Snowbird is presenting a free Mountain Music Festival today through Sunday. Folk music and bluegrass performances highlight the event with prominent national and local performers. Mitch Barrett, Craig Carothers and Kate MacLeod headline the weekend event along with others.
The event welcomes all types of musicians and bands to showcase their talents, said Emily Moench, Snowbird’s Communications manager.
“It’s a really interactive festival, you can join workshops, and then there is late night jamming,” Moench said. “It’s a great way to escape the city heat and enjoy music in the mountains.”
The eighth annual festival features live music and shows starting Friday night with Steve Seskin and Craig Carothers performing along with Snowbird’s Song School workshop. Saturday’s main performance showcases Mitch Barrett, a nationally recognized story-telling folk musician and a multiple folk-music award winner. Kate MacLeod, a nationally recognized fiddler, will provide a fiddling workshop to the public the same day. Sunday features an open mic night event. Both Friday and Saturday nights end with a late night jamming session open to the public.
The Band Scramble is an interactive event where participants write their name and instrument they play on a paper and then drop it in a container. Then the Band Scramble leader draws five or six names and puts a band together. The bands will have a competition with the winner performing on the main event stage Friday night.
The Band Scramble is one of the most anticipated events, and is popular nationwide, according to Ruth Naccarato, Snowbird’s national sales manager for the Washington, D.C. metro area.
“It’s a fun public event where amateurs and professional musicians come together for one evening,” Naccarato said. “This is a family, fun event that anyone can enter and participate in or just watch and enjoy the music.”
BYU students that have gone in the past have enjoyed the live music and entertainment.
Andrew Pierce, a sophomore majoring in business and social work, said he has visited every year since his high school days.
“The music was always great. It was a chill but competitive environment,” Pierce said. “Every band puts a little twist to their music giving you something you haven’t heard before. So, it’s like music I would have never thought of before, and it’s overall way fun.”
Other notable events are the Blue Harmonica workshop, led by Dana Hubbard, and the Performing Song Writer showcase, with Susanne Millsaps. Ten finalists chosen from last year will compete at the song writer competition for the chance to play at future events. Seven Utah artists will compete for the championship on Sunday. Several other bluegrass bands will perform throughout the weekend.
The event allows the public to bring small coolers to the venue and offers special discounted prices on lodging all weekend long. For more information about scheduled events and lodging call 801-933-2222 or visit snowbird.com.
