World’s Finest at Teton Mountain Bike Fest
(this piece was published by Planet Jackson Hole)
Grand Targhee Resort hosts Bike Fest, bands, clinics & more
On paper, the drifting imagination may have a hard time relating to a sound that claims “ska-Americana-dub-grass.” The equation of folksy guitar strumming, skanky dance beats, funky horn soloing, a dynamic electric banjo, and vocal melodies borrowed from classic reggae are an anomaly on their own. The bar of expectations is raised to its fullest when a band calls themselves World’s Finest.
As evidenced on its third studio effort, “Headwaters,” the band is engaging and compositionally stimulating. The greatest progression from its debut album, “33,” is the Avett Brothers-inspired vocal arrangements by guitarist Chris Couch, banjoist Dan Hurley, and saxophonist Sean McClean. The harmonic formula does wonders for the type of feel good music that steers away from the righteous lyrics of classic reggae acts in favor of contemporary storytelling of travel and love. In the live set, they’re also not scared to throw in a classic ‘90’s cover like Freak Nasty’s “Da Dip.”
World’s Finest will be entertaining at the four-day 6th Annual Teton Mountain Bike Festival at Grand Targhee Resort, which was rated the number one bike park in the Northwest by MTBParks.com. From group rides, adaptive clinics, jump parks and 2016 bike demos, to point-to-point cross country racing like the twenty-five mile Super D, the fest has something to offer for every type of rider. Find more information about the bike fest at TetonMountainBikeFest.tvtap.org.
World’s Finest, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Resort. Local classic rock band Rock Creek plays 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Trap. Free, all-ages. GrandTarghee.com.