We have been looking for a way for us all to enjoy the Beartrap Summer Music Festival for more than just those magical couple of days.  And so the Beartrap Music Series was born!

The series kicks off May 31st, 2012 with our first concert.

Our inaugural concert includes performances from the highly aclaimed Two Man Gentlemen Band and local favorites The Dang ‘Ol Boys!

Both bands will be performing at The Attic here in Casper Wyoming. Doors will open at 7:00pm and the music kicks off at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. You can purchase advanced tickets at Townsquare Media of Casper, 150 Nichols Casper, Wyoming. They will also be availibe for purchase from the Wonder Bar 256 South Center Street  Casper, Wyoming.

And if you need any further convincing here is a small sampling of the music you have to look forward too at this concert.

The Two Man Gentleman Band

Irreverent songwriters, expert instrumentalists, former street-performers, and consummate showmen, The Two Man Gentlemen Band has been barnstorming from coast to coast for half a decade, developing a reputation as a must-see live act on the roots and retro music circuits. A tenor guitar and string bass duo in the tradition of the great Slim & Slam, The Gents have obvious affection for pre-war American Jazz and Western Swing. But they’re no period piece. The decidedly contemporary feel of their lyrics and the hilarious, often ridiculous, improvised banter that peppers their live shows combine with the music for a thoroughly modern ruckus. “It’s as if,” one reviewer commented, “The Smothers Brothers were young today, wore better suits, and wrote hot jazz songs about drinking.” To The Gentlemen, that sounds about right.
-thetwogentlemen.com

The Dang Ol’ Boys

Advantageous at playing to an over capacity bar, a standing room only house party, or just sittin’ around the campfire, The Dang Ol’ Boys keep their fusion of Country / Bluegrass / Irish / Punk to it’s most innovative and authentic form. Originating from Casper, Wyoming, they formed by sheer coincidence in late 2009 with an apparent long-time love for playing music. Their influences range from Bob Dylan to Ween, Johnny Cash to NOFX, The Pogues to Steve Goodman.
-reverbnation.com/DangOlBoys

Another Kind of Magick was the Society’s representatives at the International Blues Challenge. The group made it to the Finals, making them one of the top 9 bands in international competition.

Another Kind of Magick will begin their performance at the Attic starting at 8:00pm.

The doors will open at 7:30pm.

21 and up only.

Ticket Prices: $10 for members and $12 for non-members. You can purchase advance tickets at Sonic Rainbow, the Art of Coffee or Yankee Clipper.

If you’re looking to enjoy the evening with friends, you can call Lou (307-259-8725) and reserve a table for 4. The cost is $100 per table.

The Violin Shop, Facebook

A recording I truly love, epically this time of year ( St. Patrick’s Day ). Liz Carroll is first generation Irish American from Chicago and one of the most respected fiddlers in traditional Irish music today, and John Doyle from Ireland last played with the wonderful Irish band Solas, ( I saw them in Telluride ). Together, just the duo, are something special. This ” In Play ” the first of their two recordings together.

Quoting the liner notes ” Fiddle master Liz Carroll and guitar powerhouse John Doyle are amount the most respected musicians in Irish music. The two have honed their repertoire on the road,and on IN PLAY, their debut as a duo, they capture the electricity and lyrical nuances of their live show in a studio setting. IN PLAY is destined to become a must-have for fans of traditional music. I’ ll drop you off a copy of this, it’s awesome.

Contributed by Frank Moran

“In Play” Track List:

1. The Ronan Boys / Ralph’s 2-3-5
2. Northern Jig / The Box Man
3. Rolling In The Barrel / The Laurel Tree / O’Rourkes
4. The Island Of Woods
5. Smokies In Arbroath / Mystery Writer / The Blessings Of Gold
6. Kieran’s Polka / The Bike To Ballyhahill
7. Hunter’s Moon / Getting There / The Morris Minor
8. The Man With One Kidney / The Spy Czar
9. Fremont Center / The “Vorando” / Minutemen
10. Dennehy Dancers / The Mcsweeney Side
11. Ashleigh’s Roach’s / With Ourselves / Wild Pitch
12. A Long Night On The Misty Moor
13. Ceisel’s Sword / The Monasterydedan Fancy

[button href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Play-Liz-Carroll/dp/B000ARG2E6" title="Purchase 'In Play' on Amazon" align="center"]

Watch Liz Carroll and John Doyle perform for President Obama:

The weather is getting warmer, and while the snow isn’t gone quite yet, we are already looking forward to this summer.

The bears having been working hard to make sure that the 2012 Festival is bigger and better than ever before. And of course a big part of that will be our music lineup. We’re not quite ready to announce our headliners but we do want to share with you a small sample of who we have lined up for this year’s festival.

Look forward to seeing all of you in August!

Halden Wofford and the Hi Beams

Halden Wofford and the Hi*Beams’ throwback and stylish take on the honky tonk genre is a breath of fresh air amidst other wannabe retro acts. With some of the choicest players on the Front Range and a professionalism that is bar-none, the Hi Beams landed themselves on the famed NPR show “A Prairie Home Companion” in recent years and Wofford’s distinct vocals continue to garner the band well-earned attention. -Marquee Magazine, Boulder, CO

Honey Don’t

“Out of the chute this band has a style, a sound and a defined point of view as distinctive and compelling as those of the finest roots outfits extant.  Crackling with life and overflowing with soul, its music rare and true, Honey Don’t exalts the human spirit.”

Dave McGee, TheBluegrassSpecial.com (Sept 09)

Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen

Herald-Dispatch.com – Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen — Self-titled: This is a great period in time for bluegrass music with a wide array of top-notch bands making good music from coast to coast. One example of this is Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen out of Virginia who have produced a wonderful debut album of contemporary bluegrass music. With a bright sound and strong instrumentation, many influences are brought together here with a cohesive groove flowing throughout. Guests on the CD include Rob Ickes, John Cowan, Moondi Kline and Megan McCormick.

Red June

I’ve listened to and reviewed a lot of new releases during the past year and I have to put Red June’s right at the top. I’m not kidding. At the top. This is absolutely the best new music I’ve heard in many a moon.”
-David Belknap, Peterborough Folk Music Society

Screen Door Porch

“Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis, a partnership made in heaven, or at least Austin, Texas which any Texan will tell you are one and the same! Both Rose and Davis have worked with various people on other unrelated projects, but it is this diversity that gives the album much of its appeal. It covers everything from alt.folk to blues and alt.country, with even a slight jazziness on a couple of tracks and that’s without even mentioning vaudeville!

Seadar Rose’s vocals have the almost languid drawl of Lucinda Williams, but with more range and expression evidenced by her own beautiful ‘Cold Mountain Breath’, whilst Aaron Davis can at times sound like a Whiskeytown-era Ryan Adams with his ability to play around with his emotions and tone. Their harmonizing and support on each other’s songs is responsible for the various styles working so well together and enabling their differing songwriting directions to give the album an almost thematic feel. ” – Maverick Magazine

When the Taj Mahal Trio exits stage left, Beartrap Summer Festival 2011 will officially be over, and it has definitely been one for the history books. The bands, the vendors, the workshops, the food, and yes…the people- they have all made up one of, if not the best Beartrap Festival ever.

Click here for Saturday’s Pictures!

This weekend, you’ve seen posts about the bands (obviously), the kids, the umbrellas, the cribs, the dogs, and more. What have you may not know, is that you wouldn’t have seen any of that had Beartrap Summer Festival 2011 not happened. And Beartrap Summer Festival 2011 would not have happened, without these people.

Johnny Cash. Elvis Costello. Eric Clapton. Dustin Kensrue. These are the men that define a certain style of music. But, it’s more than just a style of music. It’s an attitude, a lifestyle. It’s folk music, but it’s so much more. It’s blues, rock, pop, classical, and more all rolled into one. It’s a public diary of a broken soul, and if there is one man that gets what folk music is, it’s Jalan Crossland. He should, as he’s been playing it for years. Armed with a banjo, a sardonic sense of humor, and a heart-wrenching voice, Crossland has brought his unique style to Beartrap Summer Festival 2011. And we’re all better because of it.

If you missed seeing Crossland live, you can see all our photo gallery from the concert right here.

Every year, thousands of people come and go from the mountain during Beartrap Summer Festival.  However, a smaller set of nature & music lovers actually take up residence in and around our fair meadow.  From luxury motorcoaches to good old-fashioned tents and tarps, they all have one thing in common – they are having a blast.  Check out some of the “happy campers” at this year’s Beartrap Summer Festival!