Jackson Hole Live: Anders Osborne + Black Mother Jones

(a portion of this piece was published by Planet JH Weekly)A cultural gateway to summer here in the mountains is outdoor concerts. Jackson Hole Live kicks it all into gear this Sunday with monster rocker-meets-singer-songwriter, Anders Osborne, and local hard rock band Black Mother Jones.Osborne’s range of both acoustic subtly and electric epicness comes across loud and clear through his thirteen-album discography, dating back to 1989’s Doin’ Fine and through last year’s Peace, his fourth on Alligator Records. The Swedish-born, longtime New Orleans resident is more apt to bring the latter, rock-your-socks attitude for a setting like the one at Snow King Ballfield this weekend. He’s a possessed, growly guitarist with an obsession for massive hooks, colorful overtones and a sound bigger than the mountain itself.“Peace is light from darkness,” Osborne said last year in a release about his latest album. “The songs are written from the outside looking in. They are not making any judgments. I’m just stating facts. I’m writing from a brighter perspective. There’s less dusk and dark, and much more sunlight. The results are greater than I expected. The driving tones and sounds are free and natural. This is one of the coolest records I’ve ever made.”Aside from writing all of his own material, Osborne has contributed material to range of other artists including two co-written tunes on Keb Mo’s Grammy-winning 1999 release, Slow Down. Country superstar Tim McGraw scored a #1 hit with his song “Watch The Wind Blow By,” while artists as diverse as Brad Paisley, Tab Benoit, Jonny Lang and Kim Carnes have covered his compositions.Osborne has flown under the radar for far too long. I had the pleasure of opening up for him at a festival in Montana with Screen Door Porch, and it was even impressive to see his soundcheck -- an all out tweak session on two fat stacks of guitar amps. Put him on yours if you like extended guitar jamming in a power trio setup.As for local rock quartet Black Mother Jones, it's been an upward trajectory notched by having their debut release, Prepared For Nasty Weather, voted Best Original Album of 2013 by Planet Jackson Hole Weekly readers. They recently toured the Northwest with a sound that lives on the edge of hard rock, and it certainly rocks hard.This concert is in conjunction with the Jackson Hole Mountain Games (JHMountainGames.com), a three-day adventure festival featuring mountain biking, bouldering, mountain running, paragliding and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Jackson Hole Live presents Anders Osborne with Black Mother Jones, 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Snow King Ball Field. Free, all-ages. JacksonHoleLiveMusic.com.