TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. — Since 1894, Labor Day has recognized the many contributions everyday workers have made to America’s strength and prosperity. Jackson Hole’s workforce is no different, often grinding it out the very holiday weekend that tells us to “take a breather.” Enter the LaborLess Shindig with Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine this Monday at the Mangy Moose. It’s an end-of-summer rally that’s geared towards locals with free admission, an early show time, and a quartet of working class Teton County musicians that have built a singular sound over the last five years.
Davis’ Mystery Machine began over a decade ago as a side project solo endeavor, inviting instrumentalists and songwriters in the Teton County scene to join him for an impromptu pair of sets. In 2018—shortly after his decade-long run as co-creator in Screen Door Porch hit pause—he solidified a new five-piece lineup that eventually settled into a permanent quartet that had instant chemistry, but also an evolution in sound and original material. Alongside Davis (vocals, electric/resonator/lap steel guitars, banjo, harmonica) is drummer Jason Baggett with three-part harmony sung by bassist David Bundy and piano/organ/synth man Mike Patton.
Based in Hoback, Wyoming with roots in Kentucky, Aaron has been described as a “truly phenomenal songwriter” (Americana UK) with “a searing slide guitar” (Country Weekly) and “a combination that goes down like top-shelf bourbon” (Austin Chronicle). When joined by the texture experts of The Machine, it’s a celebration of mountain and river-inspired alt-country, gritty slide blues, story folk, gypsy grass, and funky roots rock that sways from improvisational and groovy to intricate and acoustic. Aaron’s tenth album, Catalyst, was written in conjunction with a merit-based Songwriting Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, awarded for his body of work.
Davis has been playing “Mangy Mondays” for eight years—usually as a soloist in the summer and with Mystery Machine for après sessions in the winter. This is will his only full band show of the season at the legendary Mangy Moose, which has ramped-up the music schedule this summer to include more national touring acts.
LaborLess End-of-Summer Shindig with Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine, 7-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5 at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village. Free, all-ages. MangyMoose.com.
