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Grab your gear, let's boogie

Ski resorts provide their guests with plenty of sound options to get their groove on after a day on the slopes

Paul Willis, Special to the News

Published December 27, 2005 at midnight

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What better way to thaw out than to jam out?

After a day on the slopes, one does not need to trek all the way back to the metro area to enjoy some good music. When the lift lines close, options are aplenty for mountaingoers.

Maybe you're a gnarly snowboarder and dig funk. Maybe you're a hippie and jam bands are your choice. Possibly, you are of the younger generation, you think "aprés ski" sounds snooty and pretentious, and you're down with hip-hop. Or, perhaps you had a mullet haircut in the 1980s - or still do - and continue to love that glam-influenced metal that features singers replete with more makeup than your average cheerleader.

Maybe you're a combination of some of the above or something entirely different. Whatever, your type of music probably can be found at the resorts.

The Winter Music Series at Sunlight Mountain Resort is a staple this winter at the Glenwood Springs-based ski area. Sponsored by a local radio station, the series includes a handful of national acts and several local bands, including SoulFeel, The Hideouts and Last Minute String Band, which perform Friday and Saturday afternoons.

Acoustic solo and duet acts perform Friday at the Last Turn Lodge and full bands Saturdays at the Sunlight Inn.

On weekends at Copper Mountain, a live disc jockey, DJ G3, spins for guests. For those with a more mellow taste, T.J. Sanders performs an acoustic show at the resort from 3-6 p.m. Saturdays.

At Keystone, the two-man Swing Crew delights end-of-day skiers with popular favorites and sing-alongs at the Last Lift Bar. Another good option in Keystone is Parrot Eyes, which features a picturesque deck and live music five nights a week. Snake River Saloon, something of a mountain sports bar with snow videos and plenty of TVs, features live music on weekends. For the trendy types, Greenlight has a downtown-like club feel with a youthful edge. The town's only dance club plays Top 40 hits nightly from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

At Breckenridge, the town is so close to the ski area that it often is best to venture into the Victorian surroundings. Sherpa & Yeti's has scores of local and national acts throughout the ski season, including hip-hop legends Black Sheep (Jan. 5) and the edgy melodies of Global Funk (Jan. 9) scheduled among 12 acts next month.

"It's totally the place to be," said Noah Brubaker, a metro-area skier/snowboarder. "Usually that's how we decide where to go (skiing), depending on who's gonna be at Sherpa & Yeti's. We go to Breck a lot just because of the chance to see sweet music afterwards."

In December, Brubaker and his pals saw rap legend Slick Rick at Sherpa & Yeti's after a day on the slopes. All-girl cover bands of Led Zeppelin (Lez Zeppelin) and AC/DC (Hell's Belle's) are regulars at the establishment.

And of course, Vail has an abundance of options as well. There is Mickey's Piano Bar, the Red Lion, which features nightly live music with Phil Long, and Pepi's. Sanctuary, a dance club, caters to the younger crowd, while The Club features various acoustic artists. Perhaps the most popular music establishment in Vail is 8150, which features national acts.

The Wailers and Reverend Horton's Heat are among the many scheduled in the next few months.

Other ski towns, such as Aspen and Winter Park, have plenty of music in the winter but perhaps are more famous for what they do in the summer. The Aspen Music Festival has flourished since 1949 with its aspiring-artists format, and the Aspen Jazz Festival is another big summer event. Winter Park's Hawgfest is among the biggest ski-town musical extravaganzas each year. In 2004, ZZ Top headlined the event. In January, acts such as Edgar Winter, The Groove Hogs, Ted Nugent and '80s power rockers Great White and Skid Row are among those who will take the stage.

Jam-band fans seemingly could be in heaven in the mountains. In addition to the high-country based acts, several from Denver do the ski-gig thing. Polytoxic, voted last year by Westword as the city's best jam band, recently played in Steamboat and plays for ski crowds periodically throughout the winter.

For the most part, it isn't only the listeners who enjoy the diversity of sounds in the high country

"Aprés ski gigs are usually more rowdy listening audiences who are there to party," said Jimmy Lewis, who has played several ski-area gigs over the years, including some with the Swing Crew. "It's unlike a lot of (convention-type) gigs that can be boring and unfulfilling with no feedback."

New-school enthusiasts, there is something for you, too. Echo Mountain Terrain Park, the state's first terrain-park-only resort, is scheduled to open later this month on the grounds of the old Squaw Pass ski area near Idaho Springs. No bands will be present, but artists such as Sum41 and the Beastie Boys will be blasted all day from a large-scale sound system.