Joy & Eric, a favorite duo in town, plays Miners Park Plaza June 20 at 1:30 p.m. The kickoff is one of about 100 shows that will play free of charge at stages across Summit County through August thanks to Mountain Town Music, the nonprofit organization formerly known as Mountain Town Stages.
Mountain Town announced its new moniker Tuesday to represent a broadened mission of education, outreach and support for musical talent and audiences. "We wanted to get the word out about who were are and what we do," said Jack Walzer, president of the board of trustees. "We are more than just a platform for musicians. He listed sing/songwriter workshops and jam sessions at the top of his wishlist.
Mountain Town programs summer concerts with local acts at Woodenshoe Park in Peoa, The Village Stage on lower Main Street and Miners Park in Park City as well as a popular home concert series. A new music series at Zoom restaurant comes to town this year.
Mountain Town's crown jewels, though, are weekly shows at Deer Valley's Snow Park Amphitheater and The Forum at The Canyons. The Frontier Bank Free Concert Series at Deer Valley begins Wednesday at 6 p.m. with Rich Wyman.
The Forum at The Canyons returns with Disco Drippers July 3, a new-fangled tradition on the eve of Independence Day. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Student bands from will open for Wyman and other Wednesday acts at Deer Valley. The groups will be selected from Paul Green's School of Rock, the Kimball's recent Battle of the Bands competition and other sources, according to Brian Richards, executive director of Mountain Town Music.
Sound checks, staging and the chance to play with professional musicians are some of the perks of the program. "We've never done this before," Richards said. "It's been an organic process. I wanted to get younger kids out there so they can feel the power of being on stage and making music. If we make one kid want to become a rock star, we've done our job."
Richards wants to reach out to the old as well as the young. He plans to dispatch bands to care facilities and serenade new arrivals to Summit County. "We're still doing all the things we've always done. We're just adding different elements," Richards said.
"We want to be a central resource for everyone who does live music in town." Mountain Town manages parkcitylivemusic.com, a website with weekly live music listings, and a profile site for bands called gigsdirect.com.
With the Peoa stage scheduled for construction for much of the summer, Mountain Town plans to offer free concerts at a new stage in the Silver Star development, adjacent to the Park City Municipal Golf Course, beginning in July. "Having a new venue is kind of exciting," Walzer said.
Richards said he is perhaps most proud of Miners Park and the Village stages on Main Street, which will boast largely fresh lineups compared to previous years.
"We want to be really inclusive," Richards said. Inclusiveness has meant partnering with other nonprofits to weather lean economic times. "We have so many great musicians and artists, we just want to provide venues for them," Richards concluded.
Accompanying the name change is a new logo. The silhouette of an old-fashioned microphone sits in the middle of a yellow crest. "Visually, it's going to give people an idea of who we are and what we do," Walzer said. For now, although the name has changed, the website remains the same. Check out mountaintownstages.org for a complete list of shows, home concerts and upcoming events.
Calendar
The Canyons
Except for Disco Drippers, shows start at 6 p.m.
July 3, Disco Drippers 7 p.m.
July 18, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
July 25, Band Of Heathens
Aug. 1, Georgia Satellites
Aug. 8, Shannon Curfman
Aug. 15, Panjea With Michael Kang
August 22, The Wilders
Aug. 29, The Mother Hips
Deer Valley
June 24 Aug. 26
June 24, Rich Wyman, 6 p.m.
July 8, Fat Paw, 6 p.m.
July 22, Swagger, 6 p.m.
July 29, Mary Beth Maziarz (with Wild Honey), 6 p.m.
Aug. 12, Sin City Soul, 6 p.m.
Aug. 19, Coverdogs, 6 p.m.
Aug. 26, The Detonators, 6 p.m.
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