to fish a lake over a river or creek. Most would agree that fly fishing is just more fun on ...

• Canadian icon kicks off Music on Main 6/29/11

  From JH Weekly, Edition 6/29/11 Proudly offering its sixth season of free Music on Main concerts, the Teton Valley Foundation continues to step it up each year. The setting in Victor City Park is beautiful and family-friendly, the line-up is strong ...

• Austin bands converge in Pinedale 6/22/11

  From JH Weekly, Edition 6/22/11 In one way or another, the three bands billed for the Pinedale Fine Arts Council’s (PFAC) fourth annual Soundcheck Mini-Fest are connected. Shotgun Party, Leo Rondeau and Dynamite Tales and Screen Door Porch are lin...

• Lovett & Hiatt - two peas in a pod 6/15/11

  From JH Weekly, Edition 6/15/11 With mutual respect as the formidable bedrock, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt bring 20-plus years of friendship and touring to the Center Theater stage—“unplugged” and candid. Collaborations between prominent nam...