Despite the chill, the Mat-Su music scene is heating up
From rock and roll to orchestras and Broadway, Mat-Su’s music scene has something for everyone.
The main stage at the Alaska State Fairgrounds is quiet, its seating area covered in snow. Come late summer, it will heat back up with the music of Cake, Twisted Sister, and AJR.
But while the big outdoor shows of summer — and even events like Wasilla’s popular Music in the Park series — remain months away, live music fans in the Mat-Su currently have an avalanche of options. From large music festivals to open mic nights, the Mat-Su music scene is thriving.
That vitality was on display in late January when hundreds of fans packed the Palmer Depot building for the inaugural WinterRomp Festival. The event brought bands from as far away as Ketchikan and Hawaii for two nights of music. The well-attended festival in the dead of winter proved the appetite for live music in Alaska remains strong.
“We believe the music scene here is the best it’s ever been,” said Braden Rollins of Blackwater Railroad Co., which co-headlined the festival with Hope Social Club.
The band’s Tyson Davis said organizers and performers were blown away by Mat-Su audiences throughout the festival.
“Wintertime stuff is always kind of a nail-biter, and it felt really good that people had such a good response,” Davis said.
The Palmer Alehouse, a downtown Palmer venue that hosts live music throughout the winter, presented the festival.
Other bands at the festival included Justin Morris & Company, Midnight Son, Rosie Rush, Childish Tycoon, Ed Washington, Steady Going, and Dude Mountain. The idea for WinterRomp came about after the success of the HatcherRomp festival, which will hold its fourth annual event this summer at Skeetawk ski area.
“We already have a relationship to the neighborhood, so to speak,” Davis said. “Through Palmer and playing at the Palmer Alehouse for a decade or more, and having those guys have our backs for a long time, it just made sense that if we were trying to put on a larger event, partnering with them made sense.”
Rollins said helping build a vibrant music scene in the communities they visit is a major part of the band’s mission.
“There are so many awesome people creating; they just need opportunities to showcase what they’ve been working on.”
The festival also partnered with local nonprofit Kids Kupboard and raised funds for Western Alaska typhoon relief. The event was a centerpiece of a busy month of music that also included a series of solo shows by Portugal. The Man guitarist Eric Howk and a steady stream of regular performances at local bars and lodges.
Palmer Alehouse entertainment director Corey Brister said the turnout was beyond his expectations and described the festival as “incredible.”
“It was probably the most people I’ve seen inside the depot for a show,” Brister said.
Brister gave most of the credit for coordinating the event to Blackwater Railroad, which has frequently performed in Palmer over the past decade while developing into one of Alaska’s most popular touring acts.
“The trajectory they’ve been on is entirely vertical,” he said.
The Alehouse is a big part of the Palmer music scene both winter and summer, and despite some complaints from locals about packed parking during events, Brister said downtown businesses are excited about the venue’s upcoming slate of outdoor summertime shows as well as the “Unplugged” series, where artists perform in a more intimate setting.
“You get a lot of interaction you wouldn’t otherwise get,” he said.
Now in its 12th year of operations, Brister said the Alehouse is committed to supporting local music and helping to create a diverse musical scene in the valley.
“It’s grown so much and it’s become such a part of Palmer and what the Valley does.”
Along with the Alehouse — which hosts its acoustic “Unplugged” series every Thursday — other venues that host live music every weekend throughout the winter include Hatcher Pass Lodge, Four Corners Lounge in Palmer, Silver Fox Inn in Meadow Lakes and Fairview Inn in Talkeetna. Numerous businesses, including Susitna Brewing Co., Black Birch Books, Four Corners, and Schwabenhof, routinely host weekly open mic nights. Smaller venues such as Meier Lake Resort and Vagabond Blues in Palmer or Nonna’s Osteria in Wasilla regularly feature musical acts, as do area libraries.
And it’s not just rock and roll. Fans of musical theater will also have plenty to see this spring. The Glenn Massay Theater will showcase a string of popular productions, with Colony Drama’s “Newsies” opening Feb. 19, Valley Performing Arts’ “Willy Wonka the Musical” debuting March 27 and A-List Productions’ “The SpongeBob Musical” hitting the stage May 21.
There is also something for orchestra lovers and fans of the classics. The Mat-Su Orchestra will play a fundraising concert for the Palmer Library on Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. at the Depot, and the Mat-Su Concert Band will perform March 6 at Wasilla Bible Church and May 2 at the Glenn Massay Theater. The Mat-Su Community Chorus is also planning a pair of concerts in May, though exact dates are still being finalized.
Below is a sampling of upcoming live musical events in the Mat-Su over the next couple of months. Most venues update their schedules through their websites or Facebook pages. Times and performers can change, so it’s always a good idea to check before heading out. To add an event to the Sentinel’s free online events calendar, visit matsusentinel.com/mat-su-community-calendar/.
Thursday, Feb. 12
Matt Hopper — Palmer Alehouse, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14
BANDANDY — Hatcher Pass Lodge, 4 p.m. Ken Peltier and Friends — Palmer Alehouse, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15
Mat-Su Orchestra — Palmer Depot, 3 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 19
Dallas Lee — Palmer Alehouse, 6 p.m.
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20
Jesse James — Meier Lake Resort, 5 p.m.
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Milo Matthews — Fairview Inn, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Roland Roberts Band — Hatcher Pass Lodge, 4 p.m.
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 26
Baker — Palmer Alehouse, 6 p.m.
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 27
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28
Hope Social Club — Hatcher Pass Lodge, 4 p.m.
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 5
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 6
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Mat-Su Concert Band — Wasilla Bible Church, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
“Newsies” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11
Don Debarras — Sheldon Community Arts Hangar, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 14
The Getting Stranger — Fairview Inn, 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 21
Gold Peak — Fairview Inn, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25
Ball in the House — Sheldon Community Arts Hangar, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 27
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 28
JenX and the Pop Rockets — Fairview Inn, 9 p.m.
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 29
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 2
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 3
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 4
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 5
“Willy Wonka the Musical” — Glenn Massay Theater, 2 p.m.
Friday, April 10
Jesse James & the Unlikely Gentlemen — Silver Fox Inn, 7 p.m.
Matt Tunseth is a freelance writer from Southcentral Alaska. Reach him at matthew.tunseth@gmail.com.